Getting Caught Up

I have neglected this blog terribly, and I plan to rectify this oversight immediately! (amazing what a sick day can do for you!) As a life-long lover of story - novels, short stories, poetry, etc. of many genres - my plan is to journal my reading, and invite others to share their comments and what they are reading.

So, to truly get things started...

The year 2008 has not been a truly prolific one for reading as of yet, but hey, we're only just short of two months in. Thus far, I have completed three books, and am working on two others. (this does not count books I reread just for the fun of it). Here is what I have read:


The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs, copyright 2007, Simon & Schuster.

My mom gave me this book for Christmas, thinking I'd get a kick out of it, and I did. What I thought was good about it was his honesty about the process of his year, he didn't pretty anything up or try to make anything into something it wasn't. In a very raw way, it seemed a true account of a spiritual journey along with his goofy trying-to-make-a-book-and-a-buck experiment (also to poke fun at religion). It was interesting and telling, I think, that the times that he was truly touched and spiritually moved primarily happened when he actually allowed himself to connect with believers. On his own, it was going through the motions, but interacting with others who believed led him to deeper experiences, deeper thoughts, and very close to a conversion experience (which he resisted and refused). That I find truly fascinating.

On the downside, he is not particularly deep. I enjoyed it, and was fascinated with the glimpses into some of the Jewish practises I have never before been exposed to. I came away with a deep respect for this guy's wife, who put up with alot. But he was given so many chances to really dig into a deeper spiritual life, and he mostly gave it a pass. He didn't dig into content much, but stayed with form. He was more interested in the structures of religion, than in the whys and whats and whos of it. Structure devoid of the meaning and content is empty, and it seemed he did his best to resist content, though in the end he had to admist his life was touched and changed by it.

A pretty good book, gave me some things to think about. I'd recommend it to people who are involved in ministry, and interested in how people perceive religion and faith.


The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant, copyright 2005, Scribner

This author wrote a book I just love, The Red Tent, so when I found two of her other books in our local library, I decided to check them out. This is the first one I read. Diamant had heard about an abandoned community along the Massachusetts coastline and the unusual folks who were said to have lived there in the early 1800s. From that she created this novel filled with incredible characters struggling to survive in a harsh landscape, in a dying town. I was interested in the realities of life that the characters had to deal with, depending on their gender, race, and class. The lives of many characters were woven together, sometimes tragically, sometimes full of love and compassion, sometimes full of hatred and violence, sometimes with laughter. This was not a predictable book by any means! At times it was hard to read, because there lives were so hard and grim. But she keeps the story moving, as she switches from character to character, over the years.

I'm glad I found this book, and would recommend it to others.


Good Harbor by Anita Diamant, copyright 2001, Scribner

This is the other Diamant book I found at the library. This is a woman's bonding feel-good kind of book. When done well, this kind of genre can uplift and inspire. (When done poorly...yech!) Overall, I think Diamant did it well. It's about two very different women who are going through very different struggles and stages in life who become friends and help each other out through it all. Overall they are believable and connect with the reader. Having a younger and an older woman as the key characters was a good move, there's something there for just about every woman (ok, every over 20-something year old woman) to connect with. Personally, I also liked that it is told from a (not heavy handed) Jewish perspective. It was a refreshing and interesting touch to the story (and true to the author's background).

There are a few stretches of the imagination (but my husband says I'm too picky about plot holes) and it is all is summed up a little too prettily. The ending reminds me of a Hallmark family special, it's just begging for special pretty theme music to float over a long camera shot of them walking down the beach hand in hand as the credits roll. But other than that, I enjoyed it.

This was an enjoyable read, it made me laugh, it made me cry. It would be great summer reading. I'd recommend it to any of my girlfriends or female relatives.