The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Rachel Joyce)

 

This book was oddly simple but yet very profound. Harold's walking brings about a lot of time to think about his seemingly unhappy life. However, the process brings him around to figuring himself out and realizing he does want what he has. He walks to try to make amends for mistakes he has made in life and to find forgiveness for others and for himself. He realizes relationships, as full of challenges and as messy as they are, are what matters most. Along the way, sometimes our life gets crowded with all sorts of noise and people - but in the end, it's our partner and children that matter most and bring meaning.

I will go find the other books she has written that explains the story from Queenie's and Maureen's point of view.

Goodreads says:

Recently retired, sweet, emotionally numb Harold Fry is jolted out of his passivity by a letter from Queenie Hennessy, an old friend, who he hasn't heard from in twenty years. She has written to say she is in hospice and wanted to say goodbye. Leaving his tense, bitter wife Maureen to her chores, Harold intends a quick walk to the corner mailbox to post his reply but instead, inspired by a chance encounter, he becomes convinced he must deliver his message in person to Queenie--who is 600 miles away--because as long as he keeps walking, Harold believes that Queenie will not die. So without hiking boots, rain gear, map or cell phone, one of the most endearing characters in current fiction begins his unlikely pilgrimage across the English countryside. Along the way, strangers stir up memories--flashbacks, often painful, from when his marriage was filled with promise and then not, of his inadequacy as a father, and of his shortcomings as a husband. Ironically, his wife Maureen, shocked by her husband's sudden absence, begins to long for his presence. Is it possible for Harold and Maureen to bridge the distance between them? And will Queenie be alive to see Harold arrive at her door?

[Un]Intentional (Doug Smith)

 

This was an audio book I decided to listen to while delivering flyers for the food bank drive (hours and hours of walking!) It was really good. He has a Biblical approach to the problems with screens. The people creating social media are very intentional at capturing our attention and as a result, we have started to live our lives in unintentional ways. I was quite persuaded by his argument that we have to take back the control and be in charge of our own lives and one of the key ways to do that is to break the screen addiction. I was quite persuaded by the author's approach to this topic. I know I'm much happier and contended when I spend time reading and listening to good podcasts and audio books. The pull of social media is really strong and easy to get sucked into as a time waster.

Goodreads says:

Most of us are unintentional with screens, but tech industry architects intentionally make their content distracting, manipulative, and addictive.

[Un]Intentional shows how our obsession with screens often takes us—unintentionally—to places we regret. It reveals the way many apps, games, and videos are designed to entice us to make decisions and form harmful habits that profit the creators at our expense.

[Un]Intentional helps you break free by guiding you through proven biblical practices to reclaim your thought life, make good decisions, and fulfill your God-given mission.

Fly, Eagle, Fly! (Christopher Gregorowski)

This story felt like a First Nations' legend, but it is an African tale. It's a great story about realizing your potential and not settling.

Goodreads says:

After a stormy night, a farmer searching for his lost calf finds a baby eagle that has been blown out of its nest. He takes it home and raises it with his chickens. But when his friend comes to visit one day, he tells the farmer that an eagle should be flying high in the sky, not scrabbling on the ground for grain. How the farmer's friend proves that the bird is an eagle and destined to fly to the sun, is humorously retold by Christopher Gregorowski. Niki Daly's bright water colour illustrations breath life into this powerful and uplifting tale.

Whale in a Fish Bowl (Troy Howell)

 

Sometimes my class amazes me. When this story ended, there was quiet for a moment. Then one girl said, "That's kind of sad, really." They thought it was sad that she only knew her fish bowl and had no idea until she had escaped where she really belonged and how happy she'd be. My class also hoped she found a mate. 

And we LOVED the big fold out page that showed how high Wednesday had leaped when she finally escaped.

I love books that make kids think! We had a good discussion about zoos and other animals in captivity.

Goodreads says:

A moving, poetic story about a whale in captivity who longs for the ocean . . . because whales don’t belong in fishbowls, do they?

Wednesday is a whale who lives in a fishbowl smack dab in the middle of a city–it’s the only home she’s ever known. Cars whizz around her and people hurry past; even the sun and moon circle above. But if she leaps high enough out of her bowl, Wednesday can see it: a calm bit of blue off in the distance. When a girl in a paisley dress tells Wednesday “You belong in the sea,” the whale starts to wonder, what is the sea? Readers will cheer–and get all choked up– when, one day, Wednesday leaps higher than ever before and sets in motion a breathtaking chain of events that will carry her to her rightful home. Touching, and ultimately uplifting, here is a story about a lonely creature longing to be free–and longing to find someone just like her.