Last week I wrote about buying a book I already had, and Helen @ Helen's Book Blog commented:"That's really funny that you have bought the same book twice (and from the same store!). Even better is that you haven't read it yet, right? Maybe it's a sign that it should be your next read."What do you think? Is it a sign? Should that book be at the top of my TBR (to be read) stack? How do you choose what comes next?
And more BOOKS
Three books found their way home with me this past week: one bought, one found, one a repeat. I'm at different stages of writing a couple of books, one on Women Unbound and one on prayer (which is not, in my opinion, what most people think it is). That may explain these titles, and the teasers I've pulled from each one:
In 2009, I used a quote from Priscilla (the Jew) as a teaser, so this time I'll let Ranya (the Muslim) speak about her children:The Feminine Mistake: Are We Giving Up Too Much? ~ by Leslie Bennetts, 2007, women's studies
"And I'll freely confess that some of my contributions to school bake sales were store-bought. So what?" (p. 171).
"It has become inescapably clear that choosing economic dependency as a lifestyle is the classic feminine mistake. No matter what the reasons, justifications, or circumstances, it's simply too risky to count on anyone else to support you over the long haul. In an era of disappearing pensions, threats to Social Security, high divorce rates, a volatile labor market, and attenuating life spans, the social safety net continues to erode even as the needs grow -- particularly for women, who are twice as likely as men to slide below the poverty line in their later years" (pp. xxiii-xxiv).I've Got to Talk to Somebody, God: A Woman's Conversations with God ~ by Marjorie Holmes, 1969, prayer
"Oh, God, how I dread cleaning the refrigerator. And I mean that not as an oath, but a prayer. There it stands, singing away so faithfully, keeping our foods fresh for us. Reluctantly I open it, and instead of being grateful for its overflowing plenty, I want to back away and slam the door."The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew — Three Women Search for Understanding, by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner, 2006, religions
"I hadn't thought much about their religious identity. To me, one's religion is primarily an accident of birth. Yet, after 9/11, I becane concerned that our Muslim religion meant more than that. I felt that being Muslim and American might be more of a challenge than a privilege that my children were inheriting" (p. 91).FORTUNE COOKIE : a story
"You have a friendly heart and are well admired."How nice! Emily says she's shy, and it's true that she is less likely to become instant friends with anybody within the sound of my voice. Last week, for example, my other friend, Donna, went to the ladies' room before we left a restaurant and I had made friends with our waitress and the manager while waiting for her. I'd already learned the manager had to reprimand his own mother once — for insubordination, no less — when he hired her to work for him in a restaurant in another state. I asked him, "What did you get for Christmas (or your birthday) that year?" The question surprised him, and he got a look on his face, saying, "Good question! Hmm, I don't remember."
Anyway, as we walked out to the car, Donna shook her head and said,
"I leave you alone for just one minute...."Maybe Emily's right, that it was my fortune cookie that said, "You have a friendly heart."
FAMILY
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2 comments:
Lots of interesting stuff going on in your life. I love your interesting selection of books and the quotes from them are thought-provoking. My mother was very moved and influenced by Marjorie Holmes' book -- I know this because I read it recently in the diary that I inherited after she died.
Love that last photo!
Joy's Book Blog
It sounds like your fortune cookie was spot on! Have a great week!
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