What I've been reading lately

B recently posted about what she's been reading lately. I'm a copy cat. Here are some of the books I've read recently.

Like B's book club, my book club recently read and discussed Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I first read the unabridged version of this when I was in high school, and when was selected by my book club, I was excited to re-read it. Technically, I still haven't completely finished it--when I realized I wouldn't finish in time for my book club discussion, I supplemented with an abridged audio version. Anyway, I really enjoyed the unabridged--I like the philosophical tangents; I like Hugo's commentary on people and life and God, etc. My copy now has many post-it notes marking passages that I found insightful and interesting.
Here's one that I found sweet and beautiful, but also heartbreaking:

As birds make nests out of anything, children do the same with dolls. While Eponine and Azelma were dressing up the cat, Cosette had dressed up the sword. That done, she had cradled it on her arm and was singing it softly to sleep.
The doll is one of the most imperative needs, and at the time one of the most charming instincts, of feminine childhood. To care for, clothe, adorne, dress, undress, dress over again, teach, scold a little, rock, cuddle, put to sleep, pretend that something is somebody--the whole future of the woman is there. Even while dreaming and chattering, while making little wardrobes and baby clothes, while sewing little dresses, little shirts and jackets, the child becomes a little girl, the little girl becomes a big girl, the big girl becomes a woman. The first baby takes the place of the last doll.
A little girl without a doll is almost as unfortunate and just as impossible as a woman without children.
So Cosette had made a doll out of her sword.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This was a fun and very enjoyable read. It's format is letters back and forth between the characters. It is set on German-occupied island of Guernsey during WWII.

The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief by Francis S. Collins. This book has been sitting on my book shelf for years waiting for me to get around to reading it. When Mom was here a year ago, she found it and brought it down from the guest room. I finally got around to reading it a couple months ago. I really like it--I wish I hadn't let it sit unread for so long. I like how Collins lays out his "evidence for belief". He pulls together in a way that I've never been able to articulate so well, how a self-respecting scientist can also believe in God, and vice versa. I don't agree with everything Collins says in this book, particularly with regard to miracles and the nature of God. But it was definitely thought provoking, and in a sense liberating to read something that doesn't represent science and religion as mutually exclusive belief systems.

Shoot the Damn Dog: A Memoir of Depression by Sally Brampton. Don't be put off by the title even though the "D" word is in it. Brampton shares her experience with depression and alcoholism. She's honest and direct. She talks about the blackest depths of her depression, therapy (including her experience with a therapist who she didn't like and didn't connect with and the dramatic difference once she found a new therapist that she liked), hospitalization, attempting suicide, and the 12 steps. Ultimately it's a story of hope--how she dealt with and continues to deal with her depression; the advice she has for others with depression (or for those with a loved one with depression). And perhaps it's one step towards removing some of the stigma associated with mental illness.

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. I'd never heard of Elizabeth Gaskell before but I've since learned that several of her novels have been turned into movies or mini-series. It was written in the 1860s, set in the 1830s. Cute story--it had a bit of a slow beginning, but overall very enjoyable.

Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson. The title for Three Cups of Tea comes from the proverb "The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family..." Mortenson's Central Asia Institute builds schools, especially schools for girls, in remote areas in Pakistan and Afghanistan. These books share Mortenson's story. I really liked Three Cups of Tea, but I liked Stones into Schools a little better.

Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. This book was a gift from my boss, and I admit, I had it more than a year before it made its way to the top of my reading list. Gladwell looks at several different factors that contribute to making individuals exceptional--outliers from the crowd. This wasn't a can't-put-it-down-page-turner, but I did find myself looking forward to lunches alone when I could sit and read it. It's interesting to me how frequently conversation and events have brought my thoughts back to what Gladwell presents Outliers.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. This was my book club's selection for the month after we discussed Les Mis. Perhaps a little nutty of us to have two 1000+ page books back to back. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Gone with the Wind, and though I hadn't completed it before our discussion of the book, I did eventually finish. Another of those books that once I started reading I thought, "This is great! Why has it taken me 30 years to pick up this book and read it?"

What are you reading?