A Few of My Favorite Things: Gilead

...this life has its own mortal loveliness. And memory is not strictly mortal in its nature, either. It is a strange thing, after all, to be able to return to a moment, when it can hardly be said to have any reality at all, even in its passing. A moment is such a slight thing, I mean, that its abiding is a most gracious reprieve.

This is my favorite book. I just picked it up again to take on vacation next week. If I read it again, that will make it the third time cover-to-cover, but I frequently page through, re-reading underlined passages (there is at least one on every page). I absolutely recommend it, but always feel it necessary to warn people that it is not fast, but it's so perfect because of its wonderful, careful pace. If you read it, keep a pen, highlighter, piece of charcoal, or other writing utensil handy - there are lots of wisdom gems (yep, that's a thing) worth underlining.