Friday, 11 March 2005 - Lifelong love of reading

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for a lifelong love of reading.

A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint. What I began by reading, I must finish by acting. - Henry David Thoreau

The other day, an acquaintance asked me about my favorite books. Like other avid readers, I have too many to name in one breath. So, I browsed my personal library and selected a couple of dozen or so titles to share with you. Here they are, randomly listed.

* The Bible (New King James Version)
* The Man Who Planted Trees (Jean Giono)
* Walden (Henry David Thoreau)
* The Prayer Tree (Michael Leunig)
* An Uncommon Prayer (Michael Leunig)
* Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)
* An Unknown Woman (Alice Koller)
* A New Kind of Country (Dorothy Gilman)
* Einstein's Dreams (Alan P. Lightman)
* A Blue Butterfly (Bijou Le Tord)
* Dog Heaven (Cynthia Ryland)
* Traveling Mercies (Anne Lamott)
* Holy the Firm (Annie Dillard)
* Winnie the Pooh (A. A. Milne)
* The Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger)
* Our Town (Thornton Wilder)
* Under Milkwood (Dylan Thomas)
* Prayers from the Ark (Carmen Bernos de Gasztold; translated from the French by Rumer Godden)
* The Web of Life (Richard Louv)
* Forgetting Ourselves on Purpose: vocation and the ethics of ambition (Brian Mahan)
* How to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie)
* The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
* The City in Winter (Mark Helprin)
* About Looking (Thomas Berger)
* Time and the Art of Living (Robert Grudin)
* Boundaries (Maya Lin)
* The Elements of Style (William Strunk & E. B. White)
* Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient: reflections on healing and regeneration (Norman Cousins)
* The Starship and the Canoe (Freeman Dyson)

I am reading Mary Sojourner's book, Solace: rituals of loss and desire. She writes so exquisitely that I am having trouble leaving the first chapter. I fall under the spell of her perfectly-crafted prose and reread the words many times to ensure I fully absorb their meaning. I'm afraid I won't be able to finish this slim volume before it's due back at the library so I guess I'll buy my own copy. I will probably add it to my growing list of favorite books.

Note: I have a second list of books about the craft of writing that I turn to for technical help and inspiration. I will share this list in a future journal entry.

For this blessing, I am grateful.

Amen.