This Leader Reads

Christmas 2024.

A little Christmas mischief.

That I might decrease and God increase.

Books I loved. Or read again and loved again this year. 2023.

Nothing like the meals from your childhood. 😋Jamaican brown stew chicken - all drumsticks - on deck!

One of Brock’s faves. A lovely puppet book about personality and community. A fun bedtime read!

“My biggest discovery was that you can literally re-create your life. You can redefine it. I found that not only did. I have fighting me, I had love.”

A life key to joy and peace.

A key to peace and joy.

I loved this novel more than I knew I would.

As a Christian, what do you do when certain passages conflict with your beliefs? I immediately skip to the next paragraph or next page. If you read this novel, you may also find yourself doing some skipping… but for the majority of the time, you won’t be able to put the book down.

Here’s one reviewer’s summary:
In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design. Through Sadie’s journey we are reminded that “when you keep going at something, over and over and over again, you will find the truth of that thing or the best version of that thing. Whether that thing is - a book, or a book turning into a movie, or just yourself” (Zevin).

Although not explicitly stated in the novel, the other main character - Sam - appears to experience a mild version of autism along with a physical disability. Despite not making autism the central focus of the novel, “Zevin is able to present her characters in a way that neither demonises nor glorifies their disabilities.”

As an autism mom, stories that highlight the beauty and intelligence of neurodivergent people while showcasing the compassion, empathy and love shown towards them, always makes my heart swell. 

This is another must read.

Random Side Note: Gabrielle Zevin’s partner is a former Seventh-Day Adventist who attended SDA schools and then went on to study filmmaking at Harvard.

Fall joys