Re: What are you reading?

So much for our 1 classic book a month club huh?

Re: What are you reading?

Hey Mark: Great selection on the Grapes of Wrath. But I would suggest reading "Steinbecks East of Eden." Awesome book, amazing. It gives a great view of the Cain/Abel story, the incredible struggle of forgiving yourself and of course, free will. Steinbeck actually began writing this not as a book, but as a lesson of life to his son. The beginning of it, the info about his grandparents, is factual. Have you read Gilead? It's about a Pastor who is dying and he is writing a letter to his young son. It won the Pulitzer. Kinda hard to get through at times, but worth the effort. I'm reading Frank Peretti (sp?) "Visitation" and have Land of a Thousand Suns on tap. More info than you wanted?

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Not at all, Andi. I'm thinking East of Eden will be next up for me. Who wrote Gilead?
Mark

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Marilynne Robinson wrote it. I had never heard of her before. I picked it up because it was on sale and it won a pulitzer. If you want to borrow it, I can drop it by the office. Another book I recently read and found interesting was "Children of Men" by PD James.

Re: What are you reading?

Calvin and Hobbes books are classic right??

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Alright, I must confess before begining...I squealed right out loud when I saw the words "What are you reading?".
If it were up to me, I'd never do anything else. Isaac Asimov said "I write for the same reason I breathe, if I didn't I would die." That's how I feel about reading.
Where to start? Well, recently, with two or three exceptions, I've been on a huge fiction kick. The exceptons are C.S. Lewis' The Weight of Glory and The Well Educated Mind by (poo, I lent it out and can't remember her name). The Weight I read many moons ago, well before accepting Christ, and I wanted to revisit it. I've been a Lewis fan for a long time (never read any of his fiction though), I love his mind and his wonderful meandering, yet to-the-point sytle. He leads you on a long, twisting and at times whimsical path until you hit the brick wall of his conclusions. I think Screwtape will be next. A very unusual and patient person led my pre-Christ self to Lewis, and I think he was instumental to my faith.
Well Educated Mind is very much along the lines of Harold Bloom's How to Read and Why. The author (whose name has escaped me) breaks literature down into several catagories, drama, history, novels, poetry, there's one more. She gives a very brief history of each style and poses questions we should be asking ourselves as we read. It was really very interesting and less challenging than Bloom's book. Although, if anyone likes Shakespeare, Bloom's Shakespeare : the invention of the human, is wonderful.
I've also been dipping into The World's Great Letters edited by M. Lincoln Schuster. One of my faves was written by Ben Franklin to a member of the British Parliament named William Strahan, a former friend. It's very short, thank you in advance for indulging me!
Mr. Strahan,
You are a Member of Parliament, and one of that Majority which has doomed my Country to Destruction. -- You have begun to burn our Towns and murder our People -- Look upon your hands! -- They are stained with the Blood of your Relations! -- You and I were long friends: -- You are now my Enemy, -- and I am Yours. B. Franklin
(The capitalization is Franklin's)
There are many, many more. Some heartbreaking, hilarious, shocking, and inspiring. I hope it's still in print, I found it on the bargain rack at B&N's.
OK, still with me? I tend to ramble. On to fiction. I've read several really good, thought provoking novels recently. Seven Types of Ambiguity by Elliot Perlmen was really engrosing. It does however pack a punch, very raw and honest, the movie would definately rate an R. It's Perlman's first novel (I love new talent) and it's thoroughly researched and brilliantly told. It's sort of subtitled An epic novel about obsessive love in an age of obsessive materialism. Seven people "take turns to consider the meaning and ramifications of one dramatic act...while each section moves the story on, plot is not the novel's primary pleasure; rather, we feel ourselves spiraling closer to a truth that we could not have reached by other means." That critic got it spot on! There are parts of this novel that do feel a bit forced and he doesn't establish, in my opinion, enough of a distinction between the different voices of the charcters. You can hear the author in the background, so to speak, but it is his first one!
It's funny, the next book I read, A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby, showcases brilliantly the way to overcome the problem of voice! Hornby's tale, which would maybe be PG13, by the way, also involves multiple first person naritives. This time it's four people who meet in London and have decided to end thier lives. You may have guessed from the title as to how they plan to go about it! Far from being a downer:) however, this novel is whacky and life affirming, over all. I am familiar with the cliche', but it honestly did make me laugh and cry. Not at all predictable, Hornby weaves his tale, seamlessly switching personalities, so that it feels as though you're reading a bio. You can't hear him in the backround at all, but he's had a lot more practice than Perlman! This one's a lot shorter as well.
Whoa...I've been going on for some time. Um, if I haven't bored you all to tears (I hope someone's still here, how embarrasing if not) I still have a good stack of books here and obviously a lot to say, so I hope to continue this later if anyone is as big a nerd as I am. Later

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Sarah, it's great to see someone who is so enthusiastic about reading! There is a severe literacy problem in our country today. I work with alot of people aged 16-25 and most of them would not know what a book is if it hit them in the nose. I"m pretty much a fiction nut myself. The only book I've read lately was the latest Harry Potter book. My 19 yr. old daughter talked me into it. That book seriously gave me the creeps. The only book I've read since has been the Bible. Thanks for suggesting A Long Way Down it sounds interesting. I'll have to check it out.
JASON, YES CALVIN AND HOBES IS A BOOK.I used to have 2 or 3 of them laying around the house. Gave them away when the kiddies grewup. God Bless.

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"The Journey" - Billy Grahmn. (****) Latest BG book.
"The Gospel According to the Beatles." (***) If you grew up listening to the Beatles, there are a lot of gems in this book. Answers a lot of questions. When did they start wearing their hair like that? Where'd the name Beatles come from? What did the Beatles believe in?
"Israel and Palistine/Peace or Aparthid?" by Jimmy Carter. (**) Informative. but hard to get through. I am committed to finishing it. 20 pages to go.
"Battlefield of the Mind." Joyce Meyer. (****)
"Thirteen Moons" Charles Frazier. Fiction. Placed in late 1800s - first person: a whiteman grows up dealing with/learning from, etc. the Indians.
"The Way It Is." William Stafford. A collection of his poems written over his life. William Stafford is one of the GREAT Poets of all time. My personal favorite.

NOTE: Calvin And Hobbs are classics.

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I was reading the Left Behind series by Jerry B. Kenkins and Tim Lahaye, but my library didn't have the next book in the series, so right now I'm not really reading anything. But I'm probably going to start reading The Outsiders soon, I loved the movie, so I better read the book. I highly recommend the Left Behind series, it's awesome!

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Great list Sarah! Have you read "The Great Divorce" yet by Lewis?

-Jason Smithers

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I agree with Jason about 'The Great Divorce'. Also try C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity (my personal favorite).

Mark

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Sarah, you put me to shame. You have this huge list of classic lit and my list consists of Paolini, Rowling, and Grisham. Everyone seems really hardcore about Steinbeck, but when I read him in high school I wasn't a huge fan. Maybe I should give him another chance though. Btw, I'll probably be borrowing that Susanna Clarke book when I finish reading Dan's manuscript.
Mark, I'm so glad you made the comment about reading five books simultaneously and only getting halfway through each! I do the exact same thing! I always feel guilty because I work at a bookstore and a library, so I see really incredible everyday. I'm always abandoning my current reads prematurely to start some new book. Maybe it's mild ADD?
As for what I'm reading now, praise God for the audiobook!! It's cheating, but it's how I make the most progress and it helps pass the 45 minute daily commute. I just wrapped up the Harry Potter septulogy (is septulogy a word?) on audio. It was a long four months, but it was worth it. While I have issues with the content as a Christian, I think the story makes it worth it. J.K. Rowling's characters are very compelling and the writing is incredible! Using the old fashioned method, I'm reading "Now, Discover Your Strengths" which is a very interesting self evaluation book and "Reveal" which is fascinating study of church effectiveness. I'm reading "Your First Novel" by Rittenberg and Whitcomb which I'm finsing very useful. I'm delving into the first few chapters of two novels I'm writing right (One stalled on me, so I needed a second project) and Whitcomb's suggestions are very useful. Last and definitely least, is "The Golden Compass" by Phillip Pullman, to be released as a movie in November. My friend Justin, who has very similar interests, enthusiastically recommended this trilogy and after this I will forever doubt his judgment. I think book is slow and repetetive. Every character speaks in a broken dialect, which causes the reader, well me at least, to stumble while through the dialogue.
This site has a great blog and this is a great blogging topic. I hope it continues. Take care all.

Kevin

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Hey Y'all! Sorry to be away for so long, but guess what - I was reading!!
Kelly I am almost shouting this - READ THE OUTSIDERS!!! I was rivited by that book years ago - I am probably biased but it's much better than the movie.
Kevin my list is mostly new or recent authors. Newly minted authors are my first love. I do have quite an appetite for the classics, but often unfortunately they are after thoughts. And don't ever be ashamed of Rowling (I haven't read the other two), the Harry Potter series has been, thus far, absolutely unexpectedly charming and original. Now I'm only on #5 so no spoilers please! Rowling's mythos is solidly formed and is cleverly unfolded so as to give the reader a real sense of being transported into Harry's world. She gives her story subtle roots in reality and fantasy. I also never expected to laugh as much as I have. She's very funny and what I love is that she lets her characters have the punchline.
I think Rowling hit two major universal appeals, the first being the underdog hero. Who doesn't love seeing someone overcome impossible odds and defeat powerful foes? The second is escapism. The idea of being rescued from a very drab, miserable exsistence and transplanted somewhere that seems to wonderful to be real, somewhere new and exciting...hmmm...what does that remind me of...? These two ideas have captued us since the begining of story telling, so to see Rowling breathe such freshness into them is the real magic of these books.
Oh, it's getting late....I've been reading so many more good ones lately!!
I've also just picked up a copy of Lewis' Signature Classics. 7 titles incl. Screwtape, The Great Divorce and Mere Christianity! Thanks for the recomendations!!
Please don't let the book blog die!!!!! Happy reading!