Stephanie Rische

Blogger and Writer: Capturing Stories of God's Grace

Announcing the Book Club for July

Invention of WingsThanks to everyone who participated in our discussion about This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage, which we discussed here. Congratulations to Megan for winning a free book!

And now . . . announcing the next book club! We’ll be reading The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.

Here’s the description from the author’s site:

From the celebrated author of The Secret Life of Bees: a masterpiece of hope, daring, the quest for freedom, and the desire to have a voice in the world.

Hetty “Handful” Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimkes’ daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is mean to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women.

Sue Monk Kidd’s sweeping new novel is set in motion on Sarah’s eleventh birthday in 1803, when she is given ownership of ten-year-old Handful, who is to be her waiting maid. We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty-five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other’s destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement, and the uneasy ways of love.

As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism before leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and women’s rights movements.

Inspired in part by the historical figure of Sarah Grimke, Kidd goes beyond the record to flesh out the rich interior lives of all her characters, both real and invented, including Handful’s cunning mother, Charlotte, who courts danger in search of something better, and Charlotte’s lover, Denmark Vesey, a charismatic free black man who is planning insurrection.

This exquisitely written novel is a triumph of storytelling that looks with unswerving eyes at one of the most devastating wounds in American history, through women whose struggles for liberation, empowerment, and expression will leave no reader unmoved.

We will discuss this book at the end of August.

{Remember, there will be a free book giveaway for one lucky commenter!}

Book Discussion: This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage

Ann PatchettThanks to everyone who read our book for this month. We’ll be discussing This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett, which I introduced here.

Here’s how it works: I’ll throw out a few topics for discussion, and you can write your responses about these topics (or others you’d like to discuss) in the comment section.

Discussion #1: A Glimpse into the Writing Process

Of all the descriptions I’ve read about the writing process, Patchett’s words are among the most profound and relatable. She captures both the magic and the torture of the process, and I continually found myself saying, “What? You too?” I think a lot of writers have this suspicion that writing comes easily for everyone else, so it’s a huge relief to know that not even Ann Patchett has fairy dust sprinkled over her computer. My favorite part is where she describes an idea for a novel as a beautiful butterfly that she allows to fly free in her imagination for a while, until finally she has no choice but to pin it down with words:

I reach up and pluck the butterfly from the air. I take it from the region of my head and I press it down against my desk, and there, with my own hand, I kill it. It’s not that I want to kill it, but it’s the only way I can get something that is so three-dimensional onto the flat page. . . . Imagine running over a butterfly with an SUV. What I’m left with is a dry husk of my friend, a broken body chipped, dismantled, and poorly reassembled. Dead. That’s my book. . . . The journey from the head to the hand is perilous and lined with bodies.

Have you done any writing? If so, was there anything in Ann Patchett’s descriptions about the writing process that resonated with you?

Discussion #2: What Dreams Are Made Of

I appreciated the way the author describes what it takes to achieve the dream of being a writer—or of achieving any dream, for that matter. Dreams need a spark of wonder to get started, but ultimately they require steady determination if they’re going to go anywhere.

Why is it we understand that playing the cello will require work but we relegate writing to the magic of inspiration? . . . If you want to write, practice writing. Practice it for hours a day, not to come up with a story you can publish, but because you long to learn how to write well, because there is something that you alone can say.

Have you found this to be true when pursuing your own dreams? Which comes more easily for you: the inspiration or the hard work?

Discussion #3: Jumping in with Both Feet

People often have the idea that writers hole themselves up in dark rooms and emerge only on rare occasions for interviews or bathroom breaks. With her remarkable gumption, Ann Patchett defies such stereotypes. She’s willing to live out her research—almost to the extent of making her own life an experiment. Cases in point: she joined the LAPD, became a regular at the opera, and took a cross-country trip in an RV—all for the sake of a story. And just when brick-and-mortar bookstores were all shutting their doors, she decided to do her part to buck the trend and opened her own independent store (you can check it out here).

Would you enjoy having a job that allows you to experience alternate lives firsthand? Did this book make you want to visit Ann Patchett’s bookstore?

Discussion #4: Our Friend Ann

I went into this book unsure whether I’d like it or not. I adored Patchett’s Bel Canto, but I wasn’t as taken with her other titles. And not every author is able to pull off writing bothfiction and nonfiction, so I didn’t know what to expect from a collection of essays. But the tone in these pieces won me over immediately. The author comes across as warm, witty, accessible, smart, and above all, very human—like we’d certainly be friends if only we had a chance to meet. I also gained a new insight about her books when I read this. I’d always thought her novels were vastly different from one another (one about a magician, one about an opera singer, and one about a pharmacist in the Amazon jungle), but she explains that all of her books are based on the same premise: people getting thrown together in strange environment. And I have to say, reading this book made me want to read more Ann Patchett.

Did you enjoy the tone of this book? Were you inspired to read more titles by the author?

Rating

I would recommend this book to anyone who writes or anyone who wants to know what goes on inside a writer’s head. It’s like a pleasant chat with an author-friend. (I’d also mention that the title is pretty misleading—there’s one essay about marriage, but that’s not the focus of the book.) I’d give this title five stars (out of five).

How many stars would you give this book?

Remember: There will be a free book giveaway for one lucky commenter!

Book Club Discussion: The Light Between Oceans

the_light_between_the_oceansThanks to everyone who joined us for this month’s virtual book club. Today we’re discussing The Light between Oceans by M. L. Stedman.

Here’s how it works: I’ll throw out a few topics for discussion, and you can write your responses about these topics (or others you’d like to discuss) in the comment section.

Discussion #1: Moral Dilemmas

My favorite aspect of this book was the way it posed moral dilemmas and forced me to ponder what I’d do in that situation. I like to think I’m not the kind of person who would keep someone else’s baby, but when I put myself in Isabel’s shoes, I understand why she did what she did. I also appreciated that the book explored what happens when you make one bad choice and everything unravels to the point that it seems like there’s no longer a right choice to make.

Which family did you want Lucy-Grace to end up in? Why? Have you ever found yourself in a spot where it seems like the right thing is no longer possible?

Discussion #2: Justice vs. Mercy

When the baby washes up on Janus Island, Isabel says: “Love’s bigger than rule books. . . . Our prayers have been answered. The baby’s prayers have been answered. Who’d be ungrateful enough to send her away?” (p. 103). She sees the world—and this baby—through the eyes of mercy. Tom, on the other hand, is plagued by his conscience and his desire to do the right thing: “You could kill a bloke with rules, Tom knew that. And yet sometimes they were what stood between man and savagery, between man and monsters” (p. 104).

Did you resonate more with Tom or Isabel in this tension between justice and mercy? Did your perspective change as the book went on? In your own life, do you tend to lean more toward mercy or justice?

Discussion #3: The Book’s Setting

The lighthouse seems to serve as something of a metaphor in the book—a symbol of hope and safety for Isabel and Tom. When they left the lighthouse behind, it was almost as if their family’s light was extinguished. As they left Janus Rock, Tom wished Isabel would “give him one of the old smiles that used to remind him of Janus Light—a fixed, reliable point in the world, which meant he was never lost. But the flame has gone out—her face seems uninhabited now” (p. 214).

Do you think this story would have worked in another setting? Would you be able to live on an isolated place like Janus Island?

Discussion #4: Tense Shifts

Okay, this is a nerdy English major observation. Did you notice that the tense changed between past and present? It bothered me a lot at first, but as the story progressed, I realized the author was doing it for effect to make certain scenes more intense. By the end, I was grudgingly willing to go along with it.

What did you think about the tense changes? Was it distracting, or did you think it worked?

Discussion #5: The Ending

When I got to a certain point in the book, I had this horrifying realization: It’s impossible for this book to have a happy ending. I was right. It was sad for Isabel and Tom, who lost the little girl they loved and the chance to be parents. It was sad for Hannah, who would never truly get back the child she lost. And most of all, it was sad for Lucy-Grace, whose life was irreparably splintered through no fault of her own. I also felt a little emotionally manipulated at the end. Of course, Isabel is dead when Lucy-Grace returns. And of course she died just a week ago. And of course I cried buckets of tears onto my pillow against my will.

What did you think of the ending? Did it seem realistic? Is there an ending you would have liked to see instead?

Rating:

Although the plot was a bit melodramatic at times, I appreciated the evocative themes and the rich writing. The characters felt real, and their internal struggles were palpable. This one is going to stay with me for a while. I would give it three stars (out of five).

How many stars would you give this book?

 

{Remember: I’ll give away a free book to one lucky commenter! Respond by Friday to be eligible to win.}

 

 

Announcing the Winner of the Journal!

journalThanks to everyone who participated in our conversation about writing here.

Congratulations to commenter #2 . . . Holly! You are the winner of the red journal!

{Holly, I’ll send you a separate message about getting the journal to you.}

Love. Fall in love and stay in love. Write only what you love, and love what you write. The word is love. You have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to live for.

Ray Bradbury

 

10 Ways to Tell You’re a Writer

writers; StephanieRische.comI’m heading to the Festival of Festival of Faith and Writing later this week, which is essentially a three-day binge on books and writing. I always come back feeling refreshed and reminded why I’m in love with words. In anticipation of the festival, here’s my list of signs that you’re a writer.

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  • A writer is someone who quilts words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, paragraphs into stories, and stories into something that will keep us warm at night.
  • A writer is someone who delights in finding precisely the right word at the right time . . . with the right word count.
  • A writer is someone who hears the siren call of laundry and Facebook and Netflix but somehow manages to keep rear in chair long enough to string some words together.
  • A writer is someone who wakes up in the middle of the night scrambling for a pen to capture those nocturnal wisps of stories.
  • A writer is someone who kills her darlings (but marks their graves in case they can be brought back to life one day).
  • A writer is someone who notices the little things other people miss. The gunmetal-gray of an April sky. The smell of new grass in spring. The old woman in the shadows with a story to tell.
  • A writer is someone who slows down time to help the rest of us pay attention.
  • A writer is someone who knows that words don’t appear magically out of thin air; they come out one idea, one keystroke, one drop of blood at a time.
  • A writer is someone who believes that words have the power to start a conversation, build a bridge, and remind us that we’re not alone.
  • A writer is someone who believes that words have the power to change the world, or maybe just one person. And that maybe that’s the same thing.writing journal made in Thailand; StephanieRische.com

In honor of writers everywhere, I’m giving away a writing journal today. It was made in Thailand by precious women who are trying to get on their feet again after being exploited and trafficked. You can find out more about Women at Risk’s ministry here, and you can find more products like this journal here.

To be eligible to win this journal, simply answer this question: What do you think makes someone a writer? How have words made an impact in your life?

Winner of Sparkly Green Earrings!

Sparkly Green Earrings by Melanie ShankleCongratulations to commenter #4, Stephanie . . . the winner of Sparkly Green Earrings by Melanie Shankle!

Thanks to everyone who participated in our discussion (see this post if you missed it). And may God bless all the little people and all the mams in our lives.

(Stephanie, I’ll send you a private message about getting the book to you.)

Announcing the Virtual Book Club for March

Thanks to everyone who participated in our discussion about Cooked, which we discussed here. If you read it but haven’t had a chance to comment yet, I invite you to join the conversation!

The selection for this month is The Light between Oceans by M. L. Stedman. Here is the publisher’s description:

After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.
The Light between Oceans by M. L. Stedman
Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

M. L. Stedman’s mesmerizing, beautifully written novel seduces us into accommodating Isabel’s decision to keep this “gift from God.” And we are swept into a story about extraordinarily compelling characters seeking to find their North Star in a world where there is no right answer, where justice for one person is another’s tragic loss.

We’ll be discussing this book at the end of April. I hope you will join us!

{Remember—there will be a free book giveaway for one lucky commenter!}

Announcing the Winner for the Bible!

Everyday Matters Bible for WomenThanks to everyone who participated in our conversation about childhood dreams and the visions God is breathing into your life right now.

Congratulations to commenter #3 . . . Sally! You are the winner of the Everyday Matters Bible for Women! I will send you a private message about getting the book to you.

Stay tuned tomorrow–I’ll be announcing the book club choice for March!