"Sister of My Heart" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
--A story of 2 girls from India who are not biological sisters, but have a bond stronger than even their mothers can comprehend. This book takes you through the hardships of their culture and their lives and how through it all, their love sustains them.
"East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
--Long, but richly developed characters written by a renowned author. This is the tale of the lives of two families and how they are intertwined through several generations. It also has a modern day Cain and Abel story line through it.
"The 19th Wife" by David Ebershoff
--Definitely not for the faint of heart, or anyone that has "issues" with polygamy. Although it contains some disturbing facts about early polygamy in the LDS church, I found that it sort of freed me from some of my bitterness regarding the early church because it clearly shows the evolution of our church in a way that I had never thought of before. It is based around one of Brigham Young's wives who was the only one of his wives to seek a divorce from him. She went on to lobby for the government to take a stand against polygamy, which they ultimately did. It also has a fiction story mixed in with it about a modern day "lost boy" who was thrown out of his polygamist family. Read at your own risk…
"The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
--The memoir of a deeply dysfunctional family which shows the complexity of loyalty and pain that permeated the children's lives as they were forced to raise themselves.
"Half Broke Horses" by Jeannette Walls
--This is a true-life novel written by the same author as the above book and is the story of the adventurous and hard life of the author's grandmother who is a spirited, fiercely outspoken heroine.
"Women Food and God" by Geneen Roth
--This book leads with the premise that the way you eat is inseparable from your core beliefs about being alive. Your relationship with food is an exact mirror of your feelings about love, fear, anger, meaning, transformation, and even God.
"Animal Farm" by George Orwell
--This book is an allegory written by a democratic socialist regarding his views on Communism, all told through a sort of parable about animals that take over a farm from their human owners.
Most of these books are about people with lives and/or cultures very different than my own. I immensely enjoy having my mind broadened by reading about the plights of people in different cultures.
Books I am reading next:
"The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway
"The True Believer" by Eric Hoffer
"State of Wonder" by Ann Patchett
"A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
AND NOW FOR… The many faces of Ashton
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| Jazzy's tongue is out in every picture! |
6 comments:
Some of my most enjoyable, exciting, and meaningful times of my life have been when I am reading a good book. Can you loan me a couple books? Any of those sounds really interesting. I, like you, prefer to read books that completely transport me out of my comfort zone. Beautiful pictures of Ashton. He is as photogenic as the rest of your kids. Precious.
I wish I enjoyed reading. As you know, it took me about two and a half months to finish The Girl Who Played With Fire! I only like reading things that are either full of violence, intense passion, or crudeness because it's the only way it keeps my attention. haha Same thing with movies. :)
I LOVED The Glass Castle, and I have Half Broke Horses on my bedside table to read soon. I'm kind of the same way about not reading one book at a time (unless it is a novel). I read one novel at a time, but always have 3-4 non-fictions I'm working on too.
A couple of your recent reads sound very appealing to me. I may have to check them out. Thanks for sharing!
If I'm not tripping over a pair of shoes you've left in a doorway I'm bumping into your latest book your reading! I love that your are so well read and I love the countless deep conversations they bring. You are such an inspiration to the world around you!
Speaking of LDS fiction...I was so surprised when someone told me that they converted to LDS because they read The Work and The Glory books. I was so shocked that someone would join a church due to fictional novels.
Anyway, I am thinking about reading the book Under The Banner of Heaven which is based on a true story. It isn't about LDS though- it is about FLDS. I am interested in it because I just heard that Ron Howard is making it into a movie to come out soon.
I have to say that I Loved East of Eden. John Steinbeck deserves the praise he gets. The Glass Castle and Animal Farm are on my reading list. I don't know if I can stomach the 19th wife or A thousand splendid suns. Sometimes I can only read so much about the mistreatment of women.
Sandy, one of my favorite book of all time is Steinbeck's "East of Eden". I have also read most of the others you listed. Reading is my passion; books are truly treasures. You should regularly post which books you have read or are currently reading. :) Oh, "Animal Farm" was also exceptional.
And P.S., I am fundamentally opposed, like I can't possibly state it as strongly as I feel it, against all LDS fiction. ALL OF IT.
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