Here it is!  Finally!  Another book review post!  Because I know you’ve been desperately anticipating one.  Ok, maybe “desperately anticipating” is a little strong.  Maybe waiting for one.  Maybe not.  Maybe you just happened to notice that I’ve updated.  Maybe you’re reading this weeks later, or not at all.  But whatev.  Because we’re going to move on with the post.  I don’t think there’s one over-arching theme for this collection of books…maybe love?  But that’s kind of cheap, because most books are about love.  At any rate, here we go.

1.  The Meaning of Sex: Christian Ethics and the Moral Life – Dennis P. Hollinger.  Well, I actually enjoyed this book.  I didn’t really expect to enjoy it, seeing as how I disagreed with more than half of what the author was saying, but it was so well-written and intellectually stimulating that it didn’t matter that I disagreed with various points.  True, it was frustrating to be like “I’m with you so far, but I’m not sure I’m reaching the same conclusion as you” but it certainly helped me articulate my own views that much better because of my disagreements.  This book not only discusses the obvious issues of premarital sex, sex within marriage, and homosexuality, but also asks ethical questions about things like reproductive technologies, polygamy, masturbation, celibacy, our over-sexed culture, etc etc.  Again, while I ended up not seeing eye to eye with the author on most points, I really appreciated the way he approached his arguments.  It was all very logical, and he made sure to present a variety of arguments – not just the one he agreed with.  Furthermore, he looked at sexuality in the context of its purpose and how we as humans tend to distort that purpose and take a good thing and mess it up (which I agree with).  His arguments were, for the most part, not incisive or angry or even self-righteous.  So while I disagreed, I could respect his opinion.  Which was nice.  Definitely a good read if you’re interested in a sound debate.

2.  The Fifty Greatest Love Letters of All Time – ed. David Lowenherz.  First of all…yes, this is the book Carrie Bradshaw is reading in the Sex and the City movie.  Secondly, I loved it.  I really enjoy reading other people’s letters (I guess I’m nosy like that…oh hello internet…).  I also really enjoy the time when letter-writing was an art.  I borrowed this book from Lovell, and she asked me to pick a favorite letter after I finished, and while I couldn’t achieve that task (indecisive to the maximum) I do believe my favorite section of the book was the “Fire and Ice” one.  It had the most interesting and passionate letters, I believe.  The “Tender” letters were sweet, but didn’t quite stir me the way the F&I ones did.  But on the whole, this was a quick enjoyable read that looks at a variety of types of loves and a variety of great loves throughout the ages.  You should definitely pick it up at some point.

3.  A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier – Ishmael Beah.  Ummm freaking EXCELLENT book.  Also horribly tragic and disturbing, but a necessary read.  This memoir tells the story of Sierra Leone’s Civil War and its specific effects on the young men of the country – many of whom were forced to become boy soldiers.  It’s horrific to think of the amount of trauma these kids (and they were just kids) went through and the terrifying crimes they were forced to commit against each other and themselves.  There is no way to read this book and not care about the state of affairs in Africa, and to take seriously the devastation Civil War can impart, no matter how small a country.  However, what is even more amazing than the horrors Beah survived is the fact that he survived them.  He got out.  And was rehabilitated – no small feat.  I don’t even know what all to say about this book, except that I think we all have a responsibility to read stories such as these – no matter how astounding and devastating they are – because they are stories that have earned the right to be told, to be heard.

4.  Everything Is Illuminated – Jonathan Safran Foer.   This was a re-read, but one I’d been wanting to re-read for awhile.  It definitely did not disappoint.  In fact, it exceeded my expectations as I guess it fell in my estimation over time.  There was a lot of the book that I forgot – mostly because I didn’t realize it had been so long since I’d read it.  Still, it almost made me cry at the end.  I had only remembered the Brod storyline, and had forgotten how intense the main storyline was.  Yet even tho the multiple storylines are wonderful, the best part of this novel is the way Foer plays with words.  He truly is a gifted writer, capable of creating vivid images and giving new meaning to our everyday language.  The novel begins in the form of an epistle, and is framed as the exchange of stories between two men – one in the Ukraine, and one in the United States.  It becomes clear through the letter writer, Alex, and his stories, that Jonathan has journeyed to the Ukraine to discover what happened to his Jewish grandfather during World War II prior to his escape to America.  Jonathan’s storyline is more complex, relating the history of the town of Trachimbrod.  Difficult to describe, but definitely should be read.

5.  The Screwtape Letters – C.S. Lewis.  This was also a re-read, and another excellent one.  Lewis is, of course, an outstanding writer.  The premise of this book is that a senior demon, Screwtape, is writing letters of advice to his nephew, Wormtail, about the best way to secure a human soul through temptation.  It’s a really unique representation of spiritual warfare, and one only a writer as deft as C.S. Lewis could properly handle.  If you haven’t read it, you should.

6. The Voice That is Great Within Us: American Poetry of the Twentieth Century – ed. Hayden Carruth.  So, I’m still working on this book.  I made it through ten more poets, and definitely enjoyed the majority of them.  This batch of poets included Stanley Kunitz, Kenneth Rexroth, Robert Penn Warren (of All the King’s Men fame, which is an EXCELLENT book), Richard Lattimore, Theodore Roethke – fabulous poet – Robert Fitzgerald, Charles Olson, Winfield Townley Scott, Elizabeth Bishop, and J.V. Cunningham.  All were excellent, but I’d have to say I most enjoyed Roethke & Olson.

And that was it for this time around…happy reading again

…more books to talk about!  To be fair, half of the books were complete page-turners, and the other half were really super short.  As I’m now taking a reading break and just re-reading Harry Potter (and I know I don’t have to tell you how I feel about those books) I might as well go ahead and fill you in on what I just finished reading…

1.  Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage – Elizabeth Gilbert.  This is Liz Gilbert’s second book, her first being eat pray love, one of my all-time favorites.  This book was by no means a disappointment.  I had a really difficult time putting it down, actually.  While still a memoir, this book is slightly more philosophical and sociological than her previous best-seller.  Having both been through terrible divorces, Liz & her lover (met at the end of epl) decide they will never remarry. 

Unfortunately, when the Dept. of Homeland Security blocks Felipe from ever entering the United States again (where Liz’s home and his business are) the only option they really have is…marriage.  So, Liz Gilbert writes this book in a cathartic manner, and we see her attempts to understand marriage – both sociologically and personally.  It is excellently written and I pretty much adore her, so I love absolutely everything she says.  Frighteningly, some of her concerns with marriage are things I have thought myself – and things I know my friends have thought.  So in that sense, it provides interesting social commentary as well.  Oh, also, I want to be Elizabeth’s Gilbert’s best friend.  Thanks.

2. Angela’s Ashes - Frank McCourt.  So, sometime when I was in middle school, my sister or mother or someone read this book…and all I know is ever since then, I have been told that I *have* to read this book.  It took me literally almost 10 years, but I finally got around to it.  And it was worth the wait.  While an incredibly sorrowful tale, McCourt’s writing is just…phenomenal.  You can really hear each person in his life talking to him.

Additionally, I love how he manages to write from the perspective of the age he’s speaking from.  When he’s six years old in the story, the thought process represented is really that of a six year old.  It doesn’t feel so much like looking back as experiencing.  And obviously, the personal triumph he makes over his life’s circumstances is impressive on a number of levels.  Also, I obviously adore any man who as a child fell in love with the words of Shakespeare…it’s kinda my thing.

To briefly summarize, Frank McCourt was born in NYC, America, at the beginning of the Great Depression.  His parents were both Irish immigrants who had a one-night stand of sorts…and since they were Irish Catholic, had to marry.  From there his parents had 4 additional children Stateside.  After the youngest dies, the family is forced to return to Ireland due to financial constraints.  Unfortunately, while McCourt’s father is an excellent dad relationally, he is a raging alcoholic and does not provide for his family; he drinks while the children starve.  Things do not improve much in Ireland in the wake of the Irish famine…and from there the story continues.

3.  Man’s Search for Meaning – Victor E. Frankl.  To continue my vein of somewhat-depressing-but-truly-inspiring-stories-of-personal-growth-and-triumph-in-extreme-adversity, I read this book, recommended to me by Lovell.  Frankl’s psychological memoir of living through the concentration camps in the Holocaust is incredible.  His worldview is truly profound, and his analysis is articulate and thorough.  There are so many just plain and simple good rules for living in this book…it’s all about how when everything is stripped away from us, literally everything, we still have the freedom to choose how we respond.  Ironically, this is a lot of what work is about for me.  It was kinda scary to be mentally comparing concentration camps to my program…whether from the perspective of the clients or the staff.  But in actuality, I guess it is a lesson that spans across a variety of crises: we can only control our own reactions.  We have no control over other people or circumstance.  The main premise of the book is that man can find meaning in life through either achievements, relationships, or suffering.  The paradoxical comfort in this is that even if no other way is open, there is always at least suffering.  And suffering can always at least bring meaning and personal growth.  Truly amazing perspective.

4.  Identity – Milan Kundera.  So uh apparently I was rereading this book.  It was a strange experience tho to keep thinking “Did I finish this book before?” but I couldn’t remember how it ended.  But once I finished it I was like “Oh yeah.  I did read this book already.”  I had just kind of forgotten.  This is not a criticism of the book – I was in a strange place when I read it the first time, and it’s a strange book, and is even intended to read somewhat like a disjointed dream sequence.  But anyway.  This was heavy on the existentialism.  After the emotional drain from the previous two books, it was kind of depressing to read about the uncertainty and meaninglessness in human relationships.  It’s an interesting little story tho, and I do adore Kundera’s writing.  His ability to portray human relationships and dialogue is seemingly effortless.  He really captures the tension in romantic relationships well, especially in terms of the boundaries between independence and love.  Specifically in this novel, he’s dealing with the question of whether or not we ever really know the person we are in relationship with…and how relationships can change our perspectives of our own identities.  How do we maintain our individual identities in the face of the blending found in relationships and the changes that relationships create in our lives?  Heavy shit.  And ironically, it ties back to Elizabeth Gilbert’s book concerning marriage…hm.

So, there you have it.  Lots of provocative thoughts and ideas from these books, but I do need a bit of a break.  So it’s time for some pure, quality entertainment.  However, if you are wanting to ponder some deep-seated questions about people and relationships, I definitely recommend any of these books.  All are quick reads (even the longer ones, just because they’re so good) and all are guaranteed to make you think.

…book review time.  I have now sat down four times to try to write this post.  So hopefully this time I will actually follow through and finish it.  This is what happens when you wait too long and have 6 books to write about…but oh well!  Onward and upward.

1. A Lesson Before Dying – Ernest J. Gaines: This book is set in Louisana in the late 1930s, and tells the story of a young African American man wrongly convicted of murder and facing execution.  It does this through the eyes of the country teacher, who learns as much from the young man and the community as he teaches them.  As usual, great Southern literature did not let me down – this book was wonderful.  It was also a pretty quick read.  Five stars on my arbitrary five-star scale.

2. The infamous Twilight series – Stephanie Meyers: So, just to be clear, this includes Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.  And this is most likely a re-review, because it was definitely a reread.  However, I feel like it’s necessary to review again because my opinion of the books has completely changed.  And I am forced to admit that…I like the series.  It goes against so much I believe for me to say that, but ultimately, the intriguing plot and seamless happy ending and vampire obsession is too much for me to resist.  I still take issue with the gender roles (and especially with Bella & Edward’s relationship) but in terms of sheer entertainment value…not a bad read.

3.  The Voice That Is Great Within Us:  American Poetry of the Twentieth Century – ed. Hayden Carruth:  So, I have not finished this book yet.  It is kinda a giant-ass book of poetry.  Like well over 700pgs and tiny tiny type.  I got it my freshman year of college (ages ago – Spring 2005) for a workshop class, but neglected it for a long time.  The first time I cracked open this book was at the end of my Spain voyage, back in 2007.  And in this second venture (2009) I made it through the following poets – T.S. Eliot, John Crowe Ransom, Conrad Aiken, John Peale Bishop, Archibald MacLeish, Edna St. Vincent Millay, e.e. cummings, Charles Reznikoff, Genevieve Taggard, Mark van Doren, Thomas Hornsby Ferril, Louise Bogan, John Wheelwright,  Horace Gregory, Hart Crane, Alan Tate, Yvor Winters, Robert Francis, Kenneth Fearing, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Lorine Niedecker, Richard Eberhart,  and Louis Zukofsky.  Phew.  It was incredibly refreshing to step back into poetry.  I’m not entirely happy with this editor – there are some poets whose work I would like to see more of in this anthology (how do you only put in 3 Langston Hughes poems when he completely defined the movement in Harlem?) but I guess that just dates the editor and the perspective literature sometimes takes on more contemporary, groundbreaking, and marginalized writers (some of the selections from female poets were lacking, too).  But, I am glad they were included at all, and this anthology certainly offers a wide variety of American poetry.

4.  The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck:  It’s a little embarrassing (especially for someone with a B.A. in English – because what else is a B.A. in English good for?) but I was a Steinbeck virgin before this book.  And somehow I made it all through school without reading this one.  This is one of those books that gets a lot of hype before you read it – in good and bad ways.  I had heard so many different things about this book…that it was wonderful, terrible, boring, brilliant, engaging, and impossible to get through.  Honestly, I had heard so many negative things about the book that I was a little afraid to read it.  I mean, it’s lengthy, and who wants to willingly jump into the prospect of being bored for what could be weeks at a time (especially when I have so many other tantalizing books to read on my shelves)?  So, I was blissfully happy for years without knowing anymore about this book than a vague Veggietale reference involving some very country, (but actual) grapes on a wagon who were kinda grumpy.  And I was ok with that.

However, I actually, despite all the warnings before I read it (and groans while I was reading it) thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I won’t pretend it was easy to get into – why on earth he wrote an entire chapter about a turtle at the beginning of the book is still a little beyond me (I mean, I get the metaphor, but it didn’t seem to be entirely necessary) – but once I was on my way with them, I was right there with them.  It was extremely well-written.  And, especially in this economy, it was fun to get so righteously angry at the oppression of the workers.  It wasn’t the most enjoyable read, and didn’t have *exactly* a happy ending, but it is unquestionably a great book, and a great piece of American literature.  I need to learn to just start trusting Kevin’s book advice against what everyone else might say, because he was completely right about this one (he’s also the only reason I even endeavored to read this – even if like 5 years later – but that is because I take his book recommendations so highly).

5.  Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen:   Ok, it’s getting really annoying…every time I reference this book I want to include Like at the beginning of the title, which makes a weird morph of the movie Like Water for Chocolate and Water for Elephants.  But I digress (it should be noted that that’s a great movie, however).  Anyway.  Rachel recommended this book to me…and by recommended I mean she essentially insisted I drop whatever I was reading/doing and read this.  And then even brought me her copy so I had no excuse not to read it And it, again, was a wonderful recommendation to take.  This book is very fast-paced and intriguing (which was a nice change following Grapes) and has all the key ingredients of a good story – romance, murder, villains, circus clowns, a train, a former rich-boy-turned-poor-vagabond, and an elephant.  The style in which the book was written actually reminded me a little of the movie The Notebook, just because it was framed in the context of a 90(or 93) year-old man in a nursing home, telling his memories of his life in the circus.  What was truly great about this book, tho, and what I think makes it as great as it is, is all of the research Gruen put into her writing, and the way she wove actual, true anecdotes of American circus life into the story.  It completely opens up another culture within the American culture.  Love it.  Good read.

6.  A Child Called “It” – David Pelzer:    Yet again another recommendation, this time from my co-worker, Keegan.  She told me I should read it ASAP and that I would probably be able to finish it before the end of our shift…and she was correct, lol.  It’s a short work, and it reads quickly.  This book is the first in a trilogy detailing the life of the author, David Pelzer, who was the victim of the 3rd-worst case of child abuse in the State of California.  This installment focuses on the very first part of his life, which details the treatment he received from his alcoholic mother.  Now…it’s hard to shock me with stuff like this at this point in my life, but that does not detract from the shocking awfulness of what this man endured as a child.  I am amazed at how he is able to look back on his life and write the way he does and speak with the forgivness and objectivity that he does in the book.  It’s a really fascinating read, even if pretty depressing and out-of-this-world crazy.  It does speak to his own resilience though, and the importance that we all play in providing resources and assistance for those living in abusive situations (as his teachers were key in helping remove him from his abusive home).  Definitely a must-read for anyone who works with children or in human services.

It’s that time again…book review time!

1. Goddesses in Everywoman, Jean Shinoda Bolen:  So this book is a little difficult to describe, and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it as a casual read to just anyone.  But, if you’re into Greek mythology, women’s issues, and Jungian psychology, it’s definitely interesting and appealing.  Apparently it was a very innovative idea when the book came out – utilizing the images of the Greek goddesses to explain and tipify the female psychological archetypes.  I found it pretty easy to understand and thought-provoking.

At the end of the day tho, I could not tell you which goddess myth I identify with more.  But, that was something I liked about the book: she took great pains to point out that women rarely fit solely into one archetype for their entire lives.  Rather a woman might have many different archetypes present within her at different points in her life.  She uses 7 goddesses throughout the book, divided into 3 categories.  The Virgin Goddesses are Artemis, Athena, and Hestia.  The Vulnerable Goddesses are Hera, Demeter, and Persephone.  And Aphrodite is the Alchemical Goddess.  If I had to choose…I guess I’d say this is my order:  First place is a tie between Artemis and Demeter.  Second place a tie between Hestia and Hera.  Then I’d say Aphrodite is third, Athena fourth, and Persephone the one I identified with the least.  But I don’t know.  Whichever chapter I was reading I seemed to identify with.  Oh well.

2.  The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon:  This novel came highly recommended to me by a few friends & fellow readers, whose opinions I place great value in for many things – but especially for books.  So I was understandably quite excited to read it (especially as it was forced into my hands with a promise to mail it back – which I swear I am going to work on next week).  And…the novel managed to live up to the expectations.  It really was extremely, extremely good.  The plot follows two Jewish cousins; one is New York born, and the other an immigrant to the States having escaped at the start of World War II.  Essentially they hit big during the comic book boom, but there is sooooo much more to the story.  Chabon’s writing is impeccable; engaging & descriptive.  The characters are engaging and the plot draws you in.  Also, the sheer amount of knowledge this author has about the rise and fall of the comic book empire is staggering.  Definitely would recommend this book.

3.  eat pray love, Elizabeth Gilbert:  I know it’s cheating because I’ve read this before and raved about it for a solid 2 yrs now.  But.  I finally reread it this summer.  And I have to be honest, I was a little afraid to reread it.  It was *so good* and meant so much to me the first time I read it that I was positive there was no way I was going to enjoy it as much this time around.  These were foolish fears.  The book lived up to my remembered expectations, if it did not surpass them.  If you are just passing through this blog, I encourage you to stop whatever you are doing on the internet, whatever you are reading, and go pick up eat pray love and read it.  If you are a friend or family member of mine and have not read eat pray love, I insist you do so now.  Ok, ok.  It can be a little cheesy and after-school special at time.  But.  The spirit of this book is undeniable.  And the author’s honesty with her emotions and experiences – and the humor and insight with which she relays them – are just incredible.  Please go read this.  Especially if you are at a transitional point in your life (aren’t we all?)

So, that’s that.  I’m trying to update the reviews more regularly so there’s not quite such an overwhelming list.  Also so I can remember what I’ve read.  But this month it would have been a short list anyway because for some reason, I really had to push myself through all of these books – even tho they were all fabulous works.  I’m not sure why I had to work so hard to do my casual reading this month…I guess I just wasn’t in the mood?  Maybe it was all the work or travel?  Regardless, I am pretty excited to be drawn back into the thrall of books with my current read…but that will wait for the next book review time.