A few good books

It's that time again--when SL, the librarian, tells you what she's been reading. Gather up, it's book time!

For Mother Goose (my storytime of 6-24 mos and their moms, grandmas and dads): Hands Can. My favorite part is "Peekaboo!"

For a dinner date: "Because of Winn Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo. It's her best book. I don't like her newer stuff as well. But this was a gem. Candy that makes you remember sad times, a dog that helps the girl (I've already returned the book to the library and I'm too lazy to Google it) find friends. When I finished it, I cried. But they were happy tears. Babs cracked me up when she said, "They should make a movie." Hon, they did. (Not that I've seen it.)

For mending that broken heart: "You didn't complete me: when 'The One' turns out to be 'just someone'" by JoAnna Harris. I've been reading a lot of this type of book lately, as I try to process through the pain of being human. But this is the first book that takes a Christian perspective. She actually does the online dating thing--for research-- and finds it to be the crock that I found it to be (I'm not crazy, yay!) She talks about imaginary relationships: this is huge folks, never have I found any other writings on this, but I am so there: he looks at you a certain way and you have written the story all the way to the ring and the white dress. It's sad but TRUE. Also, I love her "Thanks" at the end: "Jack and Ross--For breaking my heart. Otherwise I'd be forced to make this stuff up." It's funny, it's sad, it's great. I think my married friends should read it to understand what we singletons go through...

For heart healthiness: "Heart of the Matter: how to find love, how to make it work" by Linda Austin. I'm trying to steer away from the "How to find a man to marry" books, but I do want information and I do seek most of that from books. This is such a low key book that anyone, whether they are in a relationship or seeking to be in one can benefit from. It is so NOT self-help-y. (Well, as much as a book could be in the 306.7 --relations between men and women-- area could be.) This book does not tell you which lists to make or which changes to garner first. It gently guides you through thinking about where you are and where you could be going. She gets at the heart of issues and makes me think about oh, is that why I do that? Some of the best advice is stuff I've heard from my wise friend Babs: (but I'll be quoting Linda A, here) "One can provide sun, water, and soil for a plant, but the plant has to do its own growing. Likewise, when you 're responding to a friend or lover who has a problem you'd like to fix for them, remember that it's impossible to help another more than he is able to help himself. It's just not in your power to "make it all better."...Our goal [as therapists] is to enable our clients to give themselves good advice. On the other hand, communicating the simple thought I believe in you empowers them to greet their problems with energy and confidence." (and I've lost the page #) Anyways, it's a good book, very non-confrontational.

Yes, it's time for the good stuff: the latest in Chick Lit!!

"The Queen of Babble" by Meg Cabot. I will read just about anything by MC. She is wonderful at mistaken identitites, light mysteries, not so light mysteries (she's just started a mystery series) and her books are just FUN. Queen of B is about a girl who goes to England and discovers that her boyfriend is a jerk. So she goes to France, where her girlfriend is hanging out in a villa. (Yes, this is why I do not write book reviews for the New Yorker...) Anyways, it's funny and readable. And already back at the library or I'd give you more meat.

"Literacy and Longing in L.A." by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack. A little darker than the usual fluff that I take as my dinner dates, but a good read. When the going gets tough, Dora does not buy shoes, she binges on books. This leads to an affair with a bookseller at a local bookstore and all sorts of adventures. (Especially since Dora, who lives in the land of the freeway, hates driving on the freeway.) This book is peopled by people you've met: bittter, cynical, yet trying to make it through life unscathed. And there is healing, which made it worth reading the depressing parts.

Books I'm in the middle of:

"Reaching for the Invisible God" by Phillip Yancey. I have read this one already more than once. I pretty much read anything by PY because he is cynical and doubtful in his faith and that is refreshing to me. It's not all roses and miracles--it's about broken hearts, broken dreams, and how the heck do you have a relationship with an invisible God? PY is also very well read, so there are tons of quotes from the writers he's read. I love that in a book!

A few gems:

• Ultimately I saw that a constant emphasis on God's power may lead to the fatalism of extreme Muslims or Hindus, who conclude that humans need do nothing because the will of God works itself out regardless. Far more impressive is the miracle of God's condescension, his humble willingness to share power and offer us full partnership in the mission of transforming the world. (p. 182)

(well, if I gave you more, I'd be here all morning--you know that on and on Anon thing.)

"Leaving Church: a memoir of faith" by Barbara Brown Taylor. A woman who is a full-time priest in the Episcopal church, through her journey leaves her position. It's the story of a real woman discovering that what she thought was a lifetime job may have just been "for a season" and how her faith weathers the changes. It's very good, but it has a ton of holds so I might have to return it before I'm done. I think in the end, though, it's a book I'd like to own. Her candor is refreshing and her writing is clear.

That is all. I think it's time to get dressed and think about what I'm doing today...