hi friends! here are my favorite books i've read recently! i don't have a ton of time to read and most of the time i am reading is for scripture tbh but here are some gems that i hope you all can read too <3
the giver
lois lowry
dystopian / pg / short read
a society where there is no color, music, weather, or pain–everything is in the state of sameness. “but he knew he couldn’t go back to the world of no feelings that he had lived in so long.”
worth all the hype.
opens your eyes to the beauty of life <3
a must-read for everyone.
flowerheart
catherine bakewell
fantasy / g / whimsical
clara’s magic has always been wild, but it’s never been dangerous. then a simple touch causes poisonous flowers to bloom in her father’s chest. the only way to heal him is to cast an extremely difficult spell that requires perfect control. the only person willing to help is her former best friend, xavier, who’s grown from a sweet, shy child into someone distant and mysterious.
made me cry. so many things i loved about this story.
also THE COVER <3
everybody always
bob goff
self improvement / g / christian
goff tells us his stories about living without fear, constraint, or worry. the path toward the liberated existence we all long for is found in a truth as simple to say as it is hard to do: love people, even the difficult ones, without distinction and without limits. goff shows us the way to embodying love by doing the unexpected, the intimidating, the seemingly impossible.
so good.
one i want to come back to over & over again.
all the beating hearts
julie foliano
children's / g / illustrated
then day inevitably turns to night, and for a while, “we are all just hearts beating in the darkness.” this quiet space invites us to be fully present in the moment, feeling whatever we feel; each of us vital, connected, “the same, but exactly different.” as a bright new dawn starts the cycle anew, that truth is a strong and steady pulse beneath the bustle of another busy morning.
these illustrations are so beautiful !!!!
the grandest game
jennifer lynn barnes
fiction / pg / mystery
welcome to the grandest game, an annual competition run by billionaire avery grambs and the four infamous hawthorne brothers, whose family fortune she inherited. designed to give anyone a shot at fame and fortune, this year’s game requires one of seven golden tickets to enter. with millions on the line, those seven players will do whatever it takes to win.
i loved the inheritance series & this is the spin-off series.
the characters are deep & i'm here for it.
the happiest man on earth
eddie jaku
ww2 survivor memoir / pg+ / inspiring
the nazis took everything from eddie--his family, his friends, and his country. but they did not break his spirit. against unbelievable odds, eddie found the will to survive. today, at 100 years of age, despite all he suffered, eddie calls himself the "happiest man on earth." he shares his wisdom and reflects on how he has led his best possible life, talking warmly and openly about the power of gratitude, tolerance, and kindness. life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful.
such a hard, incredible read. totally recommend.
here are some of my favorite lines <3
“auschwitz was a living nightmare, a place of unimaginable horrors. but i survived because i owed it to my friend kurt to survive, to live another day so that i might see him again. having just one good friend means that the world takes on new meaning. one good friend can be your entire world. this, more than the food we shared or the warm clothes or the medicine, was the most important thing. the best balm for the soul is friendship. and with that friendship, we could do the impossible.”
“i would remember this feeling often in the years to come, and remind myself that if i could survive one more day, an hour, a minute, then the pain would end and tomorrow would come.”
“a field is empty, but if you put in the effort to grow a something then you will have a garden. and that’s life. give something, something will come back. to grow a flower is a miracle: it means you can grow more. remember that a flower is not just a flower, it is the start of a whole garden.”
“perhaps you do not love your job, or work with difficult people. you are still doing important things, contributing your own small piece to the world we live in. you must never forget this. your efforts today will affect people you will never know. it is your choice today whether that effect is positive or negative. you can choose every day, every minute, to act in a way that may uplift a stranger, or else drag them down. that choice is easy. and it is yours to make.”
“happiness does not fall from the sky; it is in your hands. happiness comes from inside yourself and from the people you love. and if you are happy and healthy, you are a millionaire.”
“happiness is the only thing in the world that doubles each time you share it.”
“meeting and helping those girls really made me understand my father’s advice that it was the duty of the fortunate to help those who are suffering, and that is it better to give than receive. there are always miracles in the world, even when all seems hopeless. and when there are no miracles, you can make them happen. with a simple act of kindness, you can save another person from despair, and that might just save their life. and this is the greatest miracle of all.”
“i have a belief that if you have good morale, if you can hang onto hope, your body can do miraculous things. tomorrow will come. when you’re dead, you’re dead, but where there is life, there is hope. why not give hope a chance? it costs you nothing!”
more recs
click on the title to see the book info on goodreads :)
where the crawdads sing // the storytelling, the emotions, the rawness. what is nature. what is love. what is isolation. what is life. def scenes to skip but besides that it was so beautiful.
ghost roast // graphic novel, silly but beautifully illustrated & such a cool concept honestly!
remember us // anything by woodson hits. she nailed nostalgia so well on this one. i loved it.
extraordinary, ordinary people // i've never read such an interesting and exciting autobiography.
dear martin // short, amazing characters & powerful story.
abuela, don't forget me // heavy and beautiful.
the help // stockett is such a talented writer.
coretta // illustrated bio--beautiful & i learned so much. coretta is such a legend.
somewhere between bitter & sweet // much more than a romance & i am here for it.
mother of sharks // i've been following kurtz for a while and her art is beautiful. this book is awesome.
currently reading
the ruthless elimination of hurry
john mark comer
christian / self-improvement
outwardly, he appeared successful. but inwardly, things weren't pretty. so he turned to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words:"ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life."
stay tuned for a whole post on this book! it is so good!!
jane eyre
charlotte brontë
reading for ap lit... listening to an audiobook on my own for the first time ever :o
follow along on goodreads :)
and that's all! i hope you enjoyed this type of post, let me know if you want to see more all-time favorite lists based on different genres... that would be fun :)
happy valentine's day this week <3 talk to yourself & those around you with love this week :)
see you next week for a convo on friends & technology.... hot takes coming fs
xoxo, kate
ps i recently published a new podcast episode with tim about never giving up. it's a huge inspiration! check it out :)
pss i love love love comments!! they make me so happy! leave your name please so i know who you are :) thanks <33
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