Read this!

Books that are rocking my world right now (in totally opposite directions, I might add)

The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman. It's all about globalization and ipods and Google and how the world is changing FAST FAST FAST. I would love to get my father to read it (an economist) and hear his thoughts. Maybe I can convince the WSJ to exerpt it... (My dad reads newspapers. Books are what he gives me for Christmas.)

(I'll probably expound on TWIF more as the days go on.)

Schools for Conversion: 12 Marks of a new monasticism edited by the Rutba House. It's all about people doing things like forming inner city communities, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, etc. But it's like NON-FICTION! The letters on the page are black, not red, and these people live in American cities, today. I read it like some science fiction item, riveted and scared. And then I get to go (after I wash my hair) and discuss it. I am horrified! Is this the call Christ gave to us about 2000 years ago? How could my bourgeousis life even begin to try to...I'm speechless. I mean, I own a car, outright. I shop at Whole Foods. The stuff in this book scares the bejesus out of me.

Eat Cake (oh, I told you that a million times--just do it.)

Walk Two Moons. It's not Sharon Creech's best, and it won a Newbery (which unfortunately doesn't really mean too much in terms of quality as the past years have revealed...) but it is a good book, and the new cover (click on zee link) compells me. It's better than it might sound. Oy vey. If you want a fuller "book talk" from SL on this, go to Babelbabe's latest post. I'm the 10 millionth comment, towards the end.