The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (1996)

The Sparrow tells the story of a group of people who are sent to explore a new planet and get to know the people and culture there. At the beginning you already know that something went wrong in the mission, as you introduced to the sole survivor - a priest who is beat up and broken. The chapters that unfold the wonder found in discovering and venturing a new planet are juxtaposed against the priest's processing and sharing (or lack of sharing) the tragedy that occurred on the planet. And yet even as it is tragic, it is also hopeful.

Although it is a very good story, it is also a difficult story - the events that happen on the planet are disturbing. They describe a culture that uses another culture/race to meet their own desires and needs. And the book questions the assumptions we make about what is appropriate and reasonable. In their interactions with the other cultures, they naturally makes mistakes - things they did even with the best intentions - and being as careful and sensitive of the other cultures as possible.

It does a very good job of discussing how God reveals himself, how people relate to God (and spiritual) and what can happen when one's expectations of God are completely demolished. It is the story of a slow healing and a growing awareness that there is no simplistic way that one can see God's working in the lives of people.

The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation by Elizabeth Berg (2008)

This book of short stories is full of a number of delightful incidents about being oneself. The main characters tend to be older women who are asking questions about what matters most. A number of the stories deal with weight and dieting, as these tend to be huge issues in the lives of women. And a number of them also have to do with the challenges and questions that come with growing old. Most of the stories are insightful and sweet, although some more than others.

My two favourites concern a woman who had had a very full life and of a woman who had been a bit disappointed by her life. The story of the first woman is simply a long meandering letter whose purpose is to share an apple pie recipe. And the story of the second woman is about a trip to Vegas, where she impulsively leaves the life she feels that she's been trapped in - and she feels like she has been given permission to do all those crazy things that she always wanted to do - and even say some of the things she never felt she could.