O Books We Love!

Taking a short break from the popular culture chat and reality TV addiction, I will actually share some book recommendations. Here's a list of the last ten books I've read (last to first):

1. Any Place I Hang My Hat, Susan Isaacs
2. The Constant Princess, Phillippa Gregory
   
3. The Last of Her Kind, Sigrid Nunez
4. Elements of Style, Wendy Wasserstein
5. Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel and Western Culture, Lesslie Newbigin
   
6. Girl, Get Your Money Straight! Glinda Bridgeforth
7. The Negro Church in America/The Black Church Since Frazier, E. Franklin Frazier & C. Eric Lincoln
8. hokum: an anthology of african-american humor, edited by paul beatty
9. Queen Bees & Wannabes, Rosalind Wiseman
10. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
    

And yes, Steven, I've read King Dork . . . see picture above. The other shot, of just Pikachu checking it out, actually made it onto Dr. Frank's website, which has really bumped up her need to hide from the stalkerazzi . . . she can't sit by the window and wait for the squirrels in peace anymore without someone jumping up to get a shot of her. She's been trying to get me to call Jennifer Aniston's people so that we can trade advice about avoiding them.

And finally, on the whole King Dork subject: you must buy and read this book. It's excellent. I'm serious. Go get it, now!

As you can see I have eclectic taste . . .

I highly recommend hokum, if for no other reason than the chapter on "The Wit and Wisdom of Mike Tyson" in which he is quoted as saying, "My power is discombobulatingly devastating . . . It's ludicrous these mortals even attempt to enter my realm." People, the real thing is ten times better than anything the Wayans brothers can dream up! There are other collected writings, speeches and commentary that will make you laugh and scratch your head.

Also really good (thanks again, Uncle Howard & Auntie Agnes) is Never Let Me Go. Ishiguro's style is so clean; it's impossible to read it and not wish to master the art of writing as he has. Read for the story and the style. While I think the theme has been done better by other writers, I couldn't turn away from the book because the amazing clarity of the writing style.

I am actually still reading The Constant Princess, the latest in Phillippa Gregory's historical novels about the most famous Tudor women. The first was about Ann Boleyn, told through her sister's eyes, the second and third are more so about Elizabeth I, although the second was supposed to be about Mary but really showed the conflict between Elizabeth and Mary, and how Elizabeth siezed power and finished the conversion of England to Protestantism. This one is about Katharine of Aragon, and I'm a third through. "Catalina" was never a favorite of mine; I guess because she was suuuuch a Catholic, I have always been intrigued by the fact that she was true royalty, born of the Aragon and Castile alliance between Ferdinand and Isabella. Her mother was a real ruling queen who rode to battle with the Moors . . . she was well educated in her time, and deserves some respect. I of course have always just been way more interested in the scandal of Ann Boleyn and her controversial, Protestant viewpoint.

If you're looking for a good summer diversion, read the Susan Isaacs book. It's not her best, but still contains her signature witty, sharp writing, with fully drawn characters. I still haven't figured out why all of her heroes and heroines have absentee and/or awful surrogate mothers. While it frequently makes for funny moments and great character quirks, it would be nice to see her take a little different path. The Wendy Wasserstein novel was dissapointing to me; her writing style is somewhat stilted, and I couldn't help but think that it just wasn't her milieu. I love all of her plays; this could have been a good play, I think. And yes, I realize it's "unfinished".

Foolishness to the Greeks is one of the texts for the Ephesians class I'm teaching with Johan at the Servant Leadership School. I will go into more detail on this later . . . it kind of warrants its own post, and I'm in the midst of the class.

Next time I will tell you more about what I'm reading now, and what's on my summer reading list.