No. 14 - The Moon is Down

Finished my unread Steinbeck last week with The Moon is Down. I looked it up on Wikipedia. Very interesting.

[The Moon Is Down, a propaganda novella sponsored by the OSS and written by John Steinbeck, and for which he received a medal of honor, was published by Viking Press in March 1942. The story details a military occupation of a small town in Northern Europe by the army of an unnamed nation at war with England and Russia (much like the occupation of Norway by the Germans during World War II). A French language translation of the book was published illegally in Nazi-occupied France by Les Editions de Minuit, a French Resistance publishing house.^[1] Furthermore, numerous other editions were also secretly published across all of occupied Europe, including Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Dutch and Italian versions; it was the best-known work of American literature in the Soviet Union during the war.^[2] Without naming the occupying force as Nazis, references to 'The Leader', 'Memories of defeats in Belgium and France 20 years ago' clearly suggest it. Written with a purpose to motivate and enthuse the resistance movements in occupied countries, it has appeared in at least 92 editions across the world, proving its popularity.] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_Is_Down

If you haven't read it, I would suggest it. Especially with this interesting history.

And now I'm finally doing it. I'm tackling a big project for the summer. I just started No. 25 - The Silmarillion. My brain already hurts but I so want to finish it!

No. 3 - Cannery Row

I think I may have read my favorite John Steinbeck book. The flap says: "Steinbeck's tough yet charming portrait of people on the margin of society, dependent on one another for both physical and emotional survival." And it is just that. This beautiful piecework of portraits; depicting life for the people of Cannery Row. I loved that the story centers around Mack "and the boys": a hodge-podge group of bums who become a family, but in the meantime, Steinbeck adds chapters that tell the story of one or two characters, completely unrelated, never spoken of again. Such good writing.

Two quotes stuck out to me so much that I underlined and wrote them down.

"Socially Mack and the boys were beyond pale. Sam Malloy didn't speak to them as they went by the boiler. They drew into themselves and no one could foresee how they would come out of the cloud. For there are two possible reactions to social ostracism -- either a man emerges determined to be better, purer, and kindlier or he goes bad, challenges the world and does even worse things. This last is by far the commonest reaction to stigma."

Isn't this so true? I've even seen it in cases of deep hurt or sin. We get sucked in to ourselves and then we choose how we get out of it. My pastor says it like this: we can get better or we can get bitter. My prayer is that we all choose "better" and make the hard choices to find complete healing in Jesus.

"It has always seemed strange to me," said Doc. "The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism, and self-interest are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second."

Insightful, is it not?

I'm finishing up all the Steinbeck left in my Unread Library, and I'm working on No. 14 - The Moon is Down right now.

No. 20 - The Pearl & No. 22 - The Red Pony

One more entry for my Unread Library! These stories were printed in the same book and both are rather short, so I read them pretty quick last week.

I love Steinbeck. I always feel like I should see more depth in my everyday life when I'm reading him. That there is beauty to be found in even the most common actions. But what is interesting to me about Steinbeck is he presents it in a solemn, almost cynical, way; one where you feel reverence for the situation but realize that it actually happens every day. And that is great writing.

I'm working on No. 3 - Cannery Row right now; I figured I'd keep reading Steinbeck since there were 2 more books on my list.

Do you ever come back to an author and remember how much you love their writing?

No. 28 - My Life in France

I'll admit, I didn't know much about Julia Child until the movie Julie & Julia came out. I remember thinking her voice was funny as a kid, but that's all. So I'm very much jumping on the Julia Child bandwagon.

My Life in France is written by Julia Child and her grand-nephew Alex Prud'Homme. I have never been to France, and from what you can see on this blog, I'm not that great of a cook, but there was something so inspiring about Julia's memoirs. This book was extremely entertaining but it also made me want to get passionate about the things I love to do. To love my life and my life's work with an unquenchable love and excitement. It also made me hungry. ;)

If you don't know French and you're going to read this, I'd grab a French dictionary or Google Translate for a few quotes and phrases.

Non-fiction that reads like fiction is fun because you can get caught up in the story and then realize, "that really happened!" and that's awesome.

No. 11 - Lady Susan

Another book down! Lady Susan is the last of Jane Austen's main works that I had to read. It was a very different style than her other writings, mainly this one is played out completely in letters. It still has the same Jane Austen wit, but lacks the romance. Different than what I expected, but glad that I read it. (especially to finish the list of an author's published works!)

I cheated last week and bought My Life in France by Julia Child (at the same Borders clearance as the notebook). I'm adding it to the list and starting it next.

No. 18 - Othello

Well, talk about a 1-2 punch with my Unread Library! This weekend was stormy and rainy (such a fun change in the desert!) and I was able to read Othello in 2 days. It makes sense, though, since it's a play, it couldn't take me a week to read through...could you imagine a week long play?! :)

It was good, and Shakespeare-ian and everything you could want in a tragedy: love, murder, deception, and betrayal. It was also pretty easy to understand. I haven't read Shakespeare since high school so I was curious to see how I could handle it without a teacher guiding me through, but it was pretty straightforward and the footnotes helped too!

Also, No. 2 - Candide was on this list but I read it last year. So I don't know if I read it during this Unread Library time and forgot to post about it or if I just mistakenly put it on the list. It's crossed off now.

Next up, I think it will be No. 11 - Lady Susan. I'm looking forward to a little Jane Austen after Dickens and Shakespeare.

No. 17 - Oliver Twist

I finally finished Oliver Twist last night! Just like my other Dickens experience (Great Expectations), it was slow going until the last 5 or so chapters; when things get exciting and you want to keep reading. What I think is interesting is how the first 45 chapters really are just set up for the final wrap up. What felt like a disjointed history, and was at times boring, for so long makes complete sense in the end.

Anyways, I'm still sold on Charles Dickens, and have 3 more of his books in my Unread Library, so we'll see what happens with those.

Now, due to a recommendation, my next book will be No. 18 - Othello.

No. 17 - Oliver Twist

I am making very slow progress on this book. I'm only about a third of the way through it and it seems like the Disney movie is already almost over by this point. I'm going to go out on a limb and say Oliver & Company left out some things.

Dickens is a really good writer and I'm enjoying the book, it just takes a lot of effort. My brain is getting back into gear, though, so I'm hoping to make some serious progress on it soon.

In other news, I'm going to my favorite antique store with my mom and sister. Love antique stores. :)

Closet

I made a lot of progress on my closet yesterday, which was great. I still have work to do in the bedroom, but for now, I'll show you the closet.

This horrible pile of stuff was right outside my room.

 Closet before. Note: mixed up clothes, books everywhere, shoe mess.

 Closet after. Not 100% but much, much better. Also, only a few shoe cubbies have 2 pairs of shoes, whereas before 2 was the minimum!

 From the door.

 Other side. Once again, still needs work, but at least I can see my clothes.

Pile of donations. And trash. See there are some books in there! ;)

*also, the reason so much doesn't fit is because when I moved out I got a queen sized bed, as opposed to the twin I had been using for years. So 1 bookshelf and a piece of my desk didn't make it back in, which, surprisingly, added a lot of storage!

Anybody else cleaning up and clearing out at the start of the year?

Welcome!

Welcome from my new home! I'm looking forward to a new year, a new blog, and many new experiences.

This week I moved back into my parents house. My landlord's other home sold faster than we expected; but I was able to just move home. I think it's going to be good for us all. I learned a lot in those two months. A lot about life and also about myself.

This moving process, however, has revealed something that I'm not OK with. I don't know how I did it, but in 2 months I acquired more stuff than I left with. The amount of meaningless junk I packed into my car is horrifying, Moving all of my clothes twice has shocked my system into a major purge. It is a cut-throat process and nothing is safe!

All of my craft supplies are going to be cut in half. - I just decided that right now, I hope I can stick with it. - And I may, may get rid of some books.

Stay tuned for the embarrassing photographic proof.

Day Off

Today is my day off! It feels like the first day off in awhile - I've been busy the last two Mondays. I'm looking forward to:

-Finishing my laundry
-Making my bed
-Finishing my alterations on a $3 Savers dress so I can wear it finally
-Keep reading Oliver Twist
-crochet a second dishcloth to match this one
-and some general lazing about :)

I'll leave you with this pic of my main man, Banjo. Why he was sleeping with his nose under the quilt is unclear, but goodness, it was funny!

No. 24 - The Screwtape Letters

image from Abebooks.com

Great book. There isn't much more to say. It totally made me think, realize how victorious God is, it convicted me in places I've been lax, and made me laugh. All in all, I'm so glad I read it and would recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it.

Next up in my Unread Library, via random selection, is No. 17 - Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.

No. 7 - Dubliners

I'm not moving very fast through my Unread Library. Dubliners was good and offered a glimpse into life in Dublin at the turn of the century. This collection of short stories is pretty political; notes on the author describe him as being "the greatest literary rebel of our time [...] He rebelled against social and literary conventions, against Catholicism, and against Dublin, the city at the center of this magnificent early collection of stories." (book jacket).

image from Barnes & Noble

This book definitely put me into a fall mood: gray, somber, and something I would expect to read in school. :)

I'm now working on an added book to my list, a friend lent me The Screwtape Letters. So far, it's very interesting and definitely making me think.

The Sunday Creative

I missed a week! This week on The Sunday Creative our prompt is "comfort."

Comfort vb 1.To give strength and hope

n 1. Consolation 2. Freedom from pain, trouble, or anxiety; also: something that gives such freedom

I find comfort in:

-using Illustrator over any other Adobe programs :)

-teal and light coral together

-the scene in Little Women (the Winona Ryder version) where Jo finishes her book and slides a red geranium into her raffia-wrapped manuscript

-my pup, Banjo, who always sits right up against me

-The Comforter, Jesus (Matthew 5)

-my closest friend, who knows me so well that I can't hide anything from her

-white blankets and good books

I'm sure there are more, but for today, those are the things that I am wishing for. :)

Mansfield Park

I finished Mansfield Park this weekend and loved it. I have read enough Jane Austen books to know what to expect (I mean, they are love stories after all, the girl always gets the guy) but this one had a twist that I wasn't expecting. The entire book I wasn't exactly sure how it would turn out. Would Fanny's feelings change? Would Mary Crawford change her mind? Is Mr. Crawford actually a nice guy? I had no idea! But then, in classic Jane Austen form, the last two chapters held all the twists, turns, and wrapped everything up like every good romance should. Not to mention Ms. Austen's humor and subtle satire on wealth and marriage; which is always fun.

And now onto No. 07 of my unread library, Dubliners by James Joyce.

No, 12 - Mansfield Park

image from Barnes & Noble

I am currently halfway through Mansfield Park and it's wonderful. I was hoping to have it finished by today, but it is pretty long and I haven't had much time for leisure this week. Maybe by next week it will be done!

The Unread Library

When it comes to books, I have very little willpower. I love everything about them: the covers, the pages, the words, the fonts, how a book from the 50s or 60s looks nothing like a modern one, and of course, the actual stories. Getting lost in a book is a lifeline for me. A refuge from the world, from things that drain me, and from technology. It is ironic to me that technology and media are part of my top five favorite things to do, and also my current livelihood, and yet I love leaving it behind for a world of ink and paper.

That being said, I have amassed an ever expanding library - primarily made up of thrifted and vintage books (because hey, I'm working with a budget!). I love perusing the shelves at Goodwill and Savers looking for a classic I've never read, a great cover to a book I already love, the occasional chance book that may end up being a keeper (or not), and anything in between. But lately, I've noticed I have a stack of books marked "to read" that grows faster than I can read them. I also realized that the money I'm pouring into this pile can be used for much more impact than my library. So I've committed to not buying another book until I read every last unread book. And the money I would normally spend is being put away (it's not much, but it's something) into a savings account for a yet-to-be-revealed project that will impact many lives.

All these thoughts had started stirring in my heart and head when I read a post on a blog I follow, Pancakes & French Fries, about The Unread Library. This post was a confirmation and encouragement to me, so I decided to follow suit with my progress. Here is My Unread Library; as I finish a book, I will update the list.

1. Aeneid, The | Virgil
2. Candide | Voltaire
3. Cannery Row | John Steinbeck
4. Christmas Carol, A | Charles Dickens
5. David Copperfield | Charles Dickens
6. Dombey & Son | Charles Dickens
7. Dubliners | James Joyce
8. Great Short Works of Herman Melville, The | Herman Melville
9. How to Read Literature Like a Professor | Thomas Foster
10. Kidnapped | Robert Louis Stevenson
11. Lady Susan | Jane Austen
12. Mansfield Park | Jane Austen
13. Moby Dick | Herman Melville
14. Moon is Down, The | John Steinbeck
15. Much Ado About Nothing | William Shakespeare
16. Nick Adams Stories, The | Ernest Hemingway
17. Oliver Twist | Charles Dickens
18. Othello | William Shakespeare
19. Painted Bird, The | Jerzy Kosinski
20. Pearl, The | John Steinbeck
21. Pilgrim's Progress, The | John Bunyan
22. Red Pony, The | John Steinbeck
23. Robinson Crusoe | Daniel Defore
24. Silmarillion, The | JRR Tolkien
25. Uncle Tom's Cabin | Harriet Beecher Stowe
26. War of the Worlds, The | HG Wells

And there you have it.