Beautiful and Necessary Books Project

Many of you know that I am an avid reader. Seriously. In terms of needs, after breathing and food it's books. As both a reader and writer I'm often asked, "So, what are you reading?" And because I'm reading multiple books (so many books, so little time) I always have an answer. If your at my house you might also get a tour of my bookshelf and whatever book I'm currently obsessed with (and lots of my old favourites) may be enthusiastically shoved into your hands.

As I follow many writers on social media, I'm often aware of what books are coming out and the unique 'story' behind the story as the author shares their own publication journey. I wanted to share with you all some of the books that have most touched my soul. The ones that reached right inside and would not let go of me. Welcome to my Beautiful and Necessary Books project.

First up: THE PECULIAR MIRACLES OF ANTOINETTE MARTIN by Stephanie Knipper.


About the Book:
Genre: Adult Literary Fiction, magical realism.

This is a beautiful and necessary book about family, our differences and our unique strengths. Two sisters who must come together later in life and learn to be family again. The older sister, Rose, is dying and desperately needs a guardian for her ten-year-old autistic daughter, Antoinette Martin. This child has a strange and beautiful ability. She can heal things and people. But the healing doesn't last. Not even when she tries to heal her mother. But when the sisters come together to form a new family they also discover that if they can protect Antoinette from outsiders who want to abuser her unique skills, there might be a way for Antoinette to heal her mother, Rose.


Why I loved it:

I'm a huge sucker for sister stories. Especially those where the sisters find each other again and come together to fight for new relationships and each other. I'm also deeply affected by books that included diverse characters who might be viewed as 'broken' by society. Add in some magic (I love me some magic) and I am obsessed.

After reading I was filled with the magnitude of understanding that each of us are a miracle in our own right. Each of us bring to this world what no one else can, what no one before us has. This book gave me hope that no matter my disabilities, I bring many abilities to this world. And so do we all. No matter our challenges or our past, we are never as broken as we think. And sometimes what others might see as brokenness is the exact place in our life where our light can shine through the cracks and inspire others.

If you love anything by Sarah Addison Allen or other magical realism books, this one is for you!
Go buy HERE. Go read!
I thoroughly recommend.

What about you? What are you reading?