stranger in the lifeboat

Two blogs ago, I promised you I had another blockbuster book for you to consider. Well, here it is. It is Mitch Albom’s the stranger in the lifeboat. Yes, he doesn’t seem to care for capital letters much as most of his titles are in lower case. If you’ve read Mitch Albom’s Tuesday’s with Morrie or the five people you meet in heaven, you are most likely entranced by his work. I know I am, and this book is no exception. His writing is excellent, descriptions are pure poetry, and his skill in telling a story is unsurpassed.

The thrill about this book is that you start out feeling confident in knowing what’s going on, only to discover you don’t know a thing. His twists and turns keep you turning the page.

The first chapter starts with:

            When we pulled him from the water, he didn’t have a scratch on him. That’s the first thing I noticed.

And ends with:

            Nina touched his shoulder and said, “Well, thank the Lord we found you.”

            Which is when the man finally spoke.

            “I am the Lord,” he whispered.

And it just gets better and better.

Halfway through the book, it reads thus:

            Now Annabelle, I must share one more thing, and then I will rest. The writing takes a lot out of me. Processing thought. Thinking about anything besides water and food…..Still, last night, in a moment of grace, we witnessed something otherworldly. It was after midnight. As I slept, I felt a sensation through my closed lids, as if someone had turned on the lights. I heard a gasp, and I opened my eyes to witness an utterly amazing sight.

            The entire sea was aglow.

            Patches below the surface were illuminating the water like a million small light bulbs, casting a Disneyland bluish white all the way to the horizon….

            I glanced at the Lord. Little Alice was asleep next to him. Wake up, child, I wanted to say. See something astonishing before we die.

I have read it, my daughter has read it and my son-in-law has read it; all with different reading tastes and yet we were all speechless in trying to describe the book, but couldn’t stop talking about it.

Do yourself a favor and put this book on your summer reading list. It’s a small little book that packs a powerful punch.

Quote of the Day: Good books don't give up their secrets all at once. Stephen King

P.S. Stewart's funeral service will be held Friday, July 8, 2022 at 11 am at Kennebec Baptist Church in Angier, NC.  I will have my sister, my two daughters and their husbands, and my son, all here with me at the same time. I am truly blessed and well supported.