Light Years from Home by Mike Chen is sci-fiction that revolves around relationships. The narration pings between brother Jakob, who's been missing for fifteen years, his twin sister, Kass, who believes Jakob flaked out to do his own thing, and Evie, the younger sister, who is convinced he was abducted by aliens. This drives the sisters apart. Then Jakob returns, claiming he needs their help to save the universe. Is it abduction or mental illness? Chen's fresh take on an abduction story is what happens to those left behind? It moved slowly at times, building drama and meeting setbacks, but overall I enjoyed the story. The hurting family has emotional depth and veracity, plus the tension of possible invading aliens. 👽👽
Taylor Jenkins Reid's latest book, Carrie Soto is Back feels very timely. It is the story of a tennis champion who returns to playing at 37. She wants to defend her record number of grand slams. As I read the book, I thought of Serena Williams retiring from tennis. It's hard not to. Reid does an excellent job writing nail-biting tennis matches. She educates the reader about tennis--though I still don't quite understand about "breaking" your opponent's serve--and then writes breathless accounts of tennis battles. The plot is tight and compelling. Soto is a driven woman isolated from others. She is a figure both admired and loathed. Winning is how she defines her worth. This creates a toxic brew of ambition and animosity within her. 🎾🎾🎾🎾
There is controversy surrounding this book. Carrie Soto is a Latina character, and Reid is white. Here is a link addressing that: readers-raise-alarms-about-taylor-jenkins-reids-upcoming-book
In her latest book, The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World, Rosaria Butterfield makes a strong argument for generous hospitality. The book imparts the theology of hospitality with many anecdotes from her personal life. She is a hospitality ninja. I felt inferior. As I read on, I gained perspective. She is speaking from several years--perhaps decades--of experience and mentoring in this area. Her views are well articulated and deeply thought out. I found the book both challenging and inspiring. You can do this and get moving! 🥘🍲😋
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