23
Aug

Words on Wednesday - A Great Diet of Excellent Reading

Getting back into a weekly post about books, reading, and thought provoking quotes with, naturally, a quote about reading:
a great diet of excellent reading
This quote is taken from Ben Sasse's The Vanishing American Adult.

My personal reading diet is fairly similar to my eating habits with food: basically healthy and balanced, with some occasional junk, or less than ideal, food.

I can live with that. {wink}

Recently Finished

Finished so far in August:
Tolkien and the Great War by John Garth. Fascinating glimpse at Tolkien's college life and the impact the Great War had on him and his friends.

The Almost Sisters: A Novel by Joshilyn Jackson. I really liked parts of this (anything with the elderly Birchie and Wattie) and really didn't care about other parts (namely the superhero / graphic novel related bits). It's not something I'd usually pick up but despite its faults it was fairly un-putdown-able while I was on vacation. Several caveats apply (swearing, adultery, etc.)

Ostland by David Thomas. Based on a true story: a German detective who helped capture a serial killer who becomes a Nazi war criminal. As you might expect from the subject matter, this one is graphic and difficult to read at times. Despite the author's best efforts, it's impossible to really explain why someone who helped bring criminals to justice can so easily become a criminal themselves. Evil is real and on clear display in this book.

Race and Reunion by David Blight. I think I'm going to do a separate post on "reading about race". Counting this book I've read six books this summer about slavery, the Civil War, and racial issues in the U.S. I started doing this even before the recent unrest in Charlottesville but it feels particularly appropriate and timely now. This book is lengthy and dense and I highly recommend it.

Recently Added

The Card Catalog: Books, Cards, and Treasures by the Library of Congress. Relevant to my interests. And yes, I still hope to own at least one card catalog someday.

I still have a few hangers on in my reading stack because life's been busy and personal reading time has been limited (but not nonexistent).

Current Read Aloud

I'm reading Carry On, Mr. Bowditch to the girls in the evenings.

Philip is also reading On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (book 1 in The Wingfeather Saga) to the girls.

Current Book to Review

I think I may be out of the book review business.

Current Kindle Deals

These August deals will be gone soon:
Finding Truth by Nancy Pearcy. $1.99 for Kindle in August.

Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber isn't my favorite faith memoir but it's a good deal at $1.99.

What are you reading now?