Folks, all of the hours I spend reading rather than, well, accomplishing things have finally paid off. I got a phone call today from the East Grand Rapids Library informing me that I won the drawing for the grand prize in the Let It Snow reading club. I've never won a drawing before, so I'm pretty excited. What is that prize? I don't know yet--I haven't gotten there yet to claim it. I'll have to keep you in suspense. I vaguely remember seeing something about a gift card to Schuler Books, so here's hoping. Just goes to show, reading is the way to real wealth.
I finished Michael Perry's book Population: 485 (finally) after Francene so nicely found it for me at Festival. It even made its way back to the library without a fine, shockingly! It's a great book: interesting, funny and full of compassion and respect for humanity. Next up--I'm halfway through The Heart is A Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. My copy is from a used book store, and its former owner signed her name and then wrote "okay." I'm wondering if that's her evaluation of the book. It's a big change from Perry's book, but so far, so good. I have to lead this one for church book club next month, so if you have any great insights for me, let me know.
My friend Sandy has this suggestion (stolen directly from her Facebook post without permission): "Want a great read? Pick up "Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands" by Susan Carol McCarthy. It was published in 2002, but has completely eluded me until now. Reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird." Hope to give that one a try!
The apple blossoms are in full bloom and the sun just keeps shining. Perfect setup for Saturday morning, when I join the line of hopeful souls buying tickets for Meijer Gardens Summer Concert Series. This is usually the highlight of the summer for Brian and me (going to the concerts, not standing in line). This year I'm particularly excited to go see Natalie Merchant. We rarely go to concerts anywhere else, but we can be found at Meijer Gardens pretty regularly. We've decided to pay them for tickets rather than buying a summer home. It makes the tickets seem just a bit cheaper. And the August Tuesdays are free! Maybe we'll see you there.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Fab 5 Part 2: Night Time
Last night the Fab 5 Book Club met in the new home of one of our members. It is a beautiful home, especially since they have painted almost every surface already in the 2 months they've owned it. Of course, we all had to take a moment to bemoan the state of our homes and their respective needs for repainting, refinishing, etc. Nancy mentioned that her basement is looking more finished now that they have hung the 8 or so hunting trophies on the wall. I have to note here, this is true love talking. When I met Nancy, she was single, and I could never have imagined a day would come when she would say "the basement looks more finished now that we have hung up all the deer heads."
This was a lighthearted beginning, but the discussion for the night was anything but lighthearted. This month we read Night by Elie Wiesel. I suspect that many of you had to read it in college. I know many of my classmates did, but it was never required for any of my classes. What a book. It is not very long, and it reads quickly. It also leaves no room for relief.
Elie Wiesel, a survivor of Nazi concentration camps, went to Auschwitz at the age of 15. His narrative of this experience is horrifying and painful to read. He wrote this account 10 years after his liberation, as a young man, and he said "Never shall I forget those moments, which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust." And in reading the story, you have to wonder how he can even find the words to express it, how anyone can survive.
Yet Wiesel has been given the gift of grace. The version I read was a new translation from his original Yiddish text, and it included not only the original introduction, but also a preface written 45 years after the original publication, and the acceptance speech he made to the Nobel committee the year he won the prize for this book. He has somehow managed, not just to survive, but to find equilibrium with his God and to advocate for the oppressed everywhere.
We wonder what it means for modern generations to grow up knowing that people can do such things. We learn about the Nazi atrocities before we reach puberty. Though this in itself seems like an awful thing, it also helps young people understand the atrocities that continue in our world. Maybe if they can read such a narrative as teenagers they can have more empathy for those who suffer in far away countries, in a day when it is possible to turn the story off with one touch of a remote control.
Some of us in the group are cryers--it doesn't take much to set us off. So you can imagine what a book like this does to us. Barbara informed us that crying at night leads to red, puffy eyes in the morning (ditto for me), so she tries to get all her crying done on Friday nights. I can relate. My youngest child has begged me not to read in public places, because she is absolutely mortified if I cry there. She'll have to deal with it. I'm not likely to get control of the waterworks anytime soon, and I'm not giving up reading on airplanes or waiting rooms.
This book brings us to the end of our six months of planned reading. We have covered Little Bee by Chris Cleave, Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Brooklyn by Colm Toibin, The Hunger Games and Night. All but one of these deal with oppression in one way or another. We are getting to be very deep people, we think. When we don't get distracted by, well, anything.
Next month is our favorite time--book picking time. Normally we would have done this tonight, but we've decided to try giving ourselves a month to read whatever we want and report back. We'll also come with stacks of books to plan out the next six months, so if you have suggestions, we're takin' them. Nancy may be bringing back "The Alchemist," which is sort of the Susan Lucci of our book club. It's been up for election many times, but never quite makes it to the list. Anyone out there who thinks we should read it?
This was a lighthearted beginning, but the discussion for the night was anything but lighthearted. This month we read Night by Elie Wiesel. I suspect that many of you had to read it in college. I know many of my classmates did, but it was never required for any of my classes. What a book. It is not very long, and it reads quickly. It also leaves no room for relief.
Elie Wiesel, a survivor of Nazi concentration camps, went to Auschwitz at the age of 15. His narrative of this experience is horrifying and painful to read. He wrote this account 10 years after his liberation, as a young man, and he said "Never shall I forget those moments, which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust." And in reading the story, you have to wonder how he can even find the words to express it, how anyone can survive.
Yet Wiesel has been given the gift of grace. The version I read was a new translation from his original Yiddish text, and it included not only the original introduction, but also a preface written 45 years after the original publication, and the acceptance speech he made to the Nobel committee the year he won the prize for this book. He has somehow managed, not just to survive, but to find equilibrium with his God and to advocate for the oppressed everywhere.
We wonder what it means for modern generations to grow up knowing that people can do such things. We learn about the Nazi atrocities before we reach puberty. Though this in itself seems like an awful thing, it also helps young people understand the atrocities that continue in our world. Maybe if they can read such a narrative as teenagers they can have more empathy for those who suffer in far away countries, in a day when it is possible to turn the story off with one touch of a remote control.
Some of us in the group are cryers--it doesn't take much to set us off. So you can imagine what a book like this does to us. Barbara informed us that crying at night leads to red, puffy eyes in the morning (ditto for me), so she tries to get all her crying done on Friday nights. I can relate. My youngest child has begged me not to read in public places, because she is absolutely mortified if I cry there. She'll have to deal with it. I'm not likely to get control of the waterworks anytime soon, and I'm not giving up reading on airplanes or waiting rooms.
This book brings us to the end of our six months of planned reading. We have covered Little Bee by Chris Cleave, Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Brooklyn by Colm Toibin, The Hunger Games and Night. All but one of these deal with oppression in one way or another. We are getting to be very deep people, we think. When we don't get distracted by, well, anything.
Next month is our favorite time--book picking time. Normally we would have done this tonight, but we've decided to try giving ourselves a month to read whatever we want and report back. We'll also come with stacks of books to plan out the next six months, so if you have suggestions, we're takin' them. Nancy may be bringing back "The Alchemist," which is sort of the Susan Lucci of our book club. It's been up for election many times, but never quite makes it to the list. Anyone out there who thinks we should read it?
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Miles I've Gone and Now I'll Sleep
Another Festival has passed, and I'm about to pass out. It is such a stimulating, exciting and exhausting weekend! Here's my rundown of favorite and not-so-favorite experiences.
Two people I have previously raved about did not disappoint. Michael Perry was funny, honest and down-to-earth. He was also speaking about his current agnosticism. His humble approach to revisiting questions of faith, a faith that he left behind with his childhood, taught me more about what kind of Christian I want to be. He deeply respects his parents because of the people they are, and therefore he respects their beliefs. That is a high aspiration--to be the kind of person whose faith defines them and brings the respect of those who don't share that faith. And to retain an open heart to those who see the world differently.
I'd love to tell you more about the book of his I was reading, Population: 485. Alas, that will have to wait for another day, since I lost the library copy I was reading. I'm pleased to announce that the Calvin staff have located it, and I will be reunited with it soon.
Sara Zarr, who wrote the great young adult novel Once Was Lost, was also great to hear. She talked about the need for writers to be honest with the pain in the world so that young readers can relate and so that the pain they experience is confirmed, not swept under the rug. She further proved herself to me by listing the books that she loved as a girl that should still be read, and her number one recommendation was Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene. I read that book over and over. I also watched the TV movie version, starring Kristy McNichol, more than a few times. So Sara Zarr is my homegirl.
Stephen Carter writes novels (The Emperor of Ocean Park, New England White) as well as essays about religion, culture and politics. He is a Yale law professor, and every bit a gentleman. He talked about the fact that our culture simplifies or ignores the important part that religion plays in personal lives of people. This is a sentiment that was echoed by many at the conference. We don't know how to talk about religion and faith. He said that students should open their minds--not so far that their brains fall out--but open them enough to be able to explore ideas.
I also stumbled into a session that was led by one of the vice presidents of Walden Media. He was discussing the way writers "picture the invisible" for children. He went through several passages from Beverly Cleary's Ramona books, which include visits to church and bedtime prayers and talk about God. I don't remember any of that from reading those books as a child. Those events must have been so normal to my life that I didn't think anything of it. I rarely come across such things in children's books in the secular market! He pulled out some of those same things from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The movies Ramona and Beezus and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader are coming out this year from Walden Media, and they both sound pretty good!
Others I enjoyed: Rhoda Janzen (Mennonite in a Little Black Dress) talking about writing memoir; Sharon Flake who writes young adult novels about inner city teens (haven't read any yet, but am eager to); and Kate DiCamillo (Because of Winn Dixie, The Tale of Desperaux) who is tiny and funny and doesn't seem full of herself, though she didn't have much to say about faith. She makes everyone want to write stories. No wonder my family loves her books!
The lowest note was a writing workshop I signed up for, learning more about writing flash fiction. It was a low note, not because of the instructor's ability, but because I was completely out of my league. I am simply not edgy enough, nor does my brain work quickly enough, to produce anything I'd be willing to read in this company. My fellow workshop-ers read some incredible writing--which they'd written in about 15 minutes! I'll put it down to stretching my boundaries.
I am tired and need to go to bed. As soon as I find out who was voted off from "Survivor" this week. Hmm. Probably should not admit that to those reading this as a book blog.
If you were at Festival, tell me what I missed and what I should add to my reading wish list. You can tell me that second part even if you weren't at Festival. Two years minus 3 days till the next one. Good night!
Two people I have previously raved about did not disappoint. Michael Perry was funny, honest and down-to-earth. He was also speaking about his current agnosticism. His humble approach to revisiting questions of faith, a faith that he left behind with his childhood, taught me more about what kind of Christian I want to be. He deeply respects his parents because of the people they are, and therefore he respects their beliefs. That is a high aspiration--to be the kind of person whose faith defines them and brings the respect of those who don't share that faith. And to retain an open heart to those who see the world differently.
I'd love to tell you more about the book of his I was reading, Population: 485. Alas, that will have to wait for another day, since I lost the library copy I was reading. I'm pleased to announce that the Calvin staff have located it, and I will be reunited with it soon.
Sara Zarr, who wrote the great young adult novel Once Was Lost, was also great to hear. She talked about the need for writers to be honest with the pain in the world so that young readers can relate and so that the pain they experience is confirmed, not swept under the rug. She further proved herself to me by listing the books that she loved as a girl that should still be read, and her number one recommendation was Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene. I read that book over and over. I also watched the TV movie version, starring Kristy McNichol, more than a few times. So Sara Zarr is my homegirl.
Stephen Carter writes novels (The Emperor of Ocean Park, New England White) as well as essays about religion, culture and politics. He is a Yale law professor, and every bit a gentleman. He talked about the fact that our culture simplifies or ignores the important part that religion plays in personal lives of people. This is a sentiment that was echoed by many at the conference. We don't know how to talk about religion and faith. He said that students should open their minds--not so far that their brains fall out--but open them enough to be able to explore ideas.
I also stumbled into a session that was led by one of the vice presidents of Walden Media. He was discussing the way writers "picture the invisible" for children. He went through several passages from Beverly Cleary's Ramona books, which include visits to church and bedtime prayers and talk about God. I don't remember any of that from reading those books as a child. Those events must have been so normal to my life that I didn't think anything of it. I rarely come across such things in children's books in the secular market! He pulled out some of those same things from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The movies Ramona and Beezus and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader are coming out this year from Walden Media, and they both sound pretty good!
Others I enjoyed: Rhoda Janzen (Mennonite in a Little Black Dress) talking about writing memoir; Sharon Flake who writes young adult novels about inner city teens (haven't read any yet, but am eager to); and Kate DiCamillo (Because of Winn Dixie, The Tale of Desperaux) who is tiny and funny and doesn't seem full of herself, though she didn't have much to say about faith. She makes everyone want to write stories. No wonder my family loves her books!
The lowest note was a writing workshop I signed up for, learning more about writing flash fiction. It was a low note, not because of the instructor's ability, but because I was completely out of my league. I am simply not edgy enough, nor does my brain work quickly enough, to produce anything I'd be willing to read in this company. My fellow workshop-ers read some incredible writing--which they'd written in about 15 minutes! I'll put it down to stretching my boundaries.
I am tired and need to go to bed. As soon as I find out who was voted off from "Survivor" this week. Hmm. Probably should not admit that to those reading this as a book blog.
If you were at Festival, tell me what I missed and what I should add to my reading wish list. You can tell me that second part even if you weren't at Festival. Two years minus 3 days till the next one. Good night!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
On Second Thought...
Any trip that my travel-happy family takes includes a bag packed with far more books than I can possibly read in that amount of time. This time we had 8 days, and I limited myself to 5 books. Have I mentioned that I am a painfully slow reader, particularly if the reading is a chore? Brian's aunt can pound out 2 or 3 novels in 24 hours.
Since I was in the last stages of preparing copy for the summer reading issue of The Banner, I decided to take along a copy of a Christian novel that had been sent to me for review. I try to make a point of including some inspirational fiction. This particular novel, Hunter's Moon, seemed like it might be promising--sort of a thriller, with a powerful family epic feel. Well. It wasn't so great--the attempt was admirable, but the plot was just too contrived to make the themes hit home, and I never quite liked the main character. Since I'd only brought one such book on the trip, I kept reading, hoping it would somehow turn and be a fantastic review possibility. I really wanted to like it. The result is that I spent a good portion of my reading time on a book I really didn't like. Hazard of the job, I guess.
The vacation reading took a drastic turn for the better on the last day, when I started a book by Michael Perry called Population: 485. Perry is a writer, an EMT and a volunteer firefighter in his small Wisconsin hometown. He writes beautifully, weaving different themes together as he recounts his experiences as an emergency worker in a town where most of the victims are known to him in some way. I'm about a third of the way through and probably won't finish it by the start of the Festival of Faith and Writing (STARTS TOMORROW!!!), but I am excited to hear him speak and try out a couple of his other books. I highly recommend him.
May your travel bag always be filled with books worth reading.
Since I was in the last stages of preparing copy for the summer reading issue of The Banner, I decided to take along a copy of a Christian novel that had been sent to me for review. I try to make a point of including some inspirational fiction. This particular novel, Hunter's Moon, seemed like it might be promising--sort of a thriller, with a powerful family epic feel. Well. It wasn't so great--the attempt was admirable, but the plot was just too contrived to make the themes hit home, and I never quite liked the main character. Since I'd only brought one such book on the trip, I kept reading, hoping it would somehow turn and be a fantastic review possibility. I really wanted to like it. The result is that I spent a good portion of my reading time on a book I really didn't like. Hazard of the job, I guess.
The vacation reading took a drastic turn for the better on the last day, when I started a book by Michael Perry called Population: 485. Perry is a writer, an EMT and a volunteer firefighter in his small Wisconsin hometown. He writes beautifully, weaving different themes together as he recounts his experiences as an emergency worker in a town where most of the victims are known to him in some way. I'm about a third of the way through and probably won't finish it by the start of the Festival of Faith and Writing (STARTS TOMORROW!!!), but I am excited to hear him speak and try out a couple of his other books. I highly recommend him.
May your travel bag always be filled with books worth reading.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Lost and Found
Wow, I think I just finished the young adult equivalent of Marilynne Robinson's "Gilead." That may not sound like a selling point to some of you--it seems like people either loved "Gilead" or hated it. But the similarity is in the deeply spiritual internal dialog of a main character in a book put out by a secular publisher. Sara Zarr (who will be at Calvin in less than 2 weeks!) wrote the book "Once Was Lost," and it is good.
I should confess that I was sold on the story before I even started, because the first page offers lines from Over the Rhine's song "Long Lost Brother." Love that one. And Over the Rhine, for that matter. Pretty soon I'll be breaking into song--"Poughkeepsie" always has me singing at the top of my lungs in the car. But I digress.
In "Once Was Lost," Samara Taylor is a teen whose distant father is the beloved church pastor, whose mother has recently entered alcohol rehab, and whose life has been completely turned upside down by that event. As she struggles to hold on to hope and faith amid her troubles, a girl from her church goes missing, launching her even deeper into her confusion. This coming of age novel is a beautifully written and honest look at faith, as well as the doubts and weaknesses of the faithful. For high school and up.
Another book, very quick read, is "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan. It's you don't have time to read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" or "In Defense of Food," and the thought of watching "Food Inc." makes your stomach churn, you should try "Food Rules." Pollan gives practical, positive tips for making the best food choices. And you can read it in an hour or so. For instance, he suggests avoiding any foodlike product that includes ingredients that you cannot picture in their natural states. If you can't produce a mental image of xanthan gum, you probably shouldn't be eating it. It's a fun, informative and extremely readable guide.
For the grammar geeks out there: If you are annoyed and/or amused by misplaced punctuation, you've got to check out this blog: http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/. Too funny--thanks for sharing it, Sandy!
I should confess that I was sold on the story before I even started, because the first page offers lines from Over the Rhine's song "Long Lost Brother." Love that one. And Over the Rhine, for that matter. Pretty soon I'll be breaking into song--"Poughkeepsie" always has me singing at the top of my lungs in the car. But I digress.
In "Once Was Lost," Samara Taylor is a teen whose distant father is the beloved church pastor, whose mother has recently entered alcohol rehab, and whose life has been completely turned upside down by that event. As she struggles to hold on to hope and faith amid her troubles, a girl from her church goes missing, launching her even deeper into her confusion. This coming of age novel is a beautifully written and honest look at faith, as well as the doubts and weaknesses of the faithful. For high school and up.
Another book, very quick read, is "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan. It's you don't have time to read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" or "In Defense of Food," and the thought of watching "Food Inc." makes your stomach churn, you should try "Food Rules." Pollan gives practical, positive tips for making the best food choices. And you can read it in an hour or so. For instance, he suggests avoiding any foodlike product that includes ingredients that you cannot picture in their natural states. If you can't produce a mental image of xanthan gum, you probably shouldn't be eating it. It's a fun, informative and extremely readable guide.
For the grammar geeks out there: If you are annoyed and/or amused by misplaced punctuation, you've got to check out this blog: http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/. Too funny--thanks for sharing it, Sandy!
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