Almost done with Daniel Deronda, so I'll be able to put this weird, incisive, sprawling classic beside Infinite Jest and its ancestors. What next, Bleak House? The Brothers Karamazov?
(Also reading Sally Rooney's Normal People - wow!)
Oh, I’m glad you shared American Canopy. It’s going on both my nature writing and American history want-to-read lists. I live in Ohio, where there are both state park forests and acre upon acre of open farm land. It’s nearly unimaginable to picture all the farmland as either forested or wetland.
I promised to tell you what I think of Elaine Pagel’s Miracles and Wonder. She shares what her lifetime of studying the early writings about Jesus have both taught her and have caused her to wonder/question. It’s not an apologetic manifesto of her theology. She’s not written this to persuade. And it’s not written for scholars only. There’s a very interesting chapter on how various artists and film makers have thought of Jesus. I’m going to suggest it to the book group led by my pastor.
Reading this week:
Starting my days with a reading from The Daily Stoic(Ryan Holiday), one chapter in the spring section of A Bit of Earth: A Year in the Garden with God (Andrea Burke) and a few pages in The Generosity of Plants (Rosemary Gladstar).
At night and when traveling this weekend, I’ll be finishing Jack (Marilyn Robinson) and a short anthology of Japanese haiku. Next new book will be either The Red Tent (Anita Diamant) for a June buddy read or Maggie Smith’s You Could Make This Place Beautiful. I know Maggie and have read Keep Moving and two of her poetry books.
Thanks for circling back on Elaine Pagels. I really need to give her a try. And I think I read The Red Tent, if it's the one I'm thinking of--maybe came out in the '90s?
Thanks for sharing American Canopy. I will add it to my list. One month I'd like to read books about nature.
This week, I’m reading Cousin Bette by Honore de Balzac. It’s fascinating to see how the life of the artist stands in contrast to the decaying formality of the July Monarchy. Through his characters, Balzac illustrates an era marked by immorality, unchecked ambition, deception, and power struggles. Reading across different times and places reveals universality of themes—how much the world evolves, yet in many ways, remains the same.
Wow, that's so true about universal themes. We may tell the stories a bit differently in different places at different times, but some things never change...
Almost done with Daniel Deronda, so I'll be able to put this weird, incisive, sprawling classic beside Infinite Jest and its ancestors. What next, Bleak House? The Brothers Karamazov?
(Also reading Sally Rooney's Normal People - wow!)
I DNF'd Normal People, but loved Intermezzo. Maybe I'll try it again.
I've heard similar reports from others. Which speaks well of Intermezzo.
I teach high school kids, so Normal People has a hook in me.
Love those pos-its!
Oh, I’m glad you shared American Canopy. It’s going on both my nature writing and American history want-to-read lists. I live in Ohio, where there are both state park forests and acre upon acre of open farm land. It’s nearly unimaginable to picture all the farmland as either forested or wetland.
I promised to tell you what I think of Elaine Pagel’s Miracles and Wonder. She shares what her lifetime of studying the early writings about Jesus have both taught her and have caused her to wonder/question. It’s not an apologetic manifesto of her theology. She’s not written this to persuade. And it’s not written for scholars only. There’s a very interesting chapter on how various artists and film makers have thought of Jesus. I’m going to suggest it to the book group led by my pastor.
Reading this week:
Starting my days with a reading from The Daily Stoic(Ryan Holiday), one chapter in the spring section of A Bit of Earth: A Year in the Garden with God (Andrea Burke) and a few pages in The Generosity of Plants (Rosemary Gladstar).
At night and when traveling this weekend, I’ll be finishing Jack (Marilyn Robinson) and a short anthology of Japanese haiku. Next new book will be either The Red Tent (Anita Diamant) for a June buddy read or Maggie Smith’s You Could Make This Place Beautiful. I know Maggie and have read Keep Moving and two of her poetry books.
Thanks for circling back on Elaine Pagels. I really need to give her a try. And I think I read The Red Tent, if it's the one I'm thinking of--maybe came out in the '90s?
1997. - fictional story of Dinah told in her voice
Yes, good one!
Thanks for sharing American Canopy. I will add it to my list. One month I'd like to read books about nature.
This week, I’m reading Cousin Bette by Honore de Balzac. It’s fascinating to see how the life of the artist stands in contrast to the decaying formality of the July Monarchy. Through his characters, Balzac illustrates an era marked by immorality, unchecked ambition, deception, and power struggles. Reading across different times and places reveals universality of themes—how much the world evolves, yet in many ways, remains the same.
Wow, that's so true about universal themes. We may tell the stories a bit differently in different places at different times, but some things never change...