Recommend a book to me everyone’s reading, a blog I must follow, a movie I must see. My first reaction is to turn up my nose.
I’ll go there, to that book, blog, or viral video. Do my best to be in-the-know.
More delicious are the discoveries.
I may find them by following a crowd or reading a review. But usually they come to me in lonely library catalog searches. Woeful browses through bookstores. Dives on Amazon. Quiet suggestions made in passing by trusted friends.
I take to the water in my small boat and put out my line. Maybe I’ll make a catch today. The repetition of searching almost always precedes the finding.
The best ones tug at my line. If I believed in fate, I’d say it was destiny. I was meant for this book at this moment.
In the continuum of space and time, it caught me.
And when I’m caught or when I catch it or both, the sun bounces off our meeting. Sweet life flapping and flickering and fighting to be freed.
The memory imprints of those books, posts, poems, movies, and songs. I catch and release. Now I bear witness.
You must see what I’ve found, this book. You simply must.
I live with the scar of the hook, and I’m not the same as before.
“I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.” Proverbs 8:12 NLT
Toes by Norah Jones.
Catch any fantastic books lately?
Thanks for sending this to me. :) Sorry I didn’t get a chance to respond earlier! I absolutely love it when I catch a good book…or when it catches me. Sometimes my friend’s recommendations are spot on; other times it’s just the magic of the book itself that calls to me. Great post!
Ariel, you read more than anybody I know! Your book list puts me to shame. Glad you enjoyed the post.
Always a good topic…and I seem to always have four or five rotating at one time. I recently re-read “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott. If you like to write in any capacity – you can’t go wrong with this one!
Bird by Bird came with many, many kudos from women and writers I respect, so I’m anxious to make time to get through it. So far, I’m sad to say I’ve only finished the introduction…
btw I did find a book about writing I like during one of my deep dives into the library shelves this past spring. It resonated with me, so I can confidently recommend it to you (especially if you’re considering writing a book). Ariel Gore is the author and the book’s entitled How to Become a Famous Writer Before You’re Dead. Gore is sharp, funny, engaging, and practical.
As I recall, we exchanged some fave books not too long ago, but I have a new one for you to tuck away until Theo is a little bit older: “The Wednesday Wars,” by Gary Schmidt. Also the sort-of sequel, “Okay for now.” I read this as part of a book club experiment this year–reading books from our school’s library. These were hands-down the best books of any genre I read all year… I just read TWW to Cate (age 10) and she loved it, too. It’s a book that begs to be read aloud, and I’m recommending it to all my friends with boys because it’s one of the few books with a boy protagonist who is not wimpy, dumb, crude, or a wizard/superhero. Read it first (it’s short) and you can be the judge of what age to read it to Theo. And of course, LMK what you think!
You know I can never resist a post about books, LOL! :) Looking forward to seeing what other recommendations you get!
Thanks for the recommendation of The Wednesday Wars, Libby. I hadn’t heard of it, but we’ll soon be in need of good books with strong boy protagonists. I must admit I’m WAY behind where I’d hoped to be in my summer reading. My son on the other hand is outpacing me by miles. He’s really into Greek and Roman history right now. WWII is of particular interest, too. He likes to tell me things I don’t know or can’t remember from history courses :)
I’d recognize that carpet anywhere!
Have you tried finding new reads using NoveList yet? We just got it earlier this month. It’s in the EBSCOhost package on the Online Reference Sources page. http://www.wichita.lib.ks.us/Researchers/ElectronicResources.htm.
Me personally? I’m a sucker for book jackets! The library catalog (and BookLetters) definitely helps with that.
Jennifer Heinicke, Wichita Public Library
Jennifer, thanks so much for coming by and commenting. I will check out the NoveList feature you mentioned. And I agree about book jackets. A beautiful, intriguing cover is a temptation not easily resisted. And if you’re borrowing the book for free from the library, you really have nothing to lose!
Hi Aimee,
I know what you mean about good books – I look for award winners but even those are disappointing sometimes. The best are those recommended by someone I trust (and who likely has the same taste in books as I). Most of them sound intriguing when you’re standing in the airport convenience store and really want something to read while you pass the time away waiting for delayed flights but many are sorely lacking. Would love to know what you’ve read lately that you’d recommend.
It was good seeing Jeff at Ag Media Summit!
All the best to you and your family.
JoAnn, thanks for reading and commenting! Jeff mentioned he saw you at Ag Media Summit. We were supposed to go with him to NM, but this summer has gotten away from us.
Right now I’m still knee deep in books about food and farm issues. Most of them are written from a decidedly anti-conventional farming perspective. The only one I can recommend in good conscience so far is one I read when we were in VT. It’s entitled Problems of Plenty by Douglas Hurt. The author is a professor at Iowa State and gives a concise history of farm policy in the United States. Good background material.
I also still have Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird book about writing; just can’t get that one finished. And last week, I picked up a couple books by Seth Godin because I enjoy reading his blog so much and one by Faith Popcorn. We own The Popcorn Report, and Jeff suggested I catch up on her newer trend predictions. As you can tell, I’m smitten with nonfiction…
Like you, Aimee, I have a love of reading. I find myself going through phases in my life–some that include time to read and some that do not…I am currently in a “no time to read” phase. My three girls (soon to be 13, 11, and 8) and my cattle farm keep me so busy that the days fly by without a moment to spare. As busy as I am, I am cherishing the filled days because I know that sometime in the future my girls will be all grown up and I will find myself back on the couch periodically with a book…
A love of reading is such a wonderful gift and one that I am trying to instill in my girls—you are right, you never know what treasure you will find in a book :)
Anne
Anne, thank you for taking the time to comment. I can relate. I don’t have nearly enough time to read, but I know it’s a phase. Now I take pleasure in seeing my son enjoy books and reading. It’s one of the best things we can pass on to our kids. If you can read, you can learn. If you can learn, there’s no limit to what you can do!