The Fountains of Silence, written by Ruta Sepetys and narrated by Maite Jauregui with Richard Ferrone, Neil Hellegers, Joshua Kane, Liza Kaplan, and Oliver Wyman, with author's note narrated by Ruta Sepetys
I enjoyed this work of historical fiction that's set in Spain during the 1950s - after the Spanish Civil War and during a time the country was led by a dictator. In the juxtaposition of fortune and poverty, honesty and lies, safety and danger, a young American man with Spanish ancestry meets a young Spanish woman. The story of their relationship is intertwined with story of what was happening in Spain at the time, what local people suspected was happening, and what people from other countries believed was happening. I liked the real quotes from history that were included.
4:51, “Bravery and stupidity are sometimes interchangeable.” Rafa lights up. “Yes! But fear brings dimension to our lives. Without fear we will never meet courage."
4:55, There's a thin line between helpful and humiliating.
7:18, Expensive clothes or cheap drapes of emotional poverty?
Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project, written by Jack Mayer
I watched The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler several years ago. It's a movie about a Polish woman who saved thousands of Jewish kids from the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. Then in March of last year someone mentioned Life in a Jar at a library event I attended and I realized it was about the same person. The book is the moving story about Sendler's experience in war-torn Poland, simultaneously horrific and beautiful, heart-breaking and inspiring. It's also about the three teens who discovered her name during a school project, realized she was a hero no one had ever heard of, and brought her story to the world. The book includes several photos, including some from multiple trips to see Sendler in Poland.
p. 301, "But old friends and co-conspirators are dying. My greatest fear is that after the last survivor is gone, memory of the Holocaust will disappear. This pain is greater than the pain in my legs. It has been my great sorrow to live a long life knowing that when I am gone remembrance might be extinguished."
Olivetti, written by Allie Millington and narrated by Christopher Gebauer and Simon Vance
This middle grade novel is about a typewriter, one that was well-loved by a family for many years, later neglected in favor of electronic devices, and recently been sold to a pawn shop. It's also about a boy from the family who owned the typewriter, one who's obsessed with words, doesn't fit in with people very well, and is determined to get the typewriter back. Add in a mom that goes missing, a traumatic event in the family's life that's not named until far into the book, and a little magical realism for a sweet story.
A Thousand Splendid Suns, written by Khaled Hosseini
A gift from a friend, this work of historical fiction is the story of two generations over three decades in Afghanistan. Filled with the realities of culture and war, and with a strong sense of place, it's simultaneously brutal and beautiful. It has polygamous marriages and child brides, domestic and military violence, and radical loss of women's freedoms, but also fierce determination, personal growth over time, and a strong desire to protect loved ones. It's a hard read at times, but I loved it and couldn't put it down for the last 100 pages.
p. 401, In a few years, this little girl will be a woman who will make small demands on life, who will never burden others, who will never let on that she too has had sorrows, disappointments, dreams that have been ridiculed. A woman who will be like a rock in a riverbed, enduring without complaint, her grace not sullied but shaped by the turbulence that washes over here.
Waiting on God: A Classic Devotional Edited for Today's Reader, written by Andrew Murray
This book has 31 entries, perfect for reading over the course of a month, but I read it slowly and sporadically over a few months. I appreciated that it was filled with Bible verses that instruct and encourage the reader in various aspects of waiting on God. I also enjoyed Humility, another book by Murray, many years ago and may seek out some of his other books.
p. 65, In waiting on God, you may grow weary because you don't know what to expect. But be encouraged. Ignorance is often a good sign. He is teaching you to leave everything in His hands and to wait on Him alone.
p. 92, The Giver is more than the gift; God is more than the blessing; and our time spent waiting on Him is the only way to learn to find our life and joy in Him.
p. 131, If waiting on God is the essence of true Christianity, the maintenance of an attitude of entire dependence on Him must be continual.
The Wishing Game, written by Meg Shaffer and narrated by Rachel L. Jacobs and Paul Boehmer
A young boy in foster care. His tutor who wants to adopt him. The author and illustrator whose books they love. Trauma, hardship, and fear. Love, hope, and courage. And an important competition. I enjoyed this novel about figuring out how to move forward when your head and heart have been stuck in an unhealthy place for a long time.
9:11, “Hate is a knife without a handle. You can't cut something with it without cutting yourself.”
Where the World Ends, written by Geraldine McCaughrean and narrated by Angus King
Where the World Ends, written by Geraldine McCaughrean and narrated by Angus King
This YA novel, which was inspired by a true story, is about eight boys and their three adult leaders who go out for an annual bird hunting trip on an isolated sea stack in Scotland. When the boat they expect to pick them up at the end of their trip doesn't arrive, the group ends up spending nine months in survival mode. I knew nothing about this book beforehand, choosing it solely because I wanted to listen to an audiobook and it was available.
