A Book a Week

  Finished March 14, 2022 This memoir chronicles the author's identity theft story, which involved a dysfunctional childhood, a passive yet faithful father, and a self-absorbed mother who sacrificed everything and everyone on the alter of her own self-involved fantasies.  This poor girl managed to emerge fairly normal (other than the fact that she doesn't live with her husband for large chunks of the year). She managed to forgive her mother, stay close to her father, and finish her education. Sadly, she does not plan to have children, which is understandable, given her mother's attitudes toward her own child (her mother went to her 30th high school reunion and never mentioned she had a daughter; and mentioned in a Facebook message that the worst day of her life was the first day her husband left her in the house with the baby). This is normal for narcissistic personality types, because raising a child with love requires that you put the child first, which is hell for people...

 Date finished:  NOTE: This book is entirely coincidental in its title's similarity to Book 8, The Good Shepherd , by C. S. Forester. I had started The Good Shepherd a few months ago, and just finished it within a day of finishing The Silent Shepherd . At this time, I am also reading: American History in Black & White , by David Barton This is the Way the World Ends , by Keith Taylor How to Win Friends and Influence Enemies , by Will Witt War and Peace , by Leo Tolstoy Clearly, my taste in books is all over the map. But what fun! On to this week's book ...  Of the three persons of the Godhead, I understand the least about the Holy Spirit, which is a shame, because He is the one who lives closest to me, in me, and through me. So I decided to learn more about Him from a truly great teacher. MacArthur explores the role of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of Jesus, in both Old Testament and New Testament contexts, and for modern Christians (which is not different). His co...

Date finished: 3/1 In  The Good Shepherd , C.S. Forester departs from the age-of-sail Hornblower genre that made him famous to focus on an American naval officer during World War II.  After a somewhat disappointing career, Commander George Krause, USN, is at last given the command he has long sought when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor creates an increased demand for destroyer captains. He had not perished at Pearl Harbor with his colleagues because he had requested Atlantic assignments to be as far away from his ex-wife as possible, her infidelity and abandonment still too painful to risk running across acquaintances or inadvertently hearing news of her.  Assigned to Atlantic convoy escort duty, Krause commands not only his ship, USS Keeling , a destroyer, but also the other escorts assigned to protect a thirty-seven-ship convoy carrying much-needed supplies to the European Allies during WWII.  The story takes place in the forty-eight hours when the convoy is mo...

Finished February 8, 2022 I am reading this book with my British Literature students. I considered whether to include it in my project to finish a book a week. In the end, I decided to because 1) the reason I'm reading the book does not detract from the fact that I read the book, and 2) I will be reading all kinds of books during this year-long challenge: books of the Bible, childhood books I haven't read in decades, audiobooks, manuscripts, etc. and I don't want to get legalistic about what should be a joy. I used to love the story of Romeo and Juliet better than the play. But I think that's because I had difficulty with the language. When I got more familiar with the language, I began to appreciate not just the magnificent story, but the way it was written.  Shakespeare experienced young love. No one could understand it as well as he without having experienced it. That delightful aching ("Parting is such sweet sorry/The minutes are filled with years"), the d...

  Finished February 4, 2022 Not all the books I finish are going to be memorable, delightful, life-changing treasures. I see that now. I don't remember buying the Kindle version of this book, but there it was on my Kindle, and I like a good political thriller, so I read it in two sittings. After recently reading weightier material from authors including John Galsworthy, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Wilke Collins, this seemed a fun romp.   The protagonist seemed to be Jack Rudley, a journalist who, after years in the trenches, begins to work for a newsmagazine on political features. However, the main character of the book is First Lady Carolyn Lane, wife of President Warner Lane, a sympathetic character at the beginning of the story who becomes more corrupt as he moves higher up in politics. These characters bear a remarkable similarity to the Clintons. Warner Madison Lane (Bill Clinton's middle name is Jefferson) is a charming, likable, feel-your-pain campaigner who feels ...

Date finished: February 2 I have no book cover for this one because I read the unpublished manuscript, given to me by a student of mine, a 10th grader in my British Literature class. The author told me he had written it "a year ago," which would have made him 15 at the time he penned it. He does not intend to publish it, because it features characters from a popular trademarked video game, and he believes the story would fall apart if he changed it substantially from the game. But he also told me he wrote it for himself, and doesn't intend to seek publishing anyway. The manuscript came in four parts and I read it in about 2 hours. On balance, it was what I would expect from an adventure tale based on a video game. But I must say, I was pleasantly surprised at the brisk pacing, balance between action sequences and character-building, use of back-story, and twists within a story arc. You really learn about someone when you read something he or she has written. I very much e...

 Date finished: 1/20/2022 There is something about the idea of living in the wilderness that appeals to many people, including me. I love the thought of being self-sufficient, close to nature, living on the bounty of the earth, knowing that you can feed yourself, clothe yourself, keep yourself safe, and start a fire ... perpetually. There's an exhilarating feeling about being able to live without a dime, dependent on no one.  But then I'd miss aged English Cheddar cheese. And 4-way stretch. And "The Peanuts Christmas Special." Still, it's fun to dream. This book is about a fictional boy who, at age 12, decides to leave New York City and live in the Catskills Mountains. I read a similar book with my children, called, "Hatchet," by Gary Paulson, in which a 13-year-old from New York is stranded in the Canadian Rockies. The notable exception is that Brian, from Hatchet , wants to be rescued, whereas Sam, from My Side of the Mountain , leaves "civilizati...