Some summer reading

The long days of summer are with us and hopefully you will find the time to catch up on all of your reading. One of these books could be just right for you!

The Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis. FicEll For school age children, this is the story of Parvana and her family. When the father is taken away by the Taliban, the family has no male member. Parvana at 11 is disguised as a boy and becomes the family’s Breadwinner. An excellent book that looks at the complex issues in Afghanistan.

Love You Forever, Robert Munsch. Illustrated by Sheila McGraw. JFicMun This classic Munsch story is a must read. It is one you will want to add to your newborn’s library (or the grandparents’ shelves!)

The Primal Teen: What the New Discoveries About the Teenage Brain Tell Us About Our Kids, Barbara Strauch. 616.89Str. This is a fascinating look at the new research being done on how the teenage brain changes. So much new information has been gleaned and studied with the advent of MRI’s - we have learned that the brain does not evolve as scientists had thought. This book will give you a lot of insight to teenagers.

The Gospel According to Peanuts, Robert L. Short. 261.57Sho. If you grew up reading Peanuts, you probably noticed the religious spirit of the strip. This book pulls cartoons together with commentary discussing this aspect of Schultz’s characters. Suitable to older teens as well as adults - take this home and fall in love with Peanuts again.

Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, Richard J. Foster. 248.4Fos. This book looks at how to incorporate 12 disciplines into your life as a way of personal spiritual growth - Meditation, Prayer, Fasting, Study, Simplicity, Solitude, Submission, Service, Confession, Worship, Guidance, and Celebration. Try reading and incorporating a chapter each week as a method of enhancing your summer.

Letters to a Young Doubter, William Sloane Coffin. 230.51Cof. The author conducts a letter campaign to a Freshman student where they discuss school, life, family and faith. One letter deals with the loss of a friend and coping with the heartbreaking death of such a young person (pg. 103). This is a good book for teens and adults.

Still Alice: a novel, Lisa Genova. FicGen. I found myself forgetting that this book is a novel while reading it. The story of Alice is captivating as she is diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s. A professor at Harvard, she struggles as she loses more and more of herself to this disease. Her thoughts as the disease progress really rang true to me as I look back on my own mother’s disease. Please read this book if you know someone with Alzheimer’s.