Summer is at an end; Fall is here. Or so they say. But this week's weather is absolutely perfect, almost too perfect for Chicagoland in early October. And once again, I have been neglecting this blog. I figure it's time for a few updates...
BBC Book Challenge
I've read several book from the BBC list since my last post:
The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro, is a fabulous book -- a deceptively peaceful bit of prose. Taking place in England post-world-wars, narrated by an aging butler who is reflecting on his career and the changes he has seen, as well as struggling to belief in the worth of his lived profession, this is a perfect book for those who enjoy films such as Gosford Park and the recent BBC series Downton Abbey.
Jude the Obscure wasn't as depressing as the other Thomas Hardy novel I had read, Tess. It was an interesting novel -- an interesting commentary on marriage and relationships. I imagine it was quite scandalous in its day, though in this era of Jerry Springer and Grey's Anatomy, not so much.
I may have read these stories when I was little, and I have CERTAINLY experienced Mr. Toad's Wild Ride multiple times at Disneyland... but the stories were charming and kept me captivated despite my "background knowledge". One disadvantage of reading on my iPhone: I missed out on the book illustrations which were probably just as much a part of the original story as the words.
After that, I decided to tick the last Thomas Hardy novel off the list: Far from the Madding Crowd. I really enjoyed this one, the most of the Thomas Hardy novels I've read. Probably that's because it's one of his earlier novels, and thus much more cheerful. It even has a fairly happy ending!
I'm still not sure why in the world any parents would name their daughter Bathsheba, but apparently Hardy didn't think it was too crazy.
On a side note, there are some pretty funny Google images that pop up when you search for "Far from the Madding Crowd" -- they must have made a movie about it in the 60s or something.
And currently, I am enthralled with a series of books that are NOT on the BBC list -- The Hunger Games and its two sequels. I have this problem where I can carry around the mood I absorb from the books I read for days and days... and these books have particularly affected me! But I love them just the same. Although we'll see how much I love them once I actually finish the last book, which Erik told me doesn't end the way I want it to end...
Other Things
I've been thinking a lot about things like:
- Sustainable patterns of living and eating. I joined a CSA, found the iPhone app and website "Better World Shopper," and am in general trying to be more conscious of what I eat and buy. More about that later, I hope...
- Living with an "outward" focus, and helping my church develop more of an outward focus as well. Social justice, reconciliation, the CCDA conference, tutoring at the Nuestro Center in Highwood (and using my rusty Spanish too!), exploring books like Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger -- these are new developments and mental preoccupations for me. And I like it!
- Ways to use the vegetables we receive in our CSA box. Last night I ate Roasted Beets with Swiss Chard, toasted almonds, and goat cheese. It was yummy! I'm so weird.
So there you go. Now if I don't post again for another couple of months, at least I'll have slightly less to fill in!
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