The Weekly Wrap: December 7-13

Discovering Jane Austen

This year is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen. All my life I’ve avoided reading her. I’ll confess that it is probably at least a latent sexism that has kept me away. These were not the books my male friends read, if they read books.

What’s changed for me is the recognition that at one time there were only male voices in literary circles. Austen’s accomplishment is to center women’s voices in the relations of women and men. Only later in life have I begun to understand how necessary both sets of voices are in the human community (call it Male Pattern Stupidity on my part!). For Austen’s time, her accomplishment over the six novels that make up her works is a signal breakthrough in literature.

I’ve begun at the beginning, with Sense and Sensibility. Two sisters represent the debate of which is more important in the matters of the heart–sense (Elinor) or sensibility (Marianne). I look forward to discovering how things work out for the Dashwood sisters.

One thing I enjoy about Austen is that she unfolds the story in short chapters. So, as a reader, i can catch my breath wherever I need to without stopping in the middle of a chapter.

You won’t see my reviews until 2026. I hope to work through all six novels next year, thanks to the inexpensive deal on my Kindle. I’ll let you know how its going. And I’d enjoy hearing your experiences of reading Austen.

Five Articles Worth Reading

One of the hallmarks of the holidays is lots of food–and lots of scraps. Increasingly, we are becoming conscious of the environmental impacts of food waste. Tamar Adler is a cross between philosopher and cookbook author. In “A Different Kind of Materialism” we learn how Adler deals with kitchen scraps as ingredients for new dishes.

It was 1700 years ago this year that the first Council of Nicaea convened. In much recent writing, you would think that Nicaea suppressed truly radical ideas about the nature of Jesus. Carnegie-Mellon scholar Ed Simon argues that the most radical ideas were those on which the council reached consensus–the others are what you might expect people to come up with. On this anniversary year of the Council, he considers “The Legacy of Nicaea.”

Then, closer in time, a boy and his bear, Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh made their debut in 1926. In “Winnie-the-Pooh at 100: PW Talks with Gyles Brandreth,” Publishers Weekly interviews A.A. Milne’s biographer, exploring Milne’s complex life.

Closer still, do you remember the books you read fifty years ago, if you’ve been around that long? Mental Floss considers “7 Books That Somehow Turned 50 in 2025” and how they’ve fared.

Lastly, these books didn’t make the bestseller or “best books” lists in 2025. Our friends at the New York Times Book Review identify sixteen “gems” they think worthy our attention in “Our Favorite Hidden Gem Books of 2025.”

Quote of the Week

American poet Emily Dickinson was born December 10, 1830. This piece of wisdom may come in handy at holiday gatherings this year:

“Saying nothing… sometimes says the most.”

Miscellaneous Musings

ICYMI, I posted my “Bob on Books Best of 2025” yesterday. I picked 18 books out of the 243 I reviewed so far this year as “best” in different categories. Pulling that together offered a kind of retrospective look at a year of reading. I realized among other things that I read a number of classic mysteries, none of which made the list.

I also realized I could have had a Best Science Fiction/Fantasy choice with R.F. Kuang’s Katabasis. I just missed it because Goodreads substituted a weird cover I didn’t recognize under my five-star ratings. It’s worth a read as campus satire and as an exploration of the Faustian bargains that may tempt academics. Here’s a link to my review.

It’s getting tougher for bloggers like me to get review copies from some publishers. By playing the “importunate widow” and not taking no for an answer, I persuaded one publicist to send a book I really wanted to review, The Search for a Rational Faith by Daniel K. Williams. Hopefully, it will turn up in my mailbox. If not, I also made a connection with the author, a professor at one of my alma maters. The things you have to do! (And sometimes you just end up buying the book!).

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Robert D. Cornwall, Eating With Jesus

Tuesday Louise Penny, The Black Wolf

Wednesday: Agatha Christie, The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories

Thursday: Terry Pratchett, Equal Rites

Friday: David Paul Warners and Matthew Kuperus Heun, Beyond Stewardship

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap for November 30-December 6.

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