...and so it begins...

I turned 30 a few years ago and I realized I couldn't remember whether I had read certain books, or if I had merely begun them and moved on... or if I had only thoght it sounded like a good book.  Going to the library or book/thrift store got to be hard.

I decided to begin cataloging the books I had read.  I put a piece of notepaper on the fridge, higher than sticker fingers or kitty's paws.  I scrawled "BOOKS I'VE READ" across the top and began on January 1, 2007.  I wrote the name of the book, and the name of the author.  At some point I also decided to write a blurb about the book beside these other notations.  I've read books - clearly remember reading them - but have no recollection as to what was between the cover.  The blurbs have helped!

Clean books?  What does that mean to Frankie?  Well, I like to think in terms of old B&W films...  when Cary Grant picks up the leading lady and carries her to the bedroom, he kicks the door shut behind him.  What happens after that is between Cary and his lady.  I don't like sex scenes.  I don't mind love, or romantic notions, but intimacy is so private and personal - even to characters in a book.  I want to respect their privacy as I feel the author should.  Having said that, I don't mind a few swears.  Doesn't bother me, but I know it bothers others.  I will warn, I promise. 

I read a lot of genres.  I have a hard time with fantasy and talking animals.  I read to learn more about me, the world, my children, my faith...  I expect a book to change me.  I want to grow.  Art has a purpose - and the purpose I find in books is a challenge to become a better ME.

Still working on how to organize my thoughts, but as it is summer and I don't have a lot of time to review as deeply as I'd like (maybe in the fall?) I'll start sharing the titles and blurbs of books I've read since turning 30... I've got four years to share so it should take a few posts!  :-)

BOOKS I'VE READ
Good Old Days in the Kitchen - Tate (sorry, I didn't write the first name!) - cookbook
Eve and the Mortal Journey - Beverly Campbell - an LDS view of Eve's role
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston - modern day classic novel about the strength of a woman in the South
BYU Speeches 1991 - 1992 - various authors on LDS themes
The Manual of Practical Homesteading - John Vivian - Mr. Vivian (I think from Mother Earth News fame) shares his practical knowledge of creating a homestead from his experiences with his little family.  Good goat butchering segments :-)
Note to self - still hate Hemingway... (I must have tried one and gave myself permission!)
Arctic Homestead - Norma  Cobb - memoir of the last homesteader in the United States...  I absolutely loved this story.  It reads well and the family's misadventures are exciting.  I reread this one often - I finally broke down and bought a copy b/c the library wouldn't lend me their copy anymore- it was held together with rubber bands!  Fun read for a woman who loves a "manly" man.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Barbara Kingsolver - memoir-like account of a writer and her professor husband as they eat locally for a year.  Very good.  I've reread parts of it.  I reexamined my food choices after reading this, The Jungle, and Omnivore's Dilemna.
The Homecoming - Earl Hamner, Jr - The Walton's Christmas story - one my all-time favs.
Leaving Mother Lake - Yang Erche Namu - fascinating true tale of a young Mongolian singer leaving her homeland.
Ranch on the Laramie - Ted Olsen - a memoir...  I don't remember much about it :-)  Nice quiet read?

Enough for now...