When Our Kids Like Different Books

An unusual event happened yesterday. I posted about a book I’m reading (Challenger by Adam Higgenbotham). My son commented that he wanted to read it when I finished it. This doesn’t happen very often. We generally read very different stuff, despite all the stories we read together when he was young.

This brings to mind Dave Kim’s story of all the books he gave his son. And what did he want? Heidi! “I Gave My Son the Books I Loved. He Chose ‘Heidi’ Instead” is a touching account of bonds between father and son when reading tastes differed.

That’s the opportunity when tastes differ. If nothing else, my son has introduced me to graphic novels and reminded me of how much I enjoyed math puzzle books when I was young. He reads science fiction published after the 1970’s! I have given him some Octavia E. Butler books as well as my Bradbury and Asimov collections.

Nearly always, he chooses great gifts of books–often things off my beaten paths that usually turn out to be pretty good reads. Because much of what he reads is technical math stuff, he gives me reading lists for gifts suggestions.

The one corollary of our differing tastes is that he has no interest in inheriting nearly any of my books! So an interesting task of these years is finding them a good home through donations and re-selling. And I wondered what I’d be doing in retirement?

Five Articles Worth Reading

I don’t know a single bibliophile who gets enough time to read. “So many books; so little time” is our mantra. In “Maximizing Time for Reading,” Blake Butler offers some great reading hacks for making the most of our time, and for reading widely.

Butler mentions reading Thomas Pynchon several times in his article. I came across this profile from 2013 of Pynchon, “On the Thomas Pynchon Trail: From the Long Island of His Boyhood to the ‘Yupper West Side’ of His New Novel.” He’s a recluse and something of an enigma. I’ve never tackled him and I wonder if I will. Should I?

Antigone, a website dedicated the Greek and Latin classics, reproduced “Machines or Mind? The Essay that Launched the Loebs,” written by W.H.D. Rouse, editor of the Loeb Classical Library series, in 1911. The series is well-known among classicists for 9its volumes in green cloth (Greek) or red cloth (Latin). In it, he enthusiastically answers the question, “What is the use of Greek and Latin literature?”

A particular use of literature through the ages has been to explore why human beings live in a tension of vice and virtue. Ed Simon explores this in the LitHub article “Deadly Sins and Heavenly Virtues: On the Timeless Duality of Being Human.”

This week, Samantha Harvey won the prestigious Booker Prize for Orbital, beating out the likes of Percival Everett and Rachel Kushner. The novel’s focus is on astronauts and cosmonauts orbiting the earth and what they experience. The New York Times profiles her and the book in “Samantha Harvey’s ‘Orbital’ Wins 2024 Booker Prize.” The book was new to me, but I just ordered it.

Quote of the Week

Robert Louis Stevenson was born on November 13, 1850. He anticipates our modern day “thankfulness journals” when he writes:

“Keep your eyes open to your mercies. The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life.”

Miscellaneous Musings

I finished Bob Woodward’s War the other day. What most struck me in this week of cabinet appointments was the experienced, highly competent, and dedicated people who are advising President Biden through the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel. There is far more than a political agenda at stake.

I’ve read two books recently that have touched on the friendship between revivalist George Whitefield and Ben Franklin, a theist at best. Each immeasurably helped the other in a friendship that had an incalculable impact on our history. Whitefield never succeeded in converting Franklin. Franklin failed to persuade Whitefield to ease up on his relentless pace. But the two men profoundly respected each other. Would that there were more such friendships.

There has been a significant exodus from X, formerly known as Twitter, since the election. I haven’t left (yet), but my follower counts have dropped noticeably. Many have migrated to Bluesky, which mirrors the look and vibe of early Twitter. One of those migrants yesterday was Stephen King, who wrote, “I quit Twitter. Eleven years, man. It really changed. Grew dark.” If Stephen King thinks it is dark…

I created an account this week and you can find me @bobonbooks.bsky.social. One cool feature is “starter packs” which connect you to others with similar interests.

Next Week’s Reviews

A new feature at The Weekly Wrap is simply a list of the books I’ll be reviewing next week. This is subject to some change due to reading time and life events. Here’s next week’s lineup:

Louise Penny, The Grey Wolf (her latest)

Sarah E. Westfall, The Way of Belonging

Ellis Peters, The Holy Thief (the nineteenth in the Cadfael series)

Elesha J. Coffman, Turning Points in American Church History

I may have one other–stay tuned!

Well, that’s The Weekly Wrap for November 10-16, 2024!

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

Coueism or a Better Story?

“Every day in every way I’m getting better and better”

Fans of The Pink Panther will recognize this line. But it actually goes back to the French psychologist Émile Coué. He created the fad of Coueism one hundred years ago, an early version of positive thinking. He encouraged people to repeat this phrase twenty or more times a day, believing that our positive thoughts could heal whatever ails us.

In “Stories to Live By,” Alan Jacobs, writing before the election, observed that people were engaged in a form of Coueism. They were writing articles about the victory of one or the other when polling offered no basis for prediction. By their stories, they were “striving to speak a desirable outcome into being.” Some were vindicated; some were desolated. But why do we do this?

Jacobs turns to the late Joan Didion to make sense of all this. She believed we created these stories to live by to make sense out of a chaotic and baffling world. According to Jacobs, it is that or therapy, alcohol, or church.

Yet we are inveterate story lovers and story tellers. What I wonder about is whether we need better stories than the political ones we tell and find ourselves caught up in. Maybe the instinct to lose ourselves in a good book in distressing times is not an altogether bad idea.

Five Articles Worth Reading

Speaking of losing ourselves in a good book, People offered this list of “15 Cozy, Comforting, Stress-Free Books for When You Need an Escape from Reality.” Some are old favorites and others look like fun. And some are children’s books, which we adults need as well.

I’ve loved the books of Oliver Sacks. Maybe it is because in some pictures, he and I could be doppelgangers (at least I like to think). This week, a collection of his letters and the New York Times review, “The Early Loves of Oliver Sacks: Medicine, Muscles and Motorbikes,” captures so much of why this man fascinates us.

The prolific Alan Jacobs also writes about a new book on the poet W.H. Auden, who left England in 1939 for America, becoming an American citizen. In “Auden’s Island” he considers the book’s focus on Auden before that departure, and his prophetic vision of England, the island nation in the twilight of empire.

Then there are those who stayed in England through the war. “We Shall Fight in the Buttery” reviews Oxford’s War 1939–1945. Specifically, it explores the war effort of Oxford academics and how “Oxford’s supposedly daft boffins [including J. R. R. Tolkien] helped win the war.”

Finally, “IYKYK: When Novels Speak a Language Only Part of the Internet Gets,” chronicles a niche of writing where “If You Know You Know” or you end up searching the internet to make sense of the work. I wonder about a genre built on such nich-y and fleeting references. But maybe fifteen minutes of fame is enough.

Quote of the Week

Colson Whitehead was born November 7, 1969. He made this perceptive observation:

“What isn’t said is as important as what is said.”

Miscellaneous Musings

I have an email awaiting a response from a writer asking me to review a book taking a position with which I know I disagree. I don’t mind and even like reading books I don’t agree with. I think I am generally fair about accurately representing the writer’s point of view. In this case, I think I’m interested enough to read the book. But I think it’s only fair to tell the author I disagree and let him decide whether to have the book sent to me.

I’m trying a new feature on my Facebook page, doing 90 second “reels” once a week where I read a piece of poetry. Eighty-eight percent of readers do not read poetry. Maybe I can help just a bit. The big challenge? Learning to read poems aloud. I’ve listened to some good ones–most of whom have some delightful accent, something I lack.

I’m reveling in the latest Louise Penny mystery–I have to pace myself or I would just gobble it up. In The Grey Wolf, Gamache tries to stop a monstrous evil but doesn’t know who is behind it nor who he can trust. And amid all this, there is still room for the sharing of good food and the antics of Ruth Zardo.

Well, that’s The Weekly Wrap for November 3-9, 2024!

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

Would You Like a Side of AI With That?

It seems wherever I turn online, AI (artificial intelligence) is offering to help me. On the screen where I am writing this blog (and it is ME), there are several WordPress options to improve my blog with AI. Likewise, Microsoft’s Copilot resides on my toolbar, ready to help me at any time. Google’s AI summarizes the gist of my search results for me. Facebook now offers AI summaries of comment threads.

I’m not a Luddite by any means, and I can see some beneficial uses of this technology. But I am not a fan and I’ve not availed myself. Besides the deleterious effects I’ve seen in the academic world that has eroded both student reading and writing, I wonder what an increased reliance on AI does to our thinking and creative processes.

Part of the thinking process that I think important is the work of synthesizing and evaluating information. Yes, AI can do this efficiently and I can defer to this, but I’m troubled that I might reach different conclusions on my own. That said, I’ll admit to using AI after the fact to ensure that I’m not totally out to lunch.

I also take joy in writing. That doesn’t mean it is always easy. But the process of turning thoughts into words is deeply satisfying. It is also clarifying. Sometimes, I know more clearly what I think of something when I write. At the same time, it reminds me of my writerly responsibility. I can’t blame it on the AI!

I’m curious to know what others think. There are various ways technology can extend or enhance human work. I wonder if there are ways to use AI where it enables me to do what is not possible for me alone and yet bears the stamp of my thought and creativity. So I am cautiously open. But for now, I think I will pass on that side of AI.

Five Articles Worth Reading

In a world where so much about us is online, Lowry Pressly argues for the importance of privacy. I appreciate this extended review of Pressly’s book, The Right to Oblivion in the Atlantic article, “The Virtue of Being Forgotten.”

I consider librarians among the unsung heroes in our culture. But our heroes are burning out with the growing challenges they are facing, described in this New York Times article, “Librarians Face a Crisis of Violence and Abuse.”

I have had several adult friends diagnosed with one of the various forms of neurodivergence: ADHD, autism, dyslexia among them. “10 Books About Neurodivergence for Newly Diagnosed Adults” offers resources for those diagnosed and those who care for or work with them.

In “Nick Hornby: The Older You Get, the Less Time You Have for Bad Books,” Hornby writes, “Reading a bad novel when you are approaching pensionable age is like taking the time left available to you and setting it on fire.” I keenly understand what he is saying as a septuagenarian!

Finally, I went through a phase of reading John le Carré’s George Smiley spy novels. He was one of the few writers in this genre I really liked. I’m usually not keen on attempts by another writer to revive a series. But this Guardian review, “Karla’s Choice by Nick Harkaway review – this continuation of le Carré is a treat” suggests that I might give this one a try. Harkaway is le Carré’s son.

Quote of the Week

James Boswell, the biographer of Samuel Johnson, was born October 29, 1740. He made an observation many of us who love wordplay will appreciate:

“A good pun may be admitted among the smaller excellencies of lively conversation.”

Miscellaneous Musings

I asked, “What do you wish authors of books would stop doing?” on my Facebook page. It turns out that there are a lot of pet peeves. Gratuitous anything, including political views, were among the widely shared. Here’s a link to the comment thread.

I just finished Douglas Groothuis’ Beyond the Wager. I’ll be reviewing it on Monday but reading it reminded me of reading Pensees with a group of friends twenty years ago. Pascal seemed to be distinctive in his ability to bring head and heart together as he reasoned about theological and philosophic realities. Time to re-read him.

Earlier this year, I read Siddhartha Mukherjee’s Song of the Cell and loved the beauty of his medical writing. At Half Price Books to sell some books, I found an earlier book, The Gene, in the discount shelves for the princely sum of $3. Hope it is worth it. Actually, with the books I sold, it didn’t cost anything, so I think that hope is warranted!

Well, that’s The Weekly Wrap for October 27-November 2, 2024!

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

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.

On Finding Books to Review

I launched Bob on Books eleven years ago. At the time, all the books I reviewed were bought or borrowed. Eventually, I discovered the truth that established reviewers can request books for review from publishers, usually new or forthcoming releases. And more often than not, they send them.

One thing that helps is to be reasonably prompt in reviewing books and sending publishers links to those reviews or at least tagging them on social media posts. I try to give books several “touches” including featuring it in a “Book of the Day” photo post on social media, writing a review, and the including it in my “Month in Reviews” feature.

There is some work involved. It means scouring catalogs for publishers you like and sending requests. I try to do one most days. Some publishers help. I have several whose publicists write about new books. I decline a number but I also review more from those houses than others.

Then there are others, usually authors trying to break into publishing. I created a post on my “About” page on “How I Choose Books to Review.” Some ignore that page and send me requests that are really outside my reviewing interests. But I also get some from those who read the post and make a case for their book on that basis. If it looks interesting (or you are a friend!) and I think I can give it a good review, I’ll say yes.

Of course, I still review books I’ve bought (sometimes from the money I made re-selling the books I received for review!). That’s as close as I get to making money on this but I enjoy the books, the publisher and author relationships as well as getting to talk with you about books.

Five Articles Worth Reading

Matthew B. Crawford who wrote Shop Class as Soulcraft posted an interesting article on the idea that intellectual independence first requires a sustained intellectual apprenticeship. “Why Individualism Fails to Create Individuals” appears as a web feature at The Hedgehog Review.

A new volume of the poems of Margaret Atwood from 1961 through 2023 has been published according to this review in The Guardian: “Paper Boat by Margaret Atwood review – the poetry collection of a lifetime.”

In “The Long Defeat of History,” Jake Meador, a writer I really like observes, “But Tolkien’s understanding of providence, inextricably bound up in his understanding of history, should strengthen our hearts. For the great conflict in all human thought and action is not whether you will stand on the right side of history but whether you will stand firm at the last, when all hope seems lost.”

As Halloween approaches, it might bring up memories of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven.” Just in time, Mental Floss comes to the rescue with “9 Facts About Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven.’ ” Nevermore will you be at a loss for words when “The Raven” comes up in conversation!

Despite being told by her sister, “You’re going to look like an idiot if you write about that” Ann Patchett writes in The New York Times about “The Decision I Made 30 Years Ago That I Still Regret.” You probably made this decision as well and I’d be curious if you regret it.

Quote of the Week

Speaking of regrets, playwright Wendy Wasserstein, born October 18, 1950, shared this one:

“The thing I longed for as a teenager is now an object of neglect and scorn. I’ve grown to hate my telephone.”

Miscellaneous Musings

I was heartened to learn this week that I am saving civilization. At least that is what Nadya Williams contends over at The Front Porch Republic in her article “Home Libraries Will Save Civilization.” She is also the author of a serious book title Mothers, Children, and the Body Politic (IVP Academic) that arrived this week for review. And I learned that she and her family live an hour up the road in Ashland, Ohio!

I’m thoroughly enjoying Luke Epplin’s Our Team on the last World Series championship team in Cleveland in 1948. As of Friday afternoon when I am writing this, the Guardians are still in the playoffs.

I just pre-ordered The Grey Wolf, number nineteen in Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache series. Her books got me through the pandemic. By the way, if you are a fan or would like to get a sense of the books, I compiled all my reviews of the series to date here.

Well, that’s The Weekly Wrap for this week!

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

The Stories of the Places We’ve Lived

This week I reviewed The Invisible Giants, the story of the Van Sweringen brothers, real estate developers and rail tycoons who left their lasting mark on Cleveland’s skyline, transit system and the suburb of Shaker Heights. We lived in the Cleveland area for a time, had seen and visited Terminal Tower, shopped and visited friends in Shaker Heights.

Likewise, in writing over five hundred Growing Up in Working Class Youngstown pieces, I read several full-length histories of Youngstown, a variety of other histories on aspects of the Mahoning Valley, as accessing many issues of the Youngstown Vindicator and other sources. I discovered that there was so much I did not know about my hometown. And, as I wrote, I found this was so for my readers. Together, we found it enriching to learn of our rich historical and cultural heritage, and how the area’s past influenced its present, down to our street names.

I continue to be fascinated by local history. Having lived over thirty years in Columbus, longer than anywhere, my next project is to read more about Columbus. I’ve enjoyed local histories by two well-known Black writers, Hanif Abdurraqib and Wil Haygood as well as the writing of local author James Thurber.

I think history carries some bad school memories for some of us. But learning the stories of where we live can add a dimension of richness to our sense of a place. Often, the lack of a sense of the place we live contributes to the sense of rootlessness in our society. Knowing about and loving our place leads to care for its cultural and physical riches, whether the natural landscape or the built environment. That’s why I’m a proponent of local history. Librarians and booksellers can help. So can your local historical society. The History Press, part of Arcadia Publishing is a leader in publishing local history and a great source for your community. Consider adding some local history to your reading!

Five Articles Worth Reading

“Han Kang Is Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature” profiles the newest Nobel Prize winner in literature and the first person to win the prize from South Korea.

Mark Krotov and Alex Shepherd think the publishing world tends to focus in on one book (at present, they argue, Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo). They celebrate the Nobel committee’s choice of Han Kang as a counter movement to this trend in “Can The Nobel Prize Save Publishing From Itself?”

I’ve always dreamed of having a study. My home office is probably a messy alternative and one of my retirement projects is to change that. Publisher’s Weekly interviewed Andrew, whose The Study (Princeton Univ., Dec.), chronicles the emergence of the personal library.

While finding a book is sometimes a treasure hunt in itself, a thirty-one year, book-based hunt just concluded! “A 31-Year Book-Based Treasure Hunt Is Finally Over” describes the quest for the Golden Owl written about in Sur la trace de la chouette d’or (On the Trail of the Golden Owl), first published in 1993. We learn that proof of solving all the clues and the discovery of the owl has been reported.

Finally, October 5 was Global James Bond Day. I went through a Bond phase before my father confiscated the books as “too adult.” In “7 James Bond Books Better Than Any of the Movies” I discovered that Ian Fleming was not the only Bond novelist. However, I also learned that my first and favorite Bond novel by Fleming (Thunderball) was number one in their ranking

Quote of the Week

I agree with the reading and writing advice of fellow Columbus native R. L. Stine, who turned 81 on October 8:

“Read. Read. Read. Just don’t read one type of book. Read different books by various authors so that you develop different styles.”

Miscellaneous Musings

I’m hoping to start reading Our Team while the Cleveland Guardians are still in contention for the World Series. The book is on the 1948 World Champion team, one of the early teams to integrate. This is where a good baseball book and local history come together!

I’ve been a wannabe bird-watcher all my life. I have a few bird books, binoculars and enjoy noticing the birds on my daily walks. I even spent some time sketching gulls in flight as I relaxed at a couple lake- and seaside locations. A book connecting birding and grieving has sparked my interest as has Amy Tan’s book, on my TBR pile.

I’m not a comic book collector. But a photo of children reading comics reminded me how comics were one of the “gateway drugs” to a life of reading for me. Hard to imagine Archie and Veronica and Superman doing that for me but it was true. I wonder how many others would say that.

Well, that’s The Weekly Wrap for this week!

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.