August Booklist

[eleneariel]

I should point out that this list is not as impressive as it looks, as it consists of a lot of books I've been working on for months and finally finished, and lot more easy reads (children's books and short novels).

When I first started posting my booklist I promised myself that I would not leave out any books, no matter how embarrassing they might be to admit having read. (This would also be the reason I regularly add the disclaimer than I neither recommend nor endorse all books that appear on my list! I have a diverse reading appetite and am not as, shall we say, discriminating in content as some.) 

Therefore I begin August's list with this:

1.  Silver Wings, Grace Livingston Hill
    In my defense, I read this out of nostalgia. When I was a mere babe, I did read some GLH books, and remembered this as being one of the better ones. Let's face it: she writes insipid little moralizing tales, with an overuse of "shabby" yet "brave" heroines who snag and convert handsome rich men. But ... well ... age has been kind to them and now they are old enough to pass as quaint and faintly charming. In their own little way.

2.  Getting Serious about Getting Married, Debbie Maken
    I rather dreaded finishing this one because I knew I'd have to review it. *facepalm* I mean absolutely no disrespect to those on my flist who thought this book was wonderful, really I don't, but while she had many good points and there was quite a lot I have no quarrel with, I felt that she took some of those points too far and sometimes in the wrong directions. People are different, and she didn't seem to make allowances for that -- for instance, she suggests that 3 months of courting is enough time for a proposal; I would not feel comfortable enough with anyone to accept an offer of marriage in that time frame. And then too, it bothered me that she would make a statement like -- loosely paraphrased -- "single women who live alone are more likely to be raped than those who live with their parents." That may be so, but you can't just make a statement like that without offering any evidence to back it up and still expect me to blindly believe it.

Then too, this book would have been very depressing were it not for two things. Taking this book at face value, it seems a wonder that any Christian woman is happily married. I had never doubted that I would marry until I starting reading about how everyone is getting married late in life, there are no worthy men, etc. etc. Fortunately, that vanished as soon as I looked around my circle of friends and saw how very many were married, engaged, or in a serious relationship. The other thing that kept me from being depressed is that I am very happy being single. I look forward to marriage with great delight, but this is not a period in my life to be hurried through or spent only in anticipation. Singleness has its own joys and freedoms, and I'm not going to waste this time dissatisfied with my lack of a husband! It gives me great joy to watch those of you who are married or in relationships, but believe me: until God brings that special man into my life, I'm going to enjoy  life exactly as it is.  (Of course, according to the author, the very fact that I said this means that I'm deluding myself. Oh please.)

3.  Wintersmith, Terry Pratchett
    elvishcalarilme sent this to me for my birthday, and it was every bit as good as I thought it would be!

4.  Life's Little Annoyances, Ian Urbina
    A re-re-read; I pull it out at work to read bits and pieces of when I'm especially annoyed at the stupidity. Oh, it's great. Everybody should try to get their hands on it, especially those who like to pull pranks.

5.  Beowulf, Seamus Heaney
    ruthette has converted me into a Heaney fangirl! This was an amazing translation, amazing. I love epic poems, right, I love the feel of them and the weight of them, but I don't actually find them easy to sit down and read. Until I met this one. It reads like a fast paced adventure story -- and so it is.  I hear there's a Beowulf movie coming out this fall; everyone should read this translation before Beowulf-mania hits!

6.  Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
    I think I like the movie a wee bit better, but this was a fun read. :)

7.  Wild at Heart, John Eldridge
    Better than the book for women (Captivated). Interesting insights into the male heart, but still, I cringe at the dramatic-ness of it all.

8.  Questioning the Millennium, Stephen Jay Gould
    Blah and a bit dated, seeing as it was written in 1999. Still, interesting bits about the calendar mixup that caused England (was it England?) to lose a full two weeks. I love that kind of stuff. Time is really so subjective.

9.  What's So Funny? Donald E. Westlake
    I wrote in my book-notes notebook that it had Ocean's 11 sort of vibes. It was an absurd little crime novel, quick and light and rather unique.

10. The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, David S. Landes
    I worked on this one for a couple of months and finally got it finished. It was good, but oh-so-long. It examines why some countries (most of Europe and the US) have "made it good" while others (notably most of South America, Africa and India) are firmly third world countries. I enjoyed this because the author was decidedly un-PC. He didn't fall back on blaming it on European "oppression", for instance. He says that Sicily's "persistent backwardness" is caused by longstanding intolerance, superstition, and ignorance, vices mostly instilled while Spain ruled the island, but the repercussions of which last to this day.

11. Bad Luck and Trouble, Lee Child
    My mom loves these books, so I read one to keep her company. Child excels in plot and character, but his writing style drives me batty. (Please, somebody, tell the guy to stop using sentence fragments constantly! It's not clever, it's just bad writing!) But as a Really Awesome Character, nothing beats Jack Reacher. He's one cool guy.

12. The Well-Wishers, Edward Eager
    Still working my way through these delightful kids books. I'm going to make all of my children read them, mwahahaha.

13. Going Postal, Terry Pratchett (audio book)
    I forget the name of the man who read this one, but he apparently does most of Pratchett's audio books. LISTEN TO THEM. Not only does he have a British accent (of course), but he does all the voices, too! Oh, this was fantastic. I had so much fun.

14. The Perfect Summer: England 1911, just before the storm, Juliet Nicolson
    This is my pick for the month, hands down. It's hard to describe. It takes the summer of 1911 month by month and offers vignettes of society life, political happenings, and ordinary people. Some of it is beautiful, some sordid, some shocking. Even so, it was an idyllic read, made all the more poignant by knowing of the storm that was soon to come.

15. Very Good, Jeeves, P. G. Wodehouse
    Another one I've been reading for months. I like short stories, as they are the perfect length to read while eating lunch. Therefore, I always think of Jeeves and lunch together ...

 

 

Comments

[savetheolives.livejournal.com]

I look forward to marriage with great delight, but this is not a period in my life to be hurried through or spent only in anticipation. Singleness has its own joys and freedoms, and I'm not going to waste this time dissatisfied with my lack of a husband! It gives me great joy to watch those of you who are married or in relationships, but believe me: until God brings that special man into my life, I'm going to enjoy life exactly as it is.

Yes! Exactly. :)

[my-everafter.livejournal.com]

Oh goodness the more I hear about that one book (the #2 on your list) the more I despise it! Several of my friends have read it and there are just too many things I've heard that disgust me. I am so proud of you that you don't fall for things (like I do- ugh) and realize that just because SHE might think you are “deluding” yourself, YOU know better! I'm glad you are happy with how you are right now and I agree that it's not something to be rushed into! Enjoying life and glorifying God, no matter which stage you are in, is what I think it most important. :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/patrick___/]

Have you ever heard of anyone who likes those books who isn't already married? :-) (Or engaged) The people who love and promote them are the ones already married. It's simply smug, sanctimonious bigotry and pharisaical legalism. I shudder to think they are actually being promoted in some churches!!!

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

I had that thought myself ... with one exception that I can recall, everyone I've heard praise this book was married, and married young. Don't get me wrong, it's great if you find the love of your life at a young age. But I couldn't have married at 17, or 18, or 20 -- because the man God has for me wasn't there. Maybe marrying young is the ideal, I don't know. But God doesn't call us choose that over waiting for the person He intended us for!

[http://users.livejournal.com/patrick___/]

And I couldn't have married that young, because I was way too immature. :-D
But even if I was more mature, like you said, that person wasn't there. I'm happy with where God has put me. It would be awful of me to start resenting the position God has placed me in. In fact, it seems like what some of these books are saying is that basically we should be upset with the situation God has put us in! That's not what single christian people need to be hearing. Most of us want to be married.

[http://users.livejournal.com/patrick___/]

I really like what you wrote about the "Getting Married" book. Right now there seems to be a movement in conservative Christian circles to burden believers into thinking they're being sinners if they're not married by the time they're old enough to drink. It's really awful in my opinion. It's legalism, plain and simple.

In fact, not only is it legalism (which is a sin), it seems like these books could be causing christians to jump into commitments they may not be ready for, but feel like they should so that they're not one of those "awful" single people who aren't married in their mid 20's.

It's legalism like this that's rubbed me the wrong way with the "courtship" movement in general. Yes, christians should take relationships seriously. But not at the expense of turning it into some sort of legalistic practice defined by some fundamentalist who decided that they know just exactly how long everyone should court, and when they should get married, etc. Who are they to tell us these things? It's certainly not written in scripture.

Have you noticed that none of these books are written by people who weren't married right away? They're basically smug sanctimonious books talking about how wonderful they are, because they found someone to marry when they were hardly adults, and how rotten everyone else is for not being just like them. It's sad (and scary) that these books are promoted in some churches!

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

Don't get me wrong, she had a lot of good things to say about the subject. Christians (and churches) do need to promote and encourage marriage ... but on the whole I felt like the book could be used as an excuse for singles (especially women) to feel dissatisfied and "unfulfilled", and even less of a Christian because they weren't married. I'm sorry, I just don't see my happiness and value, and especially my value as a child of God as being completely wrapped up in whether I have a ring on my finger or not.

(I should point out that the author of this book didn't get married until she was, I believe, 35 or so, so she really did have experience in prolonged singleness. She finally met her husband through an Indian matchmaker, actually -- rather an interesting story.)

[http://users.livejournal.com/patrick___/]

LOL, now that is interesting! :-D

Happily Ever After without a Prince?

[(Anonymous)]

As seen on The TODAY Show on August 20th.



New Release, Princess Bubble, Strikes Chord with America’s 51% SINGLE WOMEN WHO, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN U.S. HISTORY, OUTNUMBER MARRIED WOMEN

ATLANTA, August 9, 2007—This Christmas season thousands of single belles will hang their silk stockings and say their prayers before a quick night’s sleep-then it’s off to work they go. This ever growing group of Carols, Noels, and Merrys will shop, party and cook as they celebrate the holidays with families and friends. Two successful single gals will ring in the New Year with a resolution; offering parents an updated version of the traditional fairy tale. No longer a “Damsel in Distress,” this princess travels the world, helps others, and finds “happily ever after” even before she finds her Prince!

With wisdom gleaned from their careers as single, globe-trotting flight attendants, first-time authors Susan Johnston and Kimberly Webb have crafted a modern-day book that celebrates singleness. A contemporary fairy tale for all ages, Princess Bubble was written to reduce the overwhelming sense of failure, self-doubt, and despair that some single women face.

“Knowing how low self-esteem and depression plague many single females, we wanted to spread the message that ‘happily ever after’ can occur even before Prince Charming arrives. . . or even if he never does,” said Webb.

“We’re definitely not anti-Prince,” said Johnston (whose college nickname was “Bubbles”). “We’re not anti-family or anti-marriage, if anything we’re anti-‘Damsel in Distress.’ Our message—the single life can also be a fairy tale. The End!”

Princess Bubble stars a princess who is confused by the traditional fairy tale messages that say she must find her “prince” before she can live “happily ever after.” Princess Bubble dons her “thinking crown” to research traditional fairy tales, interviews married girlfriends, and even takes counsel from her mother, who advises her to sign up at FindYourPrince.com. With a little help from her fairy godmother (this is still a fairy tale after all), Ms. Bubble discovers that “living happily ever after” is not about finding a prince. “True happiness,” the book reveals, “is found by loving God, being kind to others, and being comfortable with who you are already!”

“We’ve had countless women all over the nation tell us they wish there had been a book like this when they were young,” said Johnston. “This is a story women can truly believe in and feel comfortable sharing with their children

[main-hoon-emily.livejournal.com]

My mom and grandma love Grace Livingston Hill and are always trying to get me to read her books. The only one I ever got all the way through (and I actually kind of like it) is Rose Galbraith. The rest of them just make me roll my eyes and put the book back on the shelf.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who doesn't like that Getting Serious About Getting Married book! I bought it after reading some glowing review of it on boundless.org and then, after flipping through it a few times and reading less enthusiastic reviews about it I gave it away without reading it. I've seen enough friends marry great guys in the past year or two to not despair yet of meeting someone myself! Maybe in ten years, if I'm 35 and still single, I'll be looking for help, but at the moment I'm okay.

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

GLH is like Elsie Dinsmore to me ... irritating beyond all belief except in small doses when I feel like being quaint. :D

[princess-mia.livejournal.com]

Yeah, "Getting Serious about Getting Married" was rather depressing. Its a good thing that one can read it with a grain of salt!
I love seeing what you have on your reading list.:)

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

Haha, yeah, my reading varies widely. :D

[ruthette.livejournal.com]

YAY, SEAMUS HEANEY!

Of his other poetry, I now recommend the collections titled The Haw Lantern and Open Ground.

And keep passing the word down the line: Seamus Heaney's Beowulf is the only one worth reading!

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping to get a copy for the library on the next order list - especially with the movie coming out soon, I think we need it!

[butterbobbin.livejournal.com]

I just love your attitude re: being single. I wish that I had enjoyed my single days to that extent, but I didn't even know how. Had it ingrained in me that to be married young was just How It Worked, and after I was no longer in a lifestyle where that Often Happens, I was at a loss what to do with myself.

Ironically, I finally came to grips with it literally days before I met Dan, and when I did meet him I was like, "Whoa, wait, I was going to enjoy being single and now this happened" and I had to rethink everything again. It worked out. It held me back long enough to be able to objectively survey the situation, the man, and our future before committing myself (incidentally, 3.5 months after we met... *cough*)

[eattheolives.livejournal.com]

That all sounds very familiar, except that I didn't marry the guy. :) But your story sounds a lot like what happened to my parents!