My New Year's resolution for 2016 was to write down quotes I loved from books I read. I duly bought myself a notebook in which to do so, and I've already filled up the first two pages with quotes! All of the quotes I've written down so far are from All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. That book was full of shiver language (defined by me as writing that sends a shiver down your spine). Since I have this record of this beautiful writing, I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes from this book with you.

"Feeling as though some cupboard in the sky has just opened."
"Werner's heart pauses; the voice seems to echo in the architecture of his head."
"Her fingers walk the tightropes of sentences."
"Connecting his fingers to the engine of his mind."
"Lets his fingers trace the journeys of electrons."
"Wedges of wet sunlight" (a description of canned peaches)
"The weather in this place: you can feel it between your fingers."
"To feel the sentences hoist her up and carry her somewhere else."
"Both ride spirals of memory."
"Watching shadows disentangle themselves from night."
"A voice on the radio offering a loom on which to spin his dreams."
"Patches of sunlight are touching down everywhere."
"The harmonies like steadily thickening pearls on a strand."
"The evening air is a benediction."
"What mazes there are in this world. The branches of trees, the filigree of roots, the matrix of crystals, the streets her father re-created in his models. Mazes in the nodules on murex shells and in the textures of sycamore bark and inside the hollow bones of eagles. None more complicated than the human brain, Etienne would say, what may be the most complex object in existence; one wet kilogram within which spin universes."
"He listens to the notes and the silences between them."
"Chords float past in transparent riffles."
"Dreams of light thickening and settling across a field like snow."
"Memories cartwheel out of her head and tumble across the floor."
"To find the snails crawling along the rocks, these tiny wet beings straining calcium from the water and spinning it into polished dreams on their backs."
"It feels as if this woman has dropped a molten kernel of memory into her hands."

If you haven't yet read All the Light We Cannot See, I highly recommend it. The plot and characters are both memorable, but what really stood out to me was the atmosphere created by beautiful shiver language such as this!

(Warning: This review is going to be rather rave-like.)

Everything about this book is amazing. Seriously, everything. I don’t say that often, so you know it’s true.

I do have to temper that, however, by saying that this book may appeal to only a small audience of bibliophile word nerds, like me. So if that description applies to you, then by all means, read this book.

Ella Minnow Pea (say her name out loud, and you’ll get a hint of the wordy wonders to be found in this book) lives on the island of Nollop, off the East Coast. The island was founded by Nevin Nollop, the creator of “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” He’s so looked up to on the island, in fact, that they have created a monument to him and his amazing sentence. And then one day, the Z falls off. The Nollopian High Council declares that the letter Z is henceforth banned from use in speaking or writing. Since the novel is an epistolary novel, you can imagine how that affects the story. And then when you discover that Z is just the first of the letters to fall, you can look forward in delight to the language hijinks that will ensue. And let’s give Mark Dunn all the credit he’s due – this must have been a progressively difficult book to write.

Let me repeat that this book is amazing. Hopefully I’ve convinced you of that. The word geek in me was jumping up and down at each page, and surely I can’t be the only one who was affected by this book in this way.

Word lovers unite, and join Ella Minnow Pea!

Find it on: Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Better World Books

I first read The Great Gatsby in high school. I loved it, and looking back now, I honestly don’t know why. The ending is terrible and so sad! Not my sort of book at all. I think it was Fitzgerald’s writing and his picture of life in the Roaring ‘20s that hooked me. Which is why I thought reading some of his short stories would be safe. It would allow me to live in the ‘20s without the tragic ending.

Well, that turned out not to be entirely true. Tragedy is part of life, and Fitzgerald certainly writes about life. But he views life also as an amusement. He sees what is funny in a situation and includes that to balance out the sadness. And he is one of those writers that knows how to craft the perfect turn of phrase, one that leaves you thinking, “That couldn’t have been said any better.”

Tales of the Jazz Age holds a variety of stories. The first section includes stories similar to The Great Gatsby, realistic stories that take place in the everyday, crazy life of the Roaring ‘20s. The second section is entitled “Fantasies.” The title is quite accurate, because Fitzgerald certainly let his imagination fly. The third section is more miscellaneous, classified by Fitzgerald as “masterpieces.”

Fitzgerald annotated the table of contents, which was honestly one of my favorite parts of the book. It always adds something to a story or book to know a bit of the background. I’m not a big short story person, but I will gladly read an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story anytime. The characters and plot are often larger than life, but the heart of each story is something we can still relate to today.

I am a huge fan of both Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. I have read Jane Austen's six books multiple times (so much so that my copy of Pride & Prejudice is literally falling apart). When I discovered Georgette Heyer a few years ago, I began rapidly devouring her books.

Turns out Regency romances is one of my all-time favorite genres.

When I recently picked up An Accomplished Woman by Jude Morgan, I found so many similarities to Austen and Heyer that I found the book boring to begin with. And that got me thinking - are all Regency romances basically the same?

1. The main female character has a mind of her own. Doesn't matter what age she is, but she is sure to make her opinion known.
2. The main male character is either an upstanding man who has never thought of marriage, or a rake in desperate need of being reformed.
3. At least one person elopes or tries to.
4. There's a ball of some sort. Probably more than one.
5. The main characters protest that they will never fall in love - until they do, usually on the last page.

An Accomplished Woman had all of these aspects, which is probably why I discounted it right off the bat. It's just a rip-off of Austen or Heyer.

But then it turned out to be more. Each of these authors has a slightly different approach to the Regency romance. Jane Austen's is an authentic approach - she lived during Regency times and was simply writing about life as she knew it. Georgette Heyer's is an accurate approach - she includes so much period detail and slang that sometimes I can't even understand what the characters are saying (took me a long time to realize that "making a leg" meant bowing). Jude Morgan's is a nearly satirical approach - he is simultaneously writing and laughing at the genre of Regency romance.

And that's what finally set An Accomplished Woman apart from any Austen or Heyer book I had read. He walks right on that line of making the story believable, yet helping you realize how ridiculous these characters and events are. It's how Jane Austen would have written a Regency romance if she lived in 2015. Once I realized this, I settled in to thoroughly enjoy An Accomplished Woman. And enjoy it I did!

There have many books, both fiction and nonfiction, written about the life of William Shakespeare – despite the fact that we don’t know all that much about his life. Was he even the playwright he is claimed to be? How could a lowly glover's son become the most famous playwright of all time?

Jude Morgan tackles that question, and answers it in a perfectly plausible fashion. Shakespeare comes to life on these pages, with all of his restlessness and passion to be on the stage and to be writing for the stage. Despite that, this book really doesn't spend much time on the writing of the plays. Instead, it focuses on Shakespeare’s relationship with his wife, Anne, who was left behind in Stratford while he ran off to London. Not an easy relationship, to be sure. Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson make cameo appearances. And Will Shakespeare himself becomes a sympathetic, but flawed, man. If you want a version of Shakespeare’s life that could have been the real one, then this is the book for you.

Find it on: Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Better World Books

Find it on: Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Better World Books

Cora Diehl has come home to the family farm in Montana, only to have her life turned upside down. Her father has a stroke, and then it turns out that he isn’t really her father. Soon, Cora’s summer plans include the Grand Tour in Europe with her newly discovered half-siblings.

I loved this book from page one. First of all, it’s Christian historical fiction, which means I don’t have to worry about swearing. And the characters turn to God to help them through their struggles. Extremely refreshing!! Secondly, Cora is strong in her faith and strong in herself. Yes, she goes through a lot of soul-searching to discover who God means her to be. But in each of those struggles, she is very relatable and real. And who of us hasn’t wished we could have gone on the Grand Tour, spending months in Europe seeing all the major sights?

This is the first book in a trilogy, and I can’t wait to see where Cora and her family travel next and what God brings them along the way.

Find it on: Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Better World Books

I love the phrase "shiver language." It so aptly describes what it is - languages, words, phrases that send a shiver down your spine because they are so well-written or because they show the world in a way that you would otherwise never have seen it. (The traditional phrase for this is "figurative language", but that doesn't strike me as particularly descriptive. Figurative language makes you do what - figurate?)

Occasionally, I run across a book that is full of shiver language. When that happens, I highlight (if the book is mine) or scribble down page numbers (if it isn't). My copy of The Book Thief is covered in purple highlighter. (If you want to read my shiver language post, you can find it here.)

I recently discovered another book full of shiver language - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. These are just some of the quotes I found that sent a shiver down my spine. I hope you enjoy reading them.

"That is how Clara read, with borrowed eyes."
"We were always two fugitives riding on the spine of a book, eager to escape into worlds of fiction and secondhand dreams."
"Dusk fell almost surreptitiously, with a cold breeze and a mantle of purple light that slid between the gaps in the streets."
"The city was asleep, and the bookshop felt like a boat adrift in a sea of silence and shadows."
"I remained glued to the fire, watching the steam rise from my clothes like a fleeing soul."
"I lost sight of the car that was taking Bea away, two dots of light sinking into a well of darkness."
"He continued to pursue the shadow of his own words."
"It had started to snow, and the sky was melting into slow tears of light that seemed to lie on my breath before fading away."
"The art of reading is an intimate ritual; a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us; when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind."
"I leafed through the pages, inhaling the enchanted scent of promise that comes with all new books."

Sometimes I’m way behind the reading trends. For example, pretty much everyone has read Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell by now. So I’m not going to write a traditional review. I figure there might be a few holdouts like me who haven’t decided if they’re going to read the book or not. To help these people out, I’ve written two lists – one of why you should read Eleanor & Park, and one of why you should not. As with everything on this blog, these lists are entirely my own opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree, or to share your own opinion of this book.

Why You Should Not Read Eleanor & Park
   - The swearing. It’s sprinkled liberally throughout the book, and if this is something you typically avoid, you might want to avoid this book.
   - Verbal, sexual, and physical abuse. Not tons, but not really appropriate for younger readers.
   - The ending. It satisfies, but barely. Though I’m not sure there’s a better one.

Why You Should Read Eleanor & Park
   - The characters. Eleanor and Park are real and vulnerable. We all knew kids like them in high school. We may even have been kids like them in high school.
   - True love. First love. Love that is not puppy love or just a hook up. Love that matters.
   - The writing. Rainbow Rowell describes a situation or a feeling with just the right phrase. Every single time.
   - The setting. How often do you get to read a book set in 1986?
   - Dual points of view. You get the story from Eleanor’s angle and from Park’s angle. It makes you care about the characters just that much more.
   - The ending. It’s brilliant. It’s realistic, and it leaves you wanting more.

You can probably tell by the fact that my shoulds outnumber my should-nots that I really enjoyed this book and am glad I read it. If you’re on the fence about reading Eleanor & Park, I hope my lists helped! If you’ve already read it, let me know what you thought about it in the comments!

This is a book that I just randomly picked up off the library shelf. Sometimes those are the best ones. This book was so beautiful and so much more than I expected.

It’s the early 1900s in Montana. Paul’s mother has died, and his father has answered an advertisement in the newspaper about a housekeeper. Enter Rose Llewellyn – and her brother Morrie, who tagged along. Morrie ends up taking over the position of teacher for the one-room schoolhouse, where his talents as an unconventional know-it-all can shine.

Throughout the book, you come to love every single character, especially Paul’s youngest brother, Toby. What an adorable seven-year-old. Paul’s family has such a bond. Dryland farming in Montana doesn’t sound like much fun, but I would still put up with it to be part of Paul’s family, including Rose and Morrie. Ivan Doig paints a picture of a time when life was simpler and friends and family mattered more than anything. Doig’s writing, all around, is superb.

This is a truly touching book. The start may be a bit slow, but stick with it. If you do, these characters will stick with you for a very long time.

I love the phrase "shiver language." It so aptly describes what it is - languages, words, phrases that send a shiver down your spine because they are so well-written or because they show the world in a way that you would otherwise never have seen it. (The traditional phrase for this is "figurative language", but that doesn't strike me as particularly descriptive. Figurative language makes you do what - figurate?)

I recently reread The Book Thief by Markus Zusak for the inaugural meeting of my book club. I had originally read it four years ago. Not much of the plot stuck with me over those four years. What did stick was the writing. I remembered that The Book Thief was chock-full of shiver language. So this time I read it with highlighter in hand, marking all of those sentences and phrases that sent a shiver down my spine.

Because sharing a love of reading and books and words is what this blog is all about, I decided to share that shiver language with all of you. I know it's a long list. Feel free to read as much or as little as you like. But as you read, remember the power of words.

"I vacation in increments. In colors."
"What was left of the blackness above was nothing now but a scribble."
"Each person stood and played with the quietness of it."
"The graying light arm-wrestled the sky."
"Her sentences glowed in the light."
"Her mother sat with clenched thoughts."
"Yellow-dressed afternoon"
"The music would look Liesel in the face."
"Their uniforms walked upright."
"The church aimed itself at the sky."
"The moon was sewn into the sky that night."
"A patch of silence stood among them now."
"The excitement stood up in her."
"Amplified by the still of night, the book opened - a gust of wind."
"Her ears held the notes."
"The words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like the rain."
"It's hard not to like a man who not only notices the colors, but speaks them."
"Both he and the paint fumes turned around."
"A few smiled words"
"Or maybe it was just Europe again, breathing."
"His thoughts crisscrossed the table as he stared into it."
"Paper and print dissolved inside them. Burning words were torn from their sentences."
"Halving his tallness"
"The ever-colored books"
"There was more silence than she ever thought possible."
"A window of small towns"
"His voice was far away, as if he'd swallowed it before it exited his mouth."
"The young man's voice was scraped out and handed across the dark like it was all that remained of him."
"The different notes handled her eyes."
"He stood shaking and shaken in the doorway."
"The wood was alive, still humming from the beating it had just been given."
"The practice of words"
"A mountain of cold November air was waiting at the front door each time Liesel left the house."
"He dropped everything out of him."
"The whisper was soft, clouded in the throat of sleep."
"She couldn't tell exactly where the words came from What mattered was that they reached her. They arrived and kneeled next to the bed."
"His words manipulated Tommy's face."
"If the summer of 1941 was walling up around the likes of Rudy and Liesel, it was writing and painting itself into the life of Max Vandenburg. . .The words started piling up around him."
"The girl dragged the same thought up the steps."
"And how her heart began to heat."
"The escaped beginnings of a smile that had fallen from her mouth"
"This from a man who'd stolen a Jew."
"How do you give someone a piece of sky?"
"Their heartbeats fought each other, a mess of rhythm."
"Liesel tried not to break."
"'Better that we leave the paint behind,' Hans told her, 'than ever forget the music.'"
"If only she could be so oblivious again, to feel such love without knowing it, mistaking it for laughter and bread with only the scent of jam spread out on top of it."
"Rudy's feet rhymed with his breathing."
"Rudy's voice reached over and handed Liesel the truth. For a while, it sat on her shoulder, but a few thoughts later, it made its way to her ear."
"Papa's voice followed it in, afraid."
"The only thing truly visible was his voice."
"Night watched. Some people watched it back."
"She hauled the words in and breathed them out."
"She handed out the story."
"Her face was crayoned with pride."
"They'd been standing like that for thirty seconds of forever."
"Once she imagined him falling into a doorway of safety somewhere."
"Water-abridged version"
"Clouds walked by."
"The room tasted like sugar and dough, and thousands of pages."
"The sky began to charcoal toward light."
"The crowd played with the silence."
"It made the endless sky into a ceiling just above his head, and the words bounced back."
"The swampy eyes stepped across, shoulder to shoulder over the other Jews."
"Inside her were the souls of words. They climbed out and stood beside her."
"There were heavy beams - planks of sun - falling randomly, wonderfully to the road."
"Waywardly, she began to walk and then run down Munich Street, to haul in the last steps of Max Vandenburg."
"Reading sentences at her feet, joining words to the pinecones and the scraps of broken branches."
"Books and pages and a happy place."
"The airy hallway was steeped in wooden emptiness."
"The question came back at her and tried for another surge to the front door. It made it only halfway, landing weakly on a couple of fat floorboards."
"Those souls are always light because more of them have been put out. More of them have already found their way to other places. This one was sent out by the breath of an accordion, the odd taste of champagne in summer, and the art of promise-keeping."