Ex Libris 03.2026
A book roundup.
Hello and welcome to ex libris (“from the library”), my periodic roundup of book discussion and recommendations. This work will be better with your contributions, so please feel free to chime in below if you’d like!
Titles I’ve read recently:
Theo of Golden, Allen Levi. From what I have observed, many of you have probably already read this one. It was self-published in 2023 and became a word-of-mouth sensation, eventually becoming a NYT bestseller. My husband and I met Allen a number of years ago, back when he released The Last Sweet Mile, a collection of essays about the last months of his brother’s life. He came to Hutchmoot and delighted everyone with his stories and songs.
The book is an exploration of what it might look like if someone were kind in a truly extraordinary manner. What sort of ripple effect might it cause? Where might that kindness come from? I listened to this book as I drove to and from Pennsylvania, and I highly recommend the audiobook—it’s not Allen himself, but the reader does a great job.
Perhaps I am mistaken but, at some point, if we are wise, we must all confront our sadness, our brokenness, our disappointment. I am quite certain that your portraits help some people, in a very tender and courteous way, to ask themselves, maybe for the first time, ‘Who is that person? What do I know to be true, really true, about that face?’ “
The Correspondent, Virginia Evans. This book is an epistolary novel (a book written entirely in letters and emails). The format meant I flew through it! The protagonist is a retired woman who is gradually encountering areas of her life where she may need to make peace or be of help to someone. And then there are those occasional pages that remain [UNSENT]. To whom are those addressed?
This is a beautiful, redemptive work. I am so glad I read it.
I know you know this, but I want to repeat that when someone(s) treats you poorly, it is a reflection of him or herself and the misery within the heart of them. It doesn’t help a bit to hear that when you’re young, but later it will.
You Have a Calling, Karen Swallow Prior. The subtitle of this book is “Finding your vocation in the true, good, and beautiful.” When I finished the book, I felt both empowered in my callings (those paid and unpaid) and at peace with the boundary lines that have fallen to me. I’ve always loved Os Guinness’ book The Call, and Karen’s book carries on in the good tradition of that volume, asking proper questions of our culture’s assumptions about work, passion, and vocation. This is a great book for young adults as they consider their future, but also for anyone who feels discouraged in their work.
I believe that if you pursue truth, goodness, and beauty in all your work, all your play, all your ways, and all your days, you will find your calling. In fact, I think pursuing truth, goodness, and beauty is your calling. It’s my calling. It’s everyone’s calling.
A note on purchase links: I’m a happy supporter of independent bookshops, so the links I provide will almost always go to my affiliate link at bookshop.org. For my local readers, I heartily recommend you buy them through our favorite, Goldberry Books, but you might have a shop closer to you. Of course, you can always find these selections on That Big Website That Ships Quickly, But Not As Quickly as It Used To, and Remember How They Sucked Us All In By Being a Bookstore to Begin With? I’m also a big fan of saving money and patronizing your local library. Happy reading!