Summer/Fall Reading List

I've been reading young adult series this summer. There's something nice about reading a series--after figuring out which one you want to read, you don't have to deliberate about the next book until you're finished with the entire series. There's less thought involved, which can be a boon in the summer.

This spring I read (again) all of my Robin McKinley books. They aren't exactly a series, but they all take place in marvelous other worlds. I highly recommend any and all of them! She's a fantastic author, and her ability to create Other Worlds is remarkable. I read:

The Blue Sword

The Hero and the Crown

Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast

Spindle's End

Deerskin

A Knot in the Grain (short stories)

The Door in the Wall (short stories)

Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits (short stories by RMK and her husband, the fantasy writer Peter Dickinson)

Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits (more short stories by RMK and PD)

Then I decided to read L.M. Montgomery's "Emily" books. I've read them before, but only once, and I didn't remember them very well. Emily inspires me. Looking at the brief bio of L.M. Montgomery's life, I believe that she put much of her experience as a budding authoress into the Emily books. Emily wrote--and wrote--and wrote. And then she started submitting her writing. And, after a great deal of persistence, rejection, and doubts, she began to become successful. The path is quite clearly laid out: hard work, writing writing writing, and putting one's work out into the world. Unfortunately, I haven't done much of any of those lately . . . so. I must allow Emily to continue to inspire me.

Emily of New Moon

Emily's Quest

Emily Climbs

And, most recently, I have read the six books of Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea Trilogy. I love trilogies that end up being non-trilogies because the characters or the world or the story continues in the author's mind . . . and then, delightfully, in ours. The first three books, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, and The Farthest Shore, were all written in a similar tone and style, and are excellent. The Farthest Shore, with its long sea voyage to distant islands, reminds me a great deal of C.S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Well-written as the first three books are, however, it is the final three that are sticking with me. These were written some years later, after Ms. LeGuin had recognized some missing pieces in her original trilogy. Tehanu is beautifully written, and, beyond that, it is a marvelously, refreshingly feminist book. Some of the lines made me shiver. READ IT. Read them all. The fifth book, Tales from Earthsea, is a series of short stories from various points in Earthsea's history; the last story bridges the gap between Tehanu and the final (as yet!) book, The Other Wind.  Ms. LeGuin turns Earthsea upside-down in this last book, in a brilliant and inspiring way.  The final chapter held so many profound and powerful insights I'm still mulling them over in my mind, still glimpsing the brightness of the images that flooded my inner eye as I read it.  I love books that turn their worlds--and, by extension, my world--upside-down.  If you're in need of something new and refreshing, read this series!

Now that it's fall, I've been delving into new books, ones that are, perhaps, a little heavier.  I read three of Geraldine Brooks' novels:  March, Year of Wonders, and People of the Book.  All excellent, all thought-provoking, all historical fiction, from Civil War America to a plague village in England in 1665 to the modern day (with glimpses of medieval Spain and WWII-era Bosnia).

Another new author this fall has been Mary Doria Russell; I've read The Sparrow and Children of God (which picks up where The Sparrow leaves off), and if you want additional world-shaking reads, these are for you.  The story is fascinating--think life on other planets, the questions of faith that this raises, the life of a Jesuit priest and his friends:  fantastic.  Both of them were books I couldn't put down.

Most recently I went to the library and checked out three books by Jane Goodall.  There was an excellent article in the latest National Geographic in honor of her 50th anniversary of going to Gombe, Tanzania, to begin her research on chimpanzees, and it made me curious to learn more.  So I've just started Through A Window: My Thirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe, and I'm looking forward to reading Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey and Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink.

I need to read about some hope, especially with the elections coming up with support for a few too many Tea Party candidates.  I listen to some of the blatantly false things that too many Americans believe (that there is no scientific evidence for climate change/Obama is a Muslim/Obama is a socialist/Republicans want small government, etc.).

???

Seriously, have people lost their ability to think critically and search out multiple information sources for at least an attempt at a balanced viewpoint?  Then again, thinking for one's self is dangerous; I suppose I understand why many people simply prefer to adopt the opinions of others rather than take the time to research an issue and reach an informed conclusion.  It's just so much easier.  URGH.  I wish there weren't such a fear of . . . of what?  New ideas?  People who are different from ourselves?  What might happen if we let our comfortable worldview get shaken up a little?

So yes, reading about Jane Goodall's reasons for hope should be heartening.  She is such an amazing woman, and has done incredible things not only for our understanding of chimpanzees and for the preservation of great apes and their habitats, but for women in science and beyond.  I'll let you know how these books go.

What have you been reading lately?  I'm always looking for new recommendations!

Love to all!