Allowing my eyes to wander over our
bookshelves gives me the same sort of feeling I get looking at old photographs
of times with family and friends. Remember the great romp through Wicked
(Gregory Maguire)? I will forever be haunted by Beloved (Toni
Morrison, and I think I might have to agree with the Maryland mom who thinks
this is not high school material). Annie Dillard - anything by
Annie Dillard but especially Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is formative to my
soul. Don't even get me started on how I love to read cookbooks - I can't
wait for Deborah Madison's new book, Vegetable Literacy, to come out
next month. What follows is a peak at what books are in my current stack.
Two
That I've Read Very Recently
Sonia Sotomayor's memoir, My
Beloved World, got a lot of press around the DC area. Memoirs are
something I read pretty selectively, yet after listening to several interviews
with her talking about he book, I couldn't wait to read it. She did not
disappoint. Her story is inspiring and her openness is amazing, but the
most wonderful thing is her attitude of appreciation for her life experiences,
her ability to see the very difficult circumstances and challenges that she has
faced as positive contributors to her personal journey, and her insistence that
her accomplishments belong not only to her but to the many, many people who
have loved, supported and encouraged her. Honestly, after reading her story
I am more willing to forgive, more willing to be open to grace, more willing to
just pick myself up and keep walking. Thank you, Madame Justice.
At long
last! An elegantly written book that says it's okay to be an
introvert. Susan Cain, in her book Quiet, doesn't do any
original research but she does a fascinating job of collecting and synthesizing
the information that's out there about those of us who do a lot of living in
our heads. Dwight and I (and about 300 other introverts) went to hear her
speak about her book a couple of weeks ago and she built a intriguing case for
the power of quiet in a noisy world that values self-promotion and
gregariousness. No longer will I feel somehow inferior because I fear small
talk, prefer an evening with my cat to a festive gala, or over-prepare for a
lecture or talk. Particularly useful and affirming are the suggestions
for valuing introverts in the workplace and the encouragement to parents and
teachers of quiet children.
Three That I'm Reading Right Now
I began reading
Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain last fall when it was the pick of our
local library's book club. As sometimes happens, I was distracted with
other things, and even though the book was really enjoyable I put it down and
didn't pick it up again until a few days ago. Now I wonder what could
have distracted me from such a great read! We have a hapless young
protagonist who finds himself in a sanitorium for TB patients and who decides
he prefers to be there rather than go back to the "real" world.
The author's exploration of the meaning of time is masterful, and the
characterizations are hilarious. Warning: the plot is one of ideas
and not of action, so this book is not for those who like a fast-moving
tale. Note: critics prefer the translation of John E. Woods (original
text is in German).
All readers
bring our own ideas and experiences to a book, and we also bring our own
purposes and frames of reference. I first read Alison Gopnik's The
Philosophical Baby as an early childhood professional, primarily as a
resource for my lectures in child development at Fresno State. I
encouraged my students to read this book as well as to review other work by Dr.
Gopnik (she teaches at UC Berkeley), and also seasoned my Montessori work with
her new research and insights. This time, however, I'm reading the book
as a professional Oma. I am fascinated by the minds of babies and young
children, and find none more fascinating than those of my own grandchildren.
I spend my days in diapers and bottles and toy trains and playdough, all the
while working to discern just what those young minds - so expansive and
compelling - are trying to learn and to express. In my opinion this is a
book that should be required reading for every parent and teacher who cares
deeply about knowing the nature of childhood.
Living Beautifully by Pema Chodron is one of those books that I pick up,
inhale a bit, chew on it, ponder it, let it germinate, and then come back for
more. She is my go-to teacher of life from a Buddhist point of view and I
appreciate her clear writing and down to earth approach so much. This
book is a good choice for me now, as I have experienced so many big changes in
the last year and a half, and those changes are just going to keep
coming. Here is her opening paragraph:
"As
human beings we share a tendency to scramble for certainty whenever we realize
that everything around us is in flux. In difficult times the stress of
trying to find solid ground - something predictable and safe to stand on - seems to intensify. But in truth, the very nature ofour existence is forever in flux. Everything keeps changing, whether we're aware of it or not.
Sigh.
On My Bedside Table
Here are books that are next in
line, although the order will depend of what strikes my fancy when I'm ready to
pick one up. I'll brew a cup of tea, ignore my to-do list, say a word of
thanks for a long evening ahead, and disappear into a book.
Heat by Bill Streever, and The Universe Within by Neil
Shubin. Both of these are science written for the science-interested
reader rather than for other scientists. I heard both of these authors
speak about their books - full of grand ideas and connections from stardust to
climate change. Should be fun.
My friend Rebecca, a fellow traveler
in book land, sent me these two: The View From Castle Rock by
Alice Munro, and Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger. I always love what
she picks, and these are guaranteed to be terrific because I know the authors
so well.
My sister-friend Marie handed me Because
It Is Bitter and Because It Is My Heart by Joyce Carol Oates before we left
California. I know I'll love it (I'm a big fan of this author), but I'd
rather have a glass of wine with Marie. Another sigh.
One more. I cannot look at the cover of Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
without a clutch in my gut and anxiety in my shoulders (see my blog for January
14, 2012, “Queen of America”) but I will work that through and enjoy this
book. I will, I will, I will.
