Wicked and Good

My vow not to write anything unless it seemed to be worthwhile has given me a little slack to catch up on some family things, get a bit more exercise in the pool, and read.

I’ve been reading a lot, screening books for our book group for next year. The ones I’ve read and just couldn’t put down are “Wicked”, “Four Spirits”, “March”, “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, and “The Help”. I still have several on my list, but these are my favorites so far this summer. (All these are readily available on Amazon.com by typing in the titles, so I’m not going to go hunt up the authors right now.)

The biggest surprise for me was how much I loved “Wicked”. My girls gave me tickets for the touring production that we’ll go see together in July. Katie provided me a CD so I’d get familiar with the music, which I’ve really enjoyed. But the book...oh MY!

I generally don’t like fantasy or allegories or fables, especially those with important underlying themes, because I spend half my time trying out to figure out who the characters really represent. I’ll have to admit that I did some mental gymnastics with “Wicked” too, but it was so worth it. It’s a beautifully written book with just the right blend of familiar and unfamiliar for me. I can’t wait to see how they edit the story, and am already imagining the costumes and sets.

I worry about being wicked a lot, because I’m not naturally very good. I eat too much, talk too much, watch too much mindless television. I fail to call or write people when I should too often to be comfortable with. I don’t pull the weeds or stop to pick the flowers that bloom. My closet is the main evidence of my slovenly streak. I HATE exercise.

Last weekend, I had an overnight at the lake with Molly’s family, plus little John (Becket was otherwise engaged.) and the highlight of my weekend was after most everyone went home, but John and William stayed on with the Walkers and me. When William and John asked for a snack, I rummaged around and found fruit snacks for William, and John asked for potato chips. A few minutes later, William requested chips too.

“Okay.”

“Grammy, you always say yes!”

I like to say yes, to others and even to myself. I hope I’ll do more good in the coming months, but I hope my friends and family will forgive me when I’m wicked...God too.

Blessings,
Janie

Summer Reading

A while back I promised to share a book list of some of my favorite reads. This is a mixed bag of some important books and some less important ones; it includes some of the most memorable books I’ve read in the past few years.

If you’re a reader and would like to share your favorites, click comments below, and I’ll be happy to explore some new books over the summer.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by John Krakauer
The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Meridon Series by Philipa Gregory
Running with Scissors:A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam Karen Armstrong
Afghanistan by James Michener (I love Michener…all titles)
How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill
The Gifts of the Jews by Thomas Cahill
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Saits and Villains by Denise Giardina
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
Run by Ann Patchett
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
My Last Days as Roy Rogers by Pat Cunningham Devoto
The Summer We Got Saved by Pat Cunningham Devoto
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Blessings,
Janie