Lulu's book: Paragon Walk

This month I'm reading Anne Perry's Paragon Walk, more for enjoyment than anything else. I'm very happy to find that this is the first book for a long while that has caught my attention and kept it (actually, besides the scriptures). There's a hilarious character, Aunt Vespasia, a rather assertive/straightforward/honest older woman, and some of her thoughts made me laugh out loud. I had to post them.

"She had missed some of the conversation. Hope to heavens she was not becoming deaf! She could not bear to be deaf. Not to hear what people were saying would be worse than being buried alive!" (p.37)

-and-

"The only other diversion was the rivalry between Jessamyn and Selena as to who should attract the beautiful Frenchman, and so far neither of them had made any progress that she had heard about. And she would have heard. What was the point in making a conquest if one could not tell everybody about it, preferably one by one and in the strictest confidences? Success without envy was like snails without sauce--and, as any cultivated woman knew, the sauce is everything!" (p.39)

Rae: April

Feel free to post favorite poems or comments about your reading adventures any time. For the month of April, we will be reading fiction. The link below will take you to a list of Newbery winners and nominees. Choose any book from the list. Read. Enjoy. Share with your children if you feel so inclined. Report back.

http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal.cfm

Happy reading!

Rae: Good quote from prophet

This quote (from Thomas S. Monson) is from the recent Worldwide Leadership Training meeting held in February of this year. Ivan and I were unable to attend due to the internment of his mother, but I just finished reading the transcript this morning. I thought the following words applied to our discussion re reading and coming to Christ (emphasis mine):

An essential part of our learning library will be good books. Reading is one of the true pleasures of life. In our age of mass culture, when so much that we encounter is abridged, adapted, adulterated, shredded, and boiled down, it is mind-easing and mind-inspiring to sit down privately with a congenial book.

James A. Michener, prominent author, suggests: "A nation becomes what its young people read in their youth. Its ideals are fashioned then, its goals strongly determined."

The Lord counseled, "Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith."

Of course, the standard works offer the ultimate library of learning of which I speak. Let us read from them often, both privately and with our families, that we may be enlightened and edified and draw closer to the Lord."

In my mind, ultimate does not mean exclusive. It does mean ultimate as in good, better, and best.

Happy reading!

Rae: Arthur C. Clarke died...

...at age 90. I am not a huge sci-fi fan...I pick my titles pretty carefully in that genre, but one of the most fun books and some of the best shorts I have read were written by him. I picked up some of his essays/speeches at a used book store not too long ago. I guess I will have to take a look at them now.

Lulu: great analysis of the Plath poem. I hated picking them apart in classes. How does a poem mean? I'm like you though in that I know when I have found one that speaks to me. I feel the same way you do about Plath. I went through a stage before I was married where I was really into all that social justice for women stuff...Tillie Olsen (I still like her)...Sylvia Plath...Virginia Woolf...genital mutilation in Africa...a room of my own...Carolyn Heilbrun and androgyny...it's all still swilling around in my brain but thank goodness I have calmed down a bit. Things like that can just make you crazy and so emotional. So many other causes are worth our time. And as I age, the gospel tends to put things into perspective too...this time period/life isn't all there is to God's glorious plan! My little soapbox.

I recently had an English professor say my writing was pretentious...and I was writing like I usually do and was speaking from the heart. I submitted the same paper to Prof Don Norton who wrote on it that it was quite perfect (as far as usage goes) and that it was rare to find a student who could write as well as I did. So...which am I? Pretentious or a fine writer? I think I must be somewhere in between. As Popeye might say "I yam what/who I yam." Haha.

Happy reading!

Lulu: In a rut

Although sunshine has broken through my cloud of tired with Savanna suddenly choosing to sleep through the night, I'm in another kind of rut--literary. I'm still making my way through Gone With the Wind, and although I like what I'm reading when I'm reading it, I just don't really feel that jazzed about it. I might need to wait a while and try again later, or I might just break up with that book. It's not bringing much to the "relationship". Apparently, I'm not either.

I'm also trying to read the newest Mary Higgins Clark book, but I'm beginning to tire of the main character always being an elegant lady in a cashmere robe, pouring some champagne to go with her gourmet Italian dinner, putting her hair in a loose chignon and reading some legal documents in her armchair before she retires for the night, thinking of her newest love interest, usually a Nicholas-something of stubborn Irish descent. (Mary, I like you, but I'd love a story about a sloppy girl who's dating a short, squat man with nothing to claim except a great personality.) Hm. That came out of left field!

Aunt Rae, I love what you said about Emily Dickinson--that her poems seemed both "deep and shallow" to you. Sometimes I think of it like this: Good poetry beautifies and brings to notice things less-noticed, but still important. I don't know if that makes sense to the rest of you.
And bad poetry? I don't know what to say about bad poetry, because I feel like I myself am not a good poet (yet). I do know that an English teacher (my favorite teacher, and my favorite subject) said to me that "the worst writing is that which is pretentious." I think we do pretend to some extent when we write, but I think what she meant is that it's bad writing when you aren't being yourself or writing things that matter to you. Anyway, I feel like I'm writing myself into knots here and not making much sense. Let me know if I am making any sense!

I read a poem today by Sylvia Plath. It's hard for me to know whether I like her poetry, because my impression of her poetry is so wrapped up in her very sad life and death. I really can't decide if I like her work or not. Sometimes it's really dark and depressing, and sometimes it seems like she just sat around feeling sorry for herself. Maybe that's really unsympathetic of me. Anyway, the poem I read had several lines that I liked a lot, just for their literary beauty, and I liked the poem until its really sad and stupid ending.

Two Sisters of Persephone

Two girls there are: within the house
One sits; the other, without.
Daylong a duet of shade and light
Plays between these.
(I liked these lines because I can already see these two girls, and I like thinking of the literal light of indoors and outdoors, not just their personalities, which I assume she's really referring to.)

In her dark wainscoted room
The first works problems on
A mathematical machine.
Dry ticks mark time
(I only included that stanza because I love the last line spoken aloud. I like that each word--in that last line, that is--is one syllable, so when you say it, it's similar to the ticking of a clock in that you are saying one word per second. Dry. Ticks. Mark. Time. And I like that the last word of the line repeats the sound of the first word.)

And the next stanza begins with the line:
As she calculates each sum.
(Which I think is interesting because there's this little pause in between the two stanzas, which reminds me of doing mental math, and then that next line is kind of lumbering to read, which makes me think--again--of doing math and slowly getting the answer. It comes slowly to me, at least.)

Anyway, as far as the "stupid" ending, Plath likens the two girls to a flower that blooms and (I got confused as far as what the other plant thing was) another that doesn't and is worm-infested, saying in the end:
The other, [in this case, the girl doing her math inside in the dark while her sister is outside laying in the grass being lazy and enjoying the sun and grass and poppies] wry virgin to the last,
Goes graveward with flesh laid waste,
Worm-husbanded, yet no woman.

It just got on my nerves. I think I took it too seriously, but Sylvia Plath obviously took herself quite seriously. I just felt bad for the sister doing math--because what's wrong with that?--and annoyed with the sister in the grass outside. "Goes graveward with flesh laid waste" why? Because she was smart and lonely and shy? Because she didn't bloom? Anyway. I like that I did have a strong reaction to the poem. I feel like a lot of poems I could care less about, and so when I find some that I like, or even some that make me mad, I'm happy. (Happy to find a poem that made me mad? Hahhaha....I realize that's a bit of a contradiction.)

Abby: What I'm Reading...

I just thought I'd let everyone know that I just posted a list of what I'm currently reading. It's on my personal blog. Feel free to hop over there and then leave a comment about any of the books or post here about any of the books. :)

Rae: Odds and Ends

Lynness: I write in almost any book I own. Mostly non-fiction. Mom taught us to. I have some books that were her brother Kay's and they are so fun to look at because he marked them all up. I also have a Bible he owned. Wow. So fun. I don't think I could read certain books without writing in them. Perhaps that's why I have difficulty with library books?

Re Dickinson: Is it because her work is deep and shallow at the same time? I have a real hard time getting much out of her stuff. Or I get depressed. I just don't care for her poetry. I must admit, though, that I have never really analyzed it thoroughly. I'll be interested to know your conclusions.

Re "the group": Even if you opt out of the subject for the month, please continue to let us know what you are currently reading. I love knowing that! Sometimes I get in a rut and just need to know what book someone else's nose is in. I have chosen to not read three fiction books I own based on what you ladies have said about them. I'm getting too old to try just anything...so I appreciate your reviews and comments.

Re Christ and books etc: It's occurred to me a lot this past week that almost every thing we do can mold and shape us in a Christlike way if we allow it to do so. And if our hearts are in the right place. Thanks Lynness for opening up the thought process. One I thought I had resolved.

I loved having Mim and Maddie here for real the last little while. I feel like I talked their ears off, but I enjoyed our conversations re books and reading and gospel stuff. I hope Maddie will join in on the group...or at least keep us posted on what she is reading. Kate would add a lot to our group too.

I own a book of poetry which includes CDs with tracks of the poets themselves reading their works. I have put that on my Ipod and have been listening as I work around the house. It's interesting to hear well-known poems read in the way the author intended. Also fun to hear what the poet's voice sounds like.

I have been informed by both of my sisters that I need to read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. So I will be reading that along with a book called Eve's Daughters that came from my in-person book group. We just finished A Thousand Splendid Suns. Maren hosted it and she cooked a bunch of Middle Eastern food for us to try...curried lentils (yum), couscous with apples, raisins, and pine nuts, date bits rolled around soft goat cheese (so good), hummus and pita chips, and figs. I tried and like everything but the figs. I'll stick with the Newtons. But it made the book come alive. Our group is reading Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dillemma next month. I am currently in the middle of his book In Defense of Food. Good stuff and most thought-provoking. So...that's where I am at in the world. Where are each of you? I will post our fiction read next week for April (!).

Happy reading!

Lynness: What makes a good poem?

    So, I was driving home from seminary and had the beginnings of a poem by the time I got home.  I wrote the rest and now just need to let it stew awhile before I renovate it (cooking and home repair and poetry all together- I like it).  I was wondering what makes a good poem, and I Googled that phrase and found this page that I thought I would share- lots of quotes from Evidently Somewhat Important People about what good poetry is.  I get into poetry writing jags every now and again and keep a small black hardcover sketchbook for recording poems on the right pages and a bit of explanation about what I was thinking on the left and related sketching here and there.  I think I may be starting another jag now...probably all the Emily Dickinson.  Did you know there are about 1,800 of her poems, mostly published after her death when her sister found them?  I have 600 of them in my book and have been writing (!) in the book (!), but only when my kids can't see.  I make notes of ones I like at the front and underline, etc. throughout.  I am enjoying it, but not exactly like I thought I would.  I would explain if I could, but since I don't know exactly what I expected, I don't know what the difference is.
    This month I am also enjoying a jaunt through Andrew Clements (Abby put me onto him with Frindle a good while back and I've read a few since, but now I'm reading everything the library has), and recently read Autobiography of Face about a girl with Ewing's sarcoma who slowly comes to terms with herself after dealing with the effects of radiation and chemo and having half her jaw removed in elementary school, and Wednesday Wars, by Gary Schmidt, which won a Newberry Honor award this year (my sister works at the library at BYU in the children's section- loves it, and plans to probably get a Master's in Library science at some point- she's a book-a-holic, too).  I'm still working on Barbara Kingsolver's "Small Wonder" (half of what I read made me want to write essays in response.  If I could only do one type of writing, that book demonstrates exactly the kind I would choose to do) and Lisa Belkin's Life's work: Confessions of an unbalanced mom.  Oh, and Ezra, Nehemiah, Ester, Job and I'm working through Psalms.
I think I need to cut back- I'm overdoing it this month!  Some of these things I need to put on my "books to try" list, which I update constantly.  Love y'all, Lynness

Abby: Reading & Good, Better, Best

This has been interesting to think about today. I loved everything Aunt Rae said. There were a couple of things I thought of and wanted to mention too.

Aunt Rae, you put it so well when you wrote about how we have to make sure we are still keeping the essential things as priorities in our day. That was something I thought of right away after reading Lynness's post.

So on more of an academic level, Pride & Prejudice may not bring us to Christ in the obvious ways that reading the scriptures, the Ensign, and gospel books do but books like P & P have truths that can inspire and teach. It reminds me of how other faiths have bits & pieces of the gospel. They're not necessarily wrong, they just don't have the fullness of the gospel (so technically they really are wrong -- but they still have some truths...). There are so many books that have valuable lessons and yet they are not gospel books or scriptures. Some of them are obvious like The Hiding Place or Left to Tell but even books like Pride & Prejudice get us thinking about life and how we conduct ourselves among others. I think there's a lot of value in that.

And then of course, I think it's important to read just for the sake of reading. For the sake of escaping. Heavenly Father knows the demands on our time and knows our struggles. And I feel strongly that for us bookworms, he knows that reading is a release for us from our daily concerns. I think so long as we still remember our daily essentials, like the ones mentioned in Sister Beck's talk, we're good to go!

And I guess that's where it can be hard. Because sometimes, many times, books are so interesting to me that I just don't WANT to put them down! But yeah, moderation in all things huh?

Rae: Time, Reading and Christ-centered Living

Lynness, I appreciate your question and have battled with that issue myself over the years. For what it's worth, here is my rapid response. I still struggle with the question at times, but I have reached some resolution as I have aged that works for me. First of all, I feel like my thirst for knowledge (which often is fulfilled through books) is something inherent in my personality. I brought it with me. It is even mentioned in my patriarchal blessing...by a man who knew nothing about me other than who my parents were. He specifically counselled me to seek knowledge through good books, enjoy good music and find choice companions. And he told me that I would find joy in doing so. So, the way I look at it the reading can't be all bad! I am always amazed when I hear of people whose parents made them go do something different when they were reading...like going outside to play, for instance. I am so glad my parents never made me feel guilty about reading.

I also try to remember that we are commanded in the D&C to learn all kinds of things (Section 88 I think) and that reading is an excellent way to learn...whether it is facts and figures or human relationships and behavior. So obviously, we know we are supposed to learn in some way. I'm like you in that I can't focus on the scriptures and Ensign and those types of things all of the time. I think it matters though that we do focus on those things for at least a small portion of each day. I like how Sis Beck explained it in her RS talk last fall...she listed things that really matter and must take priority...in fact, I'm going to find it and read it again.

When I worked at the library, I was like a kid in a candy shop. I read (and watched) everything without making very many choices as to quality and content. I rationalized it well by convincing myself that I needed to be aware of all those things so that I could advise the patrons who came in for material. And I was often sought out for my opinion. But I have to admit that much of what I spent my time on wasn't really worth that time. If I have made any progress in the area, it has been that I now really try to make good/better/best choices and know why I want to spend my time with the book or author. I never used to not finish books. Now, I give it about 50 pages and if I don't feel like it's worth my time then I quit reading and move on. So I have improved, I suppose.

I remember a quote by Sheri Dew (I had it on my bathroom mirror for years) about women of Christ no longer having time to devote their energies to anything that does not bring them to Him. I think the critical thing...and maybe what you are wrestling with...is what kinds of things actually bring us to Him? Why do we tend to think that our discovery of temporal knowledge doesn't bring us to Him when we are actually commanded to seek after those things? As mothers of little children, we do lots of things with/for them (diapers, cleaning up after, bathing, etc) that are often tedious and boring. But in serving them and teaching them even at those times, aren't we being brought to Christ in some way? Do you see what I am trying to get at? That much of what we do on a daily basis actually brings us to Christ in a particular way and we often don't even realize it?

For me, what matters is my intent. I know when I am being lazy and selfish and just want to read to escape. I know when I am using reading as an excuse to not do something else (like homework). And I know that we can include many other daily and worldly activities in the same category. Does watching the news bring me to Christ? How about playing a game? Is it worthwhile time or a waste of time? If I spend all day on the computer playing games and neglect the weighty matters that day, obviously I have missed out on opportunities to become closer to Christ that day. Each of us are different and we have to examine our own hearts and figure out where we are in this area.

I think if we are trying our best to not neglect the important things that we know do bring us closer to Him, then we can rest assured that He will allow us the time we need to seek after virtuous things...including our reading. For me, the thrust has been trying to make better choices in what I read and also trying to continually read by the Spirit...I've had the Spirit testify to me so many times of truth and error in my reading...and I love that feeling.

I also try to observe the "Brethren" and their wives and how they live their lives. Even the prophets and apostles find time for quality reading...and much of it is secular in subject matter. I love to read about their lives and discover their tastes in reading and recreation. I figure if they include reading in their leisure time then so can I.

The upshot of this really long post is that I don't think we should stress about this too much or punish ourselves needlessly when our hearts are in the right place and we are trying to do our best and use our time wisely. [And my use of time (as well as its supposed value) will be different than yours!] If we aren't doing our best or really are ignoring those weighty things, and we know it, then we probably should make changes in our daily routines. So,

Happy reading!

Lynness: reading- good, better, best

Here's my current burning question...
I was reading the March Ensign and thinking along the lines of drawing
nearer to Christ and Elder Oaks' "Good, Better and Best" and statements
made by people in various lessons about how everything you do either
draws you closer to Christ or further away.
I love to read. Sometimes it gets the better of me. Not that I typically
read "bad" things, but I often put aside the "best" and settle for
"good." Sometimes even "better" books are blown out of proportion- I
read, putting aside other responsibilities (seminary lesson prep,
playing with Ruth, cleaning my house- although sometimes I plead the
Mary and Martha case on that one).
So here's the question I pose to you. Obviously, some reading does draw
us closer to Christ: the scriptures, the Ensign, books like Believing
Christ, but I can't read only those. What about books like one of my
favorites, Pride and Prejudice? While I don't think it necessarily leads
me away from Christ (although it can if I allow it to impinge upon other
things too much), I don't think it really leads me to Christ either. Is
everything really one or the other? Do I really have time for things
that don't lead me to Christ? I make time, but should I be doing so? I
don't know that I can give up reading purely for fun. Sure, man is that
he might have joy, but where does true joy lie?
I don't think there is necessarily one answer, and I don't think that I
am expected to give up all pleasure reading, but maybe I am. I
know...moderation in all things, living a balanced life, etc. but what a
lot of good I could do with my time! (But would I?) Anyway...this is
kind of meandering, but I was wondering your thoughts on the topic while
I think through mine...

I'm currently rediscovering Emily Dickinson and realizing that she's not
exactly who I remembered from high school lit. More on her later. Lynness