A Few Mini-Reviews

There are still a few books I'd like to share with you before the year ends! I want to start off the new year with as clean a slate as possible, so here goes:


Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan
I enjoyed this YA book for its reflections on 9/11 as seen through the eyes of three New York teenagers. Some passages felt so right and true. The book gives space to each teenager and checks in with them on 9/11 and at a few points afterwards. I think it serves a great purpose in recording authentic feelings in the aftermath for people who never knew a pre-9/11 world. (bought at the 2009 Baltimore Book Festival)

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller.
Compulsively readable, this memoir is about how to tell a better story with your life. I could relate to the desire to tell a more interesting story with my life and loved the way that working on writing a movie actually inspired Miller to make his life more interesting. It felt like a shot of inspiration for the soul. I'll definitely be keeping it in mind as 2011 kicks into high gear. This book was shortlisted for the inaugural INSPY awards in creative non-fiction. (bought)

Evolving in Monkey Town by Rachel Held Evans
A long time reader of Rachel's blog, I was eager to read her memoir. She explains how she came from a fundamentalist environment, where she saw glimpses of how she might eventually question certain things and then she ended up doubting her faith. This is the story of a journey, how she came to realize that faith is strong enough to survive doubt and that it can adapt and evolve. Written compassionately and honestly, this is a book I must admit I hope many people read. Winner of the inaugural 2010 INSPY awards. (received from publisher for review)


The Perfect Love Song by Patti Callahan Henry
We interviewed Patti Callahan Henry for The Underground Literary Society and she was so super fabulous and so much fun I felt nervous to read this book. I needn't have worried! While the story is admittedly predictable, the voice of the narrator is so utterly charming and rings with so much truth that I just enjoyed every second of this delightful Christmas romance. Not too heavy on the Christmas, though! (received from publisher for review)