This month, I’m celebrating 20 years of writing Sonderbooks by revisiting favorites from each year. Today, I’m looking at Sonderbooks Stand-outs 2007, the year I was working half-time and attending library school online — and too busy to write very many reviews. But here are some that I read and loved:
Sacred Choices: Thinking Outside the Tribe to Heal Your Spirit, by Christel Nani
Christel Nani teaches about tribal beliefs and how we let them harm us — but also how to let go of them and heal.
The Gaslight Effect: How to Spot and Survive the Hidden Manipulation Others Use to Control Your Life, by Dr. Robin Stern
At this point, I was still married but had been separated for two years. It was not a pleasant or nice divorce. And I was working through things that happened in the marriage. Any time someone has an affair, a whole lot of lies get told. This book helped me work through what had been lies and what had been truth and what patterns of covering things up had already been present in my marriage. Best of all, it got me to stop arguing with him about what I thought or what I felt or what I had done. I learned the powerful words, “I disagree.” And then I was able to move beyond arguing. A powerfully insightful and eye-opening book.
Enchantment, by Orson Scott Card
Here’s a fabulous fairy tale for adults. What if Sleeping Beauty woke up today? Orson Scott Card weaves this into a love story that’s far more complex than the fairy tale, but every bit as beautiful.
Austenland, by Shannon Hale
Shannon Hale’s first book for adults — and perfect for this Austen fan. Our heroine goes to a Jane Austen theme park — and finds love, with some pride and prejudice involved.
Grandpa for Sale, by Vicki Sansum and Dotti Enderle, illustrated by T. Kyle Gentry
Another dear friend and writing buddy got published! This picture book tells what happens when Grandpa gets offered for sale among the antiques.
Book of a Thousand Days, by Shannon Hale
One of my favorite books by a favorite author, this one tells about a mucker girl locked up in a tower with her lady for a thousand days — and what happens after. Beautiful portrayal of healing after great danger.
Saving the Griffin, by Kristin Wolden Nitz
Another book by a writing buddy, this book features American kids in Italy who discover a baby griffin. They need to keep him hidden while trying to figure out how to get him back home.