Welcome to Library Binding. This is where I publish author interviews, book reviews, and literary musings.
I was raking pine needles in our yard last week when I heard a muffled cry coming from the other side of the house. After a second or two, I registered yelling from both of my boys.
I started trudging around the house toward the driveway at a leisurely pace, not relishing the prospect of breaking up a sibling quarrel.
Then, the verbal ruckus congealed into intelligible words, and I heard, “I’m open! I’m open!” I immediately recognized my oldest son’s desperate tone. This wasn’t an annoyance. This was an emergency.
I ditched my rake and ran to where he was limping across the driveway. Indeed, his shin was cut wide open.
I glanced down for the briefest moment and saw red and white, studded with brown gravel. The skin sagged unnaturally around the edges of the cut. That was all I needed to see. I put my hands on his shoulders and looked at his face—not at the wound—and said, “Stay right here, don’t move,” before sprinting through the garage and into the house, where I called to my husband in a voice that I hoped conveyed extreme urgency without hysteria, “He needs to go to the ER!”
Less than one minute later, my husband was driving my son to the hospital, where he received a grand total of 36 stitches. We pray it’s a family record that is never broken.
It reminded me that life can change on a dime.
It’s the lesson that spring teaches every year, isn’t it? One minute, it’s partly cloudy and warm, and the next minute, your hoodie is filled with hail.
Sometimes, when those nasty little ice balls rip through our trees and plants, when happenstance rips through our kids’ flesh, I wail, “God, where are you?” Aren’t his angels supposed to prevent us from dashing a foot against a stone or something along those lines?
Of course, God is right there where he’s always been, at the helm. I don’t know why he allows accidents, especially the bloody ones. Sometimes I wonder if he lets one slip through now and then to remind me of how constantly and faithfully he’s been protecting me for years on end. Or maybe it’s to claim my distracted attention. Get me on my knees.
Whatever the reason, I suspect it has to do with God reaching out toward me, making an overture of closeness. I just hope and pray that I respond in kind.
I’m happy to report that my son is healing well. He will have a gnarly scar, but he’s 36 stitches braver than he was before.1
Now, without further ado, here’s my monthly recap—
Everything I wrote in May
Here is a roundup of everything that appeared on Library Binding (and elsewhere) in May.
I was thrilled to have one of my short stories featured on The Habit Portfolio! It’s about a husband and wife arguing over how to help their son, who is getting bullied in school. Dad thinks the conflict will make his son stronger. Mom thinks he needs all the help they can give, and she suggests something most disturbing…
You can read it here. I hope it creeps you out.
In case you missed them, here is a booklist…
an interview with an editor extraordinare…
some brief thoughts on reading way slower than I want to…
and reviews of what I read this month.
I hope one of these articles brings you joy. I know it sounds cheesy, but I wrote them for you. 🍭💕
Stuff I enjoyed in May
Joel Miller’s crowdsourced list of 100 all-time best novels is a great resource to consult when you’re looking for a book of substance.
On a similar note, I really enjoyed this list by Josh Centers of 50 books kids should read before age 12. A fantastic list to pluck from as my kids grow.
Joshua Garrison’s piece “She Learned It From Katniss” rang very true for me, as someone who grew up on mid-era Disney princesses. We know that most modern stories bring mixed morals to the table. What seeds do those stories plant, and how might handfuls of those seeds grow over the course of a childhood?
I very much liked Carolyn Givens’s encouragement to build a bridge with a book.
If Sara Bannerman writes a book, it will be a shut-up-and-take-my-money situation. Her reflections on May Day give us a glimpse into what it’s like educating young minds these days.
Freya India wonders if Christianity is just another thing to do on her phone.
I’ve been enjoying Klavans on the Culture, a new video series by Andrew and Spencer Klavan, where they talk about popular art (so far, movies).
As I mentioned a few weeks back, my husband and I made it all the way through the BBC Masterpiece series The Count of Monte Cristo.
‘Tis the season for summer reading
Owl’s Nest is hosting free middle-grade and YA book clubs.
Redeemed Reader is partnering with Moody for a Summer of Family Reading.
Complete the Rabbit Room’s reading challenge and earn a $10 bookstore credit.
Or, if you want your kids to be rewarded with pizza, just like you were, here you go.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. –Psalm 91:15
I’ll leave you with one irresistible indulgence—if you have money to spare and want to support a good cause, this lovely family is local to my area and fashions artisan woodcrafts, including exceedingly handsome one-of-a-kind pens.
Your devoted,
Michelle
I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you click a link and buy something, I may get a minuscule commission at no cost to you.
The No. 1 question, of course, is how did this happen? No, my son did not fling himself out of a tree. No, he wasn’t pulling wheelies on his bike. The boy was literally walking around our yard. He was balancing on a rock—an evil piece of lava rock—and the rock rolled out from under his foot, and he went down on the opposite leg, slamming his shin into another piece of devilish lava rock. The full-weight impact on the rough stone basically tore his shin open to the muscle. Thank God, the little piece of film that covers the muscle wasn’t affected, and he got away with stitches instead of surgery, but it was a tough call for the docs.
Michelle, I am thankful your son is healing after that injury. You remained calm, which was a gift from God. On another note, I thoroughly enjoyed your story in the Habit Portfolio. Well done. It was disturbing because it was culturally relevant. I saved it to read and ponder again.
Oh, thanks so much for the shout out!