Thank God for books

Three out of five people are sick in my house, with one recovered already and one soon to bite the dust. There are used Kleenex, bottles of Clorox wipes, and various cold remedies and essential oils everywhere. My to-do list is growing in reverse proportion to my will to move. I did rouse myself this afternoon and wipe all the surfaces, fold some of the mountain of laundry, and vacuum up the daggers of dried up Playdough. But now all I want to do is read myself to sleep with Vicks on my chest.

Thank God for books, and for the North Central Regional Library mailing system. If you've read here before, you know my love for them. When I made myself to go to the mailbox today (it's halfway down the street, don't judge), I found three fat purple envelopes crowding my box. Sorry, postal worker, but man, was I excited, especially because it was the sequels for today's blog books, and because I have a date with my bed, probably for the next four days. 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Young Adult Novel by Ransom Riggs

This book was the beginning of my sick reading spree. January seems to be a bad month for my family, as this is the second year of multiple illnesses in a row. Two weeks ago, one of the current sickies was sick for the first time and I was stuck at home, much as I am now (but this time I'm sniffly and don't really mind). All that extra time, plus the fact that this is an easy read, plus its extreme goodness, led me to read this whole book in a DAY. Gobble gobble. 

One thing I loved about this is it's exactly what it seems to be. Creepy, yes. Childlike, yes. Captivating, yes. A teenager loses his grandpa in a mysterious way and sets out for the remote British island that his grandpa described in childhood stories. There he finds exactly what he's looking for--an orphanage of sorts where his grandpa lived. But how he finds it is, well, peculiar. And why grandpa left, and what the grandson will do with his new knowledge, is the rest of the story. 

You might be wondering if I'll let my daughter read this series, since we've enjoyed reading the same books lately. Not yet. The language is too adult, as is some of the psychology. I don't think it will be long, though, and meanwhile I get to devour the next two in the series.

The Secret Chord 

Historical Fiction by Geraldine Brooks

You might consider this the opposite of Miss Peregrine. It took me two weeks to read and was not easy, in vocabulary or content. I actually quit a book by this author a while ago, but she was coming to read from this one at our library, so I was intrigued. I finished just in time for the reading (it's happening right now) but I was not going to inflict my germs on the general population, so I missed it. I'm glad I didn't miss this book, though. 

I was surprised to see that this is the story of King David of the Bible. It's definitely more of a literary and historical David than a biblical representation. I reread some of my Old Testament trying to remember the Bible's version, and also to figure out who was who (Brooks using more historical interpretations of the names, like Shlomo for Solomon, David's son). I still couldn't tell you if it's accurate to the Bible in events, but it is ever so much deeper in relationships, descriptions, and characterization. It's even too graphic at some times, in the battle scenes and the horrible things David's sons do to each other. Much like The Red Tent brings to life biblical characters, this one makes David even more human. He is a man after God's own heart but incredibly flawed at the same time. That idea followed me throughout the book, how God could love each human, and indeed the human species, through some of the devastating choices we make, both in ancient times and now. It was kind of a backwards way to realize that as messed up as our world is, and was in David's time, God loves us anyway. 

See? Opposite of Miss Peregrine, in time and contemplation and content and audience. But still, both were such a relief to read in times of sickness. And I have more to come. Thank God for books.