stir

by Jessica Fechtor
Rated PG

I had a craving for memoir, and I picked stir up by happenstance. By which I mean, it happened to catch my eye from a display at the library, so I checked it out. And ended up loving it so much I will probably buy it as well.

Fechtor weaves the story of an unlikely brain aneurysm that struck in her 20s with her love of cooking, and even more, of feeding those she loves. She writes gently, as though stirring something that mustn't be handled too much, as in, when entering her apartment after ages in the hospital, she writes, "I felt shy but welcome, as though I'd shown up late somewhere important to find that someone had saved me a seat." In this way she leads the reader through years where her memories of and experiences with food finally awaken in her the truth that she is still "she", still Jessica Fechtor. Deliciously, every chapter culminates with recipes for the foods most important to her.

I admit I'm not an accomplished cook, only a good enough cook. This is why Fechtor has so endeared herself to me by taking her time with the recipes she writes. She's in no hurry to lead you along to the finished product. Ingredients, methods, even sometimes utensils or receptacles are explained and even adored. For example, where most people would write "saute the onion", Fechtor writes, "...add the onion, and saute until it softens, goes translucent, and browns a little around the edges." When it comes time for you, the cook, to saute the onion in this recipe, there will be no doubt when you've done it right, will there?

And certainly, the book is sparkling clean. Not a drop of bad language or anything else to besmirch this beautiful memoir.

Get a glimpse of this author's writing style and recipes on her food blog at http://sweetamandine.com.

Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening

by Carol Wall
Rated PG

Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening is a tender memoir about an unlikely friendship, combined with a little lesson in facing our trials with dignity.

When Carol Wall tentatively approaches the man who has made her neighbor's yard so beautiful, it is with some serious misgivings. After all, she has always had an aversion for flowers, dirt, and all things horticultural.

But as Carol and Mr. Owita (Giles) come to know and trust each other, Carol not only finds comfort in watching the way her friend responds to heartache, she also learns to appreciate the beauty that surrounds her, in her very own yard.

Until I Say Good-Bye

by Susan Spencer-Wendel
Rated PG

When 44-year-old Susan Spencer-Wendel was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, she knew it would be fatal, and perhaps quickly so. But she was determined to leave her family with a legacy of joy, rather than sorrow.

Until I Say Good-Bye chronicles Susan's (pretty successful) attempt to live joyfully alongside her disease, committed to counting what remained instead of all she had lost. And when your muscles begin to die one by one, you lose quite a bit. She actually typed this whole book on an iPhone with her thumb, the only digit she could still control.

Susan's optimism and ability to tell her story with humor and just the right amount of sentiment kept me glued to this book. Certainly a good choice for book club, since we all have plenty to think, and talk, about when confronting the tragedies of others and our own what-ifs.

Rated PG for a smattering of swear words.

Into Thin Air

by Jon Krakauer

Rated: PG-13

In the spring of 1996, Jon Krakauer, a journalist on assignment for Outdoor Magazine, joined a commercially guided expedition to summit Mount Everest in 1996. This book chronicles the details that such a quest demands, the extreme physical and psychological toll the journey takes, and provides some insight into the motivations of those who are driven to make the journey. Some may remember that 1996 was a particularly tragic year for those trying to summit Mt. Everest and Mr. Krakauer experienced first hand some of the events that contributed to that tragedy. While I can't vouch for its authenticity, I think Mr. Krakauer tried to give an honest accounting of events in his book. He interviewed many of his fellow climbers to ensure the timeline was as accurate as possible rather than simply relying on his own memories - which can be blurred and sketchy due to impaired brain function at 29,000 feet.

I found the book fascinating, heartbreaking and, particularly in the latter portion, guilt-ridden. Mr. Krakauer tries to identify the intricate, intertwining variables that may have contributed to the tragedy but that seems a difficult task when several key players are no longer alive to explain their decisions. There is one instance towards the end of the book of drug use to escape mental anguish. There is profanity in this book, rare at the beginning but with increasing frequency in the latter half. This profanity includes many of the "harder" curse words. There are graphic descriptions of 3rd world bivouacs, various injuries, and death.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

by Laura Hillenbrand

                              Rated PG-13

Louis Zamperini was a troublemaker with far too much energy as a boy, spending quite a bit of his time causing trouble and then "running like mad". Thanks to his older brother, when he was in high school, he transferred that energy to running, becoming the youngest person at age 19 to make the Olympic 5000 meter track team in 1936. After the U.S. joined World War II, Louis got drafted into the Army Air Corps, trained as a bombardier in a B-24 and was stationed in the Pacific theater. During a search and rescue mission, the B-24 he was flying in crashed into the Pacific ocean. Only three people survived to clamber into two life rafts lashed together. Fighting through insane adversity with ingenuity and optimism, two of the three managed to survive, eventually drifting over 2000 miles across the Pacific to reach the Marshall Islands. Problem was, the Marshall Islands were in Japanese hands at the time and the two survivors were promptly captured and shipped off to a series of Japanese POW camps.

Honestly, until I read this book, I had no idea what captured soldiers had to endure in the Japanese camps. I had heard something of the situation, of course, but this opened my eyes in whole new ways to what those men were forced to experience. The title is truly an appropriate one: survival, resilience and redemption is precisely what this book portrays. This book is PG-13 due to bad language, violence, and descriptions of deprivation, abuse, and hate. But it also has forgiveness, love, and renewed life. I read this and was touched by how a human soul can be forced through the depths of hell and, with God's help, come through it unbroken.

The Promise

by Oral Lee Brown

Rated PG

Although maybe not the most compelling writing, the true story of Brown's outrageous promised to a class of 1st grader's that she would pay to send them all to college is just the kind of yarn I love to get involved in.

Oral Lee Brown made all of $40,000/year and lived in run-down Oakland, CA when she made her now-famous promise to a group of underprivileged 1st graders. If they would put in the effort to graduate from high school, she would see to it that the funds were available for each and every one of them to go to the college of their choice.

Contributing $10,000 per year of her own salary, and creating a foundation to raise the additional funds needed, she made good on her promise. That's amazing, but even more amazing are the accounts of the many hours she spent beyond the fundraising, just trying to make sure these kids made it, alive and with decent grades, to graduation at all. The book offers a little glimpse into the lives of the students as well as their mentor, and I finished the last page feeling envious that Brown is someone who has actually made a real difference in the world.

clean books, books that are clean, clean reads

Same Kind of Different As Me

by Ron Hall and Denver Moore

Rated PG

Sorry for the hiatus on posting books here, I was sick...the bad part of that was I didn't feel like doing much, the good part is that I got some extra reading in.

This book was a loaner to me by my friend OS, and I really enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for a good true story, and this fits the bill. It's the story of a wealthy art dealer and his wife, accustomed to all the luxuries life can offer, who feel compelled to give their life to God and to serving His children. As part of that journey they begin volunteering at a homeless shelter, where they meet Denver, a man who is as accustomed to being down-and-out as the Halls are accustomed to money.

An unusual and enriching friendship ensues, and the story is marked by surprising, and sometimes heartbreaking, twists.

clean books, clean books for book club, clean reads, books that are clean

My Grandfather's Blessings

by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.

Rated G

Another wonderful recommendation from my friend LJ, who also recommended The Book Thief to me. She has great taste!

My Grandfather's Blessings is a series of essays by Remen, who spent years working as a pediatrician, then later as a counselor to those with chronic and terminal illness. Her experiences, together with the wisdom passed on to her by her Orthodox rabbi grandfather, form essays full of anecdotes and musings that are both inspiring and thought provoking. It is not a difficult read, though I found myself stopping often to ponder what I'd just read.

This book is one to buy. You will want to read it more than once.

clean books, clean books for book club, books that are clean, clean book reviews, clean reads

One Simple Act

by Debbie Macomber

Rated G

This non-fiction book was a pleasure to read. Heartfelt true stories, scripture verse, and the author's own insights weave together a timeless reminder of the value of generosity.

Going beyond the simplicity of giving money or time as a definiton of generosity, Macomber shows how listening, encouraging, being hospitable, sharing hope, and more are also generous acts. She writes often of listening for the "God nudges", those gentle feelings that tell you when someone needs a helping hand or an encouraging word. I echo her belief in the importance of following those feelings. It never hurts to do something kind, and often it helps more than we know.

A big thanks to my mom for loaning me this book, it had some good reminders for me and made me want to be better.

clean books, clean non-fiction, clean book reviews, clean books for book club, clean reads, good books, Christian book reviews

Survival in Auschwitz

by Primo Levi

Rated PG-13

Primo Levi was an Italian Jew of 25 years of age when he was arrested by the Italian fascists and sent to Monowitz-Buna, a work camp in Auschwitz, Poland. An arresting narration, this book chronicles the struggles of life in the camp, the deep deprivations, the seeming random assignment of death, and the tangled knot of rigid rules that would wrest the very humanity and soul from its inmates if it could. But a soul is not something that can be taken, it must be given. From reading the mocking "Arbeit macht frei" above the gate to guarding against the constant threat of losing meagre possessions to theft, this is a stark, simple, honest account of the intimate realities of daily life in the work camp and, while not for the faint of heart, is worth reading.

I have rated this book PG-13 not from bad language or inappropriate scenes but because the nature of the subject is disturbing and no effort is made to cushion the reality of the experience. I would reserve this book for adults or teenagers older than 17.

clean books, books that are clean, clean books for book club, clean reads, clean nonfiction, clean book reviews, good books

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

by Terry Ryan
Rated PG
Non-Fiction
The homespun true story of a determined mother who raised 10 kids and kept the wolf from the door with her penchant for perfect prose. This book left me with the delightful feeling that I could overcome anything through sheer determination and wit. There's a drunken dad and a small amount of language, but generally clean.
clean book, clean book reviews, clean non-fiction, clean reads

One Tattered Angel

By Blaine Yorgason
Rated G
Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE this book! I hate to be cliche, but this really is a "touching true story" about a family who adopts an amazing little girl, Charity. Charity was born without a brain stem, and was not expected to live. Not only did she live, but she lived to demonstrate the startling power of spirit over body, finding ways to communicate with the people she loved even with most of her brain missing.
If you're like me and completely neglect your house and family when you're in the middle of a good book, then this book is for you. It's a quick read, and, although a bit of a tear-jerker, it will leave you feeling totally uplifted.
clean book, clean book reviews, clean books for teens, clean fiction, clean reads