TBR 24 in '24 combined with The Sunday Salon

The Mind of the Maker: The Expression of Faith through Creativity and Art ~ by Dorothy L. Sayers, introduction by Madeleine L'Engle, 2019, philosophy and religion, 111 pages

This book was originally published in 1941.  Sayers identifies the Christian concept of the Holy Trinity — God, Son, Holy Spirit — with three elements of creation.  First the Idea, then the Creative Energy, and finally the Creative Power, which she calls "the indwelling Spirit."

From the back cover:  This classic, with a new introduction by Madeleine L'Engle, is by turns an entrancing meditation on language; a piercing commentary on the nature of art and why so much of what we read, hear, and see falls short; and a brilliant examination of the fundamental tenets of Christianity.

Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957), who was born in Oxford, England. was best known for her books starring the gentleman sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey.  Sayers was a playwright, scholar, and acclaimed author of mysteries.  She won a scholarship to Oxford University, where she studied modern languages. She worked at the publishing house Blackwell's, which published her first book of poetry in 1916.

Years later, working as an advertising copywriter, Sayers began work on a mystery novel (Whose Body?), featuring dapper detective Lord Peter Wimsey.  Over the next two decades, Sayers published ten more Wimsey novels and several short stories, crafting a character whose complexity was unusual for the mystery novels of the time.

In 1936, Sayers brought Lord Peter Wimsey to the stage in a production of Busman's Honeymoon, a story which she would publish as a novel the following year.  The play was so successful that she gave up mystery writing to focus on the stage, producing a series of religious works culminating in The Man Born to Be King, a 1941 radio drama about the life of Jesus.

She also wrote theological essays and criticism during and after World War II, and in 1949 published the first volume of a translation of Dante's Divine Comedy (which she considered to be her best work).  Dorothy Sayers died of a heart attack in 1957.

I purchased The Mind of the Maker for my Kindle in 2020, so it is on my TBR (to be read) list.  I hope to read it this year and add it to Books I read in 2024.

Winning a gold medal

In the summer of 1998, when I was exhausted from 24/7 caring for my mother whose Alzheimer's was advancing, the first-ever Alzheimer's Camp came to my rescue.  With one-on-one counselors, they took twelve AD patients to camp for a week.  Mother died in 2004, but I have a video showing the dozen campers swimming, dancing, playing games, smiling, doing crafts, enjoying themselves.  One man and my mother are the only speaking campers on the video because they were still able to speak coherently.

Realizing it had been ten years, I got out the video in June 2008 and watched it again, paying special attention to what mother actually said.  First she says, "I like the people, and I haven't met anybody I don't like.  Isn't that great?"  A few minutes later she's singing, "Getting to know you, getting to feel free and easy."  The short video ends with Mother saying, "Go, and try your best, and learn.  That's the only way it works.  You can't do it for me, and I can't do it for you, but I can learn to do it, whatever I'm trying to do.  Might take me forever!  But I have learned that . . . just join in and try.  You have to try."

There were contests at the camp, and every single camper won an Olympics-type medal for something.  My 80-year-old mother was so proud of hers that she wore it for months afterwards, sitting in her recliner wearing the wide, red-white-and-blue ribbon around her neck, with her award dangling at the bottom of the V.  She even wore it to church.  And what contest did she win, you ask?  The one for watermelon seed spitting!  She managed to spit a watermelon seed farther than any of the others.

So why am I bringing it up right now?  Our Resident Council at the Crown Center for Senior Living had an "Afternoon of Champions" yesterday with games and activities on the patio.  I myself just "won" a medal for pitching a beanbag at a target.  I guess that makes me officially old now.

Deb at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon.

My sign-up post for TBR 24 in '24

This challenge is hosted by Gilion at her Rose City Reader blog.  This is a challenge aimed at reading books from our TBR shelves.  The idea is to read 24 books in 2024, which means one book for each year of the century.  If you're interested, the sign-up page is HERE.  Oh, you want to know what "TBR" means?  To Be Read, books you have on your shelves, but still need to read.

Gilion says we don't have to decide when we sign up, so I won't try to guess which 24 (or more) books I'll read from here forward.  But here are a few possibilities from what I once called my Teetering Towers of TBR Books (I've had the first one since 1976):

1.  Window to the Past: Exploring History through ESP ~ by Hans Holzer, illustrated by Catherine Buxhoeveden, 1969, history, 247 pages

2.  The Way to Rainy Mountain ~ by N. Scott Momaday, illustrated by Al Momaday, 2019, Native American literature, 104 pages

3.  House Made of Dawn ~ by N. Scott Momaday, 1986, 2018, historical fiction, 224 pages

4.  The Way to Rainy Mountain ~ by N. Scott Momaday, illustrated by Al Momaday, 2019, Native American literature, 104 pages

5.  To Love As God Loves ~ by Roberta Bondi, 1987, religion, 111 pages

6.  The Gospel of Thomas: Discovering the Lost Words of Jesus ~ by John Dart and Ray Riegert, introduction by John Dominic Crossan, 1998, religion, 122 pages

7.  I and Thou ~ by Martin Buber, 1923 (translated and with a prologue by Walter Kaufmann, 1970), philosophy, 185 pages

8.  Our Town: A Play in Three Acts ~ by Thornton Wilder, 1938, (Foreword by Donald Margulies, 2003; Afterword by Tappan Wilder, 2003), drama classic, 204 pages

9.  One God: Peoples of the Book ~ edited by Edith S. Engel and Henry W. Engel, 1990, religion, 146 pages

10.  The Teacher of Warsaw ~ by Mario Escobar, 2022, historical fiction, 368 pages

11.  Girl Country ~ by Jacqueline Vogtman, 2023, short stories, 200 pages

12.  In the Image ~ by Dara Horn, 2002, fiction, 302 pages

Word of the Day

duvet (doo-VAY) = A duvet is usually called a comforter or (down-filled) quilt in American English.  It is a type of bedding consisting of a soft flat bag filled with either down, feathers, wool, cotton, silk, or a synthetic alternative, and is typically protected with a removable cover, analogous to a pillow and pillow case.  The term duvet is mainly British and is rarely used in the United States.

I wrote about duvets last year, HERE.  And I posted a pun about the word HERE, that says:  "My friends and I have named our band 'Duvet.'  It's a cover band."  But why am I talking about that word now?

A few days ago, as I was going toward the elevators to go home, I passed a group of folks I know in the lobby.  I had not heard anything they were talking about, but one woman turned to me and said something about a "duvet."  I frowned, trying to figure out, "What about it?"  She took it differently, though, and said, "I'm glad somebody else doesn't know what a duvet is!"  And she laughed at those around us.  I wanted to say, "But I *DO* know what a duvet is!  I have one on my bed upstairs, as a matter of fact."  I chose not to say those words, even though her remark left all of them assuming I had no idea what a duvet is.

Looking at it from the peaceful and caring point of view, I could have saved myself from looking like I didn't know the word by making HER look dumb and feel worse.  I walked away, even though I hate looking stupid, too, so I knew how she felt.  Saying nothing can be "words of peace" (peace in Hebrew is "shalom").  If I had "taken sides" and said I knew it, that would have made her feel even worse.  So I chose to say nothing.  (By the way, I know she does not read my blog and won't see this.)

Bloggers gather in the Sunday Salon

to share what we've read and done during the week.

Deb at Readerbuzz hosts the Sunday Salon