Happy Easter Everyone. We have sunshine and warmer weather, chocolate in the house, happy cat, and a dog enjoying going in and out now that the drippy wet stuff isn’t coming down on her. We have had good news as eldest has received a promotion at work and he is doing well in his college class. Youngest is being spoiled by his grandparents during his four days of Easter break (the advantages of going to a Catholic University).
Here is what caught my interest this week:
I am fond of memoirs, I like books about books, and I like books that look at spirituality for different angles. A new blogger to me, The Indextrious Reader, has one that meets all three of those criteria: Walking a Literary Labyrinth: A Spirituality of Reading by Nancy Malone. Malone is an Ursuline Nun and voracious reader of both fiction and theological work. This looks like a work about the importance of imagination, what we gain by reading, and how reading can impact our lives in both subtle and major ways. Looks like a good one.
Melwyk, The Indextrious Reader also has a beautiful review of A.S. Byatt’s Ragnorok. Just this morning my mom and I were talking about myths and their importance to children. I grew up learning and reading myths and my boys did the same. In fact, youngest was enamored with the Northern myths and stories of the Norse Gods. I am a big believer that children wrestle with philosophical questions and stories (like the myths and Harry Potter for that matter) that bring these questions into a realm that is easily understood by children are necessary. Not that I am recommending Ragnorok to children as it is said to be a very dense read. The myths also resonate with adults and I think that is what Byatt is getting at in her newest novel. Melwyk makes me want to read this book so it is a good thing my mom got a copy for her birthday.
Imagine my delight when I read these words for Birds of a Lesser Paradise: Stories by Megan Mayhew Bergman on Caribousmom’s blog: “Not everyone could live with tumbleweeds of dog hair on the steps…” I was raised with Hungarian sheepdogs – one of my Saturday chores was to pick dog hair and pine needles embedded in the living room rug. Since then I have always had dogs that shed. This book of short stories highlights the connections people have with the natural world, both domestic and wild. In one story a grieving woman searches for her dead mother’s parrot who can imitate her mother’s voice. Bergman uses the connections with the natural to explore the connections people have with each other. This debut collection looks worth finding.
Tan Twan En is a Malaysian author whose debut novel The Gift of Rain was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. I have long had The Gift of Rain on my bookshelf to read and now it looks like I should add his second work Garden of the Evening Mists. Both Caribousmom and Chasing Bawa have good things to say about this novel about memory and the impact of war and nationalism on individuals. The story is hard to compress into a few words so I will let the reviews speak for the book:
“What Tan is so good at showing is that there is no country where there is only one perspective. Countries are a mixture of ideologies, cultures and languages. I love books that show this side of life and people and The Garden of the Evening Mists is just that. I was continuously impressed by the spare, beautiful writing. The characters retained enough mystery to keep you wanting to know more. And the story, well, it is heartbreakingly beautiful. (Chasing Bawa)
“Eng’s writing is gorgeous. He demonstrates a deep understanding about how events shape our lives and how the natural world is intricately enmeshed with who we are as humans. He also understands the complexity of people – the multiple layers which make up our lives and the hidden secrets we all carry.” (Caribousmom)
Happy Reading!
Sounds like you had a nice Easter weekend. No chocolate in our house, but cheesecake worked well:) Have a great week.
Some very interesting books here. Your comments about children and myth made me recall my son’s years at a Waldorf school where they studied the Norse myths. I do think children are drawn to those kinds of stories, and see them in a different way than we do as adults.