In Which I Admit to Having a Problem (Books Lately, June 2023)

 

Yes, a serious problem. I even moved away, but the problem followed me. And so, the only solution is to admit my problem and hope for healing. Here it is...

I am hopelessly addicted to borrowing far more library books than I could ever read. 

Okay, maybe not strictly accurate. I do get around to most of them. But I certainly could stand to calm it down with the maxing-out-the-library-cards bit.

Here is my current waiting list (part of it, at least):

Current subjects of interest include the food and fast food industries, dietary sugar, classic children's books, European politics, and a dabbling in different areas of theology and family life. 

However, come to think of it, it's a good problem to have. So maybe I'll skip the Books-Anon meetings for now.

I am doing my best to catch up with these long-overdue posts, so let's get started with June's books!

For Teens & Adults

The Great Divorce (C. S. Lewis) – Christian allegory.
     How have I gone so long in life without this book? (Answer: I thought I'd read it before.) When I picked it up to "re-read" it, I discovered that I had, in fact, never laid eyes on the material before. While I was at first confused as to what on earth I was reading, I soon picked up the train of thought and devoured the book. When I was done, I read it again - and loved it even more.
     The premise of the book is as follows: What if people in hell had an opportunity - every so often - to leave hell, and then had an opportunity to either return to hell, or continue on the way to heaven?
     It's an interesting question, and as the narrator follows numerous persons in their decision-making process, we see the answers to the perennial question - why do so many insist on taking the wide road instead of the narrow? Lust, pride, stubbornness - all of those are examined and laid bare. I especially liked the "fire lizard," which seemed to represent a besetting sin or addiction, and which became a steed of life and strength once the person afflicted by it consented to have it slain. Beautiful.
     This definitely falls into the Read it now! category. Highly recommended.

The Lazy Genius Way (Kendra Adachi) - Homemaking, life skills, self-improvement.
     Apparently the Lord wanted me to have a copy of this book, because something like twenty minutes after I brought it home from the library , one of my children thoughtfully poured a glassful of water over it. Result: I bought a new copy for the library, and the crunchy one was mine. And this was a good thing.
     This book is one in a long line of self-help books for the management of daily life, but there's a big difference with this one - the tricks are actually good, foundational, keystone habits that really do help. I'm now on my third reading of this book, and I read just a tiny bit each day as encouragement to keep going and keep trying. It is tremendously encouraging and useful.
     The author of this book identifies as a Christian, which is great. Some things that I ran across in the book, however - such as her ridiculing Christian modesty or talking about "smashing the patriarchy" - just made me sad. (If there's anything that our culture needs, a strengthened sense of Christian modesty and a re-instituted patriarchy would top my recommendations.) But I loved the book anyway, and the author definitely has good things to say about life management.
     This book definitely does not have the beautiful formatting and aesthetics of its sequel, The Lazy Genius Kitchen, which I also love. (See my review here.) I'm guessing that the first book went viral, and the publishers were then willing to spring for the gorgeous formatting of the sequel. However, the content is wonderful, even if the book itself is unaccompanied by the beautiful artwork of its successor. Highly recommended.

Preparation for Adolescence: A Planning Guide for Parents (James B. Stenson) – Parenting.
     We enjoyed this book very much. Highly recommended.

Satisfied: Finding Hope, Joy, and Contentment Right Where You Are (Alyssa Joy Bethke) - Christian living for women.
     I thought I was checking out a book on minimalism and home management. Nope, this was a book about.... well, see the title, and you'll pretty much have it.
    I did wade my way through most of this book, even if I did some serious skimming. The truth is that I find books of this type - heavily feminine, with masses of luscious, emotional language - difficult to get through. 
     There was some good stuff in there. And I do believe that women have the biblical responsibility of writing Titus 2 type materials for other women. Perhaps this type of hyper-emotional literature is. helpful for a different type of woman than myself? On the whole, I prefer to stick to plain "how to be a wife and mother" books written by women for women, and for other spiritual reading stick to books by godly Christian men (who are not usually prone to flights of emotion).
     One thing that really did stick out to me is that it might be better for a book on "finding contentment right where you are" not to be filled to the brim with pictures of a home so breath-takingly gorgeous that Martha Stewart would weep tears of despairing envy. 
     Something thing that I really did love about this book was the small compendium of family recipes at the end of the book. I loved that it was short (not more than 20 recipes) and uber-practical looking, so I made the decision that I would cook through all of them. And I did, too! Or rather, through most of them - I think I missed three to five, perhaps, but I did make all of the rest. With one exception (which was probably my fault), all of the recipes were delicious and well-received. Her curry recipe was my first venture into the world of curry, and it is now a family staple.
     I do not either recommend or not recommend this book. However, I certainly recommend the recipes! 

For Children

All-of-a-Kind Family (Sydney Taylor) - I remember this book with much love from my childhood, and my own children are enjoying it just as much. And now I find, to my infinite surprise, but it is not a single book but an entire series! So now we have the other books to enjoy. 

Music & Film

Have you heard of the musical group Floriani? They are a local group of men who have formed a full-time musical ministry, for the express purpose of revitalizing sacred music in America. (Oh, boy! It could use it!) Here is one of their performances, this one with a more Eastern flair. Visit their YouTube channel for more amazing videos:

***

Back in May, we were supposed to attend a performance of Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband." Due to our miscarriage, I had to miss the performance. Thus, we looked up film versions, and found that there was a 1947 version - available for free on YouTube! - and we greatly enjoyed it. (There is a later 1999 version, but it looked less than clean. Let me know what you thought of it if you've seen that one.)

We also wanted to watch "The Importance of Being Ernest," and found that there is a delightful 1952 version that we'd never seen before. 

Enjoy!

Have a wonderful month, dear friends! Pray for me, as I pray for you! (As in, seriously. It's turning into a rough month over here. I could use the prayers.)