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A Summer of Books—Online and Off
June 25, 2007
By Alison Andrews
For years, Summer was the time when I read even more than I
usually did since classes were out and there were hours of peaceful, unbroken
reading time ahead when it was too hot to be outside and nothing else was going
on. My parents rarely heard me complain about being bored, unless I’d read all
the printed material in the house—which was unlikely; we had a lot of
bookshelves, and anyway I was always willing to reread a favorite. This
continued throughout college and graduate school: summers were the time I could
read what I wanted to.
Now, of course, I’m reading picture books to my kids during
most of my waking hours. That still doesn’t mean I’ve stopped reading. Here’s
what’s been on my nightstand lately, followed by some things I’ve been checking
out online.
Then We Came to the End
In his first
novel, former adman Jonathan Ferris
perfectly captures the paranoid atmosphere in a Chicago ad agency that is
undergoing layoffs at the end of the ‘90s boom. Ferris’s most brilliant move was
his choice to use second person plural (“we”) to narrate most of the book. By
using the group to describe the events, both actual and rumored, that are
happening to the people in the office, he makes readers feel that we too are one
of them, gathering around the water cooler to learn the latest gossip. As the
anxiety escalates, the characters become more and more real to us in their fear,
their pettiness, their attempts at compassion, and their humanity.
Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith
This
book is the third spiritual memoir Anne
Lamott has written, and her many fans were eager to see it appear. Almost anyone
who reads her will agree she has a gift for capturing emotional and spiritual
truth in an honest (and often hilarious) way. With that said, like Lamott’s
earlier books, this is not a book for people who don’t like to hear George W.
Bush criticized (although she says she doesn’t hate him any more) or who have
trouble listening to liberal beliefs (abortion, assisted suicide) expressed by a
professed Christian. As for me, I’ve learned a lot from a woman who may be quite
different from me, but who holds fast to the ideals of loving God and people as
the best way we can make the world a better place. Plus, the book almost made me
snort Coke out of my nose during a plane flight. Anyone who can make me laugh
about the difficulties and foibles of human beings is doing good work in the
world.
The Kids’ Book Club Book
I must confess that I haven’t read this one, since
I am neither a kid nor in a book club (unfortunately). But it sounds great! I
like the idea of having a summer book club for kids to keep them reading during
vacation time, and this book has lots of good book recommendations along with
recipes and activities that will bring the books alive for young readers. If I
were still teaching, I would use this book for ideas as well. Anything to make
reading fun and interactive! You can visit the website
here
to check out some sample ideas and the book lists.
An Online Book Club (Of Sorts)
I said I hadn’t been able to find a book club that
fits my schedule, but I have found
goodreads.com. It’s like MySpace for
book lovers. Once you’re signed up, you list books you have read or want to
read, then rate and review them. You can also add other members as friends and
comment on their books. When your friends update their books, you are notified
so you can see what they’re reading. I’ve found out about several good books
that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.
Check them all out and have a great summer.
ninetyandnine.com
© 2007, Alison Andrews
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Alison Andrews lives near Ft. Worth,
Texas, with her husband and two young children. She needs a nap right now.
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