Books, Books, Books

A couple of weeks ago, Phil the Bald Blogger tagged me, so here are my responses to his prompts about books... (I should add that as a lifelong hoarder and chronically indecisive individual, choosing one of anything - particularly books!, even hypothetically, makes my heart palpitate. I'll do my best...)

One book that changed your life: Okay, so I'm going to have to go with 2 (I told you 1 is not a good number for me!), one as a kiddo, one as an adult. As a wee one, I loved the Harriet the Spy novels. I'd count them as life changing because Harriet's curiosity about the world around her inspired some of my own, and wanting to mimic her led to me carrying around a notebook and jotting things down, which I credit at least in part to my love of writing. As an adult, I'd have to go with Slaves, Women and Homosexuals by William Webb. Kind of a weird choice, I know. It wasn't exactly 'inspirational', but I think it was one of the main things that transformed the way I read scripture (he has what he calls a redemptive movement hermeneutic). As a woman growing up in a fairly traditional/patriarchal environment, it was also particularly helpful in clarifying my understanding of a biblical notion of gender equality.

One book you've read more than once: The Brothers K by David James Duncan. One of my favorite novels of all time, it follows the lives of the Chance family, narrated by the youngest son, Kincaid, as they deal with love, war, baseball, religion, and a dysfunctionally functioning family. Each character is wonderfully well-rounded, forcing you to love them in both their strengths and weaknesses. There are no white or black hats, and in that way it really captures the subtleties of real life. Even the minor characters are unforgettable (Grandawma, Vera). I could go on, but in the interests of space, I'll just say READ IT. Even if you don't love fiction, you'll enjoy this book. It will make you laugh, cry, and wonder at the beautiful complexities of relationships.

One book you'd want on a desert island, besides the Bible: I'd have to go with a complete collection of the works of Shakespeare. Cliche? Maybe. But the language of the bard bears the weight of a lifetime of readings, the multitude of genres could keep up with my mercurial moods, and the fact that they are plays means I could act them out with friends for hours of entertainment. (I'm not alone on this island, right?) And, of course, the lovely sonnets which a beautiful man could read to me as the sun sets over the water...

One book that made you laugh: Most recently, I was brought to tears by Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (aka the Yarn Harlot). The humor may be lost on people less obsessed with knitting than I am, but if you do knit, you can't help but love the way she recounts her knitting trials and triumphs. Heh. Also? Anything by David Sedaris, with a special love for Me Talk Pretty One Day.

One book that made you cry: Hmmm, this is the hardest one. I don't cry much while reading. Or at all, really. Not because I'm tough, I'm just emotionally constipated. I definitely cried in The Brothers K, but I've already used that one....

I also cried while reading Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia by Jean Sasson. Some of the appalling abuses of women recounted in this volume are unbelievable, and I wish they were fiction.

One book you wish had been written: A book cool enough, yet truthful enough, to convince a rebellious teenager that she didn't actually have try everything for herself.

One book you wish had never been written: O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened. Need I say more? Granted, it was never released, but the fact that a publisher actually thought this was a good idea is beyond me.

One book that you've been meaning to read: Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling. Josh (my amazing brother, who in a side note managed to create an apparatus to facillitate my love for both knitting and reading this Christmas. The picture is awful, but you can see the frame that holds the book/book light that I can peer over to check my knitting from time to time.) has been recommending it for ages, and even bought me a copy, but somehow I haven't quite gotten to it, yet.

One book that you are currently reading: I always have at least 2 books going, one fiction and one non-fiction, so I'll do both... shocking. The novel I'm reading is Helen of Troy by Margaret George. She's my favorite historical fiction novelist, but I must admit that I'm not loving this one as much as Henry VIII or Cleopatra, but I am sort of fascinated by the Greek relationships with the gods. The gods are capricious and not to be trusted... they have very few qualities I would consider 'godlike'. On the non-fiction front, I'm working through In the Beginning by Henri Blocher, which deals with the first few chapters of Genesis. It's one of the first presentations I've read of a literary (historico-artistic) interpretation of the creation narrative, and it is intriguing. I've only made it through the first few chapters so far, but hopefully I'll write up something on it when I'm done and have more complete thoughts.

Okay, that's my list. Most everyone I know is interesting and literate, but since I can't tag you all, I'll just tag Greg, Eden, April and Luz. If anyone else gets inspired to do a list, please comment with the link - I'd love to read them!