My Schizophrenic Reading List

There’s a pair of socks on both sets of my favorite knitting needles. I hate the one and need to muster the energy to frog it, but would really like to finish the other someday soon. There’s the beginnings of a shawl stuffed deep in a project bag with lovely red beads floating around it like tiny satellites. And let’s not even discuss the sewing bag with it’s cryptic pattern sheets. I mean to get to it eventually…really I do.

And then there’s the books I’m reading. I remember when I was the sort that religiously only read one book at a time — a life philosophy that made perfect sense in the days before children. I think I even tried to hold to it for that short period when Jack was an only child. But then the triplets arrived on the scene, and all bets were off.

Since then, as our lives have gotten easier in some respects and more difficult in others, I’ve found my “to be read” list getting increasingly out of hand. Here’s a smattering:

Three Cups of Tea — A descriptive (VERY descriptive) true tale of a fairly aimless mountain climber who becomes the champion of girls’ education in Pakistan and Afghanistan. I heard him speak live last week, so am determined to slog through this one — no matter what they say on CNN, and no matter how many times his ghost-writer uses the word “vertiginously.” Proof that a thesaurus is not always a writer’s friend.

Scream-Free Parenting — I truly love this one. I was pleased to find I’m already implementing the major principles of this book to some degree, but the fine tuning on conflict resolution among siblings has been really helpful. However, I am trying to write this in spite of a four-part squabble taking place mere inches away. Here’s a tip they don’t tell you about: Once daddy comes home, pretend you’re deaf.

Mark Twain’s Joan Of Arc — I love this book. I should probably qualify that statement by sharing that I’m a bona fide Mark Twain freak (or Superfreak! if you prefer), and as such was overjoyed when our preacher’s wife shared with me a title that I’d never heard of before, written in a style unlike any of his other works. I told Jason it felt like adding a new layer to an old and treasured friendship.

A Red Herring Without Mustard — Not since I finished the last of Agatha Christie’s works have I enjoyed a good mystery quite as much. Flavia De Luce is my new Hercule Poirot. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is the first in this series. So I recommend you get acquainted with this interesting little girl (yes, the main protagonist is 11) as soon as possible.

Swamplandia — I’ve gone no further than downloading this one, but I have it on good authority it’s great and fully intend to get into it as soon as I put paid to one of the others in process. Oh, who’m I kidding. I’ll probably start it tonight.

Prayer: Does it Make Any Difference? — I love Phillip Yancey. I’ve been a huge fan since I read The Jesus I Never Knew a few months ago. I almost think of him as a slightly more accessible C.S. Lewis. Not that I’m in any way downing C.S. Lewis, just acknowledging that he was a lot smarter than I’ll ever be.

Like I said, I’ve been playing deaf for the last half hour, so I’ve also had time to update my scrolling widget to your right. If you want to read for yourself any of the back cover blurbs for those books on my current reading list (as well as a few old favorites I threw in for good measure), just mosey the old mouse over to the right and click to your heart’s content.