One of my favorite things to do after the kids are in bed at night is to flop down on the sofa in front of the fire and start reading. An hour spent soaking up words, and I feel luxuriously rich and much invigorated.
I’ve read two great books, as of late. It’s rare that I have a succession of lovely reads (usually there’s a dud, or a dry, heavy tome, thrown in the mix to slow me down), so it’s been quite the treat. (And now I’m [re-]reading a third, my mom’s.)
The first hit read was a book called The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love by Kristin Kimball. The particular copy I read came from Lee, a friend from church. The book is making the rounds—Lee, Marj, me, my husband, Sam, etc). Everyone wants to get their hands on this gem of a book which recounts how city-slicker Kristin met her radical-farmer husband and how they acquired a farm and started their business. It’s a fast read, full of entertaining stories that involve subjects such as blood sausage, used dental floss, and rats (not all in the same tale, though).
Most back-to-the-earth stories that I’ve read (this one, for example) ring hollow, like the authors are living the life just so they have something to write about. Not this one, though. This story is hardcore. There is nothing idealized about their life. Words are not minced. There is blood, poop, and extreme exhaustion, with nary a stab at romanticizing it. (Not like you really could romanticize poop…)
It made me feel downright lazy—’cause I take my dirty life with hefty slice of cheesecake—but it did motivate me to finally make up my seed order.
The second book is the highly-controversial Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua.
Folks, I loved this book! It’s funny, honest, crazy, challenging, and inspiring. I find it fascinating that this book has raised such an extreme level of ire in so many people. (Just read the reviews on Amazon.) Clearly, it strikes a nerve.
This is what the book says on the cover…
(it’s a confessional, people! the woman eats a lot of crow!), but I’ll not say much more. Read it for yourself, okay?
(Oh yeah. The tiger mother book made me feel lazy, too.)
What books are you reading?
This same time, years previous: corn and wild rice soup with smoked sausage
11 Comments
Unknown
LOL. I was kind of hoping God wouldn't see when I checked out Taking Charge of Your Fertility this week. Because of course He is always in charge. But I'm finding it really informative about the reproductive system. I'm actually a little horrified at how little I know of these things and about the Pill that I've been on for almost 6 years. I want to blame my doctor but know its my job to educate myself. I'm also reading What to Expect Before You're Expecting. I'll keep you informed about the progress. Michelle
Ps. Is it "inform about" or "inform on"?
Jennifer Jo
Spiderjohn, There's a backlash, yes, but MANY people are thrilled, too. About it being a joke—a lot of people don't get her sense of humor and I think that's what she's having to explain. I found it very funny, but probably not as funny as a child of Chinese immigrants would. They would probably be peeing their pants and rolling on the floor gasping for breath.
Mavis, there is NOTHING to be afraid of. The tiger she writes about does not bite.
To the rest of you, thanks for all your suggestions/ideas! (Michelle, I thoroughly enjoyed the Curious Incident book, and I'm TOTALLY curious about the bun in the oven you alluded to.)
Mavis
I feel like I need to read the Tiger Mom book… but I'm also afraid too…
Spiderjohn
I read an article this morning about Amy Chua.
Evidently, there has been such a backlash about her book and parenting style, that she is now saying that most of what she wrote was a joke. I don't think she will be believed.
Anonymous
"Mother of Prevention" (Lori Copeland). Can hardly put it down but I make myself wait until after the little ones are in bed and the kitchen floor swept.
-Amber
Natasha
I just finished Sunk Without a Sound by Brad Dimock… actually, I devoured it. It's about a couple that went missing while boating down the Colorado River on their honeymoon in the early 1900's. I love reading real-life mysteries about places I'm visiting, ideally while I'm still there, so picked this one up at the Grand Canyon. If you decide to read it, I'll warn you it's not written like a novel; it's a historical account, and best researched by the author. He tries his dangest to present it in an objective manner to let you draw your own conclusions, but his analysis of the various theories, just kinda leads you to agree with his interpretation of the facts. Nonetheless, a fun vacation read.
Kate
I needed some good book suggestions. Off to the library!
Camille
One Thousand Gifts (Ann Voskamp), Bible (all the time), When You Rise Up (RC Sproul Jr.), Morning and Evening (Spurgeon), and a few others…a little Dickens and some Austen on the go for a long, long time…must get those completed. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your good reads with us…and the cheesecake…it's cooling in the fridge and I don't think I can wait until dinner is over to dig in! 🙂
Unknown
One Thousand Gifts (Ann Voskamp), The Alchemist (Paul Coelho), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (Mark Haddon), and some stuff on getting a bun in the oven and other such gory details on women's down-unders
You Can Call Me Jane
One Thousand Gifts (Ann Voskamp), Radical (David Platt), and Amy Carmichael (Christian Heroes Then and Now), but you knew that:-). And, The Dirty Life is sitting patiently on my Amazon wish list.
teekaroo
Solve your child's sleep problems…for the fourth time, I think. 🙂 I can't remember the last "for pleasure" book I've read.