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Rainstorm in 2013. There is a fair amount
of rain in most of the books I read. |
These are the first lines of the books I
finished reading in October and November.
I am cheating a bit here, because one of these is not actually a book,
but it’s worthwhile reading, so I’m including it.
Two of these are short books within a
Book. And three of them are Young Adult
lit.
Please do stop by in the comments and tell me what you are reading these days.
Book 1
From Fairies
and How to Avoid Them by Miss Perspicacia Tick: The
Nac Mac Feegle (also called Pictsies, the Wee Free Men, the Little Men, and
“Person or Persons Unknown, Blieved to be Armed”)
The Nac Mac Feegle are the most dangerous of the fairy races,
particularly when drunk.
Book 2
Once Upon A Time, Claude Was Born
But first, Roo was born. Roosevelt Walsh-Adams. They had decided to hyphenate because – and
in spite – of all the usual reasons but mostly so their firstborn could have
his grandfather’s name without sounding too presidential, which seemed to his
parents like a lot of pressure for a six-pound, two-ounce, brand-new tiny
human.
Book 3
Some things start before other things. It was
a summer shower but didn’t appear to know it, and it was pouring rain as fast
as a winter storm.
Book 4
There was no possibility of taking a walk
that day.
Book 5
The words of Amos, who was among the
shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of King Uzziah
of Judah and in the days of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years
before the earthquake.
Book 6
The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah
son of Cushi son of Gedaliah son of Amariah son of Hezekiah, in the days of
King Josiah son of Amon of Judah.
I
will utterly sweep away everything
from the face of the earth, says the Lord.
Book 7
There were three of them, three girls.
They were standing side by side.
They were standing at attention.
Book 8
My Dear Fellow Clergymen:
While confined here in the Birmingham city
jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities
"unwise and untimely."
The titles and authors revealed:
Book 1
A Hatful of Sky, by Terry
Pratchett. © 2004.
A Young Adult book in the Discworld series.
The evil force in this book is intriguing. The Wee Free Men are hilarious. This is actually the second book in the series - it follows The Wee Free Men (below) - but I like this one a bit better. I read it for book club.
Book 2
This is How it Always Is, by Laurie
Frankel © 2017. Engaging writing
style. Accurate portrayal of parenting
decisions, no matter the child you are parenting. I read it for book club.
Book 3
The Wee Free Men, by Terry Pratchett © 2003.
This is the first book in this Young Adult series, and the 30th book in the
Discworld series. There are 41 books in the series, so perhaps we should call it the Discworld
universe.
Book 4
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte © 1847 under
the pen name Currer Bell.
Reader, I love
this book. Every time I read it, I get
something different out of it. This time around, I recognized Jane as a feisty feminist. I read it
for book club.
Book 5
Amos, by Amos © ~750 BCE during the
reign of King Jeroboam of Israel.
Contains many locusts. Or are they a metaphor for armies? You must decide for yourself, because it’s The Bible,
and there are many layers of interpretations!
I read it for church school. A few choice phrases:
“Take away from me the noise of your songs;
I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
But let justice roll down like waters,
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." - Amos 5:23-24
“You have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood.” - Amos 6:12
Our pastor made the connection between the book of Amos and Book 8 on my list (see below).
Book 6
Zephaniah, by Tsfanya, son of Cushi. © ~630 BCE
during the reign of Josiah, ruler of Judah.
Contemporary with
Jeremiah. The famous phrase (see
Mozart’s Requieum) “Dies iræ, dies illa” comes from Zephaniah 1:15. “That day will be a day of wrath.” I read it for church school. Zephaniah prophesies a full-on repeal of creation. No mincing of words here.
Bonus obnoxious pedantic Biblical words lesson
Prophecy (noun). Pronounced "PROF-eh-seeeee" (rhymes with "see"). The plural is "prophecies" and is pronounced "PROF-eh-seeeez". As in "The prophecies of my mother-in-law came true: I became neither a good housekeeper nor a good cook."
Prophesy (verb). Pronounced "PROF-eh-sye" (rhymes with "cry"). The verb "prophesies" is pronounced "PROF-ess-size". As in "In his book, Zephaniah prophesies the reversal of creation."
Prophesize. There is no prophesize.
Book 7
Raymie Nightingale, by Kate
DiCamillo. © 2016. Young Adult lit. A good read, and some antics with a shopping cart.
Book 8
Letter from a Birmingham Jail, by
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., 16 April 1963.
This is a 13-page letter, not a book. But still I include it because it
is a vital American document that each of us should read. After reading it, I found myself thinking about how we (as a society and as individuals) judge political demonstrations, marches, extremists, and outsiders.
In the “Three Degrees of Separation” category
of fun facts:
My father was very good friends with Dr.
Kenneth L. Smith, a seminary professor who taught Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was a student
at Crozer Seminary.
