October 30th: Joy for Beginners

Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister

I enjoy Erica Bauermeister's work. She does a wonderful job in her novels of switching points of view.

From my new smartphone Kindle app.
I'm still trying to learn this
new technology!

Summary on Goodreads: At an intimate, festive dinner party in Seattle, six women gather to celebrate their friend Kate's recovery from cancer. Wineglass in hand, Kate strikes a bargain with them. To celebrate her new lease on life, she'll do the one thing that's always terrified her: white-water rafting. But if she goes, all of them will also do something they always swore they'd never do-and Kate is going to choose their adventures.

Shimmering with warmth, wit, and insight, Joy for Beginners is a celebration of life: unexpected, lyrical, and deeply satisfying.

I think what I liked about this was that the friends knew each other and challenged one another in encouraging and good ways.

One of the quotations I'd marked says this: "She couldn't remember the last time she had really looked up and paid attention to anything higher than the top of her children's heads."

Lessons and reminders:
Wake up. Pay attention. Listen. Learn. Try new things. Treasure your friends. Treasure your families. And don't be afraid.

To read more of this #31DaysofBooks series, visit the introduction post.