Book Update

I've actually been reading a lot this summer - apparently to the point where I haven't had time to update my reading list here. I went to the library last week and now I'm reading several books at once, which is unusual for me. It's leaving me a bit scatter-brained.

I finally finished Sherlock Holmes Volume I, and am dipping into Volume II. They're in a nice short format, so it's easy to go back to when I have time. I can't say that I'm really thrilled with them. Connan Doyle is strongest in stories like "Study in Scarlett" and "Hound of the Baskervilles" where he does more showing and less telling. Sadly, most of the rest of the work seems to consist of nothing but telling: the client tells the history of the case, Watson tells of the cursory inspection of the scene (at which he really doesn't notice much), and then Holmes tells how he figured it out. With no chance for the reader to really follow Holmes train of thought before the big reveal, it's not very exciting to me.

I re-read The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. I'll have to remember the next time I'm at the library how much I like her and check out some of her other work. When I read this before I was mostly interested in the daughters' perspectives, but now that I'm older I was riveted by the mother's point of view. I love Kingsolver's style and attention to detail. In general, I enjoy historical fiction because I feel like I'm learning something while also being immersed in the characters' personal narratives; and that is especially true here. And I just love the women that Kingsolver writes about - they are complex and flawed and engaged with the world around them.

I also sped through a few yard sale finds: In Search of Eden by Linda Nichols and Why the Sky is Blue by Susan Meissner. Both are Christian fiction on the theme of adoption. I tend to be sceptical of Christian fiction - whether that's fair or not, I don't know. The first was good, with a well told story and three-dimensional characters. No saints, no evil sinners either. The ending was what I expected, but I enjoyed the way Nichols got me there. The second I really didn't enjoy - it was emotionally manipulative and predictable, more interested in easy moralizing than good storytelling.

I'm also back into The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters, which I started last summer. Sadly, with baby-prep, I didn't get very far with it, so I'm trying again. With Baby Girl starting solids and Little Boy only eating macaroni-and-cheese these days, I have food on my mind. I find that I've been reading and hearing a lot lately about the importance of food, both its cultivation and its preparation. On Monday I heard this interview on NPR and I also picked up French Women for All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano at the library. All touch on this topic of the link between food- how we prepare it, how we consume it - and our individual and collective health. I guess I'm a little late when it comes to climbing on the organic/locally-grown/food-loving band wagon, and I can't say I'm totally there yet. I mean, I get what they're all saying, I just find it challenging to put into practice. I frankly don't have the time or money to put into tracking down sources of organic or local raw ingredients. And frankly, if I did, I wouldn't know what to do with them. I want to know how to cook well; I admire people who do. I admire people who are passionate about food. Sadly, I don't and I'm not. I love Top Chef, which I guess proves Mr. Pollan's point from his NPR interview about how we like to watch people cooking but are not doing it ourselves. But I'm determined to get through Simple Food and see what I can pick up. I even tried out a few of the recipes on my in-laws last week. They seemed to like them, which is a good sign, since they're pretty picky. And I noticed a difference in my attitudes that really excited me - I was a lot more conscious of the choices I was making at the grocery store. Even more, when I looked in my fridge afterwards, I felt this warm glow of pride and potential as I surveyed shelves of healthy, colorful, well-chosen food instead of containers of bad left-overs and processed junk.

I got Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy at the library and read the first chapter of Light in August by William Faulkner. I love Hardy already, and I'm intimidated by what I've heard of Faulkner. I'm so distracted with other books that I think I'll save these for when I can give them my full attention.

Speaking of my full attention, it's currently devoted to Surprised by Hope by N. T. Wright. This exploration of the significance of Jesus' resurrection has been working my neurons and synapses over-time this week. The author is a Cambridge professor and Anglican New Testament scholar, and my brain has gotten a serious and much needed work-out. It has really challenged me to re-examine much of what I've absorbed and been taught about Jesus's purpose and achievement on Easter. I'm almost done with it but I already know that as soon as I get to the last page I'll be starting again from the beginning and this time I'll be checking his biblical references and taking careful notes. I miss reading like this. I don't always have time or attention for it, but I really enjoy the mental push-back. It's not just intellectual interest either. The challenge to my faith and assumptions has also been welcome and needed.

Sorry, this probably could have made about 6 different blog entries. It took me 3 different sittings to finish it. Hopefully it will take me so long to finish all these books that there won't be another entry like this for a while.