Raehink: Responses to various posts

I have finally reached (well, almost...I still have to pass the final exam) the end of my precalculus class at BYU. It's been by far the most difficult for me. I have had to essentially shut out the world and my family for the last month to really have a chance to grasp anything in the class. I have such a difficult time with things geometric (my neurons just don't fire correctly in that area) and what with having to graph parabolas, ellipses, hyperbolas and such...I was having a rough time. And logarithms. They are a law unto themselves! But I did enjoy the stuff at the end about sequences and probability. There's nothing like a difficult class to make you see and feel all your inabilities. I guess that's why we major in things we're good at...or at the very least, interested in. Anyway, I'm back.

I have loved reading your posts about what books you have been enjoying. Believe it or not, even I get in reading ruts where nothing on my shelves is of interest and I need a recommendation. I wanted to comment on some of the titles you've each mentioned.

LULU: I have the Persian Pickle Club on my shelf, waiting to be read. I'm looking forward to it. It's still about ten titles away, however. I absolutely loved Marley and Me. I hope you do too. I passed it around to a lot of people.

ANNIE: Thank you for reading to your children. They will thank you for it one day. Coraline is one of the rare movies that both Papa and I would like to see. Eventually. And know that we are praying for your hubby and his men.

LYNNESS: I too enjoyed the Pollan books. In fact, they really helped us to make some changes in the way we eat around here. Not drastically, but gradually. I loved the fact that he isn't extreme. Just pragmatic. I have a stack of about fifteen "food" titles to read, based on what was in the bibliographies of his two titles. Have you read his book on gardening called Second Nature? I really enjoyed it also. Read it many years ago, before he became well-known for his food opinions. It might be a fun read for spring.

MIM: Oooh. I'm jealous about the OED. Someday. I remember how excited I was one year at Christmas to receive Grey's Anatomy as a gift. That feeling must be close to how you felt. Isn't it fun to think that our parents passed that gift of loving words on to us? I was at Dad's yesterday and we were trying to remember how many vertebra are in the spine. He just pulled out the old World Book and found out the answer. He says he often uses those encyclopedias.

I'm so glad you enjoyed The Professor and the Madman. It's one of those books you really can't describe to people. They might not read it. You just have to get them to start reading until they are hooked on the story. I am so glad that Mom recommended it to me. I don't know that I would have read it otherwise. She saw all the gospel applications in it and knew it would appeal to both of us. Good on her.

I'm also happy to hear that you liked the stroke and Lindbergh books. It thrills me to be able to pass on books that I just know will strike a chord with the person on the other end. It's a small joy in my life! I loved the quote you shared from Reeve's book. We know just what she was trying to express, don't we? I'm glad you're finding time to read. I know you're busy. Enjoy those last few months in Japan. Then on to Harvard. We hope.

In spite of the math, I have been reading a little. I loved a book called The Hunger Games. It's one of those books I mentioned above...if I tell you about it, you may be turned off and not read it. But please get a copy from your library and give it a try. I'd love to know what others think about it. Maren and I really enjoyed the story and have had quite a few discussions regarding some of the issues it raises. The author is Suzanne Collins.

My other recommended reads in the past month are A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi. I am still reading Sarah's Quilt (the sequel to These Is My Words). I was supposed to finish it for book group last night and didn't. They were amazed. I am looking forward to finding a title for the March assignment, too.

Happy reading!