The Secret Life of Bees

I know I'm way behind the times, but if you need a good book to read this summer I highly recommend The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd. It's about a young 14 year old girl trying to find her way in world full of hardship. She's in search of happiness in a life without her mother.

I laughed, cried and contemplated a lot while reading this book. I just put it down a few minutes ago and am wanting to pick it up and read it all over again.

The Secret Life of Bees is extermely captivating, entertaining, and heart wrenching, yet it makes you feel alive and happy at the same time. It's full of southern charm, intrigue and beauty. It left me feeling grateful for the life that I live, more love for my husband and kids and a greater resolve to be more charitable and genuinely kind.

As I read this book I found myself marking so many of the pages that had great quotes or lessons to be learned. I want to share a few of my favorites with you:

"Some things don't matter much. Like the color of a house. How big is that in the overall scheme of life? But lifting a person's heart--now, that matters. The whole problem with people is...they know what matters, but they don't choose it...The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters." 


"And when you get down to it, Lily, that is the only purpose grand enough for a human life. Not just to love but to persist in love." 


"People, in general, would rather die than forgive. It's that hard." 


"The most significant gifts are the ones most easily overlooked. Small, everyday blessings: woods, health, music, laughter, memories, books, family, friends, second chances, warm fireplaces, and all the footprints scattered throughout our days." 


I could go on and on, it's that good! I know that there is also a movie that came out a few years ago too. Did anyone see it? How does it compare to the book? 
I'd love to hear if any of you love this book as much as I do! Love, like it, hate it?!
Happy Reading!