Do you remember
when you were 10 years old and how involved you became with a good book? Remember books that you just couldn’t put
down? Over the year I “became too busy
to read”, and it was only when my school started a half hour of required reading for all
students and staff that I rediscovered the joy of reading a good book. (Silent Sustained Reading in schools has been
found highly effective for increasing comprehension and speed in all subject areas) http://www.essentialschools.org/resources/450.
Here are ten books
that I have recently read and greatly enjoyed:
Pillars of the Earth –Ken
Follett
The story is of a 12th
century master stonemason involved in building one of the great cathedrals of
England. The author has done rigorous
research to give the flavor of life in that period, when the empress Maud and
Stephen are fighting for the crown of England after the death of Henry I. It is
both excellent historical fiction and a good adventure story.
The Physician – Noah Gordon
Medical knowledge in 11th
century England was often a mixture or herbology, wishful thinking, and
magic. A young orphan is adopted by a
patent medicine salesman/surgeon – and he experiences the inadequacies of
medical treatment. His travels lead to
meeting a true trained physician, and Rob gains the vision of where he must
travel and how he must be trained to also become a skilled physician. Gordon has written an inspiring story of
seeking knowledge in a violent and superstition filled world. Great read!
Good Soldier Schweik - Karel Hasek
Set during the World War I
period in the Austro Hungarian empire. In the Czech Republic today, Josef
Švejk, is still a kind of epitome of the Czech spirit of survival in the face
of adversity. The novel deals with a series
of absurdly comic episodes, it explores both the pointlessness and futility of
conflict in general and of military discipline, Austrian military discipline,
in particular. Through possibly-feigned idiocy or incompetence he repeatedly
manages to frustrate military authority and expose its stupidity in a form of passive resistance: the
reader is left unclear, however, as to whether Švejk is genuinely incompetent,
or acting quite deliberately with dumb insolence. These
absurd events reach a climax when Švejk, wearing a Russian uniform, is
mistakenly taken prisoner by his own troops.
An unforgettable classic book!
Half the Sky- Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl
WuDunn
Perhaps the social issue of this
century is the inequality and ill treatment of women worldwide. More girls have been killed in the last fifty years,
precisely because they were girls, than men were killed in all the wars of the
twentieth century, particularly in third world countries that value male heirs.
The authors suggest that it is impossible for countries to climb out of poverty
if only a fraction of women (9% in Pakistan, for example) participate in the
labor force. China's meteoric rise was due to women's economic empowerment: 80%
of the factory workers in the Guangdong province are female. Local women are the
most effective change agents: The book is an eye opener both for understanding
the state of women worldwide today, but offering a range of well considered
opportunities to support positive change.
Mission to Paris: A Novel
- Alan Furst
Watch out – Furst has written a
series of books and its easy to get hooked! Placed in the period prior to WW II
when much of Europe was in a state of great uncertainty. Furst describes the
political and social conflict. His
description of this period in Paris is full of rich literary style and images
and his story telling is meticulous. The
book is more about the personal and psychological maneuvering of the characters
than about war. I went on to read all his other books too!
War of the Newts –Karel Chapek
Its hard to place this book in a
category – It is social/political satire, maybe a bit of biological science
fiction, and perhaps just a good novel. The underlying message is a warning
about the long-term effects of rampant imperialism.
Imagine pearl fishers in the
South Pacific discovering a breed of highly intelligent newts – quite large –
with opposable thumb hands and a well-developed brain. They live happily on their island until the
Europeans kidnap some and return them to Europe. Much to everyone surprise they are really
quite capable of learning and soon their effect of European life has great
surprises. The book includes a variety of
press clippings over the story, personal accounts, and at times you wont know
whether to laugh or cry from reading about the creatures. A remarkable book.
Putting Away Childish Things – Marcus Borg
Marcus Borg is a leading
progressive Christian theologian of our time.
This is his first attempt at a novel.
The people and situations that he describes in the book will sound very
familiar to you if you have dealings with flawed persons who are trying to lead
an honest good life, also if you have had dealings with institutions that
struggle with meeting the needs of their staff and clients, v. the perceived
‘good’ of the institution. The book deals with the open conflict in our world
today between conservative and progressive Christians in an honest thoughtful
manner. Borg is able to include some of
his best questions and reflections on what the Church needs to consider
today. Strongly recommended!
Mr.
Penumbra’s 24-hour bookstore – Robin Sloan
Set
in a hole-in-the-wall San Francisco bookstore, our hero Clay Jannon lost his
job as a San Francisco Web-design drone—and he has landed a new gig working the
night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on
the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the
name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and
never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure
volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate,
long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a
front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex
analysis of the customers’ behavior and roped his friends into helping to
figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr.
Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore.
This is a literary adventure story for the twenty-first century. The book is a little quirky – but you’ll
love it!
The
#1 Ladies Detective Agency – Alexander McCall Smith
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series
tells the story of the engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her
profession to “help people with problems in their lives. “She inherits cows,
which she sells, and uses the money to set up shop in a small storefront in
Gaborone. She is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and
follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs at her heart, and lands her
in danger, is a missing eleven-year-old boy, who may have been snatched by
witchdoctors. Smith has captured the
spirit of Africa and you will fall in love with Ms. Ramotswe, who is
traditionally sized.
A Week in Winter - Maeve Binchy
If you like people
you will love this book! Stonebridge is
a small town on the west coast of Ireland where all the families know each
other. When Chicky Starr decides to take an old, decaying mansion set high on
the cliffs overlooking the windswept Atlantic Ocean and turn it into a restful
place for a holiday by the sea, everyone thinks she is crazy. Helped by Rigger
(a bad boy turned good who is handy around the house) and Orla, her niece (a
whiz at business), Stone House is finally ready to welcome its first guests to
the big warm kitchen, log fires, and understated elegant bedrooms. Laugh and
cry with this unlikely group as they share their secrets and—maybe—even see
some of their dreams come true. Full of Maeve’s trademark warmth and humor,
once again, she embraces us with her grand storytelling.
