Darcy's Story, by Janet Aylmer

The subtitle is: Pride and Prejudice told from a whole new perspective.
This book is another airport find, Orlando, FL, this time. (My mom spied it first, then I insisted we get it.) It is, as the title tells, the retelling of every romantic girl's favorite book, Pride and Prejudice, except from Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy's point of view. I was a bit suspicious at first, but quickly came round, after the first page. This is a real charmer, and very "accurate," as accurate as you can be when writing a piece of fiction on another piece of fiction. I found myself thinking, "This really does fit with what we already know of Mr. Darcy. It probably is quite accurate." Then, of course, I have to remind myself that it is ALL made up. Ah well, for those of you Jane Austen lovers, you will not be disappointed. We get to see a new aspect to our dear Darcy and gain a compassionate understanding for his actions, after realizing why he was motivated towards certain things. I particularly enjoyed reading of Darcy's growing disgust of Bingley's sisters and their vain and haughty ways. ;)
~~Recommended. Enjoyable, light read. Great gift idea.
(Darcy's Story, by Janet Aylmer [technically the "pen name of an English Jane Austen enthusiast who lives in Bath." so, maybe it's actually a man who wrote it.] , published by Harper, 2006, originally available in Great Britain in 1996, published by Copperfield Books)

North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell

This is one story of which I saw the theatrical version first, at the urgings of my dear English friend Hazel, during a visit. After she had left, she wrote to me saying, "Oh, I read the book and it is ten times better!" Well, the movies were wonderful, so the book had to be grand. I came upon a newly published copy at the book store in DunLaoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland, during my last stay there in the summer of this year. My copy is 571 pages long, but it is a book you enjoy retreating into, and I finished it in a couple weeks time, even with long days in the kitchen. So, here's my rather brief summary of a true love story, based in the mid-1800's of England...
Margaret Hale is the only daughter of a clergyman who, for valid reasons of conscience (a true man of God who chose to stand alone), leaves his church position and moves his family to the North. It is a stark contrast--this grey, dreary factory town--to their beloved South, full of woods and gardens and slow-paced lifestyle. Margaret is a driven young woman, who sees right and wrong very clearly, yet is filled with mercy and charity for those less fortunate than she. There are many adjustments to make as she lives this new life with her sickly, complaining mother and her quiet, loyal father. Yes, there is a young man involved, the owner of one of the mills, who- as Margaret sees him- is a harsh taskmaster, completely void of compassion. The one quote I will use is something that struck me as applicable to so many aspects of life, in referencing the changes we go through, "But the cloud never comes in that quarter of the horizon from which we watch for it." I have found this true in my life, that oft times God will use an unexpected avenue to teach me something, or guide me in a different direction. You'll be surprised with this little treasure of a novel. And even though it is older English writing, it is quite understandable to read.
~~Highly recommended.
(North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published serialized in Household Words, 1845-1855, this edition published by Penguin Books, 2005)

Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller

subtitle: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality
I found this book on sale in the bookshop at the Portland, Oregon, airport. (My folks and I were returning from a trip to visit some relatives.) I was quite thrilled to finally purchase it, after having heard two people I look up to recommend it. Don Miller is quite a guy, a funny guy, a real guy. He tells stories of his many friends, the lessons he's learned in unexpected places. Who would have thought you could realize God's love for all people while attending the most God-hating, "liberal" college in the world? Don talks about the mistakes we make when we try writing our own list of rules and traditions, putting God in some sort of box. He talks about our selfishness and references several times throughout the book "living in community" and how it changed his life. He had been living alone, but at the urging of a new mentor and friend, he moved into a house with 5 other guys. He goes on to say, "Living in community made me realize one of my faults: I was addicted to myself. All I thought about was myself. The only thing I really cared about was myself. I had very little concept of love, altruism, or sacrifice. I discovered that my mind is like a radio that picks up only one station, the one that plays me: K-DON, all Don, all the time." Blue Like Jazz changed me as a person, as a Christian Believer, in the way I view God and others.
~~I highly recommend this book, as in,if you haven't read it, GO AND GET IT! It's a very easy read, another one of those "as if he were sitting across the table from me and didn't go to Harvard or Yale, but still very smart."
(Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller, published by Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003)

When God Whispers Your Name, by Max Lucado

This was the first Max Lucado book I ever read. I found it in the Christian book store in College Station, TX, while on break from assisting a local photographer. (It was Easter time and he was taking bunny rabbit pictures with children.) This author has the unique gift of writing, among other things, what I would call "quotables"--summing up serveral paragraphs discussing God's work in our lives with, "Society may renovate, but only God re-creates." Mr. Lucado writes most of the time as if he were sitting across the table from you, having coffee. In this particular book, I learned and was reminded that although God is so great and big, if it is a whisper that will get my attention, He'll do it. God wants us to know how much we matter to Him and He uses whatever is necessary to show us that.
~~I highly recommend this book, especially to someone who is going through a low time, emotionally and spiritually. To quote from the introduction of this book, "Occasionally we need a reminder. Not a sermon. A reminder. A reminder that God knows your name."
(When God Whispers Your Name, by Max Lucado, published by W Publishing Group, 1994)