Not Your Usual Summer Book List

Here's Part II of my goodness-only-knows-how-many-part series on "Lenten Promises", wherein I was challenged to write on about four bazillion topics, all deep and wide and easily cause for anyone to use so many brain cells that they start to drink to ease the anxiety and, therefore, become an alcoholic.

So far, I'm only a part-time wino...but that is partially thanks to my neighbor turning 40 and needing to test wine for the big 4-0 party.

And, since I'm ALMOST past the halfway mark of finishing all the "test" bottles, I feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. But, I have no idea if my writing will suffer whence I'm finished drinking. You can be the judge of that.

In the meantime, I'm tackling topics from easy to hard. This is topic number two on the easy scale.
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I get perverse pleasure out of reading books that appear, at the outset, to be only for people who wish to dive into the real meaning behind the words.

This explains why I love the Bible. It is rich with meaning on the surface and meaning below the surface and meaning we won't know until we are face-to-face in glory.

I thoroughly enjoy getting together with a group of people and hashing out WHY something should be taken this way or that. Sometimes, my opinion of what I've read is turned on its head after talking through what others think. I like to work my brain that way.

Part of the reason why I haven't written THAT novel, the one I've been talking about incessantly since I was a teenager, is that writing in such a deep way is hard work. And I'm kind of not into work that is that hard. I find it difficult and painful and unyielding. Kind of like stretching any muscle in my body.*

Put in another context, up to the point of my Mom's illness a few, short months ago, I felt all I could write was shallow, meaningless, and full of trash. Somewhat like a romance novel, my most hated form of "literature".

I don't like quotes such as "meaty glory" or "torrid sweat" or "after glow of love". That type of "literary genius" sucks brain cells out of reader's beanies at astounding rates of speed. And, frankly, any woman who has been married long enough knows that more appropriate terms would include "love handles", "a smallish knock at the door and a pronouncement of "barfed in the bed", and "learning curve". Those are much more appropriate to how TRUE love works.

So, as you read this list of books, keep in mind that if you don't like thinking or learning while you read, you should consult another source. Reading off this list will only serve to piss you off and make you hate me. And, neither of us wants that, do we?

1. "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka. What can I say about a man who wakes to find he has turned into a hideous insect? This is an analogy about family and career choices and becoming the very thing we fear and loathe and worry we might have already become.

Written in 1915, this is an amazing story to explore and look at with wonder: how would our own family recoil were we to make such a magnificent, physical change? Would we embrace that change or reject it? Does love keep us alive and hate kill us?

2. "Riddley Walker" by Russell Hoban. This is the only novel I've ever read that was written phonetically. Yes, you read that correctly. The spelling, therefore, is not "proper" and some words cause you to stop and re-pronounce them over and over again before you can grasp the meaning (hy for "high" is an easy example). At times, that makes reading this book a labor of love.

I'm not sure this is a "traditional" thinking man's book as the meaning is pretty easy to scratch at from just a millimeter below the surface, but this post-apocalyptic look at life is fascinating. It is high-brow science fiction at its best--not generally my genre of choice--but a treasure to be sure due to the nature of the writing.

3. "The Inferno" by Dante Alighieri. This story captivated me when I knew little about the Bible and wanted desperately to believe there is a place for those who commit egregious acts against one another. In other words, I liked "The Inferno" for a very shallow reason: it is the piece de resistance when it comes to written works on revenge. Today, I could just love it for its well-written style and excellent symbolism.

Now that I'm a little more grounded in the Bible, I realize a side-by-side study of Revelation/other chapters of the Bible that reference Hell and "The Inferno" would be a really good idea. I believe Hell exists; but I also believe Dante took it a step further and went to great lengths to figure out appropriate punishments for exacting specific revenge on those who committed sin.**

4. "HE" by Katherine Anne Porter. This is the only short story on this list, but it may be the most powerful piece of the four.

I remember reading this the first time in my twenties and practically cringing at the Mother's remarks. And feeling for the second son. And crying stinging tears as the end moved closer and closer. And wishing it would turn back and not end the way I knew it would.

Oh my, is this powerful stuff. I've never read another of Ms. Porter's works, not for lack of desire, but for lack of trying. I wasn't sure my soul could handle reading anything else she wrote.

Upon finding my copy from "Social Issues in American Literature II" again, I found myself catapulted back to the emotion of it all. I'm not sure, in all my life, I will read so few words that are so filled with meaning and clarity about who we are as people.
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Honestly, if you tackle even two of these readings, you'll need a break from literature for awhile. But, if you decide to try, let me know what you think. Leave your comments about these titles or tell me what books have inspired you.

Happy, THOUGHTFUL, reading!


*Have I mentioned that I'm the least flexible person I know? I cringe watching Cirque De Soleil because my body would snap in half put in any of the positions those talented folks take for granted.

**Today, I know that God has His eye on every act of every person and I don't worry about what so-and-so does or doesn't deserve. That doesn't mean I don't fight for what is right. It simply means that I don't worry about people gettng what they deserve in the bitter end of it all. I take forgiveness at its word--an absolute way out of sin for those who have accepted Christ as their own. And I truly hope that all who leave this world have found their way to Him before their death.