Book Review.

I wanted to share a delightful, quick summer read: "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" by Beth Hoffman. This novel is packed with Southern charm and quirky, lovable characters. The majority of the story takes place in Savannah and consider yourself warned, you'll desire to be little CeeCee and spend a summer in Savannah.

I have to share one of my favorite scenes in the book. Brief background: Aunt Tootie restores old homes and she is giving 12 yr old CeeCee a tour of a current fixer upper.

"Oh Cecelia, isn't it a wonder?" she said with a look of ecstasy on her face. "This house is alive with history. I can feel it humming through the soles of my shoes."

I looked down at the floor and waited. But I didn't feel anything.

"Alright," she said, guiding me out the door,"let's go home."

As we headed to the car, I looked up at her. "You sure do love saving old houses."

"Oh yes, I do. It's my fire."

"Your fire?"

She glanced over her shoulder at the house, which was now bathed in a warm tint of yellow from the sun. "Yes. Everyone needs to find the one thing that brings out her passion. It's what we do and share with the world that matters. I believe it's important that we leave our communities in better shape than we found them.
"Cecelia Rose, she said, reaching for my hand,"far too many people die with a heart that's gone flat with indifference, and it surely must be a terrible way to go. Life will offer us amazing opportunities, but we've got to be wide-awake to recognize them."
She rested her hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. "If there's one thing I'd like most for you, it's that you'll find your calling in life. That's where true happiness and purpose lies. Whether it's taking care of abandoned animals, saving old houses from the wreckin' ball, or reading to the blind, you've got to find your fire, sugar. You'll never be fulfilled if you don't."

I thought about what she said, and as we climbed into the car I looked at her thoughtfully. "But how will I know what my fire is?"

She pulled the keys from her handbag and started the engine. "Oh, you'll know. One day you'll do something, see something, or get an idea that seems to pop up from nowhere. And you'll feel a kind of stirring-like a warm flicker inside your chest. When that happens, whatever you do, don't ignore it. Open your mind and explore the idea. Fan the flame. Any when you do, you'll have found it."

We are never too old to live out our fire. This book serves as a little reminder to live passionately. What have you been reading? Any recommendations?