Life, and Death, and Giants: A Novel | 
pickI was probably going to like this book no matter what, given its focus on Wisconsin, football, and Amish folks. But it also happened to be a beautifully written story (by an author who lives in the same county I grew up in!) with some characters that will stay with me. Love finding an addition to my own “Top Books of the Year“ list in late December. ❤️
pickLife, & Death, & Giants, by Ron Rindo (2025)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Premise: Lives are changed when a shockingly large baby is born into a Wisconsin Amish family.
Review: There are things I could criticize about this book, but as I leave it I simply don‘t want to. In the end, it‘s a gorgeous story about life in all its beauty, pain, and complexity and it handles complex issues of faith, community, and choice with all the nuance they deserve. ⬇️
pickA million times yes!!! Give it all of the stars! I come out of this book with pages of notes and quotes and just general goodness about life and how people should be treated. This book is so very special.
“I mean, Judas Priest, the internet is a sewage dump, a toilet where anonymous assholes compete to out-ignorant each other.” 🎯🎯🎯
My goodness, why isn‘t anyone talking about this book??! I‘m on page 94 and think it‘s probably going to be in the top of the year. Ordinary Grace vibes, and I‘m obsessed. 🫶
pickI just loved this!! Definitely one of my #Top2025Reads! Told in multiple perspectives across not even 25 years, this tale of a larger than life young man is impressively written, with heartbreaking & beautiful moments. I loved seeing the impact of Gabriel‘s life through the eyes of the vet who delivered him & became a father-figure, his devoted Amish grandmother, the town businessman & his high school coach. Rindo made me even care about sports!
pickThis is one of those stories that you will never forget. It felt a little like the author channeled Fredrik Backman‘s story telling skills about people, mimicked Matt Haig‘s skill at injecting the fantastical and then used Mitch Album‘s way of including religion without preaching. It had humour, tragedy, some religious musings, all while telling a wonderful story about people, family and love. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC. 4.75/5
