Recent Reads

Hello! I have been reading a lot lately and I have some books to share. I will keep my thoughts brief, but I am always looking for recommendations in all genres.

Last time I updated you I mentioned that I had just started Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jonathan Krakauer. 

 

Well, I have made it through the book and it was a really compelling read. The book outlines the heinous murdersof a woman and a child by two men who used their faith to justify the killings. The majority of the book explores the history of the Mormon religion from its origins and endeavors to understand how the killers used their own strange and violent fundamentalist beliefs (separate from modern Mormonism) as a call to kill.

I found this book to be extremely fascinating as I was only loosely aware of the history of Mormonism, and this gave a clear historical timeline. Of course the sensational story of the murders gives the book a bit of a page turner quality too. I recommend this read if you are as interested learning more about the history of the Mormon faith, which is often shrouded in mystery.

The Story of a New Name, by Elena Ferrante is the second book in a series known as the Neopolitan Novels. The story follows the lives of two women from childhood and, in the second novel, into young adulthood. I am enjoying the series immensely as the writing is beautiful and descriptive, the characters are richly developed and the city of Naples feels so real. I can't wait to start the third.

  

Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson, follows the parallel timelines of the Chicago World's Fair, and the life of HH Holmes. Set in the dirty and bustling streets of 19th century Chicago the juxtaposition of the wealth and innovation behind the development of the fair and the filthy streets of a poor city, whose river sometimes reverses flow and fills the air with the pungent odors of slaughterhouses and sewage, is startling. 

The brilliant minds behind the fair are studied with care as they meticulously address the issues and expectations surrounding their enormous task. Mirroring the efforts of artists and architects is the story of HH Holmes, brilliant and innovative in his own terrible fashion. The book masterfully explores the highs and very dark lows of bright brains set on a task. 

 

In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote. A classic for a reason.

 

I have started reading and pondering a poem or two a day. I am currently working my way through 100 Selected Poems by e.e. Cummings. 

 

Finally, I read to the girls every day. We go through many books that are simply not worth mentioning, either because you already know about them or because they aren't special. I did just buy this book at the local bookstore. It features 100 stories of different women who did/are doing something amazing with life. We read a couple of stories each night. The girls are so into it! The concise stories of powerful women (scientists, artists, dancers, cyclists, models, botanists, etc.) inspire conversation and the accompanying art, all by talented female artists, are all laying an important groundwork for these girls. They can do anything! 

What are you reading?

Currently Reading

New year, new books. I am reading and enjoying a couple different books at once, but I am most excited about this book which Eric gifted me for Christmas:

Kahlo  by Andrea Kettenmann

The book is a basic biography of the artist. Her story is well-known, but Kettenmann puts Kahlo's work into the context of her personal history. While I was already generally familiar with the artist's work and timeline I really appreciate the easy manner in which the material is presented.

I have been really inspired by Kahlo on a personal level, motivated to make my own work more personal. I admire the way that Kahlo so openly expressed her ideas, feelings, passions and pain. Clearly that is why her work is still so relevant to this day.

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The girls and I go to the library at least once a week. We know the staff and they know our family---small-ish town living is great for that kind of thing.

Anyway I will often check out the staff picks, because they see it all and there are a lot of dull books written for kids. When we have nothing special in mind it is a great way to discover something new. That is how we stumbled upon this book:

Benny's Brigade by Arthur Bradford

I was the one who grabbed the book because, tiny walrus! I had to know the story. As you can imagine, the book is about a tiny walrus named Benny. I don't want to ruin the story, but the last page is fantastic.

The story is simple, cute and creative. The girls were talking about what they would do if they found a tiny walrus. Imagination ignited!

What are you reading?

Reading

Reading is a big part of most days. I read to the girls, they look at books on their own. Cordelia is getting more confident about solo-reading. Elise is happy to just look at the pictures for now. When the girls are playing and there is a spare moment when I can squeeze in a chapter of my own I am very happy. I also read in the evenings, sometimes when I am sleepless, any time I can. I thought I would share a couple of books that we are reading. First the kids and then myself.

Everyone Poops
By Taro Gomi



I am going to come clean here, we had this book long before we had children. Someone had purchased this as a gift for Eric and I. I am hopeful that it was a joke gift, but who knows.

Anyway, the title of the book pretty much gives away the entire story. Taro Gomi is a fantastic illustrator and we have always enjoyed his work. This particular book covers the topic of human and animal feces. While we always love good poop humor, that is not the purpose of this book. The text is clear and concise and explains that everyone who eats must also poop. Recently Elise was angrily denying the existence of fish poop. We showed her the fish poop section of the book and all was clear. It is educational, it is a little funny. It is a classic in our house.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons From the Crematory
By Caitlin Doughty



I mentioned a few weeks ago that I intended to use a gift certificate for a local book store on this book and another (more on that in a bit). I had first heard of Caitlin Doughty on a radio interview which led me to her You Tube videos and then to her book.

The book did not disappoint. She begins by pulling the reader in with stories from her time working at a crematory. She shares the hows and whys of the industry as well as some insight into what pulled her in that direction. Doughty's stories are equally heartbreaking, funny, honest, and weird. She lures you in with her insight into a world that is largely hidden until we are mired in the depths of personal loss; a time when we aren't really equipped to navigate through many of the decisions we are faced with when choosing how to handle the remains of a loved one. She gives the reader a glimpse behind the curtain.

Throughout the whole book she has included historical references that give greater context to the culture of death and how it varies from one group to the next. The insights into how humans have dealt with death over time truly lead the reader into the deeper end of the book. Doughty has carefully guided her readers to the true purpose of her book, getting us to face the reality of our own mortality. She isn't being morbid at all, rather she is trying to liberate people from the paralyzing fear of death: empowering people to accept death, play a role in the care of our deceased loved ones, and to really live the lives we have been given. My favorite lines from the book:
  
 Accepting death doesn't mean that you won't be devastated when someone you love dies. It means     you will be able to focus on your grief, unburdened by bigger existential questions like "Why do people die?" and "Why is this happening to me?" Death isn't happening to you. Death is happening to us all.

While I know that can come across as a bit intense I promise that Doughty leads the reader to that point with humor, intelligence, and honesty. I highly recommend this book to anyone who plans to die.

Sunday Quote: Reading

No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.
~Confucius

Veganist Winner and How Everyone Can Win

Oh man I always get so excited about the giveaway business and then I have to choose a winner, or three in this case. I wish I were rich and I could just give you all something, but alas I am not and I can't. So I used random.org to help. The three winners of the Veganist cookbook are...
Victoria (I already have your address)
Junko (Please contact me with your address)
Roxee (Please contact me with your address)

So...now I still want to share my copy of the Veganist book with you, let's start a little book train. I propose that I mail it to one of you and you mail it to the next person down the line when you are done reading it and so on until it finds its way back to me. Any takers? If you are interested in doing that just email me your mailing address and I shall start up a little train. Let me know.

Gettin' Rid of Stuff

Eric and I are living in a small house, very small. When we first moved to Wyoming we were having toruble finding a place that allowed our pets and we were under a serious time crunch to find a place to live. So we moved into our tiny little rental house. We have always planned to move to a larger space and we still do. I think we'll be moving within the next couple of months.

To fit ourselves into this smaller space we had to seriously downsize. Even now we are still a little crowded into our house. Nothing makes me want to downsize like being confronted with all of our stuff. There's no place to hide it here in this house. So Eric and I are methodically going through all of our posessions and asking these questions:

• Do we need it?
• Do we use it?
• Do we really love it?

If we can't answer yes to any of these questions than the item has to go. It just makes sense. Who wants a house full of stuff that they only kind of like and never use? Anyway, my only hold out has been books. I love books. I love to read. I have a ridiculous amount of books. The thing is, I know where there is a building that holds tons of books that I can read any time...the library. So, last night I bit the bullet and downsized my book collection. The only books I have kept are ones that have special meaning to me, not just the words, but that specific book.

Let me tell you, I cleared up so much space. I can't believe how much better it feels to just let go! I seriously purged a mountain of books.

Now when we move we can feel even better about our space, rather than filling it up. Plus our current space feels lighter already. What have you done to simplify your space lately?