August 8, 2006

Tagged Again

This one is about books. I grew up without a TV in the house. Reading was what we did for family time. Well that and argue, play marbles on the living room floor, play poker with Dad, listen to radio shows, create Star Wars diaromas, fight, play dress up and a few other things. I remember winning the prize for most books donated to our school’s book sale—and it was just my parents clearing a few books from our house.

1. A book that changed my life
This is tough. Honestly, my life has been changed more by relationships with people. Books are supplements and talismans of those relationships. Not to be corny, but really Jesus changed my life in a profound way. The Bible by itself not so much. But as a supplement to that relationship it’s changed and directed my life over and over.

Other life-changing relationships and the books that accompany them:
My Mom. The Whole Earth Catalog. We had a few of these around the house and I learned about composting, solar energy, sex and nutrition among other things.
Regency Romance Novels. Sorry. I know I should make myself sound smart or something. But my mom, sister and I have read enough regency novels to have earned honorary history degrees. We love Jo Beverly. When I become a torrid author with millions in royalties, then I can truly say those books changed my life! (you'll see, Dad, you'll see!)

My husband. In college I was a first-year student at the art school and Jrex was a senior at the preppy school down the road. I ended up being in his small group. He made us read Tozer’s Pursuit of God and Murray’s With Christ in the School of Prayer. The books by themselves were mind-blowing enough, but the whole small group was the life-changing factor. Jrex and I didn’t connect romantically until after college, but that small group helped equip me for surviving those years. It changed how I thought about God, about me and how to live.

2. A book read more than once
While living in upstate NY, where winter descends in a solid gray cloud blanket from October through mid-April, there was a book I read each March. I needed to remember that spring would come and no book better describes that creeping miracle than The Secret Garden.

3. Book for a desert island
I’m assuming this presumes a Survivor set-up. In which case, a thick book with really large pages: better for starting fires. I would also value a sketchbook or journal.

4. Book that makes me laugh
Politically Correct Bedtime Stories. Here’s a snippet from Red Riding Hood:
The wolf said, "You know, my dear, it isn't safe for a little girl to walk through these woods alone."

Red Riding Hood said, "I find your sexist remark offensive in the extreme, but I will ignore it because of your traditional status as an outcast from society, the stress of which has caused you to develop your own, entirely valid, worldview. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way."


5. Book that made me cry
The classic middle school weep fest: Bridge to Terabithia.
Currently making me cry: Shattered Dreams.

6. Book you wish you had written
Actually, I have written a book. My master’s project was published. I wish I’d had a different advisor, different co-authors and been able to take that book where I wanted it to go. As it was, we produced a mediocre book. I'd send you the link, but you'd be able to guess which name is mine, and I'm just not that proud of it. I would gladly link to theoretical book, that one would be worth the loss of anonymity.

7. Book you wish was never written
Mein Kampf

8. Book you’re currently reading
Just finished last night, Lisa Samson, The Living End. It was a bit thin in places, but enjoyable.

9. Book you’ve meant to read
Life of Pi. It sounds fascinating, but I’ve yet to think, “Hmm….I have a free Saturday, I want to spend it in a boat with a boy and a talking tiger.”

10. Tags
I actually want to tag people without blogs. Respond in the comments if you want to… OTRsis, OTR Dad, and OTR mama (my Mom’s best friend). Anyone else a reader? If so, let me know if you go for it.

8 comments:

Mama Nabi said...

sigh... secret garden, what a lovely book. I am a reader as well.

weigook saram said...

I loved the Life of Pi. It is a little slow in places, but definitely worth your time. We also subscribed to the Whole Earth Catalog. My dad still composts religiously and is obsessed with saving energy.

Anonymous said...

I credit those Regency romances with my success on the vocab SAT and PSAT, which played a big part in my college scholarship. So even though Dad teases us all the time about it, those books ended up saving him a lot of money. :)

I read "Oh My Stars" this past summer. I really liked it as well.

I'm afraid my responses to the meme might be too similar to OTR girl's (or far more lame) so I'll just list some books that have impacted me.

Right now I am reading Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne, which just might change my life. It's reminding me of my roots and calling me back to it. Highly recommend it.

Mere Christianity. C.S. Lewis makes the complicated simple, but not in a simplistic way.

Symposium by Plato: my husband gave this to me when I was struggling with what love was and whether I loved him. After reading it I knew.

The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride. This was a really good book but mostly I recall where the title comes from. The author asked his mother what color God is. She said God is the color of water.

The Kid by Dan Savage. Beautiful adoption story with a large dose of politics thrown in.

Oh, and any book by Jo Beverley and Mary Balogh. :) Mindless entertainment.

Linda said...

I tried to read Life of Pi, but everytime I opened it up, E would wake up from a nap or I'd fall asleep after a few paragraphs. I think the beginning just moved to slowly for me. And yes, the idea of a boy, a boat and a tiger did not perk my interest right away. Maybe I'll try again one day.

Marcie said...

I'm with you on Bridge to Teribithia. That and Old Yeller made me bawl.

Aimee said...

1. A book that changed my life
I agree with everything you said about the Bible. Everything. Other books that have had a profound influence on my life are "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou and "Traveling Light" by Max Lucado. The former showed me that I wasn't the only person to have ever been through SA. The latter showed me how freely God wants us to live. I am planning on reading it again as soon as I can.

2. A book read more than once
"Supernatural Childbirth" by Jackie Mize. It's not big and is a super easy read. It's helping me build my faith as we try to get pregnant again (10 months and counting).

3. Book for a desert island
Again, I agree with you. Sketchbook. But, I think I'd want to bring the Bible as well.

7. Book you wish was never written
Mein Kampf

8. Book you’re currently reading
"The Beginner's Guide to the Gift of Prophecy" by Jack Deer for my Wednesday night church class.

9. Book you’ve meant to read
I know I'm the only person in the universe that hasn't read the Chronicles of Narnia books. How non-Christian of me. I want to and plan to as soon as I can.

Mike Scudder said...

1. The Bible, Colson's Loving God, and Piper's Desiring God. Dr Ida Scudder's biography. Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress". Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings". McKillip's Riddlemaster. Miller's Ronin (do comic books count?) Charles William's "The Place of the Lion". Lewis' "Till we have Faces". Connie Willis' Bellwether. That one influenced both my wife and I a bunch. Can you tell books have had a lot of influence on me?

2. The Lord of the Rings. I've even read it aloud, over a month or two, while getting rides to work.

3. How about my PDA, along with some spare batteries, with a Bible and a good How to Manual included?

4. Bellwether. Especially the chapter on fads in childrearing. Patricia Wrede's "Dealing with Dragons" parody.

5. "The Wild Swans" by Peg Kerr

6. I've got an ABD, so the thesis that should have been.

7. There is so much junk out there, which I wish no one had wasted their time creating or reading, but of serious stuff I'd say "Das Kapital", for it's influence, although I haven't read it.

8. As usual these days, I'm reading a slew of books at once; most recently, Viehl's Stardoc, but also "Triad (Illumination)" by Terry McGarry, "Fairie Wars" by Herbie Brennan, "Knowing the enemy : jihadist ideology and the War on Terror" by Habeck, "God and philosophy" by Flew, "Religion in America since 1945 : a history" by Allitt, "What makes you happy" by Gownley (a comic), and some others I've sort of stalled on, such as "Treason" by Ann Coulter and "War and Peace" by Tolstoy.

10. I'll pick "War and Peace" for this one, although I have dozens in the back of my mind.

Anonymous said...

OTR Dad's Report

MOST USEFUL

The most useful books began with "George Washington's World" by Genevieve Foster. It was a birthday present when I was seven, which empowered me on Christmas afternoon, to instruct two West Pointers on our Revolutionary War. They flopped on the floor with me, and I plotted out the campaigns on a map.

"GW's World" taught me about great people I'd never hear of in school, such as Fra Junipero Serra and Beaumarchais.

"GW's World" was followed by "Abraham Lincoln's World" and "Augustus Ceasar's World". GW and Abe,
along with "The American Past" by Roger Butterfield
enabled me to exempt a year of American History at Dartmouth.

MOST INFLUENTIAL

The book that had the most impact was "Five Saints Who Changed the World" by Rene Feulop-Mueller.
Actually, it was not the book -- it was the middle chapter on St. Francis of Assisi. Reading his life
really excited me, and I could see that a life lived for God would be more of an adventure than any other.

Have I followed St. Francis' example? A little. Very little. But, he was a great influence.

BEST BOOKS

In 1959, Bill Womack and I were talking at the bar of an Enlisted Men's Club in Germany. Bill, from Arkansas, had been a Fulbright Scholar at the Sorbonne. After discussion, we agreed that the standard of literary excellence was "Treasure Island".

We had both read "Treasure Island" when we were ten. So, the question was reasonable: What books, read since, had been as vivid, as exciting, as informative as "Treasure Island"?

Bill picked "Crime and Punishment" and Carlyle's "French Revolution". My choices were "The Brothers Karamatzov" and Nietzsche's "Also Spoke Zarathustra:.

We change. Especially our tastes.

I wouldn't read Nietzshe today on a salary, but in college I was a philosophy major. After the turgid writings of other philosophers, Friedrich N was pretty zippy.

I waited years until I could buy a beautiful edition of Carlyle's "French Revolution". I agreed with Bill -- the first third was passionate, fascinating. But, after that the players multiply so rapidly and so insignificantly that I found it a bore. It wasn't Carlyle's fault: The latter French revolution is a bore.

Twice in the past decade I've tried to reread "The Brothers Karamatzov" -- in an excellent, new translation. Couldn't do it. I just couldn't get into it.
Yet, the first time I read it, it glowed -- and so did I.

FAVORITE WRITERS TODAY

Sid Fleishman -- He writes kid's book.

Rick Reilly -- the back page of each Sports Illustrated.

Mitch Albohm -- sports writer for The Detroit Free Press.

Conclusion: I have deteriorated.
Or, perhaps I've become wiser.