In the strange world we are living in, I am amazed that I am able to concentrate at all on any book. It has been harder than ever for me, but every few weeks I try to pick up something new. I tried The Water Dancer, American Dirt and Little Fires Everywhere, but I just couldn’t handle the difficult topics, even if they were so well written. I will return to them when I feel more grounded. Instead, I have spent the last few weeks reading books of real people, living real lives.
This first book, after having sat upon my bookshelf for years, is The Year of Living Biblically, by A.J. Jacobs. It was surprisingly engaging. As A.J. went through his quest to learn more traditions and live closer to the letters of the biblical law, I saw a man striving to find himself in so many ways. This was just the method he was currently using. I saw in myself the understanding I have always tried to have around religious rules, separating those from traditions and determining what these meant and why I would either to continue to observe it or not. I felt light after reading this. Somehow closer to myself and the “greater being” I believe in.
After finishing this book, I found The Library Book by Susan Orleans. I was expecting a novel, and jumped right in. This is absolutely not a novel. I found an intriguing story of how the Los Angeles Central Library was created and grew, only to be devastated by fire in the 1980s. Hearing the story as we are taken through the halls of the rebuilt library, with a mystery of how the fire was started and how the institution has changed was fascinating for a self-proclaimed library lover. This simply highlighted the unique and special place libraries, their caretakers, and their contents are.
I followed this up with The Young Woman and The Sea by Glen Stout. I was drawn to this after I heard him in a book group for my employer talking about the book. The way he explained the world of the time, jumping in and out of the space, and the context of swimming within the larger woman’s movement made me seek this out. Learning about Trudie Edele, the first woman to cross the English Channel, was not all I gleaned from his pages. While this was a bit long with suppositions on things going through Trudie’s mind when swimming, the details on how she was instrumental in breaking so many barriers simply by being herself was refreshing and exciting. I had never seen her in that light before, and I gained additional admiration for her ability to put sportsmanship first and swam for the joy of it.
Who knows what I will pick up next? Could be from the library, Amazon Prime or even my own bookshelf. I will go where the spirit pulls, and do my best to share with you some highlights.
The Source 4 Books 