Lulu: June

Today I decided to get a jump on my June books and spent a blissful two hours in Barnes & Noble, absurdly indecisive. I was also looking for a new read for me and Reed. :)

Ultimately, I've chosen for myself Emma and Fahrenheit 451. I really haven't read either of them! Makes me blush to say it. The cashier had great things to say about Fahrenheit 451. He said one way that Ray Bradbury's science fiction is better than others is that it causes us to question the direction of mankind. Humanity's morals, that sort of thing. I was just excited to get it because the story line intrigues me, Abby loved it, and it's something I've always felt like I needed to read. I'm excited about Emma because I love Jane Austen.

I finished The Kite Runner. I didn't know very much about Afghanistan, almost nothing at all, and it was very much an eye-opening read. I blubbered my way through quite a bit of it, but couldn't let go of it until I was done. And actually, even then I couldn't let go of it. I had to talk about it. And I had to sort some things out in my mind, things that make me feel like ignorance is bliss. But I need to know these things, and overall I'm really happy to have read it. It was hard for Phill to hear me talk about it; I stopped reading it to him a few chapters in because I wanted to read faster than we had nights to sit down together. It's probably a good thing. His unit will probably head to Afghanistan in 2011, and he already knew tons more than me about the atrocities I had just learned about. I marvel that he can carry so much heaviness sometimes and not just....fall apart. I had a long, cathartic cry once I finished.

On to lighter things: The book I've chosen for Reed and I is The Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Graham). I've heard so many good things about it from Abby and my mom and Rae; I figure it's a good time. We did read a little excerpt of it from a Six-Year-Old Boys Treasury something-or-other that we have here at home, and Reed was really attentive and smiley. (I finally chose this book after picking up and putting down Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Farmer Boy, The Wizard of Oz, and Little Lord Fauntleroy. All of which are still viable for future options.)

Obviously I didn't choose a book for May. I didn't search very hard for a title, and didn't feel very motivated. I did choose a Mary Higgins Clark book that was totally unsatisfying and made me remember why I quit being interested in them a few years ago. I think I just wanted something really easy (translate: effortless) and suspenseful enough to keep me reading. But it was just empty, and so was I when I finished. Little ghost of a book.

Lulu: My personal library & April read

Hello, everybody! (read that in Grover's voice)

I have quite a few books on my shelves that are unread. It makes me blush a little every time I look at my shelves--because I think about half of them (so about 250) are unread. So for my book choices this month, I decided to pick something from my own "library". (Add to this fact that I recently bought a book from Wal-mart and read it, wanting to finish and see the ending, but finished annoyed by its actual "meat". Total waste of time.)

I'm reading The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini). I wasn't sure if I was ready for it, but I read the first half-page and was immediately hooked. I'm in chapter four now and reading it aloud to Phill. Just these first 23 pages have really stuck with me. That is to say I'm still thinking about what I'm reading, even when I'm doing dishes or typing this or changing diapers or sitting still doing nothing. I think I'm in need of a book like that; I've been reading pretty light lit for a while and I probably need to ask more of myself. I like having books that have shaped who I am, at least in some way. Sometimes I'm just not brave enough to seek them out.

For my other book choice, I'm reading--well, finishing--The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (Terry Ryan). I don't remember if I mentioned it (here) when I first started reading it a couple of months back. I was reading it aloud to Phill, we were both really enjoying it, we were halfway through, and then I stopped. I think life got in the way. It might have been December that I started. So now I'm finishing.

I'm also reading (in a reference, few-pages-at-a-time way) Parenting the Ephraim's Child: Characteristics, Capabilities, and Challenges of Children Who Are Intensely MORE (Deborah Talmadge and Jaime Theler). The title makes me laugh in a somewhat hysterical way. It is a book Abby has mentioned, and I've had another friend talk about it. I decided that I ought to give it a go, and I love what I've read so far.

Rae: Odds and Ends

First of all, thank you for your responses re non-fiction. I will try harder to make the topics more user-friendly and relevant. Because I have such a large and varied collection of non-read non-fiction (I seem to collect them), I rarely go to the library anymore. I forget sometimes that other people do not always have access to the books or the time to read that I do. I will try to keep that in mind as I choose directions for us to go in our reading.

Lynness...I really appreciated your post. I think we all, as members of the church and as Christians, face some of those same issues. In our primary, we actually voted for Obama because we are unaffiliated and wanted to vote against Hillary. I personally feel that as liberal as he is, he is the lesser of two evils. And we are so tired of the Clintons. Can you imagine Bill in the White House again...and with so much time on his hands? Scary. I would be most interested to hear your conclusions and ideas re illegal immigration. I continue to vacillate and to study the issue. I certainly haven't reached any solid conclusions. I think it's an extrememly volatile issue...not unlike the secession of southern states that led to the Civil War (I am taking a class...). We are counseled here in Utah that if we really loved Nephi then we would care about his posterity. I do, but the Gadianton robbers had posterity also!

Lulu...I started Gone With the Wind a few years ago and wasn't in the mood. I would like to know what you think about it. I should probably get back to it. After giving The English Patient a try (35 pages or so) and not enjoying the writing style or the language (and it's a Booker Prize winner), I have picked up Wuthering Heights as my February read. I have seen the movie and disliked it, but I have never read the book. Maybe I will have a different opinion of the story now that I'm an old married lady.

Mim...I'm intrigued that you are intrigued again with that pesky Wilson Poulter line. I have been thinking a lot about our family on the other side lately because of the death of Ivan's mother and the upcoming death of our own. Thinking about who they will visit with. Mom and I had a wonderful conversation about foreordination the other day. She was pondering the fact that Prez Hinckley had been reserved for this day. And she realized...so had she. It made her so grateful, she said, to be able to live here and now and know who she knows. Yesterday we talked about whether we would care (on the other side) about some of the things we care about now in this world. I was telling her about my Civil War class and how I wanted to ask Franklin Spencer so many questions about his experiences early on in the war...and how and why he ended up fighting for the Confederacy for a while. Being able to talk to someone like that would make the history so much more relevant. The conclusion we came up with was that if we care about it here we will most likely still care about it there...but with a few differences because of the thrust of our work there. It made me hopeful that I can continue my intellectual growth as well as my spiritual growth on the other side. And on another school note, I have started my intimidating math class now. It occurred to me, after reading a Joseph Smith quote (I am slowly working my way through TPJS this year in conjunction with the RS manual) about our intellects being created for enlargement, that I can pray for understanding and enlightenment re those mathematical issues. If I am to co-create with my husband one day...I better understand some math!

I also wanted to report on a book I read this past week for Maren's book group. We read A Thousand Splendid Suns by the author of The Kite Runner. My goodness. Wow. It's about two Afghani women who are thrust together by culture and marriage. It's a dark and rough read that made me so so so grateful for the blessings of living in a free land. Ivan and I had a discussion about how the gospel could possibly be taught in that culture. Very difficult. I can't say that I enjoyed the book because it was so tough to read. But I found it well worth my time. I recommend it.

Happy reading!

Raves et al

This is so exciting! I'm just so happy to have found a way to share our reading tastes! Your choices are marvelous. My choice for June is Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields. It finally came out in paperback (I rarely purchase hbs but will buy almost any pb) and I'm anticipating finding out more about the author of one of the finest books ever!

I'm so glad you liked The Kite Runner, Beccy. I rave about it but can't get some people to read it because they can't get past the setting. I think it's a fine read with a truly Christlike message. I had a male friend read it (who has sons) because I wanted a male response. He loved it although he said it was such a difficult read. And for what it's worth...I don't usually censor books but the word used in that scene is one which is especially repugnant, offensive and abhorrent to me...even to look at. I had to be rid of it! I am looking forward to reading his new book...can't think of the title at the moment. It's out in hardback...I'll probably have to get it at the liberry.

I will be finishing up 20,ooo Leagues this afternoon and will post my comments tomorrow. Bill is taking the test on it today (he hasn't quite finished but only needs 3 points to push his reading grade up to a full A before school ends) and we are both going to watch the Disney movie next week for FHE.