Book Recommendation: Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger

I'm not going to write long because I'm in the middle of a great book and want to get back to it. Peace Like a River is the story of a young boy, Reuben, who goes on the lam in 1962 with his father and sister to find a brother accused of murder. Reuben has asthma, his dad performs miracles, and his sister Swede writes Western poetry.

When I heard the above, the book sounded too over-the-top to be good. But it's one of those books that are so rich and real and truly themselves that I know the characters are going to live in my head for a long time. The prose is warm enough but not treacly and Swede is one of the most stalwart and intriguing girl characters I've read about in years -- much like Reuben himself.

Also, check out my friend Dan's blog. He writes a lot about sports, but I forgive him....