hello back, we are here, Laura!

I am currently reading "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. It is a #1 best seller in the nation right now, which usually turns me off , but I wanted to read this the moment I heard about it because I had just gotten back from Italy and am in love with India. The book takes place in 3 different countries; Italy, India, and Indonesia. I don't really have a thing for Indonesia, but maybe I will once I read that part of the book.

I am about half-way through the book and... its okay. Usually when a book gets a lot of hype I expect it to go above and beyond, so I am let down. If I just found this book and randomly read it, I would probably think it was amazing. But, because it is a #1 best seller, it needs to be more than amazing and it isn't. I am really into memoirs right now and "Eat, Pray, Love" is a memoir of sorts. Her writing style is okay, more than once she has used a cliche and said "I know this is a cliche and I HATE writing in cliches." That bugs me because if writing is your profession and you don't like a certain technique then you can choose not to use it, but she chooses to use it and states afterward that she hates the technique that she just used. Okay I'll stop whining about this now.

The narrator talks too much about how terribly heart-wrenching, yet inevitable her divorce is. She is a whiny narrator, but I keep reading it because when she describes the city of Rome and it's little secrets I get hooked. She is wonderful at describing the setting of cities, the looks of people and the little characters that come into her life. So sometimes she can be a good writer and that is why I keep reading... and because it is cool to read about Rome and think "oh yea I remember seeing that fountain and she is right about the way the sunlight hits it."

Oops...

I confess I forgot about this blog but I am going to update it now with my past and current reading choices so Laura won't feel quite so lonely :)

Let's see, after Three Cups of Tea I read:

The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning: Interesting but I found it hard to follow him sometimes because it seemed like the book was kind of randomly put together.

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey: Really really powerful. I know that there was the whole controversy on Oprah about the legitimacy of the story but it was really good just the same. I had to get used to the style of writing but I really felt awful for the main character the whole time because of all the stuff he went through in drug rehab.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett: A great book. It's set in England in the 1100s and follows the building of a cathedral in Kingsbridge. Even though it was over 900 pages I never felt like it was too long. It constantly had some struggle going on between church and state which was interesting. The ending was NOT my favorite, though.

Zorro by Isabel Allende: GREAT! I love any of her writing anyway but this was interesting and a very different story line then what she normally writes. It makes me want to see the Zorro movies now!

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini: I'm currently reading this and love it although I'm not that far into it. I am a huge fan of The Kite Runner, though, because it started my current interest in Middle Eastern people and culture so I'm really excited about this book!

Unfortunately, school starts Monday so my reading choices are about to head downhill into the realm of boring textbooks.

three books later...

hello??? *echo*
helllllllllllllooooooooooooooo???? *echo, echo, echo, fade out*

well, anyway, im here to tell whoever reads this that...
i just finished reading "the shack."
obviously, ive veered a bit off the proposed reading list, but i got some interesting books this summer that i couldnt help but read. before that, i read another holocaust-genre book called "everything is illuminated" that was interested but has some sexual stuff that i found uncessary and distasteful. it was a fresh way, however, to look at the guilty conscience of a non-German who was used to do terrible things by the nazis. the characters were fairly interesting. there's a movie out with elijah wood in it but i havent seen it yet and dont know if im gonna.

theeeen i read the shack and it wasnt quite what i expected. actually, my expectations were really high after all the hype, and i was prepared for what it really was. i agree with my aunt, who says that it would have made a lot more sense going into it KNOWING that william p young wrote it to be a kids book--a way to explain God to his children as they grew older. if i had known that, i would have understood why people were so enthralled with a book that wasnt very impressive from a literary standpoint. it did bring up some very interesting ideas about God that i was eager to embrace, but unsure if i should. i just longed for some biblical support so that i knew i wasnt being pulled in to just someone's opinion or personal view of God. but i guess that's the challenge: remember what he said about God and his relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit and ourselves and put it to the test of the Word. a good excuse to dive into the Bible. there were several scenes at the end of the book that were worth reading the whole book, for me. i was crying pretty hard near the end, i guess my heart longing for such peace and reconciliation. it WAS a pretty amazing portrait of relationship and God as love.

so, right now i'm reading Red Moon Rising, which is a book about the creation of the 24-7 prayer movement that began in England. so far, five chapters in, its just a personal story about how the idea came into being and then started becoming reality. it is really inspiring to read about this man's journey of true faith, and it has been bringing up some real questions in my heart and mind about prayer, and about my prayer life. its been fun to journal about them, dialogue with God about them, and ponder them. maybe when im done ill remember to write some of my new thoughts on here.

what's everyone else reading? anything good?

the final judgement of suite francaise, by me!

I finished Suite Francaise and it was amazing! it was broken into two sections--"storm" and "dolce." the first one dealt with the war and evacuation. the second was focused on occupation. there were to appendices that were translations of irene's handwritten notes on the novel. they indicated that she meant to write several other "sections" to add, that focused on other parts of the war (i remember one was to be called "captivity"). tragically, she was killed in Auschwitz before they--or any other fantastic works--could be completed.

before reading irene, i had never considered before that a book could be effective, and beautiful, by simply writing characters, moments, descriptions, rather than making a fluid plot the focus. but she achieves plot nonetheless, and i love the way her characters cross paths and contribute in some way to one another.

in addition to her talent and imagination, she is also ironic and intelligent. she makes her point about the depravity of man and the destruction of war by hardly making mention of it. in her notes, she writes "if i want to create something striking, it is not misery i will show but the prosperity that contrasts with it...it must be done by showing contrasts: one word for misery, ten for egotism, cowardice, closing ranks, crime. wont it be wonderful! but its true and its this very atmosphere im breathing."

i especially got caught up in Dolce in the character of Lucile, who tastes true love but is kept from it by war and its complications. the story was unraveled so that i felt the hope and despair of Lucile as she met love and then unexpectedly was deprived of it.

irene nemirovsky wrote several other books before the war and her deportation, so even if you arent interested in the subject of this particular one, check out her other books! she really is a delightful writer and a rare find.

What's in a Name?

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri is the story of a name. We follow this name throughout the novel, there is a sort-of love-hate relationship with the name that the characters develop with the name. Gogol. Yes folks, the name is Gogol. Gogol Ganguli in fact. This is the name of Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli's first-born son. In Indian culture everyone is given 2 names; a "good name" (the official name) and a familiar name, a sort-of nickname. Gogol was supposed to be the familiar name of Gogol Ganguli, but because of certain circumstances (you need to read this book!) it becomes his official name. Ashima and Ashoke marry by arranged marriage and immediately move to the United States where Ashoke (the husband) had been living for many years. Ashima has to adjust to life, and weather, in New York after living her whole life in India. This book is really the story of the Ganguli family. Their whole life unfolds, from the beginning of their marriage to the birth of their 2 children, to death. It's a beautiful story, an intimate look into the lives of Indian-Americans and the struggles they face living so far away from home(Americans can be terribly ignorant and misunderstand Indian culture). The interesting thing about this novel is the way the journey of this family is centered around the name Gogol: why it was the name given to their first born son (it is a Russian name, not an Indian name), how it became his "good name", how Gogol grew to hate his name, and then later how he regretted changing his name to Nikhil (aka Nick-- nice and American nickname).

If you love Indian culture like I do,
If you have any interest in immigrant life in the U.S.,
Or if you love a good story, read this book!

eat, pray, love

I just finished this book, which was loaned to me by a co-worker.
It is in three sections, one per country in which the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, spends four months of dedicating herself to some portion of her healing/finding herself again journey. In Italy, she eats and sleeps and learns Italian just because it is beautiful. In India, she lives in an Ashram and meditates and chants in Sanskrit. In Indonesia, she relaxes and meditates, makes friends, and falls in love again.
I got bored in India and didn't really get into it again until half-way through Indonesia. She has some interesting spiritual beliefs that I don't agree with, mostly, but I couldn't really figure out why until one of the last chapters. It's all about her. She wouldn't say that, but that's how it seems to me. She can't accept that God, or the Universe, or whatever she wants to call her Higher Power, could be beyond human-ness and that his/its ways wouldn't conform to her own understanding. Of course, throughout the book she refers to her beliefs that God is in us, and is us, and that in order to find lasting peace we must only come to realize this and maintain our balance in that truth.
Liz Gilbert wants to find all she needs within herself, and enjoying those around her. The second part, I like, but the first would never work for me.

what i love about...

suite francaise by irene nemirovsky has been a delight so far.
it is basically a series of character sketches and then those characters tend to cross paths in random ways as they all deal with the french's quick defeat in WWII. it is so beautifully and carefully written. she even gives the cat a chapter and a personality :).
highly recommended--i'm halfway through...

Austenland

Shannon Hale usually writes the sort of kid's books that aren't really just for kids. She's branching out into adult novels in Austenland, and she explores the grown-up themes of the quest for true love and the despair of ever really finding it with grace, sympathy, and a lot of really funny one-liners. The heroine, Jane (of course), is a sweet, witty, under-confident graphic designer with a ridiculously awful relationship history and a deep secret crush on Mr. Darcy. A rich distant relative ferrets the secret of her obsession out of her before her death, and leaves her as an inheritance an all-expenses-paid trip to Austenland. Jane's not sure what to think of this resort where the guests immerse themselves in Regency culture, costume, and manners, and are discreetly charmed and "wooed" by male actors, but finally she resolves to take the opportunity as a kind of immersion therapy to put her crush on unattainable male perfection to rest. But can she, really?

Comments on Perelandra

"God is going to make all things good, no matter what choices we make....no matter what we do. He made things beautiful anyway and we should rejoice in that beauty instead of wishing something else had happened."

A good friend of mine once told me that "The glory of God's economy is that He takes our mistakes and turns them into spiritual riches". Meaning that, God is sovereign. Our lives are going to be filled with mistakes, with pain, with heartache- often the consequences of our sin, often the consequences of other's sin. But that pain WILL NOT return void in God's economy. God will use it for OUR GOOD and HIS GLORY. He will use those mistakes to further His kingdom.

That is the promise, the hope that we have, as God's elect.

perelandra

howdy there...
i read out of the silent planet, and the couldn't help myself and went ahead and read perelandra. i had never read perelandra before and i think i liked it even more than the first one! i tried to start that hideous strength, but i think i'm going to take a break and read one of the books i bought at my holocaust convention. if anyone wants to read it...i'm reading suite francaise by irene nemirovsky. irene was a jew who was working on this novel when she was deported and died at auschwitz. this novel was hidden for sixty-four years before it was discovered and published! it is, i think, going to be an interesting perspective because its about locals in france who have to deal with the german invaders during wwii.

perelandra was really thought provoking as the main character-ransom-has to intervene in a very genesis-type situation and stop "eve" from being tempted by the devil. it was very like the screwtape letters in that lewis showed evil's very logical way of reasoning and bringing us to it's side. what was startling to me was the thought that evil is not always blatantly obvious. true evil is very like the truth, but with some simple, fundamental differences. that kind of evil is the hardest to get away from because, if you aren't really clear on what you believe, it's easy to think you've made the right choice.

several parts of this book were touching to me. one of these was ransom's conclusion that God is going to make all things good, no matter what choices we make....no matter what we do. adam and eve made a choice for our world and, even though it was followed by a lot of pain and hardships, it was because of this choice that Christ put on the body of a man and came to be a part of our world. and what would have happened if eve hadn't eaten the fruit? it still would have been good--we still would have been in communion with God. one is not better than the other, just different GOODs. it is an interesting thought to me to consider that God is not sorry that we ate the fruit, but that he made things beautiful anyway and we should rejoice in that beauty instead of wishing something else had happened. this is also the book where Greg gets his quote "sweet poison of a false infinite" :D. that was fun to run across!

in agreement with veronica...

hey veronica!
thanks for posting--i love how eloquently you expressed the thoughts i was struggling to get from head to paper; well done :). HUMANITARIAN--that was the word i couldn't think of!

you know, i never considered that he might be a Christian. there are missionaries all over the place in closed countries that work in normal jobs--schools and such--but can't mention God, right? that is an interesting thought--how do people spread the gospel there? it seems hard for me to imagine because our evangelism here is so vocal. who was it that said "go out and preach the gospel--use words if you have to?" maybe evangelizing is not about how well you can talk about God after all. maybe its about service through love? hm.

i feel the same way about mortenson's viewpoint of the culture and the people. i read kite runner and a thousand splendid suns (outstanding books) last year as well and those books were also instrumental in changing my view of people in the southern part of Asia. i am finding it really hard, though, to shift my point of view because it is so colored by the stereotypes prevalent in the united states. i am currently living in an apartment complex that we've dubbed "little India" because of the high percentage of south Asians here and it has been hard for me to cross the culture barrier to connect to them on a human level. consequently, i just got back from a conference on the holocaust (which was amazing!) in DC at the holocaust museum and it is scary to think that the hate crimes against Jews started with seemingly "harmless" stereotypes and that such stereotypes about south Asians are reinforce here in the u.s. since 911.

i have a desire to grow in my compassion for people that make me "uncomfortable," beginning with the truth that they are created in the image of God.

Thoughts on Three Cups of Tea

I'm almost done with Three Cups of Tea (just a couple more chapters) but I thought I would share some of my thoughts so far.

1. One thing that was somewhat hard for me to get through at first was all the climbing description but as I was reading it I was really impressed. Right now I'm certified to belay at the camp rock wall and I do that for campers one morning a week. I see people struggle on a man-made wall and then I compare it to Mortenson and others who climb God's rock walls. Wow! That takes so much determination and courage.

2. I was also really interested at the parts where it describes the opposition between Mortenson and the Taliban. I read Kite Runner last month (it talks about the Taliban in Afghanistan) and also recently read The Lost Boys of Sudan where there are also a lot of fundamentalist Muslims. Even though the Middle Eastern area of the world has such a terrible reputation in the West, there is still a lot of good going on there and there are real people who struggle through things much greater than I will ever go through. I'm really becoming a lot more interested in the area and what the real pictures of those places and people are.

3. I am thinking also (like Laura) about the difference between a missionary and a humanitarian (not saying that they can't be the same but there is a subtle difference). I believe that God uses people who don't always work in His name. For instance, since Christians aren't welcome in some Islamic areas of the world, God uses a humanitarian who genuinely cares for the people, learns the language, and respects the culture/religion. I guess I'm struggling right now with the fact that Mortenson has been/is extremely effective in helping the poor and oppressed (especially women) and I believe his heart for the people of the area mirrors Christ's heart. But he does it all within an Islamic context-even going to mosque and praying toward Mecca five times a day. If Mortenson isn't a Christian I'm amazed at his selfessness and I would love to see what his potential could be if he had Christ working through him. If he is, I wonder how he reconciles what he is doing in the Muslim communities within the context of his own faith? I'm not sure that I've reached an answer but those are my thoughts right now.

I can't wait to finish it!

Sci-fi thoughts, part two

Laura, I am your fellow science fiction nerd. The thing I love the most about the genre (and I'm talking the good stuff, not you know, Star Wars dime novels) is the opportunity that it gives you to take a step back from the world that you live in and view it from a different angle. I suppose that's true of all great books, but there are just ridiculous amounts of freedom available to a science fiction writer. Douglas Adams can have a whale spontaneously appear out of nowhere high in some alien atmosphere and plummet towards the ground while having a stream-of-consciousness monologue with a pot of petunias, and not only do you somehow believe in it while he's writing this, it's also a kind of profound (and VERY morbidly funny) take on mortality and the human condition. Come on! That's great!
Rediscovered Ursula LeGuin this past week. What an amazing writer! Elegant, intelligent, extremely thoughtful and creative writings that affirm life without glossing over the problems and struggles of being human. Plus, they're just great, incredibly readable stories. :)

science fiction

Lewis often astounds me with the way he can spend time on a description without reducing me to snoring. instead of skipping over it in chunks, i find myself slowing down to allow his language to paint the picture before me. he, and other geniuses like him, are the reason why i never take a crack at writing science fiction, a genre i have always secretly loved (Ender's Game is the literary love of my life). you cannot write science fiction without inviting your readers into a new world, with unique colors, shapes, objects, languages, etc. and when i try to write such a setting, i am reduced to feeling like Ransom when he arrives at Malacandra: nearly paralyzed in the realization that everything is different, you cannot function like you used to in your comfortable reality, and where do you possibly begin to adjust yourself?

i realized three chapters in that ive read Out of the Silent Planet before, but i am as eagerly into the text as i was the first time. what an enchanting read!

p.s: somebody else post please please please please?!?

adding to yesterday's post...

tues:
i just finished three cups of tea!
on to before we were free.

wed:
i just finished before we were free!
on to out of the silent planet, book 1 of the cosmic trilogy.
i am also reading a book about wine and it is very interesting--its a sort of how-to guide.

the religion question

so, the concepts of Islam, Christianity, helping the poor, being a good person etc, etc were all floating about in my head as i read chapters 15 & 16 in Three Cups of Tea. i was thinking about all the truly amazing things Mortenson was/is doing in South Asia and pondering how much more concern and care he and his organization have for the poor than many Christians (including myself) that i know. i got excited as i thought: what would happen if someone involved themselves in a movement like that who was doing it because they wanted to love others as Christ loved them first? would it be effective? how could it not be? then i read the chapter in which that one village chief was trying to get Mortenson kicked out of Pakistan and then they investigated his schools to make sure he was truly trying to help the people with no hidden agenda; he was really nervous that he'd be kicked out. not that a Christian has to have an "agenda" with doing good for the poor and neglected, but surely someone with that foundation or basic belief would be kicked out if such an investigation occurred and they inevitably heard that the gospel was being offered or received to any extent.
i know that my God is big enough to reach anyone and everyone, in any situation, in any country. maybe that should be enough, but it was discouraging to me to think that i might not ever be able to be a part of a movement so beautiful and be able to share the reason why i could love so greatly.
another thought: i dont know if Mortenson is a Christian or not, but if he's not...how is he able to be so selfless and loving, receiving really nothing substantial in return for his work, and not do it from an outpouring of God's love??? seems like a pretty sound argument sometimes when people talk about how people can be good without being a Christian and why shouldnt they go to heaven for that?
what comes to mind is how C.S Lewis responded to that thought "can't a person be good/happy and not be a Christian?" he said that what the REAL issue was is not can't i be good/happy but is this Christianity thing TRUE or not? in the end, doesnt it just matter what is true and not what i am able to be or feel in this world?

this probably seems really scattered...just some things i was thinking about.

the book was tough for me to begin but it's picked up considerably and im enjoying it. i am really impressed with Mortenson's work and how he is going beyond the school thing to help in other needed areas as well. i think it would be really cool to visit his school in Korphe or be a part of his work in some way. it's pretty inspiring even though i feel that i dont have the drive, determination and discipline to the extent that Mortenson does.

the evolution of our "book club"

so, basically i have come to joyous terms that this book club does not fall within the parameters that normal book clubs do. this is really a place where people can comment on books, give recommendations, exchange information, let us know what you are reading and what you have read, etc...

in ADDITION, there are some who are reading the SAME books so that we can talk about them specifically, but there is no time line, no necessary reading list or anything of the sorts. i hope we can share our literary passions through this blog and i hope i get to expand my repertoire of literature through your recommendations!

sooo, three cups of tea...
i am about half way through but it has been a struggle to get through it! i enjoy reading the parts about mortenson's life and his challenges to build the school, but the way that relin writes can be difficult for me to read. every time they cross a bridge, pass a mountain etc, etc, he has to go into a long spiel about someone else who has seen that mountain or crossed that bridge. i guess it just slows me down and i want to see what happens next...it kind of reminds me of reading hugo. i LOVE les miserables and i really enjoy reading Hugo, who has such a talent with language, but to be quite honest, i dont care to know the history of the battle of waterloo, i just want to know what happens to jean valjean!!! anyway, speaking of les miserables, i am about 750 pgs into it and maybe i will get to the full 1000+ by the end of the summer...

any comments on three cups so far?

Timeline

So, I am just curious....since I am out of work and, you know, having nothing to do, are we on any kind of time line with reading Three Cups of Tea? Are we waiting for everyone to get a book and then start reading as a group?

something else to add?

Hi everyone!

So... I don't actually know all of you yet, but I'm looking forward to getting to know you via our mutual bookwormish ways. :) I just ordered "Three Cups of Tea" from Amazon this week (woo-hoo for $6!) and can't wait to get it in the mail soon! I went through a "19th c. classics" phase this winter and spring, reading incredible stuff like Dracula, The Invisible Man, 20,000 Leagues, Solomon's Mines, Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde, and Dorian Grey... also fell in love with Alexandre Dumas' stuff... in my opinion, he is a genius. I had this brilliant idea to read ALL of his novels (thinking there were just a few), but after getting through four, I realized Barnes and Nobles stocks like three shelves of his stuff, so I am taking a break. :)

Anyway, I'm up for reading anything you all want to at this point... From the list, I think my top preferences would be "Zorro" and "Northanger Abbey." Haven't read either one, and would love a good excuse to!

One book that I read last year that really stands out as excellent, and that I would recommend to add to the list is "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman.

Three Cups of Tea

I just started Three Cups of Tea, finishing the Introduction and first chapter. So far, so good.
Also, Carol! Hi!

I don't mind re-reading any of these books, as they are all great choices. But, for the record, I have already read:
Cosmic Trilogy, C.S. Lewis
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, Julia Alvarez
When We Were Free, Julia Alvarez
Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Kim Edwards

I think if I were to re-read any of them, I would prefer one of Jane Austen's books. So, that's it for me. I have to PACK!

~mer

The Stranger

...was a very strange book. those French authors! i'd love to hear some opinions about it if anyone wants to pick it up. it was really short, and i read it chiefly in a day. but...well, i like to switch from one book to another sometimes so i might just be weird like that.


there was a ton of sunlight imagery in the book, and a lot of attention paid to time of day, weather, temperature. the man spends his life basically living in reaction to physical needs or wants and has almost no emotional responses...until he is facing his death, and even then it is questionable how "normal" he really is (meredith--a prepositional verb!). he is an incredibly strange, almost eerie character. it is a picture of a life when nothing matters, nothing holds any weight accept eating, sleeping etc...

War and Peace invades my reading life....

I love reading so much, especially really good stories. I'm currently reading War and Peace, and I'm amazed at Tolstoy's ability to reflect characters in such a real way, struggling with humanity as we all do. I'm almost half way through! If I can finish this summer, I will be a happy girl.

I just finished East of Eden on Sunday and I think I'm finally going to read Love, Stargirl next. Well, that's so far as fiction goes, anyway. I also want to re-read Quicksand (I read it a year or two ago for a class).
In the non-fiction realm, I'm reading some "social justice" type books... Being White and Theirs is the Kingdom.

And it begins...

This is hopefully the beginning of our book discussions!

As a test, everyone post once this week and simply say what book you're currently reading and which on the list you've already read.

Also, if you have other book recommendations to add to the list, let me know and I'll add them.

I am currently reading Three Cups of Tea and The Stranger and I'm going to read
Before We Were Free next!

<3 laura