Reading for Our Times
In the United States, where I live, most of us feel besieged with political advertising and daunted by the nightly news. When I turned the calendar to 2024, I had a sense it was going to be like this. I also believed, both then and now, that books play an important role in sustaining us in dark and troubling times. In my “Bob on Books 2024 Reading Challenge” I wrote this:
“As I look ahead to 2024, I anticipate politically contentious times and more global conflict and ecological challenges. I think of St. Augustine who drew upon his spirituality and his extensive reading to write The City of God as he watched the decay of the Roman Empire. Yes, sometimes, books offer a temporary escape, but we cannot escape our times. The best books offer us the vision, the imagination, the principles, that give us the wherewithal to meet our times.”
I’ve been thinking about how my books have helped with this. Disarming Leviathan met some of my concerns head-on, in terms of how I may engage with those with whom I differ politically. On the other hand, reading the poetry of Mary Oliver reminded me of how much in the world our politicians do not control, that come day by day to us as gift. The mysteries of Brother Cadfael portray people who lean into their faith and work amid the turmoil of ongoing civil war. A book on death and dying reminded me of the larger questions that form the backdrop of our lives, against which many of our political squabbles seem trivial.
I’d love to hear about the books that are offering you the wherewithal to live in these times. Our common love of books seems one of the ways we may encourage one another. Therefore, I would love to hear from you!
Five Articles Worth Reading
The other night I watched Stephen Colbert interview Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Aleksei Navalny. I was impressed by the courage of both Yulia and Aleksei. The New York Times portrays that courage in “How Aleksei Navalny’s Prison Diaries Got Published.”
Molly McCulley-Brown makes the case in LitHub for “Finding Your Way Back to Wonder: On the Power of Poetry to Sustain Our Spirits.”
I admire booksellers, especially those who own indie bookstores. In “This Bookstore Historian Sees Bookselling as Activism” I found yet another reason to appreciate their work.
Bibliophiles talk a good deal about their unread books. We joke about getting through our TBR piles by our 849th birthday. Umberto Eco saw his unread books as an “anti-library” and more valuable than the books he’d read. Find out why in “Umberto Eco’s Antilibrary: Why Unread Books Are More Valuable to Our Lives than Read Ones.”
The 18th edition of “The Chicago Manual of Style” has just been published. It is the writer’s and editor’s bible. Read about its history and recent changes, including allowing the use of “they” in the singular in “A Venerable and Time-Tested Guide.”
Quote of the Week
Science fiction/fantasy novelist Ursula K. Le Guin was born October 21, 1928. She made this thought-provoking observation about science fiction:
“If science fiction is the mythology of modern technology, then its myth is tragic.”
Would you agree? I also wonder if this would be true of contemporary science fiction, of which I’ve read little.
Miscellaneous Musings
And so it has begun. Book publications have already started posting their “Best of the Year” lists. Publishers Weekly came out with this one on Friday. I think it is a bit early. However, I wait until December to post mine. Is it reflective of an effort to get out in front of holiday book-buying? This must be difficult for those with books coming out after October 1. Do they get included in next year, I wonder?
I’ve mentioned poetry a couple times in this issue of The Weekly Wrap. Abram Van Engen is an English professor at Washington University and has written a book on learning to read and enjoy poetry title Word Made Fresh. It is written for beginners, the 88 percent who never read poetry and looks like it is really helpful in understanding poetry and enjoying it. Although he writes from a Christian perspective, he looks at great poetry that wouldn’t be necessarily identified as “Christian.”
A question arose on my Facebook page about the number of Christian books I include in my posts. This would typically amount weekly to two or three in blog reviews and two or three “Books of the Day” with a cover photo and brief description. In context, I make about 90 posts a week on the Facebook page–articles, reviews, quotes, and images. I try to represent a wide range of genres and viewpoints.
Partly I post out of obligation to publishers. But I also post about books that usually represent the best of what Christians are thinking and writing. Our broader media often doesn’t cover such books. I suppose I could be more niche-y. But that’s not how I read or experience the world of books. I’d rather not have two blogs or two pages because I have one reading life that weaves it all in a seamless whole. I hope others won’t mind and maybe find it intriguing. At least I can hope!
Well, that’s The Weekly Wrap for October 20-26, 2024!
Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.