Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Library Loot ~ a mixed bag of books



Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (1964)

This is the only children's book I picked up this time.  Because the book was published when I was adult, I missed it as a child.  Thus, my need to learn about a girl another book blogger said is "ahead of her time."




The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria (2008)

The subtitle is "A History of the World through Islamic Eyes."  The dust jacket says that economic growth in countries such as China, India, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Kenya, and others "is generating a new global landscape where power is shifting and wealth and innovation are bubbling up in unexpected places."



Hanna's Daughters by Marianne Fredrikkson (1994)

I read this a decade or so ago, back when it was fairly new.  I'm planning to re-read it as part of the Nordic reading challenge.  I remember it as a very good book.





Rabbi Paul by Bruce Chilton (2004)

The subtitle here is "An Intellectual Biography." After reading other books about Paul, such as The First Paul by Marcus Borg and Dom Crossan (2009) and The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity by Hyam Maccoby (1986), I'm interested in what Chilton can add.


The Secret History of the Mongol Queens by Jack Weatherford (2010)

The subtitle is "How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire." Now that I've finished my semester of teaching at Chattanooga State, I have time to finish this book, which I had to return half-read last spring because I was limited to seven days for new books. I posted an interesting teaser from this book.





Destiny Disrupted by Tamim Ansary (2009)

We in the West share a common narrative of world history that bypasses an entire civilization.  The subtitle of this book is "A History of the World through Islamic Eyes."






Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name by Vendela Vida (2007)

This is another novel for the Nordic challenge.  On the day of her father's funeral, 28-year-old Clarissa discovers that he wasn't her biological father after all.





Independent People by Halldor Laxness (1946)

This novel about Iceland is for the Nordic reading challenge.  Laxness got the 1955 Nobel Prize in Literature because of this book.  I want to know more about Iceland.



The Bible with Sources Revealed by Richard Elliott Friedman (2003)

Subtitled "A New View into the Five Books of Moses," this book has (naturally) five parts: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. I want to read this one along with The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman's Commentary on the Torah by Ellen Frankel (1996) that I've had for over a decade, still unread.


Library Loot is a weekly meme co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library.  Claire has the Mister Linky this week, if you'd like to share a list of the loot you brought home.

9 comments:

Professor Batty said...

Laxness won the Nobel prize for the body of his work, not just Independent People. He had written 6 major novels, all of which are still read and admired around the world, before he won the award.

Unknown said...

Great loot! Check out mine here

http://kyliesreads.blogspot.com/2011/01/library-loot.html

Anonymous said...

An interesting set of books. I read Hanna's Daughters some years ago too, and I remember enjoying it. I hope that all your books are as good!

Bonnie Jacobs said...

You're right, Prof, and I didn't express myself very well. I meant that book contributed to his winning. The prize isn't for a single book.

Thanks to all of you for visiting my blog.

Cat said...

Very interesting loot. Mongol Queens takes my eye and I have a fascination with Iceland at the moment - I read The Tricking of Freya over Christmas and want to know more of this country and its literature.

Happy reading.

Claire (The Captive Reader) said...

Wonderful picks! I've had my eye on Destiny Disrupted but haven't yet read it and Let The Northern Lights Erase Your Name ranks as my favourite title ever. Looks like a lot of great choices for the Nordic Reading Challenge!

Enjoy your loot!

Anonymous said...

Bonnie, could you discuss your feelings about the revisions of Huck Finn and taking out the "N" word and thereby supposedly making it more accessible? I think it is an awful decision. A writer's word should be their own and no revision should be made.

Anonymous said...

Ahhh, very nice. Since I've read Destiny Disrupted, Post-American World and Rabbi Paul I eagerly look forward to reading your thoughts on those particular books.
If you liked Rabbi Paul, feel free to check out How Jesus Became Christian by Barrie Wilson as well as What Paul Really Said by Garry Wills.
Fantastic blog ! I FINALLY added you to my blogroll and I hope to drop by on a more regular basis.
Keep up the good work !

Beth said...

Harriet the Spy is a great book. If you like it, you might also try The Long Secret, which is about another of the kids in her group. Sport has a very different flavor, but I liked it as well.