Christmas Books 2018

For six of the seven years since I started this blog, I have made a short post about the books I received as gifts for Christmas. (And in this case, also the used books I found in my post-Christmas shopping.) In addition to being fun, it also serves as a teaser for the reviews to be written in the upcoming year. As usual, I try to link the reviews to these posts as I write them.

Here are the past editions:

2011

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Here are the books from this year:

1. Strange Fruit by Lillian Smith

As usual, I was given a number of intriguing used books by my lovely and literary wife. I have wanted to read Strange Fruit for some time. This 1944 novel tackled the then controversial topic of interracial marriage. Living in California in the 21st Century, it seems rather ordinary. But lately, there has been an open return to vicious racism, including the claim that interracial marriage is somehow “white genocide.” I plan to read this for Banned Books Week this year.

2. The Map That Changed the World by SimonWinchester

This book has been on my library reading list for a while, so when I found a used copy at the marvelous Grassroots Books in Reno, I snapped it up. I have read a number of books about geology and geological history, in part because the kids and I have been visiting national parks and monuments here in the western United States, and geology is on display everywhere. This book is about the map that lead to our modern theories of geology - and revolutionized our beliefs about the age of the earth.

3. The Collected Poetry and Prose of Wallace Stevens

This book has been on my wish list for a while - I love Wallace Stevens. My in-laws got me a Library of America hardback edition. I can’t wait to dive in.  

4. The Novels andother Works of Henry Adams

Another Library of America edition - this one was all of four bucks at Grassroots. You bet I snapped this one up. Democracy: An American Novel has been on my list for a while, so I am planning to start with that one. Adams was plenty fascinating in his own right: descended from two presidents, he wrote about political corruption. I’ll try to include more about him in my eventual review of his books.

5. The Bible Tells Me So by Peter Enns

 

It would not be much of an exaggeration to say that Peter Enns saved my faith. It would not be any exaggeration to say that Enns saved my ability to read and enjoy the bible. After 40 years in the Evangelical tradition, and seeing increasing fundamentalism, where scripture was increasingly wielded as a weapon to abuse vulnerable people, from immigrants and refugees, to the poor, from women to LGBTQ people, I knew I would either have to change how I approached the bible, or leave the faith altogether. Enns was a lifesaver - someone who pointed out what should have been obvious: the bible doesn’t work as an instruction book or textbook of systematic theology. And, in fact, the Evangelical approach to scripture is a historical anomaly, out of touch with the long tradition of interpretation.

This book is one I have wanted to read. I suspect it will cover a lot of the same ground as Enns’ blog, but in a more systematic manner. Amanda got this for me.

6. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

 

 

This collection of short stories has been on my reading list almost since I started the blog, yet I had never pulled the trigger and ordered it. I was thrilled to find an inexpensive used copy at Grassroots.

7. The Essential Rumi

My poetry collection needed this book. Amanda found it for me in a lovely hardback edition.

8. Trans Atlantic by Colum McCann

A couple of years back, I listened to McCann’s novel Let The Great World Spin on audiobook, and loved it. It really is fantastic and compelling writing. I considered buying this one new, so I couldn’t resist getting it used.

9. North America by Anthony Trollope

Regular readers know I love Anthony Trollope. I have yet to read his non-fiction, however. This two volume hardback set was from Amanda. It looks fascinating.

10. Ahead Of All Parting: Selected poetry andprose of Rainer Maria Rilke

I love Rilke. I previously read Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy’s lovely translation of The Book of Hours, so I look forward to exploring more. Amanda found this one for me.

11. Thurber by Burton Bernstein

I love James Thurber, and have a fairly extensive collection. (You can read my post about Alarms and Diversions here.) This biography of Thurber promises to be a good read. This is another one Amanda found for me.

***

A bit of music too:

My brother-in-law, who has eclectic and sophisticated taste in music, got me the Punch Brothers’ latest, All Ashore, and Esperanza Spaulding’s Radio Music Society. I listened through the Spaulding once, and want to immerse myself more in that music. And also give a good listen to the Punch Brothers album. Three of the kids and I went to see them live in LA last year, and they are fantastic.

Christmas Books 2016

For four of the five years since I started this blog, I have made a short post about the books I received as gifts for Christmas. In addition to being fun, it also serves as a teaser for the reviews to be written in the upcoming year. As usual, I try to link the reviews to these posts as I write them.

Here are the past editions:

2011

2013

2014

2015

Here are the ones I received this year:

1. Woman Lawyer: The Trials of Clara Foltz by Barbara Babcock
   
   
   
   
   

This one is a gift from my wife, and a book I have wanted to read for a few years now. Alas, our local library didn’t see fit to purchase it. A few years back, the author came to speak to our local bar association, but I had a schedule conflict I couldn’t move, and missed it. Bummer. Anyway, Clara Foltz was the first woman admitted to the practice of law in California, and was one of the pioneers of the role of the public defender. I don’t know more than the outline of her life, so I am really looking forward to reading this one. 

2. Such A Strange Lady by Janet Hitchman

Speaking of feminists, my wife found me this book, which is a biography of Dorothy Sayers. I have loved Sayers since I first read a short story in high school, and continue to read and enjoy both her fiction and nonfiction. I have always loved strong women - particularly the witty ones - and Sayers fits the bill. I think everyone should read her essays on Feminism, collected as Are Women Human? which I reviewed here. You can also read my review of Have His Carcase, one of her murder mysteries.

3. Love & Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality by Edward Frenkel

This was a gift from my sister-in-law and her husband, both of whom are math PhDs. This book explores how math is the language that the universe speaks, the underlying reality. While I am no mathematician, I was reasonably good at algebra and trigonometry and enjoy math. I just went a different direction after high school, and never went beyond the basics. I have read and reviewed a few different math related books.

4. The Irregulars by Jennet Conant

British spies in America during World War II. That sounds interesting. This book is about the young Roald Dahl and his role in this intelligence ring. Say what? I was not expecting that, to say the least. I have a dark and dry sense of humor, so I have always enjoyed Dahl’s books for kids, but I had no idea he was a spook. Although that makes sense, come to think of it. For what it’s worth, Patrick O’Brian was also a spy turned author.  My wife found this book for me at a library sale. It appears to have been read through page 47, but not beyond. 

5. Good Intentions by Ogden Nash

This is my fifth book of Ogden Nash poems, all in a matching set from Little, Brown, and Co. I am guessing they are first editions - I’m not sure there are subsequent ones, actually. I read and reviewed The Private Dining Room a few months back. Nash isn’t exactly grand high literature, but it is delightfully witty and silly in the best possible way. 

6. Happy City by Charles Montgomery

This book was a gift from my brother-in-law, who has made a yearly habit of giving me interesting books. (I still need to read the book from last year, on Jack Kerouac, because I realized I needed to at least read The Dharma Bums first, so I had an idea of the author’s works first.) Of the various topics my brother-in-law and I have talked about, one has been urban design. He currently lives in San Francisco, having lived previously in Reno and San Diego, and commuted via bicycle in all but the worst weather in each place. (We’ve also hiked together on numerous occasions, such as our Half Dome hike a few years ago.) 

7. The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark Noll

One of the most revolutionary books I have read in the last five years was Noll’s book, The Civil War As A Theological Crisis. Among other things, this book made clear just how disingenuous the Evangelical claim that they were the ones who ended slavery was. If anything, it was the opposite, with the theological forerunners of Evangelicalism (and their hermeneutical approach) being the most committed defenders of slavery. (And later, Evangelicals largely opposed the Civil Rights Movement - another fact largely covered up.) I was interested to read Noll’s take on what I consider to be a serious problem with modern day Evangelicalism, which is outright hostility toward intellectual and academic pursuits. Peter Enns has pointed out, the problem is that perceived theological needs dictate that dogma is to be defended rather than truth sought out. (I would add, in light of the last election, that political dogma is even more dear to many Evangelicals than theological dogma…) 

8. A Really Cool Poster

This one isn’t a book, but I decided to include it. My mother-in-law is an English major, currently making the world a better place by teaching Special Ed in a remote, underserved community. This year, she introduced me to the Good Tickle Brain blog, which had an amusing election series (featuring campaigns by Shakespeare and Marlowe). One of the coolest things this blog has done is create a flowchart for “Which Shakespeare Play Should You See?” I am now the proud owner of this poster, thanks to my mother-in-law. 

9. More Really Cool Posters

From my friends Peter and Patty, who have hiked with me. These should go well with my National Parks and Monuments series.

Anyway, here’s to 2017. May it be filled with books and theater and natural wonders.

What I Read in 2013

While I didn’t read quite as many books this year as last, it was pretty close. I ended up reading less poetry and drama than last year, but read more fiction and non-fiction. I also made it through several epic non-fiction works. I did write more about the books I read with my kids, and took several camping trips - which cut into my reading time a bit. I also spent some of my blogging time writing on theological and religious issues.

Past installments:

2011 Reading List

2012 Reading List (with links)

As with last year, I have broken these down by genre: Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama.

Non-fiction:

We Thought We Heard the Angels Sing          James Whittaker                                                  1-3-13

Studies in Words                                                  C. S. Lewis                                                            1-19-13

The Souls of Black Folk                                     W.E.B Du Bois                                                     2-13-13

The Perfect Wagnerite                                        George Bernard Shaw                                         2-20-13

Railroaded: The Transcontinentals…             Richard White                                                      3-3-13

Why Does the World Exist                                Jim Holt                                                                 3-27-13

Iron Curtain                                                          Anne Applebaum                                                  4-3-13

City Life                                                                Witold Rybczynski                                              5-7-13

Alarms and Diversions                                       James Thurber                                                     5-20-13

St. Francis of Assisi                                             G. K. Chesterton                                                  6-3-13

On the Map                                                          Simon Garfield                                                     6-17-13

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions          Thomas Kuhn                                                      8-13-13

England Under the Stuarts                                 G. M. Trevelyan                                                   10-7-13

The Violinist’s Thumb                                        Sam Kean                                                             11-7-13

Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar            Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein                     11-21-13

Divine Vintage                                                     Randall Heskett & Joel Butler                          12-9-13

Impossible Journeys                                           Matthew Lyons                                                   12-24-13

Fiction:

Thank You, Jeeves                                              P. G. Wodehouse                                                 1-16-13

Rilla of Ingleside                                                  L. M. Montgomory                                             1-23-13

The Man of Property                                          John Galsworthy                                                  2-7-13

The Scarlet Letter                                                Nathaniel Hawthorne                                         2-28-13

A Duty to the Dead                                             Charles Todd                                                        3-7-13

Gold Boy, Emerald Girl                                         Yiyun Li                                                                3-10-13

The Secret Agent                                                 Joseph Conrad                                                     3-28-13

No Name                                                               Wilkie Collins                                                       4-22-13

A Princess of Mars                                              Edgar Rice Burroughs                                         4-24-13

A Curtain of Green                                              Eudora Welty                                                       5-22-13

The Reluctant Fundamentalist                         Mohsin Hamid                                                     6-26-13

Framley Parsonage                                             Anthony Trollope                                                  7-3-13

Black Swan Green                                               David Mitchell                                                     7-20-13

I am Half-sick of Shadows                                    Alan Bradley                                                        8-1-13

Our Kind of Traitor                                             John le Carre                                                        8-30-13

Daniel Deronda                                                    George Eliot                                                          9-15-13

The Wee Free Men                                              Terry Pratchett                                                     10-1-13

The Quest for Christa T.                                     Christa Wolf                                                         10-13-13

The Picture of Dorian Gray                               Oscar Wilde                                                          10-27-13

The Sunday Philosophy Club                           Alexander McCall Smith                                   11-22-13

Biffen’s Millions                                                  P. G. Wodehouse                                                 12-18-13

Poetry:

archy and mehitabel                                           Don Marquis                                                        1-20-13

Selected Poems                                                    Anne Bradstreet                                                   2-18-13

Selected Early Poems                                         W. B. Yeats                                                           4-9-13

The Lady of the Lake                                        Sir Walter Scott                                                    5-26-13

Selected Poems                                                    Pablo Neruda                                                       8-18-13

Poems (1833)                                                       Alfred, Lord Tennyson                                       10-23-13

Drama:

Medea                                                                   Euripides                                                               1-10-13

Pippa Passes                                                         Robert Browning                                                 2-17-13

The Man of Mode                                               Sir George Etheredge                                           5-15-13

Porgy and Bess (Libretto version)                    DuBose Heyward                                                    6-10-13

Richard II                                                             William Shakespeare                                          7-17-13

I also was able to see the following plays live this year:

The Cherry Orchard                                            Anton Chekov (CSUB)                                      May 2013

Midsummer Night’s Dream                               Shakespeare (Empty Space)                             Sept 2013

Henry V                                                                 Shakespeare (BC)                                               Oct 2013

Reading with the Kids:

Mythology                                                            Traditional                                                            2-12-13

The Hobbit                                                           J. R. R. Tolkien                                                     4-20-13

Island of the Blue Dolphins                               Scott O’Dell                                                          5-30-13

The Wind in the Willows                                    Kenneth Grahame                                               7-30-13

The Jungle Books                                                Rudyard Kipling                                                  10-3-13

Halloween Edition                                               R. Browning, Coleridge, Irving                          10-30-13

Non-fiction:      17

Fiction:              21

Poetry:              6

Drama:              8   

Kids:                 6

Total:                58