The Books of 2007

I'd been keeping track all through the year. I'm posting it because this is the only place where I keep track of this kind of stuff.

1. The Bible - Fantastic. I highly recommend that you read this book! (And I highly recommend the Bible in 90 Days program.)

2. Wild Swans by Jung Chang. You can read my thoughts about this book in this post about Wild Swans.

3. The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges - Here is a post about some of the major themes of the book that really hit me, and how I was processing them personally.

4. Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath - Here are my thoughts on this so-so book.

5. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - My take on this book starts in the middle of a post about my trip to New York, which is where I was when I finished reading it.

6. Pollution and the Death of Man by Francis Schaeffer - every Christian, go out and get this book right now. GO!

Oh, you want to know why? Here's why.

7. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen - I read this book because I wanted to read Pride and Prejudice (see below) but it was checked out at the library. I was in the mood for a good story and I knew, after seeing the movie, that I liked S&S. So, I picked it up.

Much better than the movie. I even watched the movie again after reading and the movie was very disappointing.

Yay for Jane Austen. I couldn't put this one down. AND IT'S FICTION!

8. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - A friend lent the movie to me and, after watching it, I was scratching my head trying to figure out where Darcy's profession of love came from. Seemed totally out of nowhere. (I subjected myself to several more viewings so that I could watch his mannerisms more closely and try to see if I could read more into them. All in the name of research, of course.) Ultimately I decided that I would like to read the book to see if Austen included more explanation of Darcy's feelings for Elizabeth. I was not disappointed.

The thing about reading these Austen books is that you have to sit through all the mundane tea parties and visits that these civil members of polite society engaged in. I had to wonder how they didn't suffocate from the boredom of it all. But, apparently, this was one of the things that Jane Austen was acclaimed for - capturing the mundane - but doing so through characters who were anything but.

One detail didn't quite make sense to me, but I will not even mention it because I think it is more than likely a misunderstanding caused by my difficulty in reading the language of the book.

As a modern reader, the only thing that could have made the book better was if we could have heard of their first kiss or their marriage or something like that. I suppose no proper English woman of her day would have written such things for the public...

And now I am realizing that I have made the book sound much worse than I really thought it. I loved it, actually. I certainly got what I wanted out of it, which was more of Mr. Darcy's feelings throughout the story. I believe I will read this one again. Even think I might like to own it. So how's that for liking it?

9. The Three R's by Ruth Beechik - A short book about natural teaching methods for young children. Eye opening, but completely logical ideas she presented included - not needing to teach children the names of letters in order to teach them to read (teaching only sounds, adding letter names later.) Similarly, not teaching mathematical notation (+, -, =, etc) until children are able to do these concepts easily in their heads. Teaching writing by having children copy good writing. Not worrying about spelling until around grade three. The need for manipulatives in math and separating this kind of activity from mental images and notation work.

I took away a lot of practical ideas for help with homeschooling, but, more importantly, I felt encouraged as I read that I could do this more natural approach (which I have found attractive, but scary, for quite a while.)

10. Every Woman's Battle by Shannon Etheridge - the best part came near the end of the book. It was a list of six (?) different relationship analogies that are described in the Bible. She ranks them in order of the intimacy with God that they portray. Personally, I found these very revealing. (Ironically, she credits this material to another author.) The rest of the book contained some good reminders for maintaining purity, albeit simply written, though her treatment of Scripture is hardly what I would call rigorous. (She uses the "just-as-if-I'd never sinned" to explain the doctrine of justification [shudder]. Such oversimplifications by a teacher always make me question whether the words are worth heeding at all.)

11. Persuasion by Jane Austen - By now, I am onto the pattern. There is a strong yet lovable heroine who has few negative qualities. She has a potential interest from and/or for another man who, to everyone seems quite the catch but, it is later revealed, is a scoundrel of the worst sort. And there is the other guy, the good guy, who ends up getting the girl.

Persuasion is a great story, but frustrating because we see so little interaction between the heroine and her eventual lover. So little. Worse - very little is told throughout the story of Captain Wentworth's feelings. Whatever is gleaned is through the eyes of Anne, who, hoping to regain his affections, can only be considered a biased judge of his intentions. At the end of the book, I was left scratching my head as to why he acted the way he did. He said he'd always loved her, but he didn't ACT like he loved her. I guess this is what makes it suspenseful... but that also makes it hard to believe. And maybe a little boring, too.

And, just like Pride and Prejudice, after the couple are united, the reader finally gets to be with them in private! And, just like Pride and Prejudice, the two of them spend several pages talking about who misunderstood what and how mortified they were at this or that, and yada, yada, yada. And all I was really thinking was "shut up and kiss each other!"

But that's me.

A good book, but I think I liked Pride and Prejudice better.

12. Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - Oooh. This was a good one. Maureen recommended it to me, but for some reason I didn't think I'd like it.

I was wrong.

I love this book because it is about taking a deeper look into expert advice and conventional wisdom. I tend toward skepticism - I question people's conclusions and squint my eyes when people make causal links that don't always seem logical. This book was just the thing. Look deeper. What does the data say?

The authors made what I think is an important distinction between causality and correlation of data sets. And the definition of "conventional wisdom" was refreshing. From school test results to crime statistics to the outcome of Sumo tournaments, the authors looked at data and made some surprising discoveries.

So very interesting.

Probably the last thing I needed was what this book ended up doing - it made me a little more skeptical of what the "experts" say. Of course, what this book also did is remind me that maybe skepticism in that regard isn't such a bad thing after all.

13. Emma by, who else? Jane Austen.

Oh, by the way, we need to ALERT THE MEDIA... this book is a NEW. WORLD. RECORD. Not only have I read 13 books this year, but 5 of them are also FICTION... and not a single one was, ahem, a children's book either.

I think Emma is my favorite. I still can't decide if I think she is far too self-absorbed to deserve my liking her, but then I think "this is fiction so, it really DOESN'T MATTER." Still, I like her. And I think I like Mr. Knightley better than any of the other heroes of the other three I've read. He's sensible, polite, responsible, considerate, and he doesn't mince words. And, he can fall hard for a girl and isn't ashamed of it. So he is not as "hard" as Darcy; we get to see more of him than we do of Wentworth; and I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER enough about the guy in Sense and Sensibility to offer any comparison, so that should speak for itself.

So there, Emma is my favorite. The only thing that might make me change my mind would be finding out that I misinterpreted a bunch of that old English writing and the story isn't really what I think it is.

Which is totally possible.

I might actually finish another book this year.

(Pick yourself up off the floor.)


And now for the list of Books I started this year and WANT to finish, but didn't:
1. The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard - because, even though it is good reading, it's some kind of heavy. And heavy hurts my head.

2. The Hiding Place by Corey Ten Boom - because I know how it ends, and I have a hard time sleeping at night when I read real stuff like that. And I don't need any more stuff to make me feel all kinds of angst. I am good at angst all by myself.

3. What The Bible Says About Parenting by my main man, John MacArthur. This is the one I thought I might finish before the end of the year. Then there was a little change in my end-of-year plans when I realized that I had incorrectly knit (knitted?) 52 rows of a sleeve for a sweater that I NEED to get done before the baby I am making it for outgrows it. That was about four days worth of work down the toilet. But, hey, with the sentence structure of this very paragraph I have pretty much thrown all the rules of grammar and composition down the toilet too.

Just keeping with the theme, y'all.

Next up, we have the list of Books that I got for Christmas and will definitely be on my reading list for next year:

1. A Peculiar People by Rodney Clapp

2. How Should we Then Live? by Francis Schaeffer.

3. The Bible by God. I didn't really get it for Christmas, but I am getting ready to read it again. I'll let you know how it turns out.


And the list of Books that Have Been on my Reading List That I Really (I MEAN it) Want to Read This Year, Finally. Alleleuia, Amen.

1. The Tipping Point. And I don't remember who wrote that. Gladwell?

2. Hard to Believe. MacArthur.

3. Money, Sex and Power (AKA The Challenge of the Disciplined Life.) Richard Foster

4. And maybe I will finally get around to finishing In Search of Schrodinger's Cat. I really, really want to finish that one.

And finally, the Books I started this year and will not ever, even if you pay me, though I doubt you would, but even if you did, I wouldn't finish reading, ever:

1. The Good Earth by Pearl Buck - because I got half way through the book and realized that I absolutely did not care about what happened to the main character (I forget his name.) I didn't want to read any more about him or his life. I just didn't like him.

2. A Circle of Quiet by the lady whose name I can't remember. Madeline L'Engle, perhaps. It just didn't grab my attention.

3. Unexpected News. (Author - ???) Again, it just didn't grab me. I was a bit disappointed because I wanted to learn what it had to offer, but it just wasn't interesting.

Only three. Pretty good, eh?

Thank you. Thank you very much.

How many you think I can read in 2008?

87?

103?

I Know I Have Issues...

I started reading The Good Earth. Fiction book numero dos for the year.

Pulitzer Prize winning book, this one is.

But here's the thing: I read the first hundred or so pages (there are 397) and was interested enough to keep reading. After that, I found that I became increasingly bored... and now that I am on the heels of two chapters (or was it three?) in a row devoted solely to Wang Lung's obsession with a prostitute, I am just bored out of my mind.

I have no desire to read any more about the prostitute, or how much Wang Lung wants her. I have no desire to read about him squandering all of his money on her. I have no desire to read any more about his life. The land. His ignorance.

None.

What a waste - to read half of a book and then get stuck not wanting to read one more word. You know what this book has really made me want to do? Quilting. I want to go work on a quilt and not waste any more time on this book.

Pulitzer Prize winner. And I am going to bring it back to the library half-read.

I guess it won't be the first time my idea of a good book didn't coincide with the opinions of, uh, whoever those people are who decide what books are good....

You Have no Idea How Excited I was When I Discovered This Book

I was reading a few articles about (so-called) Christian Environmentalism when I came across a reference to the book Pollution and the Death of Man: The Christian View of Ecology by Francis Schaeffer. The title was enough to make me want to read it, but when I saw who wrote it I nearly fell off my chair.

A Big Dawg in the world of Christian teachers had written a book about ecology.

Hello, Amazon? Send me my copy right now.

I purchased a used copy and got to reading as soon as it arrived. I was not disappointed.

This book was written in the seventies. Schaeffer uses the first few chapters of his short (YAY!) book to refute some points made by writers of the day, who blamed the spread of Christianity for the poor state of the natural world. (Two of the essays he refutes are printed in the back of the book.) Schaeffer discusses, and rejects, the idea that one can make a moral appeal for the environment without a belief that it was created for a purpose. He makes the point that such appeals address morality only in their terminology. When scrutinized, these appeals are simply pragmatism disguised as morality.

He also discusses, and again rejects, the notion that pantheism offers a solution. Instead, he gives a refreshing explanation of creation and the place that each component (man, tree, bird, etc) has within it. This, of course, from the Biblical perspective. He points out how man is "one" with nature because he, like nature has been created by God. He then asserts that its beauty is not what makes nature worth saving. Neither is its usefulness. It is worth our respect because God made it. To disrespect it (a created thing) is not only to show contempt for God, but it is also to deny the place God gave us which is, like nature, a created thing.

Additionally, he states that man is unlike nature in that we were created in God's image. In this way, we are above nature, and indeed were given dominion over it. However, we, unlike a tree, can act upon it in ways that God did not intend. In regard to one's view of nature, Schaeffer is very careful to point out where the "hippies" (his term, not mine) get it right and where they don't. And he does the same for the Christian, making the point, where necessary, that our view of nature is often not quite right.

I found one thing Schaeffer mentions particularly interesting, perhaps because I had never really thought about it this way before. He says: In each of the alienations arising from the Fall, the Christians, individually and corporately, should consciously in practice be a healing redemptive factor - in the separation of man from God, of man from himself, of man from man, of man from nature, and of nature from nature... a Chritian-based science and technology should conscioulsly try to see nature substantially healed, while waiting for the future complete healing at Christ's return.

After introducing his last chapter with those words, he goes on to tell how the Church "can apply them practically to the whole question of ecology." But first he identifies the "two factors that lead to the destruction of our environment: money and time - or to say it another way, greed and haste."

His answer to these problems is that we must rightly exhibit our God-given dominion over nature: recognizing that he is able to do much more than God ever intended for him to do, man must submit to self-imposed limits. Limits to his pleasure and self-gratification. To make his point, Schaeffer parallels this with examples from a sexual relationship and a business relationship.

He conlcudes with these words: The balance of nature will be more nearly what it should be, and there will be a way to utilize nature for man and yet not destroy the resources which man needs. But none of this will happen if it is only a gimmick. We have to be in the right relationship with Him in the way He has provided, and then, as Christians, have and practice the Christian view of nature.

Can you tell I loved this book? I swear I didn't tell you everything. If you read it you will get a clearer understanding of how man can be "one" with nature and yet still be "above" it. And there is good stuff in there about how our view of nature even affects our witness.

Good stuff.

I know you're not going to, but go read it.

Let's Catch up, Shall We?

Hello, lovely internets. I am back. Many posts are a brewing in the ol' noggin, but I'll need a little more time to get the ideas out. They get stuck sometimes, you know? Be patient. They are coming, albeit slowly.

Every time I use the word "albeit," I wonder if I am using it correctly.

So. New York.

I went there.

I did some stuff.

It was fine.

I have been to NYC before and I can take it or leave it. I wasn't in awe of the tall buildings or paranoid about being robbed. I joined my group for some siteseeing opportunities, and passed others up.

The majority of my time was spent painting the kitchen of a very old church in Brooklyn. I do not have the literary skills to make that sound exciting, but even if I did, I'd be lying. It wasn't exciting. But it was necessary, so that's what we did. Others tore down a wall, put up insulation, and put a new wall on top of it. I helped a little with that, but mostly I just watched.

Oh, and I installed a handle on a door.

All by myself.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

The one earth-shattering event that did take place in New York involved me finishing a book. Having read a few books in the last year or so, the actual finishing is not the part that was so earth-shattering. No, the earth-shattering part was that is was fiction.

Robin asked if I wanted to read The Thirteenth Tale with her. I told her I'd try, but I knew I probably wouldn't keep up with her. Plus, I was only requesting it from the library when she was already picking up her copy.

That was the week before I left for New York.

She was done before I ever stepped foot in the Big Apple.

But by that time, I was already too far in to just quit. So I finished.

My general feeling about the book is that the story was interesting. However, many parts of it were just not believable. I know, I know. Suspend reality. It's just that I don't like having to do that. I like reality. Reality is my friend.

Also mildly annoying is the way the author described silly details about things that didn't really matter in the story. It was like she was using her words to show off about how eloquent she could be about a book. Or someone's skin. Or a statue.

But that was only mildly annoying. When I tell you the part that REALLY annoyed me, I am going to sound like a prude:

There was a certain sexual scene early in the book that, while not particularly graphic, just made me feel yucky. And I couldn't get it out of my mind. To make matters worse, I didn't think this scene was necessary for the plot.

Also central to the plot was an event that the author never described, but the reader finds out about later: (spoiler alert) an incestuous relationship between a brother and sister.

These things, if they were essential parts of a TRUE story, would have been a bit easier for me to take. But they weren't. I was reading simply for entertainment. So, when I finished the book, which contained a generally interesting story, I was left with this question lingering in my mind: Was it worth it? Was having to think about the yuck worth the little bit of entertainment that I got out of it?

The jury is still out on that one.

And that's what I did while I was away. What about you?

Another Book Review. YIPEEEEEE!

Well, I posted a few weeks ago about the books I was working through. Of the three that I listed, only one is now completed. As I mentioned yesterday, Made to Stick was due back at the library today, and I refused to renew the book even once. So I finished the last 38 pages last night and returned it to the library this morning.

The book was interesting and boring at the same time. It was full of all sorts of stories about how people got their ideas to "stick" in others' minds. Those were really fun to read: how the Texas government got tough, pickup driving men to care about litter; how army commanders empower their subordinates to make decisions during war time; how a small Kansas town of 35,000 is home to a newspaper that sells 43,000 copies every day. Fun stories. Interesting stories.

But the narrative about what all these stories have in common? Not so interesting.

Overall, an okay read. But I can't really tell you that you need to pick this one up any time soon. Or ever, really.

Now I still have three books that I am working through, because those McArthur books did arrive from Amazon, and I started one of them before I even finished with Made to Stick. Why do I do this? I am terrible at finishing a book when I have more than one going at a time.

Why, WHY?

I WILL not Renew, I WILL not Renew

My book is due tomorrow and I have thirty-eight pages left to read.

I WILL not renew...

I WILL not renew...

Something Lighter for a Friday

Here is what I am reading:

The Hiding Place. Nothing really, really terrible had even happened yet, when I finished one chapter right before bed one night. Before closing the book, I glanced at the title of the next chapter: "Storm Clouds Gather." I could not go to sleep that night. I had a terrible pit in my stomach and thought at one point that I might actually get sick. I stopped reading this book before bed after that. I am finding great joy in the fact that I have not been walking around all this time with awful thoughts of tragic and unbearable events happening to me and my family. This, my friends, is a sign that my depression is still in a far away place...where it belongs... I still have about 100 pages left of this one. I am confident I will get it finished. (By the way, this is the 241-page book I referred to at the end of my Wild Swans post. The one I thought I'd finish in a few days. But you knew I wouldn't, right?)

Made to Stick. I don't know if I will finish this one, though this is not to say it is uninteresting. I picked it up because it caught my eye at the library. (And why wouldn't it? The cover is bright orange.) I was interested in reading the true accounts of how different people have been able to make their ideas "stick." The authors try to find the common denominators amongst these ideas, which isn't of great interest to me. Come to think of it, maybe it is. Surely this information will be useful to me when I begin the indoctrination component of my plan for world domination. Sweeeeet serendipity! Mwaaah-ha-ha-ha-ha!

The Divine Conspiracy. Been wanting to read this one for a long time. And I will be reading it for a long time as well, given that it is 436 pages long. I really think this whole "ridiculously long book" thing should be illegal. But I soooo want to know what this one is about. So far, and by that I mean: not even done with the forty page first chapter, it has been interesting but a bit dry and sometimes I don't know the meanings of the words he uses. This, however, is nothing new to me. I am pretty confident that this book will pick up in later chapters, though, and I will be back here when I am done telling you that every Christian on the planet should read it. Of course, you won't, because no one likes to read stuff I pick out, and you will be contributing to my already overdevelped feelings of isolation in this cold, cold blogosphere, but that's okay. I'm used to that too... (Hat tip to Leslie AKA, my only other bloggy friend who reads "my" kind of books, for bringing this book to my attention.)

Soon to arrive from Amazon, Hard to Believe, and What the Bible Says About Parenting, both by John(ny fresh) MacArthur.

I guess I'd better get reading.

Reading. Actual Books.

I finished Wild Swans earlier this week. It's only the second book I've finished this year. But, before all you 'I-read-two-books-every-three-minutes' types guffaw at me, you need to know a few things:

First. This book was 508 pages long. Five hundred eight. If you combine that with the other book I have read this year, that being the Bible, then I have read over 1500 pages. If you ask me, that actually counts as, like, six books. And it isn't even May yet. However, being the stickler that I am for accuracy, I cannot claim that I am on track to beat last year's record of twelve books (not that this is a goal, but I use it for comparison.) I guess I can say I FEEL like I have read six books. And, had I chosen books of a more average length, perhaps I would have actually read six books by now. I have, however, only read two books this year.

Second. I finished reading this book (which, did I mention, was 508 pages long?) in 18 days.

Some friekish reading demon has possessed my brain.

That being said, I will now tell you that I really enjoyed Wild Swans. It was written by Jung Chang and chronicles the life of her grandmother, her mother, and herself growing up in China. Her grandmother was a concubine. Her mother joined the Communist party just before the retreat of the Kuomingtang, and Mao's deification. Her father would eventually become a high ranking members of the Communist party. After accusing Mao of breaking with Communist doctrine, he was disgraced, persecuted, and sent to detention for several years. Ms. Chang grew up through Mao's indoctrination of China, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution.

I won't get into a ton more detail than that. When it comes to the history of China, I am an ignoramus. But I am learning. And this book taught me a lot.

I think what I took away from this book more than anything was a clearer picture of "how anyone could do that." By this, I mean that question that we ask when we hear of people doing hateful, murderous things to other people. "How could anyone do that?"

It was happening all over China. Torture, murder, theft, beatings. All carried out by anyone who felt the need. All of it sanctioned by Mao Zedong. And, despite the fact that she hated what was happening, the author's feelings toward Mao were ones of admiration, reverence, and even gratefulness.

That's indoctrination folks.

I still don't "understand" indoctrination but, having read this book, and the description of Mao's tactics, I think I can say that I understand how it happens, how it spreads, and how it feeds off of itself until it chokes an entire country.

The book itself was repetitive at times, and sometimes awkwardly worded. It was difficult to keep track of all the people, but an index (and a timeline) are included in the back of the book to help with this. Overall, I enjoyed the book (which goes with out saying right... see points above.) I learned a great deal and it left me wanting to learn more about the history of China.

The other benefit to reading this LONG book was that when I picked up my next book - a mere 241 pages, and smaller ones at that - I gasped and thought, I could have this done in just a few days!

Not.

The Books of 2006

I read twelve. Ranked in order of how much I liked them.

1. Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper. You can read my review here. Fantastic book.

2. Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience by Ronald Sider. I read this after God's Politics. It was a much easier read, but it got me thinking as much, or more, than GP did. You can read my reaction to Scandal here.

3. God's Politics by Jim Wallace. Wallace seemed long-winded, particularly about the war in Iraq. But, this book was a good jummping off point for me in that it has me thinking much more about fair trade, helping the poor, and the "consistent ethic of life." Read more about the stuff Wallace covers in the book here.

4. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. This is the last one I read. Just finished it today as a matter of fact. I have to say the first half better than the last. But the entire book was an easy and enjoyable read. I particularly liked chapter 7, in which he talks about the concept of grace. I suppose I liked it because I could relate to it. He could have written that chapter about me and it would've turned out the same. I also liked his discussion of how we treat love like money. A good reminder of the error I often buy into as I attempt to live out the Christian life. Overall, I liked that the author pointed the finger at himself more than anyone else. It reminded me that I am the only one that I have authority over when it comes to how faith is lived out. I also liked this book because it is a great read for Christians as well as those who are interested in Christianity, but are afraid they'd have to become what they hate in order to embrace it.

5. Approval Addiction by Joyce Meyers. This helped me to recognize some things that I needed to change, but I also found it very encouraging.

6. A Separate Peace by John Knowles. I read this book because I needed something to read and I remembered liking it when I read it in the ninth grade. I don't know what made me like it so much then - probably all the teenage angst. It was an easy read and not altogether boring, but I can't say I LOVED it. I don't know why - probably all the teenage angst. (?)

7. Every Man's Battle by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker. This book was helpful for understanding how mens' minds are influenced by their eyes. It's good to know for anyone who has a husband. As a woman though, I found the information about how to train your eyes and mind very helpful. Some parts of it made me feel uncomfortable, like explanations of what visual stimuli turn men on (they weren't graphic, but you can't help get an image in your mind, and it usually wasn't one I wanted to have there.) One part that made me uncomfortable was a red light, of sorts for me, because it made me realize that I have some beauty issues of my own to deal with. Altoghter, learning as much as I did from this book, which is supposed to be for men, got me interested in reading Every Woman's Battle, which I have now added it to my reading list.

8. Boltzmann's Atom by David Lindley. A bit dry in parts. I did enjoy the glimpse into the human side of science. You can read my ramblings about the book (and faith) here.

9. Six Easy Pieces by Richard Feynman. I liked the first three chapters - learned some interesting things that I'd never understood before. The fourth chapter made absolutely no sense to me. The fifth chapter wasn't much of a help in my understanding of gravitation, though I can't say I was as lost as I was in the previous chapter. I read the last chapter about quantum mechanics because I wanted to finish the book. I nearly quit. QM is hard stuff, so I don't know how anyone could identify it as an "easy piece." I understood the parts I already knew. The stuff I didn't understand before reading, I still didn't understand after reading.

10. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt. Some parts I found completely uninteresting (namely, his sexual exploits.) Some parts were okay. One or two parts were insightful. I found it annoying that none of the conversations recorded in the book contain any quotation marks, a fact which sometimes made it difficult to read. Also annoying were his random jags into daydreams that seemed far too cliche and, well, LONG, frankly. Long past getting the point. I was hoping to be able to relate in some way to this story of a teacher. I didn't.

11. One Size Doesn't Fit all by Gary McIntosh. Easy to read, but with an annoyingly unnecessary narrative. McIntosh tries to give information about how churches of various sizes function, but he does it in story form. GAAAAAH! I read this book because my pastor gave it to everyone on the long range planning committee. The information has been very useful to us, but the entire book is summed up (at the end) in one chart that makes reading the book unnecessary. DOUBLE GAAAAAH!

12. Five Star Families by Carol Kuykendall. My overall impression, (since I have no real recollection of anything of substance that I learned from this book) is that it is full of touchy-feely generalities about raising a family. Lot's of stuff that you read and think "yeah, I know, can you tell me something new?"

91.7%

Finished the last of Teacher Man, by Frank McCourt, last night. I can't say it got me terribly excited or that I learned much from it. But it was a book. And I finished it.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Now I am looking for my final book of this year. I picked up Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. But, I decided I am in the mood for some lighter reading.

Still haven't decided what to read. I have Desiring God and The Hiding Place on the bookshelf, but neither of those really qualify as "light" either. Hopefully I will find something before December 31.

Scandalous

Okay, so, like I mentioned earlier, I just finished reading Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience by Ron Sider. And just before that I read God's Politics by Jim Wallis. So, there is a lot of stuff Rattling Around. Please forgive me if I start rambling.

One of the things that stuck with me most from Scandal is how we define the gospel and salvation. Sider says:

I am convinced that at the heart of our problem is a one-sided, unbiblical, reductionist understanding of the gospel and salvation. Too many evangelicals in too many ways give the impression that the really important part of the gospel is forgiveness of sins.

While he does agree that forgiveness of sins is, in fact, very important, he goes on to say:

Justification and sanctification are both central parts of the biblical teaching on the gospel and salvation. To overstate the importance of the one is to run the danger of neglecting the other. And that is certainly what popular evangelicalism has done.... we have propagated the heretical notion that people can receive forgiveness without sanctification, heaven without holiness.

It's made me wonder about the answer I would give if someone asked "what is the gospel?" And it makes me wonder about the ways we, as the Church, present the gospel to unbelievers. Do they come away with a sense that the gospel is simply fire insurance? Do they see us living truly transformed lives (ie. living out the gospel)?

And what of new believers? I think the Church as a whole needs to be strengthened in the areas of accountability amongst believers as well as discipleship. It can't be enough to "get people saved" and leave it at that. The Church should be a community made up of people who know how to nurture one another and spur them on towards Christ-likeness.

I know I am a cynic, but does it seem like the majority of believers are not willing to form the kinds of relationships that this would require? Or, if they are willing, are they equipped for those kinds of relationships?

I'll answer for myself. No, and no.

In regard to our reduction of the gospel to "the forgiveness of sins," Sider notes that Jesus never defined the gospel this way. Instead, he says, Jesus always spoke in terms of the kingdom of God. (In Luke 4:43, Jesus says, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.") He points out that, in their gospel accounts, Matthew and Mark both describe the gospel in the same way. Then he illustrates this point by quoting the scriptures in which Jesus sent out his followers on mission trips. Jesus told them to tell the people that the kingdom of God is near. Then he instructed them to heal the sick, raise the dead, etc. (See Matt 10:7-8 and Luke 10:8-9.)

I think the biggest thing that got me from this book is probably the hardest to describe. It has me wondering if western Christians really do get it at all. (And I am referring to myself here too.) Let me see if I can explain, in a rambling sort of way.

I hear lots of Christians say things like, "it's okay to have nice things" when we talk about materialism. That seems to be what we all want to hear. That way we are off the hook when it comes to examing our spending and our desire to accumulate stuff.

But, y'all, we are so steeped in consumerism here in the west that I think most of us have bowed to it and don't even realize it. You know, it IS okay to have nice stuff. God blesses us with material things sometimes. But the Bible is clear. It is NOT okay to have stuff in excess when others (billions of others, by the way) don't have basic comforts and the assurance that their needs will be met. Is it really okay to have 150 DVDs at our disposal, when people all over the world can't even afford adequate health care.

Sider makes the historical generalization that mainline Protestants have generally protested social sins (eg. economic injustice, slavery,) while evangelicals denounced personal sin (eg. stealing, adultery.) For the most part, I have found that to be true in my own experience. Christianity, in my evangelical experience, has always been about dealing with my personal transgressions. But, it is ALL OVER Scripture, that God is none too happy with his people when they turn a blind eye to economic and social injustice.

Jim Wallis made the point in his book that God, in the practice of Jubilee, set up a system that maintained equity. And, though ownership of personal property was allowed, it was always trumped by the concept of equity. Personal gain was always trumped by what was best for society. (And I am speaking very generally here, because I returned that book to the library a long time ago, so I can't give you any specific quotes.)

Moreover, Wallis went on to say that helping people out of systems of injustice is good. But, he warned that, as the Church, we need to work towards changes in society so that unjust systems are no longer pulling people under. In other words, we do need to help people who are poor by giving them sustainable income, but we also need to change the laws, trade practices, and personal habits which contribute to their marginalization.

To sum up, both Sider and Wallis make the point that Christianity is meant to be counter-cultural. I am still trying to grasp what that means for me personally, and what that would look like for the Church as a whole. Here is what Sider says:

The church is a new, visible social order. It is a radical new community visibly living a challenge to the sexual insanity, the racial and social prejudice, and the economic injustice that pervade the rest of society.

I have no idea if this post makes sense. It is my first attempt to put this all into words, so I covet your comments. I am also thinking of reading A Peculiar People. If any of this is of interest to you, perhaps we could read together and post thoughts on our blogs (or my comments section, if you don't have one.)

Gimme what you got.

Revised Reading List

I just finished reading Five Star Families by Carol Kuykendall.

I read it because I bought the book. I don't know why I bought the book. Maybe because all the moms at MOPS were raving about it. Yet, I know that our taste in books is very different. But they were RAVING. Anyway, it wasn't really rave-worthy, if you ask me. It was encouraging. And it was an easy read - even for me. This was probably the number one thing that kept me reading. After God's Politics, I needed a bit of a break.

Anyway, this brings my book total up to 5 for this year.

Here are the books I have on my list. (My goal is to read twelve this year.)

1. Approval Addiction: Overcoming Your Need to Please Everyone by Joyce Meyer.

2. Boltzmann's Atom: The Great Debate the Launched a Revolution in Physics by David Lindley.

3. God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get it by Jim Wallace.

4. Dreams from my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama.

5. Every Man's Battle:Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time by Arterburn, Stoeker, and Yorkey.

6. Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World? by Ronald Sider.

7. Hard to Believe: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus by John MacArthur.

8. Jealous God: Science's Crusade Against Religion by Pamela Winnick.

9. One Size Doesn't Fit All: Bringing out the Best in any Size Church by Gary McIntosh.

10. Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller.

11. The Divine Conspiracy:Rediscovering our Hidden Life in God by Dallas Willard.

12. Crunchy Cons: The New Conservative Counterculture and its Return to Roots by Rod Dreher.

13. Five Star Families: Moving Yours From Good to Great by Carol Kuykendall.

14. Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick.

15. Endangered Minds: Why Children Don't Think and What We Can Do About It by Jane Healy.

16. A Peculiar People: The Church as Culture in a Post-Christian Society by Rodney Clapp.

Any suggestions? I have Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience with me here in CT. It is a really short book, and I have already started it. Maybe I can get it done before going back to Ohio.

But let's not put any money on that, okay?

What are you all reading?

GOOOOOOOOOL!

I finished it.

Yes, it was twenty days ago that I told you I only had 158 more pages to go. So I finished it in less than three weeks. Not bad, eh?

And, being misinformed about the actual due date of the book, I am happy to report that I will only be paying a fifteen cent fine - which is great - considering that I have had the book since, uh, January(?)

Thank you, thank you very much.

And, can I just ask every Christian on the planet to please read this book?

A Girl's Gotta have a Goal

I started reading God's Politics by Jim Wallis about 7 renewals ago. I'd put it down for a long time. I also hit a long stretch that bored me (big surprise, right?) But, I want to get it finished so that I can cross it off of this list, rather than add it to this one. Plus, I really want to stick it to my husband for intimating that I cannot read twelve books in one year. (Just kidding...) Anyway, I have about 158 pages left in this book. That is nothing for some people. They'd have it done tomorrow. For me, not so much.

At five cents a day in overdue book fines, I am already at 10 cents, having too much pride to present the book to the librarian and request my eighth renewal. So, I am using the fines as my motivation. Finish the book - and the faster I do it, the less I will have to pay.

Excuse me, I've got some reading to do.

Two down, Ten to go...

I finished Boltzmann's Atom. The book details the work of Ludwig Boltzmann at the end of the nineteenth century. He was the first to use statistical probabilities to describe atomic motion. There was not consensus among his peers that atoms even existed, so his theory on the nature of entropy was not widely accepted. Indeed, it was vehemently rejected by many.

But Ludwig Boltzmann might just be called the father of theoretical physics. The last century has served to uphold his theories, rejected though they were at the time.

I found it interesting in reading that his loudest critic, Ernst Mach (of Mach-6 fame) gained quite a following at the time. Mach didn't believe atoms even existed. But he ended up being wrong.

And lots of others were skeptical of Boltzmann's work because they were used to classical physics which was articulated through "laws" that they took to be absolute. Boltzmann's work put some classical ideas into the category of "true most of the time." The nature of probabilities dictates that nothing behaves the same way all the time. It is just likely to behave that way... and once in a great while, it won't. (Think of what it must have been like to have someone telling you that heat doesn't ABSOLUTELY flow from a hot object into a cold one. It is only EXTREMELY likely that it will. But there is a chance, unimaginably small, but a chance nonetheless, that heat can flow from a colder object into a hotter one.)

This kind of theorizing didn't sit well with classical physicists of the time.

And, to be sure, it is still quite mind-blowing even today.

It's funny how science works. This book reminds me of how much faith is a part of theorizing. It reminds me that bias exists in science. It reminds me that we are human.

Dudley Herschbach is a Nobel Laureate in chemsitry (1986, I think.) I was able to attend "seminar" on the day that he addressed the chemistry students at Wittenberg. Someone asked him about how it felt to win such a prestigious award. He said something very interesting. I don't remember it word for word, but it was something like this: I am humbled to receive such an award, because really, it's the atoms that should be honored. They are the ones who do all this amazing stuff. All we do is figure out what they were already doing, and have been doing for a very long time.

Science is clouded by the humanity of scientists. There is stuff we don't understand, and stuff we don't want to understand. We look at experimental data and go "huh?" And sometimes, we don't even believe what the data say. We argue about what constitutes "proof."

All this hampers our efforts to figure out what is really going on. The cool thing is, nature keeps on doing its thing, regardless of our understanding.

Anyway, all that to say this: I finished my second book.

I am now debating which book I should pick up next.

Ouch

A brief conversation with my husband this evening went like this:

Me: Hey, do you think I could read twelve books this year?
Paul: Do I think you CAN, or do I think you WILL?

Here are the books that are on my list.

1. Approval Addiction: Overcoming Your Need to Please Everyone by Joyce Meyer. (Finished it last month)
2. Boltzmann's Atom: The Great Debate the Launched a Revolution in Physics by David Lindley. (working on it now... about 90 pages left to go)
3. God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get it by Jim Wallace. (working on it now... only about a third of the way through.)
4. Dreams from my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama
5. Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic by Clive Hamilton and Richard Denniss
6. Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World? by Ronald Sider
7. Hard to Believe: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus by John MacArthur
8. Jealous God: Science's Crusade Against Religion by Pamela Winnick

Okay, so that is only eight. If I can finish these in the year, that'll be quite an accomplishment... and I can add four more if that happens.

Anybody want to read one of these with me? You can pick the next book and when you want to read it.

Now, if you will please excuse me, I have some reading to do.

Sit down, everybody.

You sitting?

Good.

I am almost finished with another book.

Steady yourselves.

You okay?

Good.

Now stay with me, here.

A while back I wrote a long post consisting of reviews for every book I read this year. At the end of it I asked for suggestions for books I might read in 2006. I wasn't surprised that I didn't get many. The post was too long and of little interest to most people, so I think very few actually read far enough to know that I asked for suggestions. But, Leslie suggested I read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. The book is funny and interesting. And I have about 30 pages left. Thank you, Leslie.

Now, I would like to ask you all, again, for suggestions for nonfiction works that I might read in the coming year. I have two or three that I am already eyeing. I am hoping to get a list of 10 that sound interesting so that I will actually have something specific to look for at the library instead of wandering around aimlessly through the nonfiction section - and finding nothing that seems worth the effort.

Joe, who also left a book recommendation, said "don't you like how you get pushed to keep reading or read more... is this positive reinforcement or are we getting on your back?"

This, my friend, is an interesting question. To answer succinctly, no. I asked for suggestions, so I don't feel like anyone is getting on my back. But the question makes me wonder anew about this whole phenomenon of reading. Please, fair reader, allow me to hash this out.

I don't like reading. I don't like sitting in one place and doing nothing with my hands save holding a book. I don't like the process of moving my eyes across a page and waiting for the words to make a coherent thought inside my brain. Many times when I am reading, I am aware that I am reading: not lost in the story, just keenly aware of the fact that I am sitting still, holding a book, and scanning words on a page. Just thinking about it makes me shudder a little.

I realize that I wouldn't be so aware of the process of reading if I practiced it a little more. But that's how it is.

Several times in my life I'd get this idea in my head that to engage in the good and wholesome act of reading would somehow make me a better person. So, I would pick up some book and I would force myself to read the first three or four chapters. And, somewhere around that point in the book, I would realize that I didn't really care what happened next - that I would rather knit something. So, I would go knit, and never open the book again.

Despite what you might think, these experiences have not left me with any major emotional, mental, or academic deficiencies. (Well, nothing permanent, anyway.) As far as I can tell, the only drawback to my disinterest in reading is that I don't have the greatest vocabulary. I suppose I could compensate for this by picking a few new words out of the dictionary each day... if I wanted to. And, to be perfectly frank, I can spell better and have better grammar than a lot of folks I know who LOVE to read. (Neither of these, it should be noted, are of particular concern to me on this blog.)

So, I am not so sure why everyone thinks that a love for reading is such a desirable quality. To me, reading is just that painful, boring process that I described earlier. Why should anyone love reading more than, say, playing the violin? Or refurbishing a '67 Mustang convertible?

I will submit to you that everyone should know how to read and how to glean important information from text-based media. But, why do we want everyone to LOVE it? If that's the case, then why don't we just decide that everyone should love playing the French horn as well?

So, you may be thinking: Okay, obnoxious, book-hater-girl, if you hate reading so much, why are you asking for book recommendations?

That is a fine, fine question, dear reader (but for pete's sake, is name-calling really necessary?)

Here is my thoughful answer:

Because I like learning. Hence nonfiction. I like learning stuff that is "doable" (like knitting and quilting,) but I also really like considering the kind of stuff that challenges me, or learning things that are just plain cool to know. This non-doable kind of knowledge is, unfortunately for me, gained most often by reading. So, read I will. Or, maybe it would be best to say: read I MIGHT. Because it remains to be seen if my desire to learn something new is strong enough to overcome my lack of desire to read.

Does that make sense?

Good.

Now, help me out with my list. Cuz, you know, I can't wait to get reading.

Book Reviews

It's the end of November, and the chances of me finishing another book this year are pretty slim. But, this has been the year of books for me. I think I have read more books this year than in the last 10 years, combined. No kidding.

So, I thought I would post these book reviews that I have been compiling throughout the year. Yep. I have read all of these books... this year...So, at the risk of destroying my reputation as a hater of the written word, here are my reviews. (Please keep in mind that I have no idea what a book review is "supposed to" be like.)

The Lost Daughters of China by Karin Evans
Abandoned Girls, Their Journey to America, and the Search for a Missing Past
I could not put this book down. I haven't met a book like that in a long time (though I will admit I haven't been looking...) Johnson couples the story of her daughter's adoption with research and historical, economic, and cultural information about the causes of abandonment in and adoption from China. This combination kept me interested both emotionally and intellectually. Though the process of adoption from China has changed since she wrote this, the other factors, unfortunately, remain the same. A quote by Jan Waldron that appears on the back of the book expresses one of the most important things that I got out of it as a westerner... "There has been much press about rescuing (adopting) baby girls from China's oppressive sociopolitical climate, but little about the women and men who are losing their daughters. Here, Evans gives us a whole story, both moving and jarring." I think this is a book that would interest a lot of people, not just those adopting from China.

5 stars

Wanting a Daughter, Needing a Son by Kay Ann Johnson
Abandonment, Adoption, and Orphanage Care in China
As a mother, I have a really hard time believing that an entire country of people could "hate" their own daughters, as has been suggested to me by others in their misguided attempts to affirm our decision to adopt. So, at the suggestion of a trusted member of the "big group" I picked up this book to try to learn more. It is a fantastic book. Kay Ann Johnson and her colleagues have conducted a large portion of what little research exists on the causes of abandonment in China. The book is a collection of her articles written over a twenty year period and reflect her changing understanding of the situation in China. The fact that these articles were written to stand alone, makes for a fair amount of repetition (which the reader is warned about in the introduction) and this can be mildly annoying. Johnson has worked and interviewed extensively in the large orphanage that housed her daugher. She has first-hand knowledge of two other orphanages, though at least one is considered "large" as well. So, while I do not doubt the information she shares about these particular orphanages, I do not think they are representative of the many other smaller, rural orphanages (which are not nearly as well funded as those she has visited.) To her credit, she admits this more than once, but I think it leaves the "orphanage care" aspect of her book a little thin. Especially of interest to me were the data from families who had abandoned babies, the explanation of China's reproductive policies (which, I was surprised to learn, is NOT a one-child policy for a large percentage of the country,) and the explanation of how cadres enforce this policy. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I think mostly it appeals to folks adopting from China.

4 stars

My Country Versus Me by Wen Ho Lee
The First-Hand Account by the Los Alamos Scientist Who Was Falsely Accused of Being a Spy Now, I have never been accused of espionage, so I don't know how I might write my story if I was. But, the manner with which Lee writes about his accusers and FBI investigators seemed decidedly "junior-high." I did, however, find myself incredulous at the abuses he suffered in prison, the lack of evidence against him, the lax security in the Department of Energy, and the mysterious "evolution" of the status of Lee's downloaded files (which were not labelled classified until after he was in jail.) But, I also found Lee's security breaches, well, stupid, frankly. I would be interested to read another account of this story. His chief accuser, Notra Trulock, has written Code Name Kindered Spirit, but wonder if it will be as biased as I fear Lee's account is. Perhaps A Convenient Spy by Dan Stober would be more appropriate. But, though I found the story interesting enough to keep me reading, I think I have had enough of this topic for now. I am guessing not too many folks would find this one very interesting.

3 stars

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
Hmmm. I might still be deciding what I think about this one. I definitely enjoyed the book. Ehrenreich, a writer for Harper's Magazine decides to do a bit of investigative reporting. The book is the story of her attempts, in several locations around the country, to get a low-wage job and make ends meet. Here is what I liked: she made important observations about the disparities between rents and wages and the difficulties with finding assistance. Some of her observations and subsequent conclusions about management are insightful, but some seem nit-picky or generalized. What bugged me about the book was that she "cheated" a few times, relying on funds from her "real" life (like when she went to GNC to buy pills to "detox" after her pot-smoking "indiscretion" so she could pass the urine test required of new hires.) It also seemed like her Merry Maids experience didn't fit her thesis very well, so she spent most of that chapter complaining about the people who hired them and making fun of their decor. But, what bothered me the most was that her expriment seemed flawed. She never seemed to stay long enough at any place to really see things through. After one particularly bad day, she quit her waitressing job and just moved on to her next location. That is a luxury most low-wage workers don't have. In addition to all of this, she was alone! She had no support network like most other humans have. So she had no one with whom to share rent, groceries, gas, favors, etc. Overall, I thought several of her points were very insightful. And I enjoyed reading the book. I am just not sure that her entire experience supports all of the conclusions she makes.

4 stars

All Together Now by Anita Jeram
A children's book about a mother rabbit who has a baby rabbit and adopts a duck and a mouse. This book is great for kids like mine, who will need some validation that their biological/adopted family is okay. The family sings a song together in which each animal gets to make a sound or movement that is unique to them (quack, squeak, and thump!) The story goes on to explain (simply) that each child is good at different things. But what I like the most is that it goes on to point out one way that they are all the SAME - they all have big feet! This is such a great book for kids who are affected by adoption and it's a great starting point for discussion with them. But the story would appeal to lots of kids, in the 2-4 age range.

5 stars

A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza
A young bird searches for a mother who looks like him. When he can't find one, a bear offers to be his mother. Choco objects because they don't look alike. But Choco is wooed by her sweet mothering and is pleased to find out that Mother Bear has lots of "other" animal kids that don't look like her either. Obviously this book is a good discussion starter for young kids about what really makes a family. Not just good in adoption situations, I think this book can help kids understand that everybody needs to be loved. (ages 2-5)

5 stars

Muncha Muncha Muncha by Candace Fleming
This book chronicles Mr. Mc Greeley attempts to grow a garden, and the development of his elaborate system to keep three hungry bunnies out of his vegetables. We first heard this book at story time, and the kids loved it. We checked it out and read it several times, and shouted "MUNCHA! MUNCHA! MUNCHA!" each time the bunnies infiltrated the garden. The kids also enjoyed finding the bunnies on each page as they spied on Mr. McGreeley. A fun read, and a funny ending. (ages 2-5)

4 stars

China Wakes by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn
The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power
This book was written by a husband and wife who spent five years (in the late 80's and early 90's) in Beijing as correspondents for the New York Times. The books covers a wide array of topics, including human rights, the rise of communism, changing culture, graft, successes of the communist party, the Cultural Revolution, the burgeoning economy, foreign relations, and the list goes on. In every instance where it is necessary, the authors give appropriate historical background, and they display their impressive knowlegde of the political and cultural systems of several other countries in their comparisons with those of China. They conclude their collection of stories with speculation about what the future holds for the government and economy of China, though they admit that "China watching is the only profession that makes meteorology look accurate and precise." Except for the unnecessary physical descriptions of (what seemed like) every person they wrote about, I enjoyed almost all of this book. The part I could absolutely have done without was an excerpt from a trashy Chinese novel which comes, without warning, at the beginning of the tenth chapter. But, mostly, I find myself wishing that their insights also covered the last decade, since so much has happened in China since they left Beijing. Great reading for anyone who wants to be better informed about China.

5 stars

I Love You Rituals by Becky A. Bailey
This book is almost entirely a book of games to play with your children that promote attachment and bonding. I think the games can be particularly helpful for adoptive parents who are working on attachment with their adopted kids. But, all together, they are great ways to say "I love you" to any child. The cover claims that these rituals "boost brain potential, encourage cooperation and caring, promote learning and literacy, increase attention and decrease power struggles, [and] build bonds of unconditional love." I suppose these could all be possible effects, but I am pretty sure there are better methods to accomplish most of those things. Most helpful to me was the second chapter, in which Bailey describes how children express different needs and how parents can best respond to them. The actual games, however, were a bit disappointing, (and I admit that I didn't read them all because of that.) They are meant as a starting place, and the author fully expects parents to come up with new games as interaction with their children evolves. The games (categorized as: positive nursery rhymes, interactive finger plays, silly interactions, soothing and relaxing, hide and seek, cuddling and snuggling, and physically active) are helpful examples of how to incorporate loving touch and postive messages in a playful parent/child exchange. But, the nursery rhymes and finger plays seemed a bit "clinical" to me, and the silly games seemed obvious! Because a lot of rhymes are used in the games, anyone who thinks they would use a lot of the games should probably own a copy of the book. Overall, this is an okay book about a great concept that can be very beneficial for kids. The book is greatly enhanced by the second chapter. May be best for first time parents or those who aren't really creative.

3 stars

The First Emancipator by Andrew Levy
The Forgotten story of Robert Carter, the Founding Father Who Freed His Slaves
Laborious reading, though not altogether unprofitable or uninteresting. (But, if there is legal action that can be levied for the use of run-on sentences, I'd consider filing suit against Levy.) The book is really a biography, so I was bored with a lot of the early stuff, because it wasn't until near the end of his life that Carter actually freed his slaves. The first four chapters are primarily about Carter's spiritual evolution and the political climate in Virginia around the time of the Revolution. I enjoyed reading about Carter's friendships and correspondence with men such as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, George Mason, Patrick Henry, and many other "big names" from Revolutionary History. But the best part, by far, were the last two chapters in which Levy told how Carters' slaves were freed, and then discusses the reasons why Robert Carter is virtually unknown in American history, despite the fact that his Deed of Gift was the "largest single act of liberation in the history of American slavery before the Emancipation Proclamation." (He freed over 450 slaves; more than any other American slave owner had or would ever free.) The last chapter ties together tidbits from the earlier ones about why other Virginia gentlemen, though they morally objected to slavery, did not free their slaves. Levy also explores the reasons that Americans of that day (and today) are comfortable with such an act falling into obscurity. I will let Levy's words from the introduction describe what I found most fascinating about the book: We are taught... that the founders wanted to free their slaves, but could not, because they faced insurmountalbe obstacles.... Most important, we are taught that the young nation was too fragile to support large emancipations: the founders knew, and historians have reiterated this point for two centuries, that compromise on slavery was the price of a republic... There has always been good evidence to support these claims.... But one need only hear the basic facts of the Deed of Gift to wonder if the whole story has yet emerged.... The fact that [Carter] freed more slaves than Washington and Jefferson owned together ought to have made some mark on the historical record.... No other Virginian of the Revolutionary era, including those who founded a great nation and spoke eloquently of the immorality of salvery, managed to reconcile freedom in theory and freedom in practice with such trasnparent simplicity."

3 stars (Make the last two chapters into an essay, and this would easily be 4.5 stars)

Attaching in Adoption by Deborah D. Gray
Practical Tools for Today's Parents
This book gives invaluable, practical advice for parents who want to make attachment a reality with their adopted children. (And there is some plain, old good parenting advice in there too.) Chapters give techniques for adopting at different developmental stages and how to determine if it is or isn't working; how to determine if your child needs counseling; how to find a qualified counselor; signs of distress that need to be addressed; how to work with school personnel. Just a great resource. I think every adoptive parent should own a copy. I know I will be referring to it many times. The only stinky part of the book is that it contains a bunch of typos. But this is easily overlooked, given the content.

4.5 stars

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Hilarious. Thanks to Leslie for suggesting it to me. I really did laugh out loud as I read about his attempts to hike the Appalachain Trail with an old college buddy who is, uh, less than the model of fitness. Of particular interest to me was the chapter about the town in Pennsylvania that sits above a coal deposit that has been burning underground for decades. Very interesting. And did I say, hilarious? Because it was hilarious.

5 stars.

Did you like how I threw those children's books in there? Hey, I gotta do what I can.

But, should I decide I want to improve on my book-reading record in 2006, I thought maybe I would ask for suggestions. So, do any of you have a good nonfiction book you'd like to recommend? You never know, I just might read it!

Okay, Back to THAT topic again

Reading.

This has been the year of reading for me. I think I have read more books in this last year than in the last 10 combined. I am not exaggerating. I really think that's true.

So I'm all hmm what sounds good to read next? And I get all like I'll get on the NYTimes website and check the best sellers list. So I go over there, and I see that it lists a book that caught my eye when I was last at Borders. (Now I realize the only reason it caught my eye is because it was right out front where they keep the... what?... the BEST SELLERS... but hey, what can I say. I thought it might be interesting because, after spending extended periods in two Muslim countries - though neither was nearly as strict as Iran - I thought I'd like to see how the women I met compare to the women in this true story.) The title is Reading Lolita in Tehran. So then I'm all wow, I was thinking I might like to read that. And it's on the best sellers list, so it must be pretty good.

So, I get it at the library. And I read the first 55 pages.

Too bad I didn't read this post over at Boy Makes Three before I got that far.

Now, granted, it didn't kill me or anything to read these 55 pages. I wasn't bored out of my mind. But as I read, I grew increasingly hopeful that somehow the story would pick up and get more interesting. But mostly, the whole thing seemed choppy and slow and I just wanted to know more than I was getting.

It came time to return the book to the library (after renewing it a few times) and I thought about renewing it again. But it just came down to the fact that I didn't like the book. So then I'm all what is wrong with you? Everyone else liked the book! For crying out loud, it's a New York Times Best Seller!!!

But I returned it. And with that, Reading Lolita in Tehran gets added to the long list of books that I have started but not finished - a list which I think says a lot about me, but I am not sure how much of it is good!

So I have this coupon for Borders that expires today and I am wondering if I should chance it with the other NYT Best Seller that I was eyeing. It's Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama. I was looking for something to take on the plane with me, but I don't want another Reading Lolita. I am wondering if I just ain't the kind of person who likes the stuff that "everyone else" likes. Maybe I should try stilhoping's (the author of Boy Makes Three) method for book selection - picking the book with the best cover. Couldn't hurt.

Reading. Why do I try?

Now, jump ahead 8 hours. That's how much time has passed since I wrote the first part of this post and what is to follow.

Today was a major bummer in every way. Actually, this whole weekend has been very reminiscint of an Oreck XL. (I'll give you a minute to think about that. And did you click on the link? Cuz I'm thinking that dude's shoulders look too big for his head, don't you?) I might post about it if I feel like entering the pity-party genre. Regardless of whether I post, I just needed to get out of the house tonight. So I went out to do the grocery shopping (yippee!!!) and to purchase that book at Borders with my coupon.

But, alas, Dreams, is still not a reality, because I forgot to bring my coupon with me when I left. And you can be darn sure I am not paying full price for one of those awful New York Times Best sellers. So, it may be a book that I won't finish, but at least it's one I haven't started either!

Seriously, why do I try?

And here is a little aside from my evening:

While I am out, I remember that I need to buy a few more gifts to give to caretakers and such while in China. Of course, it's Sunday night, and not much is open. So I go to Meijer, the grocery/department store, so I can get the groceries and the gifts as well.

The list of gift ideas I had did me no good. I could buy the slipper socks, but I'd have to hope that the recipients don't see the huge "MADE IN CHINA" molded into the rubber bottoms. Or I could buy pretty hand towels, but who knew hand towels were $7 apiece! But really I am just looking for something simple that would be a nice compliment to the hand lotion I purchased last week. Aye, aye, aye.

So I am finishing up the grocery shopping when I see this white couple pushing two carts stuffed full of groceries... and Chinese kids. Three of them. And I think back to another recent post at Boy Makes Three, about seeing adoptive parents at the store and wanting to strike up a conversation with them. (Are we living parellel lives or something?) Only in my case, I wasn't as interested in talking about their kids, as much as I wanted to say, "Please, please, pretty please, will you help me find some appropriate caretaker gifts?"

Uugh. It has been a long day.

I go sleepy now. Tomorrow is a big day - STITCH REMOVAL!!! WOOHOOO!

Books I have started, but haven't finished... and why

This is certainly not a list of ALL the books I have started and not finished. Indeed, there would not be enough room to list all of those (and, for most of them the answer to "why?" would be "because it was boring.") No, this is merely the list of started-but-not-finished books currently sitting on my desk, most with their own curled up book mark!

Six Easy Pieces by Richard Feynman
(Have read about 45 of 138 pages)
Richard Feynman was a downright genius, and was hilariously funny. I recommend his book "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" to anyone (maybe I will have to review that one some time.) But Six Easy Pieces is, as the back cover says, "an unparalleled introduction to the world of physics by one of the greatest teachers of all time." I found his explanation of electromagnetic phenomena both interesting and easy to understand. I don't know why I stopped reading this book, but I know why I started. I have taken three formal physics classes, and I found myself utterly confused in every single one. As a result, I still do not understand even the most fundamental concepts in physics, and I want to. So, I got this book. Very likely that I will finish it. Whether I will brave the sequel Six Not so Easy Pieces, remains to be seen.

Brining Up Boys by James Dobson
(Have read about 20 of 257 pages.)
Aye, aye, aye. It took everything I had to get through those 20 pages. After those 20, he still hadn't started saying anything. I didn't even find the letters from girls about why girls are better than boys (an vice versa) remotely interesting or even cute. As I read, I found that his writing style annoys me for the same reason that I don't like listening to him on the radio - he doesn't get to the point fast enough for me. Now, don't start sending me hate mail, dear Christian friends. I know there are plenty of people out there who think he can do/say no wrong. And, while I'm not one of them, I do think that Dr. Dobson is a wise man, and that a good deal of his advice is beneficial. That is why I WANT to read the book. But MAN, is he making it hard on me. I don't know if I will get through this one... I will keep you posted.

In Search of Schrodinger's Cat by John Gribbin
(Have read 105 of 275 pages.)
Okay, remember how I said that I was always confused in physics class? Well, this became a problem when I took physical chemistry my junior year (hands down, the most difficult class I have ever had.) Not understanding physics is a bit of a problem in a class like p-chem. The bad thing about this is that p-chem is where you cover some seriously interesting concepts like thermodynamics (I LOVE that stuff) and quantum mechanics. I started reading this book because it was supposed to be an explanation of quantum theory for the masses. I figured my pitiful knowledge of physics would require such a non-technical approach. And let me just say, this book is so completely and utterly interesting! Gribben gives great historical detail about the evolution of atomic theory, which I totally eat up. And the material about quantum theory is confounding and shocking and mind-bending. I love it! So, why didn't I finish it? Because it hurts my head! The material Gribben presents is cumulative in every way. So, I found that I was having to go back and re-read stuff just to get myself through the next paragraph. I guess I just didn't have enough time to read AND comprehend it all. Geez, oh PETE, this book is fascinating, though. One of these days I will get through it.

Inside Transracial Adoption by Gail Steinberg and Beth Hall
(Have read 43 of 384 pages.)
In all fairness, this book hasn't been around my house nearly as long as the others on this list. And I really WANT to read this book, in a have to sort of way. Folks in the adoption community (at least the ones who think that valuing my daughter's culture and heritage will mean more than just eating Chinese food) have highly recommended this book. Admittedly, some of my beefs about this book are dumb. But here they are. First, there are far too freiking many headings. (This is a problem because I tend not to read headings, I don't know why...but then I get confused, because suddenly the topic has changed...duh!) There will be a heading, followed by one short paragraph, and then another heading. On one set of facing pages, there are actually 5 headings! It drives me bonkers. Second, there are some things in there that aren't news to me, and I get annoyed having to read stuff I already know . Third, there are sections about things that I am not really concerned about, and don't feel like reading (like "Are organized hate groups a threat to our families?" Not that it would be such a big deal for me to read the ONE paragraph that follows that heading... but I digress.) Anyway, I think this is a really important issue for my family. Important enough that I certainly see myself picking up this book again. But, when I do, I think I'd like to use the headings to scan the book and read what interests me. Of course with headings like "Don't turn into a psychological dentist," this may be difficult. Oye.

Darwin's Black Box by Michael Behe
(Have read 81 of 292 pages)
I am going to make a serious statement that lots of people are going to think is stupid or ignorant or delusional, but not necessarily surprising to anyone who knows me. Here it is: I think that the scientific topic that has deluded more people than any other is the Theory of Evolution. Spare me your rants, everyone. And yes, I think a lot of scientists are deluded about it too. (I think it mirrors the way that physicists and chemists of the modern era were loathe to "change their minds" about atomic structure - despite evidence to support the quantum mechanical model of the atom - because their current understanding "worked" to explain experimental results. But, maybe this is a topic for another post.) I wanted to read this book because it gives the biochemical evidence/explanation of why evolution (of one species from another) is not possible. I also wanted to read some good scientific information from someone who isn't a creationist, but discounts evolution just the same. Behe makes his points early on, and does so very convincingly. I got "stuck" in his presentation of the examples that illustrate his point. They are, obvioulsy, biochemical explanations of the systems of different creatures which have been used by evolutionists to support their claims. But, I get his point, and the biology part is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO boring. (And, at this time, I must digress by saying that I can't stand it when people say things like "You'll like it. It's all about science." Well, not all science is the same, and handing someone like me a book about biology is like handing a journalist a book about writing haiku and saying "You'll love it. It's all about writing." AAAAAAAAARGH!) But ANYWAY, I am stuck. I might just skip over the examples and read the rest of the book. (And one of these days, I'd like to flesh out this parallel between the evolution of atomic theory and the evolution of "Evolutionary thought.")

And this concludes my little foray back into the blogging world. I don't know when I will be back. But I have had a few things "rattling around" lately, so maybe some time soon... if I feel like it.