November 28, 2014 Currently Reading

Long Life: Essays and Other Writings
by Mary Oliver
Of all the books that I read and review, I approach Mary Oliver's with the most humility and respect.  I feel that there are no words to express the beauty and spirituality of her writing.  All of Oliver's books have the ability to transport and transform. Her intimate connection with the immediate natural world around her resonates strongly with me.  As I sat reading in my bed at night, Long Life: Essays and Other Writings took me back to a childhood of being outdoors on an island in Michigan.  Her words create universal images, whether in poetry or prose. Through her eyes, I reclaimed the visions of my childhood.  The turtles in Provincetown could be the turtles on the shore of a Michigan lake, some sixty years ago.  Both her poetry and essays open the part of my heart that loves and longs for wilderness... both within and without.  Although I always feel that Oliver's latest book is my favorite, Long Life: Essays and Other Writings is definitely one of her best.  

Currently Reading:

The Intellectual Devotional: Modern Culture

By David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim

It’s the end of November and we’ve just begun The Intellectual Devotional: Modern Culture.  Reading two entries a day, it should take us six to seven months to complete.  The books in this series are always a shared read that my husband and I do during mealtime, usually at breakfast or lunch.  It’s one way we try to grow together, rather than apart.  We’ve enjoyed two others in the series: The Intellectual Devotional (first book) and The Intellectual Devotional: Biographies.  More will follow as we get into the book…

Middlemarch (Audible Edition)

By George Eliot

I’m almost 10 hours into the 25-hour Audible version of Middlemarch by George Eliot.  It’s definitely not what I expected.  I assumed that it might be somewhat Avant-garde, and maybe it was at the time.  It was unusual for a woman to be an author at that time, hence the pen name George Eliot taken by Mary Ann Evans. 

In 2014, however, the book would not be considered eccentric or Avant-garde.  It reminds me a lot of books written by Louisa May Alcott, who was born about twenty years after Evans.  I just found a graduate paper titled: Louisa May Alcott and George Eliot on Class, Gender and Marriage written by Elizabeth Michelle Meyers in December 2010.  I’m going to read it on my iPad.  I think it will be an interesting read, and may help me better understand the works of both authors. 

I’ve also purchased the Audible version of My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead.  In this book, the author writes about the influence Middlemarch has had on her life.  Although I did not read Middlemarch as a child, which was Mead’s experience, I did read and reread all of Alcott’s books.  It will be interesting to learn how Middlemarch influenced her life, and perhaps, reflect upon my own experience with books written during that period of time.  More will follow…

November 23, 2014

Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting

Edited by Ann Hood

I loved Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting!  While I’m not a knitter, I enjoyed reading the essays written by writers who were knitters and those who were not.  Each writer shared an experience that had something to do with knitting.  The styles of writing were as varied as the experiences, ranging from technical to sentimental.  There were even a few non-knitters advocating for their side of the story.  I have to admit that it inspired me to give knitting a try.  There are patterns included in the book, but I think I’ll start with a simple knitted swatch or dishcloth.  I think it’s a great read for knitters and non-knitters alike. 

The Yarn Whisperer

By Clara Parkes

I found The Yarn Whisperer sitting on the shelf right next to Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting.  After taking a brief glance through the book, I decided to take it home, too.  I’m really glad that I did because I liked it as much, if not more than the other book.  In Yarn Whisperers, Clara Parkes presents essays about the role knitting has played in her life.  I loved her reflections about the journey that led her and her partner to an old family home on the coast of Maine.  Stories of knitting and the restoration of the house were woven together into this lovely book.  I thoroughly enjoyed The Yarn Whisperer.  I’d highly recommended it for knitters, non-knitters, and those who love memoirs.

Be Happy: a little book to help you live a happy life

By Monica Sheehan

I discovered this awesome little book while researching for a lesson on happiness to use with my ESL conversation class.  I first found videos of the book on Youtube, which I shared with my class.  Then I searched for the actual book and purchased several copies for myself and to share with friends.  All who have received it have loved it.  It’s a small book filled with line drawings and short sayings to motivate and inspire.  I keep it by my bed and have reread it on several “gray” days.  It’s a short, but inspirational read and a great gift.

Nov. 22, 2014

The Intellectual Devotional: Biographies

By David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim

It’s the end of November and we finally finished Intellectual Devotional: Biographies.  It’s our second book by Kidder & Oppenheim, and it took less than a year to read.  I think we started last April 2014.  We read at mealtime, usually breakfast.  It gave us food for thought and discussion.  We often found ourselves looking up more information on our iPads.  Some of the biographies were like a history review.  Others were people we’ve never heard of.  It kept our minds working and gave us something to discuss besides the daily barrage of depressing world news.  Reading together also gives us a reason to interact with one another, instead of looking at our glow-boxes at mealtime.  All of the Intellectual Devotionals are definitely a good intellectual, nonreligious books and great to share with a partner.  We’re moving on in the series to Modern Culture.

Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny (Audible version)

By Garrison Keillor

Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny was a great audio book.  Read by Keillor himself, it was nonstop FUNNY!!!  There are more than a few one-liners that kept us laughing all the way from New Jersey to Virginia.  The Audible version is four hours and eight minutes.  The time goes very quickly as Guy Noir finds his way through a series of misadventures with a very unusual cast of characters and a tapeworm.  Very entertaining!!!

Wrecked ( A Reagan Reilly Mystery Book 13) (audio book)

by Carol Higgins Clark

I think we may have been at a slight disadvantage by starting the Reagan Reilly Mystery series with Wrecked: Book 13.  I didn’t discover that it was a series until well after we had finished the audio book.  I was surprised that Reagan Reilly was the MAIN character in the mystery.  She definitely seemed like one of the main characters, but that there were others that were close to her in importance.  There were several interesting storylines, which were woven without graphic violence.  All ended well without too much spine-chilling suspense.  It was a ‘cozy’ mystery.  At 10 hours, it is a good audio book for a long road trip.