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.

Magic Strings and Dancing Flames

There are a few things that calm my soul and put a smile on my face. Hopefully, you can relate to my list and add a few more items of your own. Here’s my list:

Waves lapping the shore on a sunny day

Flames dancing in a fireplace

Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor

Hearing from a friend or family member

Reading a good book.

And speaking of a good book (you knew I had to get that in somewhere), I’ve just finished a novel I want to tell you about. First off, it’s by Mitch Albom, the great author of Tuesdays with Morrie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, For One More Day, and others. So if he’s the author of this latest book, how bad can it be?  Not bad at all. In fact, there are very few books that grab me, reach into my soul, take hold and won't let go. This is one of them. The title is, the magic strings of Frankie Presto, published by Harper Collins.  

What’s different about this book? I’m glad you asked. For one thing, it's narrated by Music. That’s right, Music. The premise is that when a person is born, he or she sees a variety of brightly colored lights each representing a particular talent. Whichever light appeals to the baby and he reaches for, is the talent he will have. The book’s character, Frankie Presto, reaches for music.

The book begins at Frankie’s funeral. Music is hanging around waiting for the service to end so he can take back Frankie’s talent and give it to another newborn. While he’s waiting, he tells us the story of Frankie’s life. Here is what Music says, in part:

    “I am Music. And I am here for the soul of Frankie Presto. Not all of it. Just the rather large part he took from me when he came into this world. However well used, I am a loan, not a possession. You give me back upon departure. I will gather up Frankie’s talent to spread on newborn souls. And I will do the same with yours one day.

    “There is a reason you glance up when you first hear a melody, or tap your foot to the sound of a drum. All humans are musical.

    “Why else would the Lord give you a beating heart?”

As the story unfolds, we see Frankie grow and develop his talent. Along the way, he interacts with Hank Williams, Elvis, Little Richard, the Beatles, and other well-known artists, keeping the story even more interesting than it already is.

Why are the strings magical? You will see that every time Frankie gives of himself to help someone else, one of his guitar strings turns bright blue. When his last string turns blue . . . well, I won’t spoil it for you. Just let me quote a snippet from the book of an earlier time in Frankie's life as told by Music.

     Frankie fingered a chord. Hampton choked up.

    "Ain't no tellin' what mighta happened to me."

    "You'll be all right, Hampton."

    "Thanks to you."

    "Nah."

    "I'm going to sleep a bit now. Maybe say a prayer."

    The old mechanic closed his eyes, so he did not see what happened next: the D string on Frankie's guitar turned a burning shade of blue. Frankie stared at it. He felt a chill run down his arms and legs You have wondered about the critical passages in my child's story? Here is one:

     In the quiet of a hospital room, to the sound of an old man's breathing, Frankie Presto finally understood that, somehow, through those strings, he held life in his hands.

There are so many unexpected twists and turns in the story, you won’t be able to put the book down. I bought mine through Amazon. Whether you get your copy like I did, or at your local bookstore, or from the library, I highly recommend you get it and read it.  

Quote of the day: And the song, from beginning to end, I found again in the heart of a friend. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow