Monday, March 22, 2010

This, that, and books

I'm always surprised when people commend me for being transparent.  Probably because one of my biggest um... issues... with the church today is when people put a mask on and act as if they never have dry seasons when they feel their prayers hit the ceiling.   How much better to share the ups and downs of the Christian life so one can have hope that faith follows frustration. 

I am more than willing to share my own struggles and successes as long as they don't cross the privacy of my family. Well, except when I told you I thought Stephanie was crazy driving to North Carolina alone.  Sometimes it is too hard to resist.

I have found it amusing that people love the Mitford series or they... don't.  In her book Honey For a Woman's Heart, Gladys Hunt has a chapter which begins how she shared a book she loved with a friend only to have the friend not care for it so much.  I don't remember the exact words but she went on to talk about how one person can think a book is wonderful and another (who also has great taste) will read the same book and find it lacking.

I've mentioned that Hunt's book is a favorite of mine that I go back to all the time but my daughter gave her copy away.  She didn't care for it at all.  Gladys was right.  :)

I would suggest to one who started the Mitford books but didn't really enjoy them, skip to the final Mitford book called Light From Heaven.  In this book, she takes great care to wrap up all the story lines. 

My own thinking is that life is too short to finish a book I don't like... or long Russian novels that are taking too long to come to the interesting parts.

Picture: At a Book; allposters.com

6 comments:

Lisa in Texas = ) said...

I really enjoyed your post today. I really like what you said about how alot of people feel like they have to wear a mask at church. I am slowly learning to be a more open person. Thanks for the post.
Lisa in Texas =o)

GrammaGrits said...

I tried to read the Mitford series years ago at the recommendation of a friend and just couldn't get into them. Later I tried again and loved them. Now I've read through them twice and can hardly wait for a new one. So sometimes something changes and it's good to give a book another try!

Carolyn said...

I identified with your comment about not reading books you don't care about. I get a lot of books from the library, we have a wonderful interlibrary system. If I have a nonfiction book I don't care for, I skim the book, look at the pictures, read the captions, chapter titles, headings, etc. For the fiction books, if after a couple of chapters I realize I don't want to invest time in the book, I go to the back of the book and read the last chapter or two. That way I have resolution to the story lines, but have not 'wasted' much time.

My sister teases me about doing this. But there are too many good books to read, or baby afghans to crochet, or vegetable gardens to plan and tend, or silverware drawers to organize, or pretty jigsaw puzzles to work, etc. We live in bounty, God is good!

Nikki Thornton said...

Liked your post. Someday I hope to write a book where the royalties will pay for the copies I give away.
:-)
Nikki

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I think taste in reading material will change somewhat with the passage of time in our lives. I rarely read any fiction series anymore, though there was a time I read a great deal in that area. In recent years I have projects moreso, it seems, than when my children were growing up...expanding family=expanding number of projects perhaps. And the internet has changed how I use time too. It would be nice to continue simplifying to the point of having more leisure time to read in the future!
Blessings, Elizabeth

Tracey McBride ~ Frugal Luxuries® said...

Dear Brenda,
Wonderful post...wonderful points. I am one who enjoys visiting the Mitford characters again and again. It is one of those comfort reads that gives my mind a good place to visit when the world seems a bit heavy. I'm off now to start dinner. Looking forward to your next thought provoking post.
Love,
Tracey
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