GoodReads | The Kitchen House

I would read fiction all the time if I could, but I try to change it up some to, you know, better myself and stuff. ;) So, these two books I'm about to share with you all are POLAR opposites. One is reminiscent of The Help and the other is all about photography. Maybe there's something in here for you? The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. I don't give many books five stars on GoodReads (I'm one of those people who takes the rating system VERY seriously) but this one was worthy of all five. The story takes place in the early 1800s on a Virginia plantation and bounces back and forth between a slave's point of view and the story of an Irish girl who was brought to the plantation after she was orphaned on the trip to America. The story is so suspenseful, and I think it's an important one to read. If you liked The Help, I think you'll like The Kitchen House. (*****)

Fine Art Wedding Photography by Jose Villa. Before I even started it, I might have been a little biased about this book because I think Jose Villa is absolutely brilliant. For those of you who don't know, he shoots film, which I am in awe of, and he gives lots of tips about that process and how he gets his signature photos. If I ever start to shoot film, I will reread this book because it'd be super helpful for a beginner. I even learned a lot as a digital shooter, and I think it's always helpful to get inside another photographer's head and see how they do things. I will say that I was a little turned off by how flippantly he talks about "making portraits." He makes it sound like there's nothing to it, which is not true at all, but I guess he a) doesn't have enough pages to really dive into the nitty gritty and b) has to make it his work seem effortless. Those you that read this book, what did you think? (****)

Goodreads | Life of Pi

When I was in first grade, we were asked to draw ourselves as what we wanted to be when we grew up. I'm happy to report that my neon-colored picture won top prize. The reason my drawing was so colorful was because I had to differentiate all the books in my library. Yes, my library. I wanted to be a librarian when I grew up. That was the only possible profession that I imagined got to read for a living. And that's what I wanted to do. These last few weeks, I've had a lot of downtime to read. My inner 6-year-old bookworm self is jumping up and down. And she wants to share two awesome stories with you. :)

Life of Pi by Yann Martel. This book sat on my shelf for years. Everyone raved about it but for some reason I kept putting it off. Then the movie came out and I knew I had to read it before watching the movie (because books are almost always better!). Let me start off by saying it's not at all what I thought it was going to be. The quick synopsis is that a boy gets lost out to sea after his family's ship, headed from India to Canada, sinks. This is basically his story of more than 200 days at sea ... with the company of exotic animals that were being ferried to Canada and ended up on the lifeboat with him. At the end, however, there's a twist and everything is not as it seems. Life of Pi definitely makes you ponder religion, humanity and the will to survive. (**** [That's 4 out of 5 stars. Follow me on Goodreads to check out all my books.])

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. Oh, this book! It's so smart. That's truly the best word to describe it. It's narrated by Bee, a 15-year-old, who goes on a wild adventure to Antarctica to find her mother who has vanished into thin air. The story is interrupted by letters, e-mails and faxes from and to Bee's mother—Bernadette, neighbors, a virtual assistant in India, faculty members at Bee's school, and Bee's father/Bernadette's husband. This story is funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. A must read! (****)

GoodReads | Love Does

Sometimes you read a book and it changes your life. The Giver by Lois Lowery did that for me. And so did Loves Does by Bob Goff. When I unwrapped this book on my birthday last June (thanks, Mom and Dad!) I needed it. But I let it sit in our junk room, which we lovingly call our "Reading Room" because one day it might be used for just that, for six months. Then around Christmas I picked it up and cracked it open. I REALLY needed it then. I had just finished my full-time job of five years and was feeling a little lost and lethargic and honestly not very strong in my faith.

Here's a warning: This book will inspire you to get moving and DO something. Goff is a lawyer and a Christian and truly lives his life in a secretly incredible way. Just and example: Driving home from church one night, an older woman failed to stop at a stop sign and ran into the side of his car. He sent her flowers. Talk about forgiveness. And after 9/11, Goff and his wife took his kids on a trip around the world to meet leaders of other countries and learn about what they were hoping for. Talk about taking action.

Goff writes in a really conversational way and shares dozens of amazing stories from his lifetime. All relate back to the idea that "love does," and when it does it makes life meaningful and it makes faith very real. Plus, you'll wonder what you've been doing with your life and be inspired to say YES at the next possible chance. Not kidding ... since starting this book I've already been inspired to say yes twice. I'm excited to let love take action in other areas of my life and stop making excuses for why I can't.

My only regret? I wish I had read it sooner. 5 out of 5 stars, for sure.

Goodreads | The Dive from Clausen's Pier

I finally finished a couple more books! Sad to say I'm definitely NOT going to reach my goal of reading 25 by the end of the year. Maybe next year! If you have some book recommendations for the lazy winter months, leave 'em in the comments section below. I love hearing from you all! The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. This was an entertaining, light read (albeit a mystery), which was what I needed at the time because I was in the middle of crazy, busy, fall wedding season. The story transitions between three different time periods told from different perspectives, but all revolving around one big mystery: how a little girl ends up alone at a boat port with no name and no known past. The whole thing was a little too unrealistic for me, although it kept my attention. For that, I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer. Ohhh, I have a love-hate relationship with this book. It opens at a lake on Memorial Day. A guy dives into the lake as his friends and fiancée look on ... and emerges unconscious and paralyzed because of shallow water. The story is told from his fiancée's perspective, a character I just can't seem to sympathize with. Before the accident she was thinking of leaving the relationship, but after it seems impossible to do. This novel examines strength and weakness, forgiveness and blame. The story was fascinating to me because I just couldn't relate at all, and then I'd turn the page and I could. Definitely 4 out of 5 stars!