5 Books That Remind​ Me to Be Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

In honor of the holiday, I was thinking about books that remind me to be thankful. Here are the few I picked out.

Pollyanna, by Eleanor M. Porter

This book is a classic! It might be silly, but I think it teaches us an important lesson… there’s always a reason to be glad (and grateful).

Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl

This is such an important book that I absolutely think every person should read. It’s about Viktor Frankl’s time in a concentration camp, and also how he survived. It’s bleak at times, but it’s also inspiring, encouraging, and reminds me to be grateful for all the wonderful possibilities in my life.

The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank

This was my first time reading this book, and it was moving. Anne was in a horrible situation, but she tried to keep her spirits up and constantly reminded herself to be grateful for what she had. If she can do it, any of us can.

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

The idea of living in a world without books terrifies me. Zombies and ghosts and the bird flu make me shrug. But no books? Shudder. We live in a world where we can get just about any book we might want and that’s a beautiful thing. I’m so grateful.

The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

We live in a world of lots of freedoms. Sure, freedom is always a moving target, and there’s always going to be some inequality and some injustice, but overall, it could be far worse. For some women, in some parts of the world, The Handmaid’s Tale has more fact than fiction. I’m grateful for the freedoms I’m privileged to enjoy.

My friend Ramona over at While I Was Reading did a similar post, about books to inspire your gratitude practice. If you’re interested in that kind of thing, it’s worth a read.

Hope, A Tragedy- Book Review

Hope, A Tragedy, is a new book by Shalom Auslander.  First off, I’ve got to say… I’m not sure if I liked it or not.

The premise of the book is that a Jewish man, his wife, child,and mother move into an old farmhouse in the country.  One night, the man, Kugel, goes up to the attic to investigate a funny noise, and finds Anne Frank living in his attic.  She’s old, she’s cranky, and she won’t move out until she’s finished her novel.  He doesn’t want to kick her out, because how would it look to the neighbors?

The book was meant to be irreverent and funny, and at times, it is.  However, mostly the book just comes off as 304 pages of philosophy.  I did like several points the book makes, in its own sly manner.  It reminds us that the point of remembering history is to learn from it, not to abuse it.

In any case, I sort of recommend this book.  This book is best read along with a friend or book club so that you can discuss it.  It’s not a book I’d say to read for the sheer joy of reading, but it is an interesting book.