My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business, written by Dick Van Dyke
Van Dyke is a man whose talent and humility is loved by millions. In this book he shares how he came to be in show business, glimpses behind the scenes of various performances on stage and screen, his commitment to only performing in roles he'd feel comfortable having his kids watch with him, and the ups and downs of his personal life. I chose this book for the "celebrity memoir" category of a reading challenge I'm doing this year.
p. 217, In my early fifties, I was going through a phase where few things felt right and I was trying to figure out those that did. It was not uncommon. In your twenties, you pursue your dreams. By your late thirties and early forties, you hit a certain stride. Then you hit your fifties, you get your first annoying thoughts of mortality, you begin more serious questioning of not just the meaning of your life but of what's working, what's not working, and what you still want, and all of a sudden you don't know which way is up. You thought you knew but don't. You just want to get to where life feels okay again.
Just As I Am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham, written by Billy Graham
Graham recounts several decades of life and ministry - childhood and teen years, attending different Bible schools as a young adult, personal relationships with multiple presidents, descriptions of crusades all around the world, his family, and lessons he's learned along the way. I strongly dislike name-dropping, so I appreciate the humility with which he describes his many encounters with various dignitaries and celebrities. He also speaks respectfully about the various individuals and cultures he's interacted with, regardless of whether he shared their political stance, religious beliefs, and so on.
This book was the June part of a year-long gift from a friend, one book to unwrap and read each month. I chose this book for the "with over 600 pages" category of a reading challenge I'm doing this year. I'd previously used Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All for that category back in March, but now I'm switching that one to the "book with a six word title" category.
p. 47, He did not dictate how to think and what to do; rather, he opened my thinking to consider the perfect trustworthiness of God, and to rest in that.
p. 57, Ordination did not elevate me to superiority over my fellow Christians who sat in the pews and listened, even if I stood in a high pulpit. On the contrary, it specially designated me to be their servant, their shepherd, for Christ's sake. It was meant to nurture me in humility, not pride.
p. 108 (quoting his wife, Ruth) "I think sometimes it is easier to drive ourselves to actual death than it is to take ourselves firmly in hand and make ourselves do the wise thing," she wrote from home. "Without sounding funny, it is better to rest awhile above the earth than to rest forever beneath it."
p. 168, "This has been an age in which we have humanized God and deified man, and we have worshiped at the throne of science."
p. 204, Peace between nations depends on goodwill between individuals.
p. 204, The only hope for finding common ground among Christians of diverse backgrounds and viewpoints was to focus on the Word of God, the ultimate authority for our faith.
p. 527, "The greatest need in the world," I said, "is the transformation of human nature. We need a new heart that will not have lust and greed and hate in it. We need a heart filled with love and peace and joy, and that is why Jesus came into the world."
The Madness of Crowds, written by Louise Penny
A controversial professor. An attempted murder at one event and a successful one at another. A tangled web of personal and professional connections, both past and present. I chose this book for the "chosen solely by its cover" category of a reading challenge I'm doing this year. It's the 17th in an 18 book series, but can be read on its own.
< snip >
"Nothing good? said Armand, with a small smile.
p. 255, Through his infant son, Jean-Guy discovered that libraries hold treasures. Not just the written word, but things that couldn't be seen. Like le Petit Prince said, in the book Jean-Guy had first read as he'd read it to Honore.
A woman in her mid-twenties is in the midst of personal trauma and major life changes when she discovers that her recently deceased dad had a secret love and life that she knew nothing about. Told in alternating time periods, this is the story of a British pilot in WWII who parachutes out of his plane before it crashes in Tuscany and his daughter who's trying to answer questions about him a few decades later. I chose this book for the "set in a country you want to visit" category of a reading challenge I'm doing this year.
