I loved Bono! And the thing is I couldn’t have told you a single U2 song before I read it and still know no more than what I hear in the book. As a 73-year-old grandmother rock has never been my jam. BUT, as a Christian and a person with strong political and social beliefs who believes in getting involved when and where you can, this man
I found this man’s story to be astonishing and beyond admirable. Add in his humility and wow! Great review.
I have the audio of Sociopath and hope to get to it soon. Right now I’m almost finished with both Amor Towles’ Table for Two and The Women by Kristin Hannah.
I, too, loved Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and was shocked at hearing how many people hated it. I think it is best digested very slowly, thouhg. I laughed when some people said it was gruesome and horrifying. Well, yes, nature is that way.
When I was in high school, our teacher played us a recording of Beowulf read in Old English. I remember it so vividly. I also remember his description of free will in the context of Paradise Lost - "No, you are free to misbehave in class, but then I will give you extra homework. You are free to not do the homework, but then you will get detention. You are free not to go to detention, but then you will go to the principal's office. You are free to not go to the principal's office, but then you will get suspended. . . . Thanks to Mr. Hull and all the other teachers that make learning so memorable decades later!
I am currently reading An American Summer: Love and Death in Chicago by Alex Kotlowitz. It is engaging, but I can only read it in small bites becasue I have two kids going to college in Chicago, one not far from where a lot of the action takes place in the book. A wonderful reprieve from that is In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden, which I am reading for a summer church course called Soul- Searching. So far it is lovely and engaging and has much more humor that I thought a book about cloistered nuns would. (I also learned that nuns are women religious who live enclosed in a convent and sisters are women religous who are out and about in the the world!)
I LOVE seeing what you read! I added that Beowulf translation to my TBR-it sounds intriguing! One of my favorite June reads was Ghosted by Nancy French. I listened to this read by the author and it was so good! I respect David French even while we disagree on some big issues, but there's so much I didn't know about his wife Nancy and about their family and experiences. This was a powerful recounting of faith, politics, sexual abuse, adoption, and ultimately having our assumptions and expectations challenged. I'm horrified to be reminded how quickly "nice" people turn hateful and accusatory when their shadow sides are revealed. I so appreciate Nancy's courage in speaking up on behalf of so many abuse survivors. Her advocacy has been important. I'm reminded how important it is to listen to and genuinely engage with people who we consider different from us. Mad respect. Highly recommend.
Sociopath was great - like everyone else, I’ve been pretty wrong about what that diagnosis means.
I loved Longbourn! I’m a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice retellings, spinoffs, whatever. I’m currently reading a mystery called The Murder of Mr. Wickham, which is delightful so far.
I just got back from a vacation to Newfoundland so I’ve been reading some books set there. Notably, I loved Sweetland by Michael Crummey, which is set in a small village that the government wants to resettle elsewhere, but the main character is the one person who won’t agree to move. This is based on actual resettlement programs in Newfoundland - many communities were (and still are) quite isolated and the government has offered money to people if they will move to a more populated area, but usually 80% of people have to accept the deal in order for it to happen. In this novel, 100% compliance was required, so there was a lot of pressure on this one guy to accept the deal. It was fascinating and so different from anything else I’ve read.
I'm reading a 2018 French novel in translation called Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin. It's about love and loss and affairs and grief and it's SO good. Perrin just had a newer novel translated and released in the US called Forgotten on Sunday that I'm excited to try next.
If I'm not mistaken pilgrim at tinker creek was assigned to us in high school. Of course I had no time for it then as a condescending teenager lol. Interesting to think how I would take it now.
The copy I got from the library was in the YA section, which I thougth was odd since it definitely is not a book most teens will relate to. It seems Annie Dillard felt the same way. My edition had an afterword by the author where she writes, "Inexplicably, this difficult book has often strayed into boarding-school and high-school curricula as well as required college courses. . . Consequently, I suspect, many educated adults who would have enjoyed it, or at least understood it, never opened it - why read a book your kid is toting? And consequently a generation of youth has grown up cursing my name."
Surrender - what a journey we were invited into- loved every minute and yes the audio version is a must. Truly that story and U-2 is a gift to humanity!
I loved Bono! And the thing is I couldn’t have told you a single U2 song before I read it and still know no more than what I hear in the book. As a 73-year-old grandmother rock has never been my jam. BUT, as a Christian and a person with strong political and social beliefs who believes in getting involved when and where you can, this man
I found this man’s story to be astonishing and beyond admirable. Add in his humility and wow! Great review.
I have the audio of Sociopath and hope to get to it soon. Right now I’m almost finished with both Amor Towles’ Table for Two and The Women by Kristin Hannah.
Sarah, I think you’d LOVE Sandwich by Catherine Newman. I inhaled it in 24 hours.
My favorite read this month was The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd, excellent mystery with lots of love for maps and the NYPL!
I just ordered the new Beowulf, I’m intrigued!!
I, too, loved Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and was shocked at hearing how many people hated it. I think it is best digested very slowly, thouhg. I laughed when some people said it was gruesome and horrifying. Well, yes, nature is that way.
When I was in high school, our teacher played us a recording of Beowulf read in Old English. I remember it so vividly. I also remember his description of free will in the context of Paradise Lost - "No, you are free to misbehave in class, but then I will give you extra homework. You are free to not do the homework, but then you will get detention. You are free not to go to detention, but then you will go to the principal's office. You are free to not go to the principal's office, but then you will get suspended. . . . Thanks to Mr. Hull and all the other teachers that make learning so memorable decades later!
I am currently reading An American Summer: Love and Death in Chicago by Alex Kotlowitz. It is engaging, but I can only read it in small bites becasue I have two kids going to college in Chicago, one not far from where a lot of the action takes place in the book. A wonderful reprieve from that is In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden, which I am reading for a summer church course called Soul- Searching. So far it is lovely and engaging and has much more humor that I thought a book about cloistered nuns would. (I also learned that nuns are women religious who live enclosed in a convent and sisters are women religous who are out and about in the the world!)
I LOVE seeing what you read! I added that Beowulf translation to my TBR-it sounds intriguing! One of my favorite June reads was Ghosted by Nancy French. I listened to this read by the author and it was so good! I respect David French even while we disagree on some big issues, but there's so much I didn't know about his wife Nancy and about their family and experiences. This was a powerful recounting of faith, politics, sexual abuse, adoption, and ultimately having our assumptions and expectations challenged. I'm horrified to be reminded how quickly "nice" people turn hateful and accusatory when their shadow sides are revealed. I so appreciate Nancy's courage in speaking up on behalf of so many abuse survivors. Her advocacy has been important. I'm reminded how important it is to listen to and genuinely engage with people who we consider different from us. Mad respect. Highly recommend.
I read that book too. I "met" Nancy through her husband, but now I follow her more. I had no idea about her back story. So interesing.
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek was a bookclub pick for me. Very mixed reactions, some loved and some hated(me!) but made for an interesting meeting! :)
Sociopath was great - like everyone else, I’ve been pretty wrong about what that diagnosis means.
I loved Longbourn! I’m a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice retellings, spinoffs, whatever. I’m currently reading a mystery called The Murder of Mr. Wickham, which is delightful so far.
I just got back from a vacation to Newfoundland so I’ve been reading some books set there. Notably, I loved Sweetland by Michael Crummey, which is set in a small village that the government wants to resettle elsewhere, but the main character is the one person who won’t agree to move. This is based on actual resettlement programs in Newfoundland - many communities were (and still are) quite isolated and the government has offered money to people if they will move to a more populated area, but usually 80% of people have to accept the deal in order for it to happen. In this novel, 100% compliance was required, so there was a lot of pressure on this one guy to accept the deal. It was fascinating and so different from anything else I’ve read.
I'm reading a 2018 French novel in translation called Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin. It's about love and loss and affairs and grief and it's SO good. Perrin just had a newer novel translated and released in the US called Forgotten on Sunday that I'm excited to try next.
We read it in relationship to Walden so I guess a modern spin on transcendentalism 🤷♀️
If I'm not mistaken pilgrim at tinker creek was assigned to us in high school. Of course I had no time for it then as a condescending teenager lol. Interesting to think how I would take it now.
The copy I got from the library was in the YA section, which I thougth was odd since it definitely is not a book most teens will relate to. It seems Annie Dillard felt the same way. My edition had an afterword by the author where she writes, "Inexplicably, this difficult book has often strayed into boarding-school and high-school curricula as well as required college courses. . . Consequently, I suspect, many educated adults who would have enjoyed it, or at least understood it, never opened it - why read a book your kid is toting? And consequently a generation of youth has grown up cursing my name."
Surrender - what a journey we were invited into- loved every minute and yes the audio version is a must. Truly that story and U-2 is a gift to humanity!