Random Ramblings

This Charming Man by Marian Keyes

I've read lots of books by Marian Keyes and have enjoyed them all.  She's a great Irish author and her books create memorable characters.  My favorite was probably Rachel's Holiday, but I thoroughly enjoyed This Charming Man, too.  I stayed up late several nights reading because I wanted to find out was going to happen next.

The story revolves around an Irish politician and several women who have been influenced by him.  Ms. Keyes does a terrific job of melding their stories together and keeping the reader guessing about how they will all come together.  I would like to get into the sections that I was most moved by, but I don't want to ruin the flow of the story for anyone.  I'm not the type to ruin an ending!

Called Out of Darkness by Anne Rice

This is a memoir by the woman who used to be my very favorite author, Anne Rice .  In college and beyond, I read all her vampire and witch books and loved her narrative style and complex characters.  But as I grew in my Christian faith, I found that I enjoyed her books less.  I wasn't bothered by the characters - I don't feel threatened by fictional vampires and witches - but rather the dark perspective on life and some of the graphic descriptions of violent acts. 

When I stumbled on this book at the library and saw the subtitle A Spiritual Confession, I was very intrigued.  Turns out that Mrs. Rice grew up Catholic in New Orleans, but became atheist when she went to college.  She finally came back to God in her 60's and has written this book as a result. 

Most of the book is about her early experiences with religion and why she let it fall out of her life.  My favorite sections were when she came back to her faith.  I found that many of her opinions are the same as mine.  And I didn't take over 30 years to get there!  One of the main points that we agree on is the idea that churches don't always help share the love that Jesus sought to teach us.  Too many vocal Christians are spewing hate at fellow Christians and at non-believers.  That is so wrong!

So, overall, I liked the book since she agreed with me (isn't that the way it goes?)  However, the flow of the whole book was a bit choppy and didn't always seem to have a point.  I'm glad I persevered through to the end, because I really enjoyed the last two chapters and even ended up reading a passage in my Bible study.  She had a wonderful visualization of listening to Jesus deliver the Sermon on the Mount (pg 243).  Since that's what we're studying, it was a perfect bit to share!

Books I've read (or not read) recently

First with the one I didn't read.  When I was on the mainland last summer, I visited my English teacher friend and she gave me two books that she insisted that I had to read.  Jeni, I tried - really I did!

A Hundred Years of Solitude  by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  I've come across this title before and it was always recommended, so I assumed I would enjoy it when it was one of the two that Jeni gave me.  The author won a Nobel prize for literature - surely that means something?  I painstakingly made it through 52 pages before I stopped.  It was artsy and fanciful and I just couldn't figure out what was happening or enjoy the story.  I'm going to hang onto it and try again someday.  Maybe my ability to embrace a "modern classic" will improve.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being  by Milan Kundera.  Another artsy-fartsy book, but I actually made it through this one.  The good news is that I was depressed before I began reading it, so it didn't bring me down.  The bad news is that it certainly didn't bring me up either.  For a novel to be considered fine literature, does it have to leave the reader with an overpowering awareness of the meaninglessness of life?  I kept waiting for something positive or redemptive and then the story ended.  Again, I probably lack the intellectual tools to pick apart the brilliance of the work and missed the significance entirely.

So, what do I read and enjoy?  Thankfully, there have been lots of those lately, too.  I already wrote about The Hiding Place.  Fabulous memoir.  Perfect book club fodder.  Here are some other titles I've gone through lately:

The Shack by Paul Young.  I went at this one cautiously because it has gained such notoriety in Christian circles.  I was afraid it would be as horribly written as the Left Behind books and didn't want to waste my time.  I was amazed by how this book affected me and even enhanced my understanding of the nature of the trinity.  The first-time author is not a theologian, but his character's interaction with God was incredibly imaginative and yet scripturally plausible.  God as a friendly black woman - who would have thought?!

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.  As I read this novel, I hoped that the author wasn't historically accurate, but know that she probably researched the details extensively.  It's about the friendship of two women from girlhood until death, set in 19th century China.  It was the time and place of foot-binding, arranged marriages, strict classism and un-ending suffering of women.  There's sadness, but also the timeless lesson on the importance of friendship among women.  Every woman needs a sister-chick!

A Singular Hostage by Thalassa Ali.   One of my many finds from thrift stores, this proved to be a fun read.  The story concerns a Victorian woman sent to India by her family to get herself a soldier husband.  Instead she becomes intimately involved with the locals and ends up staying.  I wouldn't call this high literature, but it was certainly entertaining and well written.  I just saw on amazon that there are two sequels - I'll read them if I come across them in my bargain hunting.

Too Much Tuscan Sun  by Dario Castagno.  The subtitle of this one is "Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide" and he certainly has entertaining stories to tell.  Most of the shocking behavior from clients is, of course, courtesy of Americans.  We are generally an obnoxious bunch when we visit other countries, so I'm certainly not offended by his observations. Since Dario is an Italian telling about Tuscany, it's definitely a new viewpoint from all the other books that have come out in the last decade or so.  But it also means that he has an amazing depth of passion for certain subjects and spends many pages on them.  He's a Siena native, so that means I got to learn alot about the Palio.  Not what I expected, but still interesting.  Since I love Italy so much, I enjoyed reading this book, but it's not my favorite on Tuscany.  That distinction goes to The Reluctant Tuscan by Phil Doran.  It's been a couple years since I read it, but I remember laughing out loud when I did. 

It is acceptable to read for entertainment, right?

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom

This book has been recommended to me for years, but honestly who goes out of their way to read about Nazi concentration camps?  It's never easy to spend time pondering the horrors of humanity. 

When this title was suggested in my book club, I knew it was time to give it a read and I'm so glad that I did.  Corrie ten Boom was a fabulous woman who was courageous beyond her wildest dreams.  She followed God's prompting and accomplished amazing things during a dark time in Europe's history.  The story is told beautifully and she inspires hope rather than despair through all the horrible experiences.  I never would have thought it possible.  Read this book - you'll be surprised at how it affects you.

I just have to say more....

Maybe it's because Mike is gone, but I have other stuff that I want to "talk" about and no one to listen to me.  Sometimes I have rants and sometimes I just want to rave about a book or movie.  This is where I'm gonna do it!  Read it or ignore it - I'll have fun just getting it out of my mind.  :-)