Chewing on a Good Book

"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few are to be chewed and digested." -Francis Bacon (www.readfaster.com)


Last week I discussed Harper Lee's new book, Go Set a Watchman, with its new characterization of our leading man, Atticus Finch. Do you plan to read the book? Why or why not? Sometimes it's good to read a book simply because we want to see what all of the buzz is about. The book is an easy read and I think you'll get something out of it. Lee's new book might also inspire you to reread her famous first book, To Kill a Mockingbird, so that you can refresh your memory of the events that occurred before the second book.

This week I'm reading another book by Mary Doria Russell, Doc. A few weeks ago I completed her novel, Epitaph: A Novel of the O.K. Corral. Since my mom loaned me both of the books, I decided to go ahead and read both of them. While Epitaph focuses on several different characters of the Wild West, Doc focuses on the person of Dr. John Henry Holliday, D.D.S., also known as Doc Holliday. We learn a lot about Doc in this book, some of which comes from legend and some from patient research by Russell. At the age of 21, Doc Holliday became ill with tuberculosis. After that time he became known as a sickly frail young man who coughed a lot. By the time he moved to Dodge City in 1878, Doc was a 26-year old dentist who wanted to become a prosperous dentist in a new cattle town in Kansas, but he seemed to make other activities higher on his priority list. For example, he spent much of his time gambling, drinking alcohol, and fighting. At the age of thirty he became famous for his part in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. I guess you could say that the Wild West changed Doc - if he had lived in more law-abiding towns he probably would have been more of a dental surgeon than a gambler, but he was influenced by the environment in which he lived. I haven't finished the book yet so I'm not going to discuss it at length here, but if you enjoy tales of the Wild West, you will like this book. Doc is somewhat different from the other books that I normally choose to read, but I'm enjoying it. I can't say that I'm enjoying it as much as All the Light We Cannot See, Orphan Train, or We'll Always Have Paris, but Russell's language flows smoothly and it's a good ride.

In looking back at my opening quote by Francis Bacon, what books have you read that you think should be chewed and digested? In earlier posts I've discussed the books that I would place in this category. The Bible should be digested, I believe, because it reveals to us how we can have purpose in life. It is the most important written communication that has ever been made available to us. That being said, there are many memoirs and novels that I have also enjoyed chewing on. I feel like my time has not been wasted when I read these books. I'm talking about great novels such as Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Poisonwood Bible, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Edgar Sawtelle, and The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street. These books make more than just a great story. They are rich in symbolism, irony, characterization, and thought-provoking themes. In a word, these novels make us think. There are some memoirs that I've enjoyed chewing on as well. I've enjoyed Haven Kimmel's books, A Girl Named Zippy, and She Got Up Off the Couch. I've enjoyed simple books such as Little Heathens and The Good Good Pig. Most of what I have been reading in the past few years are either novels, historical novels, or memoirs, and most of them have given me plenty to chew on






Here are the next ten books from my card catalog:

1. Pears on a Willow Tree by Leslie Pietrzyk
2. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
3. A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink
4. The Gift of Asher Lev by Chaim Potok (I highly recommend both of these books by him.)
5. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
6. Jesus the Teacher by J.M. Price
7. A Whole New Life by Reynolds Price (a local author)
8. Oh, Kentucky! by Betty Layman Receveur
9. Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl
10. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Have a great week, and keep on reading...

Melissa Hill
www,onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com
Amazon bookseller: M.C.H. Seller

HARPER LEE'S NEW NOVEL: What happened to Atticus Finch?

"Jean Louise," she said, I would like to remind you of a few facts of life...You are as innocent as a new-laid egg for all your city living. Henry is not and never will be suitable for you. We Finches do not marry the children of rednecked white trash, which is exactly what Henry's parents were when the were born and were all their lives."

 -Aunt Alexandra giving advice to Jean Louise (Scout) regarding her relationship with Hank in Harper Lee's new novel, Go Set a Watchman (Chapter 3, p. 36)



Good morning to all of you, my amazing readers, who live in California, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, Washington, and the nation of Turkey. Did I miss some of you? If I did, please leave a comment below so that I can thank you for reading my entries. I'm sure that I don't know the names of many of you. It's a stormy morning here in Durham, NC, but we do need the rain. We live near a creek, and it has been bone-dry for most of the summer. I know that the many animals who live in our woods need rain desperately: turtles, deer, raccoons, foxes, and frogs. I know that some of you live in areas where it has rained constantly this summer, and some of you live in areas of extreme drought. Is there no middle ground? Well, we can't do anything about the weather, so we will just have to deal with it.

I finished reading Harper Lee's new book, Go Set a Watchman, a few days ago and I've been looking forward to sharing my thoughts here. The first thing that I wanted to know when I began reading the book was how the book got its name. Arielle Landau wrote an article for www.mydailynews.com back in February of this year that helps to explain this. The title comes from Isaiah 21:6 in the Bible, a chapter that is filled with prophecies against Babylon and Edom. In the King James Version, this verse reads, "For this hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth." I wonder if it's intentional that Harper Lee didn't put a comma after the first word in her title, "Go," as is seen in the KJV. Do you see any difference in "Go, set" or "Go set?" I definitely read the two differently. Do you think it means something? Wayne Flynt, a Baptist minister and historian, explains that in Isaiah 21, Isaiah is prophesying about the downfall of Babylon. He adds that Lee probably was comparing Monroeville (the setting of the novel) to Babylon since it also was made up of many hypocritical people who were immoral. Flynt further explains that somebody needs to be identified as the watchman who can call people out on their immoral behaviors, out of their messes (www.mydailynews.com, 2/15/15). It seems to me that Jean Louise Finch (Scout, daughter of Atticus) may be the watchman in this book, because she seems to be the only one who questions the racism in her hometown. Go Set a Watchman was published 55 years after To Kill a Mockingbird, This new book was originally written in the mid-1950s, and it was first submitted to be published BEFORE To Kill a Mockingbird. We aren't sure what happened along the way, but some people believe that the manuscript was lost and was not discovered until 2014. To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960, a little while after Go Set a Watchman, yet this newly published book seems to be a sequel to the first.

So what's all the buzz about regarding Harper Lee's new book? I've read what some people think about it, and I have my own view. Of course, this is a novel so Lee can write anything she wants. Secondly, we do see a different Atticus. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is characterized as hero of equal rights, a champion for the Negro community in his town. He fights for the freedom of a Black man who was falsely accused of rape, and he wins. Scout and her brother, Jem, grew up in a home led by their dad, whom they adored, and their Black housemaid, Calpurnia. Scout and Jem adored Atticus and were proud of the stand that he took against racism. Atticus was a hero, for sure, and yet we see a different man in the new book (at least from the perspective of Jean Louise). In the new book Atticus is a more complex man, a man who is on a council that has racist views, and Jean Louise is completely baffled. She is now 26 years old and lives in New York City, and when she returns to Alabama for a 2-week period, she finds that her father has changed. Her boyfriend, Hank, has changed as well. Uncle Jack, Aunt Alexandra, and Hank offer Jean Louise some insight into the views of Atticus, and they all seem to share these beliefs. In Chapter 17, Atticus tries to explain his views to his daughter. At one point he says, "Let's look at this way...you realize that our Negro population is backward, don't you? You will concede that? You realize the full implications of the word "backward,' don't you?" He soon asks Jean Louise if she actually wants Blacks to have complete equal rights as white people. He asks her if she really wants them in her world, in the theaters, churches, and schools. Her response to this is, "They're people, aren't they? We were quite willing to import them when they made money for us" (p.240). So, it seems that Atticus is finding ways to blend in to his community instead of being set apart as one against many. I think he is a different man in this book, a man who is defined by how things really are in the South at the time. He seems to want to just blend in with everyone else, and he isn't ready to share his town equally and fairly with Black people. The new Atticus sort of bursts our bubble about him.

I hope you will read Go Set a Watchman. It's easy reading, so you can read it in just a few days. Get on the bandwagon to see what all of the buzz is about. Even though you will be disappointed in the changes in Atticus, you will enjoy the story. Let me know if you are reading it and what you think.

Here are the next ten books from my card catalog:

1. 2nd Chance by James Patterson
2. I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson
3. Further Along the Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck, M.D.
4. A Child Called 'It' by Dave Pelzer
5. The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer
6. Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti
7. This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti
8. The Visitation by Frank Peretti
9. I Never Promised You a Hot Tub by Doug Peterson (a creative look at the Beatitudes)
10. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

The storm is finally over...good news for me! Have a great week.

-Melissa Hill
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com

I found this tiny, 2-inch turtle on my front sidewalk a few weeks ago. So, so cute! I took him to the creek area so that he wouldn't have to spend the next year making his way to water.

Coming soon: Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman: A Novel

"The book to read is not the one which thinks for you, but the one which makes you think. No book in the world equals the Bible for that."

 -Harper Lee
 Brainy Quote



What do you think you'll do about Harper Lee's new novel, Go Set a Watchman? Are you planning to read it? This book will be made available this week, and it has been predicted that it will be one of the top five best-selling books upon its release. That alone may lure you to its pages, just so you can see what all of the hubbub is about. I'm guilty as charged, so as soon as the hype dies down a little bit, I plan to read it. I don't want to wait until it comes out in paperback, and the library will be too slow, so I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet on this one and actually buy it at a 50% discount with my member card at Barnes & Noble. I've heard through the media that this book is upsetting many people regarding the change that is seen in the character of Atticus Finch from his role in To Kill the Mockingbird. In this novel, Lee depicts Finch as a man of high morals, a man who cares about injustices committed upon African American people. But in the new book he supposedly shows that he isn't such an exemplary man of high character as seen in his involvement with the KKK. However,I can't really comment on this too much because the book hasn't come out yet, but I will say that Harper Lee has the right to describe her characters in any way that she sees fit. An important fact to remember is that Lee actually wrote Go Set a Watchman BEFORE she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, even though it is just now being published. But irregardless of which book was published first, Lee has the right to show changes in her characters as she sees fit. As humans, we seem to prefer a character who is an epic hero, someone who saves others and is worthy to be admired, but characters can change. Changing a character's personality or other traits is actually a viable element of a good novel - it keeps us interested and we are driven to ask ourselves questions as to WHY the character changes. Also, remember that these two novels were not published in the order that they were written, and let's accept them as the fiction that they are. I believe that Harper Lee (now an elderly woman of 88 who is almost deaf and blind) wants us to read her books as she intended - as works of fiction that depict some of the struggles in the deep South.

Last night I completed a long novel entitled Epitaph: A Novel of the O.K. Coral by Mary Doria Russell.  This book of 577 pages was another book that I borrowed from my parents in Kentucky. I almost gave up on reading it in the early days, because I just couldn't get into it. But I stuck with it and I plan to read the shorter book, Doc, which is also by Russell. I think I enjoyed it because I like to learn new things, it's as simple as that, and I knew very little about life in the Wild West during the late 1800s. I had heard of Tombstone, the O.K. Coral, Wyatt Earp, and Doc Holliday, but that's where my knowledge ended. Even though this book is a novel, I feel like I know more about what actually happened during that time. It may be hard for us to imagine life during this time when great hoards of people were moving to the west to try to get rich quickly. Their journeys were very dangerous, yet they willing to risk everything in order to get some of the gold. 

Towns like Tombstone, Arizona began to spring up to the meet the needs of these people, but they were often very dangerous. Tombstone became known for its gunfights, gambling parlors, whore houses, and saloons. Everyone carried a gun until some laws were passed to restrict the carrying of guns by some people. So you could say it was a wild place, and even the "law" was sometimes corrupt. Just about anyone could be made a deputy for a time, irregardless of his past. In this novel you will meet Wyatt Earp, a man who was known by some to be an honest man, and he lived a very long life. You will also meet Doc Holliday, a dentist, gambler, and gunfighter who had TB and breathing issues for most of his life. You will meet other characters such as Johnny Behan, Josie Marcus, Ike Clanton, Ringo, and Frank Stilwell. The details about this time in history are somewhat obscured by legend, but Russell did a great deal of research before she told this story in her own way. So, if you want to read a good western, you will enjoy this book.

Here are the next ten books from my card catalog, books that I've read since 1984:

1. The Calling of Emily Evans by Janette Oke
2. A Gown of Spanish Lace by Janette Oke
3. John Calvin & Jacopo Sadolito: A Reformation Debate by John C. Olin
4. Surviving Myself by Jennifer O'Neill
5. Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard (I enjoyed this one a lot!)
6. Gods of Noonday by Elaine Orr
7. Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen
8. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
9. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
10. Along Came a Spider by James Patterson

I hope you are having a wonderful day. Let me know if you plan to read the new Harper Lee novel and what you think about all of the hype. Keep the conversations going....

-Melissa Hill
Book Blogger
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com 

Saw this in the large bookstore in Sandusky, Ohio a few weeks ago. Can you imagine life without books??

The Wild West...did this stuff really happen?

Melissa at the Merry-go-round Museum in Sandusky, Ohio, June 2015.

"It was because of my great interest in the West, and my belief that its development would be assisted by the interest I could awaken in others, that I decided to bring the West to the East through the medium of the Wild West Show." -Buffalo Bill, Brainy Quote

 Today is Tuesday, July 6, 2015, a very hot and humid one here in Durham, North Carolina. The summer is passing by way too quickly for those of us who are teachers, but we are known for making the most of our time away from school. So far I have completed some household projects. I took things to goodwill, traveled to see family in Ohio and Kentucky, and I'm helping to plan my daughter's wedding. I'm singing in the church choir and I'm reading as much as possible. I'm also hiking three miles around the Duke Faculty Club as often as I can. I enjoy the shaded trail that is always full of other exercise enthusiasts. So, I think you could say that I'm accomplishing a lot.

During my recent trip to Kentucky, my mom suggested that I read the two books by Mary Doria Russell, Epitaph and Doc. I didn't think that I would get much out of these westerns, but Mom insisted that I take the books and read them because they are "very good." She added that she didn't want me to sell the books on Amazon, and she wants them back on my next visit. You see, I sell used books as an Amazon Seller (mch seller - look for my bargains!), and I've found that this is a good way to thin out some of the many, many books that I own. Any book that I find is fair game, so I'm glad that mom stated that she wants her two westerns back. So they will go in a separate pile.

It was slow going at first, but I began to read Epitaph and I can honestly say that I'm enjoying it. I don't normally read books in this genre, but I'm enjoying the tales of outlaws, cattle rustling, and domestic woes. The last book that I read was far from this kind of book, My Beloved World, by Sonya Sotomayor. Sotomayor's book is a memoir, not a novel, and its content covers events that really happened to a woman who is currently on the Supreme Court of the U.S. While Epitaph (the book that I'm currently reading) is a novel set in the Wild West and is largely fictional, it does use characters who actually lived during that time period, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, and it does involve events that actually happened during that time period.  I haven't finished the book yet, so I can't discuss all of it, but I can share some thoughts on the first half.

Wyatt Earp (1848-1929)

 Wyatt Earp is primarily known as a lawman as Russell's story unfolds. He is also a gambler and a saloon keeper. He is seen as a fairly trustworthy citizen of Tombstone, Arizona, yet he didn't always do the right thing. In the novel, he is trapped in an unhappy marriage of sorts, so he begins to flirt with Josie, a woman who is "married" to Johnny Behan, a dishonest Irish gambler/politician who is very cruel to his wife. Earp's good friend, John Henry "Doc" Holliday (1851-1887), is another major character in the book. He is a dentist, gambler, and gunfighter. The poor man had a chronic cough due to tuberculosis, and he dealt with this on a daily basis. His main goal is to find a place to live where he can breathe easily and live in peace. He feels that Tombstone may be just the place for him because he is beginning to make a decent living and is making friends.

Doc Holliday

I think that Russell does a great job as a writer of an epic tale. There are many, many characters, and their stories overlap in various ways. Russell's character development is very consistent and precise. She may not tell you everything about a character when she first introduces him/her, but she gives you many glimpses of the character in the way that the character behaves at home, at work, at the gambling table, and in the saloons. She strives to present a story whose details have often been shrouded in myth and legend, and yet we know that a lot of this "stuff" did actually happen. Although I'm not finished with the book, I have a feeling that the climax is going to be the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, an event in history that greatly influenced our perception of the Wild West and the somewhat weak justice system of the time. Or, this event might not be covered until Russell's next book, Doc.

Here are the next ten books in my card catalog:

1. A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar
2. Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund
3. The Loss of the Ship Essex, Sunk by a Whale by Thomas Nickerson
4. The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble
5. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
6. Pastoral Counseling by Wayne E. Oates
7. Spiritual Writings by Flannery O;Connor
8. Lazy B by Sandra Day O'Connor & H. Alan Day (another memoir of a former Supreme Court Justice)
9. Are You Somebody? by Nuala O'Faolain
10. The Bluebird and the Sparrow by Janette Oke

Have a great day, and let me know what you're reading!

-Melissa Hill, Blogger
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com

Summer and Such

"I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense."

-Harold Kushner, Rabbi and Author

Harold Kushner is about 80 years old now, and is known all over the world as a rabbi, minister, author, and theologian.  I've read two of his books: When Bad Things Happen to Good People (1980) and The Lord is my Shepherd (2003). If you haven't read either of these books, I strongly encourage you to do so. They will help you to form your belief system, if you haven't already, and they will help you ask the right questions about life. In 2003, my friend, Allison, and I had the opportunity to meet Harold Kushner in Raleigh, NC, only a few minutes from my home. He spoke at a bookstore there, answered a few questions, and signed our books, especially his newest book, The Lord is My Shepherd. Allison and I were the first people in the line to get Kushner's autograph. It was so special to see him in person and to hear his voice. He is a Jew and I am a Christian, but we have a lot in common as we seek to worship and serve the same God. His insights into scripture are very thought-provoking for those of us who place our hope in God. People are hungry to hope and meaning in life, and Kushner's books do not disappoint. The popularity of his books shows that people do care about their souls, they do care about spiritual matters, and they do want to understand their own purpose. When Bad Things Happen to Good People has been translated into many different languages and has been sold all over the world, thus demonstrating that people of all cultures experience struggles and hardships, and many are looking for peace and hope.

I realized today that summer is here! As an ESL teacher, I have one more week of work this school year, and I'm looking forward to being on a more relaxed schedule. Will I miss my students? Yes, I actually will. Will I miss leaving the house at 7:10 in the morning? Definitely not!  I've been working in the same public school for 9 years now, and I've come to genuinely care about these kids. All of the ESL students at my school are Hispanic children, so I've had the opportunity to improve my Spanish over the years as I speak with parents. Most of our children from these homes know English when they enter Kindergarten, but their parents often do not. Our job is to teach the children in the areas of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. On June 11, these students will go home for two months. I often wonder what they will do during this free time, and honestly, I worry about what they will be like in August. Will they do any reading this summer? Will they have opportunities to speak English often? Will they have enrichment opportunities such as trips or museum visits? Two of my students told me that they are going to Honduras or Mexico this summer, so I'm glad for them. Having a variety of experiences is helpful to the whole education process, but these "enrichment opportunities" may not demonstrate their usefulness on standardized tests. Still, I think the summer can be a wonderful time of learning when the families make the effort to stretch the minds of their children. At the very least,  I hope that my students are taken to their nearest public libraries every week this summer. I do hope that my students will be able to enhance their learning this summer.

This week I sent an email to William Allard, a photographer who works for National Geographic magazine. I told him that my students would like to send him some letters and he agreed to read them. One of his very emotional photographs was published in our ESL REACH textbook, and my students had some questions that they wanted to ask. The photo was published in Allard's story called "Giving Back" about a Peruvian shepherd boy. Half of the boy's sheep were killed by a careless car driver who didn't even stop and make amends. I wasn't planning to read this story with the children, but one of them, Jesus, asked why the boy in the picture was crying. I then felt like we needed to read the story. The students wrote letters and I retyped three of the best ones and sent them to Mr. Allard. Today I received a reply from him, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with the kids next week.

So, what are you reading? I'm in between books right now. I started a very, very thick book, but I'm not sure that I really want to read it. I hope I've decided on a book soon. I don't want to be in a "bookless funk" for very long. I just haven't found that magical book yet.

Have you been reading my "Next Ten" list every week? I hope you've enjoyed this feature of my blog. I know that I definitely enjoy hearing what others have read, so I hope you feel the same. Here are my next ten books that I've read since 1984:

1. Alaska by James Michenor
2. Caribbean by James Michenor
3. The Novel by James Michenor (I must like Michenor!)
4. Our Search for Identity by Marianne Micks
5. While I Was Gone by Sue Miller
6. Kingdom Principles for Church Growth by Gene Mims
7. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
8. Christmas, Present by Jacquelyn Mitchard
9. The Good, Good Pig by Sy Montgomery
10. Boone by Robert Morgan (I do love my historical books!)

I hope you have something fun to do this summer. Have a great weekend!


Melissa Hill
Blogger

Soyomayor: Grit and Perseverance Exemplified

"I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences. Today is one of those experiences." -Sonia Sotomayor, Judge on the Supreme Court of the U.S.A.


Good morning and welcome to the last full week of June, 2015. Where has the time gone, and what is happening to my summer??  I've been on the road for the past nine days, traveling from Durham, NC to Lancaster, Ohio and on to Sandusky, Ohio (another 3 hours north), and then a day later departing for Georgetown, Kentucky to celebrate my mom's birthday. I calculated that we spent about 40 hours in the car during the nine days, but it was good to be able to see our extended family and our son, Benjamin, who lives in Sandusky near Lake Erie. We are so proud of Benjamin and the adult that he is becoming. After he graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, TN, he went to work at a church in Sandusky, The Chapel, and he serves as a Technical Arts Developer. His small band is also performing at some community events, and he sometimes works the sound or video-recording at weddings. So, while it was good to get away and to see family, I'm ready to get into a "summer routine" befitting an ESL teacher who doesn't teach students during the summer. It's time to tackle some of those household projects that I've been putting off and to relax a little bit.

While I was on the road I was able to finish reading the autobiography of Sonia Sotomayor, My Beloved World. I often choose to read a memoir because I am reminded that all of us, no matter how well-known, talented, or wealthy,  share many of the same basic needs: food, shelter, and safety, and to live a life that will somehow make a difference in the world. Stories like this one remind us that we are all a part of humanity on an equal footing, even though some of us do have extraordinary opportunities in life. Sotomayor was such a person. Born into a low-income family in Puerto Rico, her father was an alcoholic and died when she was a child. Her mother was a hard-working woman who did the best she could raising her two children with the help of Abuelita who lived nearby. Sotomayor had a very special relationship with her Abuelita, and to this day she remembers the wisdom and encouragement that she received from this amazing woman. I think Sotomayor would say that Abuelita helped to mold her into the Supreme Court judge that she is today. Although Sotomayor spent a great deal of her childhood living in a Bronx housing project and her father was absent, these events seemed to make her a strong, independent person who wasn't easily shaken. When she developed juvenile diabetes she again learned these lessons as she had to administer daily injections to herself and track everything that she ate. These medical issues added to her resilience as she went to college and beyond, and as she worked in the New York County District Attorney's office, entered private law practice, and became a Supreme Court judge as nominated by President Obama. 

Sotomayor was the valedictorian of her high school class, and she received high honors at Princeton and Yale Law School. She is an advocate for affirmative action and is thankful for the opportunities that it gave her.  She made the most of every opportunity that she had, and it sometimes took its toll on her private life. Having gotten married right after college, her married ended five years later, largely due to the fact that she was rarely at home. She and her husband drifted apart. As I was reading this memoir, I was reminded that I have also read a memoir of another Supreme Court judge, Sandra Day O'Connor. I read her book, Lazy B: Growing up on a cattle ranch in the American Southwest, a few years ago. Although the upbringing and heritage of these women was different, they both demonstrate the qualities of grit and determination, and they always had very high standards for themselves. I think you might enjoy reading O'Connor's book as well.

So, what am I going to read next? I'd like to read another of David McCullough's books such as The Wright Brothers or The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge. I'm on a waiting list to get each of these from the public library. I always enjoy McCullough's books. He seems to be a very good storyteller, and since I am so interested in history, he is my "go to" historical writer. If you've read either of these books by McCullough, I'd be interested in knowing what you thought of them.

I'd like to digress just a little bit and mention three books that I've enjoyed in the past year. Three of the best novels that I've read during this time are The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street by Susan Jane Gilman, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, and Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. While I do tend to read a lot of memoirs and historical books, I do enjoy great historical novels too. I recommend these three novels if this is a genre that you enjoy.

Here are the next ten books that I've read since 1984:

1. Gap Creek by Robert Morgan
2. The Truest Pleasure by Robert Morgan
3. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortesson and David Oliver Relin
4. The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley
5. Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss  (makes you think before you eat!)
6. Biblical Ethics and Social Change by Stephen Charles Mott
7. Fooling With Words by Bill Moyers
8. Dewey: The Small-town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron
9. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
10. The Autoimmune Epidemic by Donna Jackson Nakazawa

Comments? Let me know your thoughts, and have a wonderful Monday.

-Melissa Hill
Book Blogger

Friday Fixes

"I was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1936. By the time I was twenty, I had lived through a Hungarian Fascist dictatorship, German military occupation, the Nazis' 'Final Solution,' the siege of Budapest by the Soviet Red Army, a period of chaotic democracy in the years immediately after the war, a variety of repressive Communist regimes, and a popular uprising that was put down at gunpoint." -Andrew S. Grove, Swimming Across: A Memoir (2001)



On this hot, humid North Carolina morning I'm sitting in a small service station that does not have air conditioning waiting for my car to get an oil change. The truth is, I had an appointment for 9 a.m., but it's now 9:34 and the car has not been moved. Such is life, I guess, but I rarely have to wait at this place. I feel like granting them a little bit of mercy today, since so much mercy has been given to me over the years of my life. However, I do have to be home by 11 a.m. to meet the plumber so that he can fix two of our plumbing problems that have been ignored for too long. I guess I should call this day "FRIDAY FIXES" and be satisfied when the two big fixes get taken care of by the end of the morning. Today there's a little girl in here with her mother, and the four-year-old is getting a little bit restless. She quickly tired of her computerized toy, so then she started talking to herself and moving from chair to chair. As the minutes passed, her little voice got louder and louder, which prompted her mom to tell her to CALM DOWN! She's just being a typical preschoolers whose mom didn't bring enough toys or art supplies to keep her busy. I'd like to tell her mom, "Let her be a kid, but next time pack a bag of books, coloring books, and crayons for the child so that she won't be bored." I guess I should mind my own business though.

Last weekend I read a very good memoir that I borrowed from my parents. The book is Swimming Across by Andrew S. Grove. Grove, whose Hungarian name was Andris Grof, grew up in Budapest as an only child. His family was Jewish, although they weren't active participators in the Jewish faith. This memoir was published in 2001 and it chronicles Grove's life from the time that he was about two years old until he became a well-known business leader in the U.S. Grove's parents were in the dairy business in Budapest, and this sustained them through many difficult times. At the age of four, Grove almost died of Scarlet Fever, but after a long bout with the illness, he finally recovered. He was left with partial deafness that affected his life from then on. In every school where he studied he sat on the front roll so that he could hear, and he was afraid to get water in his ears when he learned how to swim. When Grove was five years old, his father and other Jewish men were sent to serve in "labor battalions" clearing roads and the like, and Grove did not see his father for several years after that. Then one day his dad reappeared in their apartment, but Grove didn't really recognize or know him any longer. His dad was emaciated and weak, but he eventually built up his strength. Grove's life was constantly changing as his family moved from place to place looking for safety. He was able to attend school off and on throughout the time of the war and occupations, and eventually he became very well-educated in America. We can't imagine what he went through, particularly during the years that his father was gone. His life was filled with sirens, fear, worry, and the unknown. His dream was always to be with his parents, to be safe, and to get an education. He loved to learn, especially in the area of Science, and he was notorious as a young many for doing experiments with chemicals which sometimes got him into trouble.

With the help of relief organizations and the support of his parents, Grove was able to immigrate to America when he was a young man. He lived with an aunt and uncle in New York City during his first years and was able to complete his education with the help of scholarships and hard work. He went on to become the found of the well-known company, Intel, and he became TIME magazine's Man of the Year in 1997. He has also become a well-known author of business texts, Only the Paranoid Survive and High Output Management. The title, Swimming Across, is an analogy of the effort that it took for Grove to reach his dreams. He feared for his life so many times, and faced so many obstacles, dangers, and setbacks, that he could have just given up. But he kept hitting the waves of life and never gave up. He eventually settled in California and brought his parents over from Hungary. Today he is an American citizen and has a family of his own. He has never returned to Hungary because he sees that as a completely different chapter in his early life. He started his life all over again when he came to America. If you like "the good guy wins" stories, you will enjoy this book. We all like a good success-story, and this definitely is one. Stories like this make us want to become better people. They make us realize that our lives are way too easy and that we don't appreciate what we have because we have never really had to work to get what we need. You can read this book in one weekend, and I don't think you'll want to put it down.

Here are the next ten books from my list of reading since 1984:

1. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
2. The Greater Journey, Americans in Paris by David McCullough
3. John Adams by David McCullough
4. Lessons From the Mountain by Mary McDonough and Beverly Nault
5. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (a great book!)
6. Suffering: A Test of Theological Method by Arthur C. McGill
7. The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
8. Love Me. Never Leave Me by Marilyn Meberg
9. The Zippered Heart by Marilyn Meberg
10. Bonhoeffer, Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas

Have you read any of the books that I've discussed during the past year? Which book did you enjoy the most? Is there a book that you would SCREAM to me, "READ IT!"? I'd love to get your input so please feel free to share.

Have a great day,

Melissa
Book Blogger
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com