Saturday Snapshot ~ two readers

Another generation of readers.  Yes, they are reading books I gave them for Christmas.  Love of reading runs in the family.  Do you suppose it's in our genes?

Jaxon, my 1-year-old great-grandson, was surrounded by men of the family.

Raegan, my 2-year-old great-granddaughter, got Janis to read to her.

This meme is hosted by Alyce @ At Home With Books.
Links to today's photos are here.

Beginning ~ with a rash title

The Gospel of Jesus: A Historical Search for the Original Good News ~ by James M. Robinson, 2005, religion

The rash title of this book, The Gospel of Jesus, does not have in view the gospel about Jesus that Paul preached, which, following him, the Christian church down through the ages has believed as the one and only gospel ... Rather, the title refers to the gospel that was Jesus' own message in Galilee during a very brief period, probably no more than a year, before his crucifixion.  These two gospels are not the same, and, what is even worse, Jesus' own gospel has been lost from sight, hidden behind the gospel of the church.

Well, this is off to an interesting start.  I wonder what Robinson will say is different between the message of Jesus and the message of the church.  Is anyone else curious about stuff like this?

  If you want to play along, this meme is hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages. Share the first sentence or two of the book you are reading. (Sometimes it takes several sentences to get the full thought.) Then, share your impressions of that beginning.  Click this link to see what others say about the books they are reading this week.

Three books by T. R. Pearson

A Short History of a Small Place ~ by T. R. Pearson, 1985, fiction (North Carolina)

In this introduction to the imaginary town of Neely North Carolina, the young narrator, Louis Benfield, recounts the tragic last days of Miss Myra Angelique Pettigrew, a local spinster and former town belle who, after years of total seclusion, returns flamboyantly to public view-with her pet monkey, Mr. Britches.

The Last of How It Was ~ by T. R. Pearson, 1987, fiction (North Carolina)

Louis Benfield narrates the convoluted and often tragic Benfield family history in this third in Pearson's trilogy about Neeley, North Carolina — after A Short History of a Small Place (above) and Off for the Sweet Hereafter (about a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde who cut a wide swath of mayhem and murder before their number comes up in a bloody blaze of glory).

Glad News of the Natural World ~ by T. R. Pearson, 2005, fiction (New York)

This is a sequel to A Short History of a Small Place, but it isn't necessary to read the earlier novel in order to make sense of this one.  Now older but not necessarily wiser, Louis Benfield has moved to New York City from his hometown of Neely, North Carolina, in order to get a sense of the larger world.  Louis is a modern-day Candide, looking for love and experience in all the wrong places.  However, when tragedy strikes, he finds the maturity needed to be more than man enough for the job.

My friend Jane thought I should read these books and handed them to me when I was at her house a couple of days ago.  Have you read any of them?

Library Loot ~ January 4-10

Gilgamesh ~ by Joan London, 2003, fiction (Australia and Armenia)

It is 1937.  The modern world, they say, is waiting to erupt.  On a tiny farm in far southwestern Australia, seventeen-year-old Edith lives with her mother and sister, Frances.  One afternoon two men, her English cousin Leopold and his Armenian friend Aram, arrive — taking the long way home from an archaeological dig in Iraq.  Edith is captivated by the tales they tell of strange peoples, magical journeys, and a world far beyond the narrow horizon of her small town of Nunderup.  One such story is the epic of Gilgamesh, the ancient Mesopotamian king who adventured throughout the world with his friend, the wild man Enkidu, in search of the secret of eternal life.  Two years later, in 1939, Edith and her young son, Jim, set off on a journey of their own, to Soviet Armenia, where they are trapped by the outbreak of war.

Gilgamesh: A New English Version ~ by Stephen Mitchell, 2004, fiction (Iraq)

Written a thousand years before Homer's Iliad, this powerful epic was lost for nearly 2000 years until it was found on clay tablets in the ruins of Nineva.  Gilgamesh is considered one of the masterpieces of world literature.  Stephen Mitchell's version allows us to enter an ancient masterpiece as if for the first time, to see how startlingly beautiful, intelligent, and alive it is.

The hero is 16 feet tall.  He is the king of Uruk, in the Iraq of about 2750 BCE, and he is a despot, running afoul of even the gods.  The man who is his soul mate, lover, and spouse is Enkidu, who was once wild and naked but was tamed by the erotic ministrations of a temple priestess.  When their preemptive strike on a monster of evil results in the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh's desperate mourning and search for a way to avoid a similar fate leads him to understand, at the end of the world, that the best way to find wisdom is not to look for it.

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union ~ by Michael Chabon, 2007, fiction (Alaska)

For sixty years Jewish refugees and their descendants have prospered in the Federal District of Sitka, a "temporary" safe haven created in the wake of the Holocaust and the shocking 1948 collapse of the fledgling state of Israel. The Jews of the Sitka District have created their own little world in the Alaskan panhandle, a vibrant and complex frontier city that moves to the music of Yiddish. But now the District is set to revert to Alaskan control, and their dream is coming to an end. Homicide detective Meyer Landsman of the District Police has enough problems without worrying about the upcoming Reversion. His life is a shambles, his marriage a wreck, his career a disaster. And in the cheap hotel where Landsman has washed up, someone has just committed a murder — right under his nose. When he begins to investigate the killing of his neighbor, a former chess prodigy, word comes down from on high that the case is to be dropped immediately, and Landsman finds himself contending with all the powerful forces of faith, obsession, evil, and salvation that are his heritage.

The Book Thief ~ by Markus Zusak, 2006, YA fiction (Germany)

It’s just a small story really, about among other things:  a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. ... Set during World War II in Germany, this is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich.  Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist – books.  With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.   This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

Salvage the Bones ~ by Jesmyn Ward, 2011, fiction (Mississippi)

Winner of the 2011 National Book Award.  A hurricane is building over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the coastal town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and Esch's father is growing concerned.  A hard drinker, largely absent, he doesn't show concern for much else.  Esch and her three brothers are stocking food, but there isn't much to save.  Lately, Esch can't keep down what food she gets; she's fourteen and pregnant.  Her brother Skeetah is sneaking scraps for his prized pitbull's new litter, dying one by one in the dirt.  Meanwhile, brothers Randall and Junior try to stake their claim in a family long on child's play and short on parenting.  As the twelve days that make up the novel's framework yield to their dramatic conclusion, this unforgettable family — motherless children sacrificing for one another as they can, protecting and nurturing where love is scarce — pulls itself up to face another day.  A wrenching look at the lonesome, brutal, and restrictive realities of rural poverty.

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 the loot you brought home.  You may submit your link any time during the week.

Supporting an indie bookstore

I got these books from a local independent bookstore.

Our Only May Amelia ~ Jennifer L. Holm, 1999. YA fiction (Washington), 8/10

It isn′t easy being a pioneer in the state of Washington in 1899, but it′s particularly hard when you are the only girl ever born in the new settlement.  With seven older brothers and a love of adventure, May Amelia Jackson just can′t seem to abide her family′s insistence that she behave like a Proper Young Lady.  She′s sure she could do better if only there were at least one other girl living along the banks of the Nasel River.  And now that Mama′s going to have a baby, maybe there′s hope.  The story was inspired by the diaries of the author's great-aunt, the real May Amelia.

The Silent Boy ~ by Lois Lowry, 2003, YA fiction, 9/10

Katy Thatcher was the bright and curious daughter of the town doctor.   She was fascinated by her father’s work, and even as a child she knew that she too wanted to be a doctor.  She wanted to know about people.  Perhaps it was this, her insatiable curiosity, or simply the charm of Jacob’s gentle intimacy with animals large and small, that fueled their friendship.  Although Jacob never spoke to her or even looked at her directly, Katy grew to understand him from the moments they spent together quietly singing to the horses.  She knew there was meaning in the sounds he made and purpose behind his movements.  So when events took an unexpected and tragic turn, it was Katy alone who could unravel the mystery of what had occurred, and why.  I've already reviewed this one, here.

Honest to God: 40 Years On ~ edited by Colin Slee, 2004, religion

This is the edited collection of papers given at the recent symposium called "Honest to God, Forty Years On."  The symposium was held to discuss how far the issues raised in Honest to God by John Robinson, published 40 years earlier, had impacted the church and Christian thought. The book reflects discussions of four main areas:  how the original text tried to relate doctrine to contemporary thought, God language then and now, whether religion been reduced to ethics, and the meaning of Jesus then and now.

The Gospel of Jesus: A Historical Search for the Original Good News ~ by James M. Robinson, 2005, religion

Robinson scours ancient sources to discover what Jesus actually said and did, his childhood and youth, his family, his education and sex life, his conversion and message, his Jewishness and mission to the Gentiles, his relationship to Mary Magdalene, his view of himself, his trust in God, the horror of his crucifixion, and his followers' faith in his resurrection.  The church has domesticated the gospel of Jesus, focusing on Paul's narrow interpretation of his message and burying the truth under layers of historical conflicts, political stratagems, and theological interpretations.

The New Creation: John Wesley's Theology Today ~ by Theodore Runyon, 1998, religion

Having studied under Professor Runyon at Emory University's Candler School of Theology, I'm curious about what he says here.  The summary says he "sets Wesley's own discussion of the "way of salvation" in the larger context of Christian doctrine, beginning with the Creation (and the Fall) and moving through the drama of salvation towards its eschatological fulfillment in the 'new creation' of all things."

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why ~ by Bart D. Ehrman, 2005, religion

From the Introduction:  "This book is about ancient manuscripts of the New Testament and the differences found in them, the scribes who copied scripture and sometimes changed it. ... It is written for people who know nothing about textual criticism but who might like to learn something about how scribes were changing scripture and about how we can recognize where they did so."

Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew ~ by Bart D. Ehrman, 2003, religion

The early Christian Church was a chaos of contending beliefs.  Some groups of Christians claimed that there was not one God, but two or twelve or thirty.  Some believed that the world had not been created by God but by a lesser, ignorant deity.  Certain sects maintained that Jesus was human but not divine, while others said he was divine but not human.  Ehrman these early forms of Christianity came to be suppressed, reformed, or forgotten.  All of these groups insisted that they upheld the teachings of Jesus and his apostles, and they all possessed writings that bore out their claims, books reputedly produced by Jesus's own followers.  Archaeological work has recovered a number of key texts, revealing religious diversity that says much about the way history gets written by the winners.

Eternal Life: A New Vision: Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell ~ by John Shelby Spong, 2009, religion

God, says Spong, is ultimately one, and each of us is part of that oneness.  We do not live on after death as children who have been rewarded with heaven or punished with hell, but as part of the life and being of God, sharing in God's eternity, which is beyond the barriers of time and space.  Spong argues that the discovery of the eternal can be found within each of us if we go deeply into ourselves, transcend our limits, and become fully human.   By seeking God within, by living each day to its fullest, we will come to understand how we live eternally.  Spong takes us beyond Christianity and religion to arrive at the affirmation that the fully realized human life empties into and participates in the eternity of God.  The pathway into God turns out to be both a pathway into ourselves and a doorway into eternal life.

The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love ~ by John Shelby Spong, 2005, religion

The Bible contains many passages that believers and nonbelievers alike would recognize as appalling theology.  Whether these texts are used to discriminate, oppress, or condemn, they distort the truth of Christianity and cast doubt upon the love of God.  Spong addresses these passages, shattering our misconceptions and delivering a new vision of how Christians today can use the Bible.

Resurrection: Myth or Reality? : A Bishop Searches for the Origins of Christianity ~ by John Shelby Spong, 1994

Using approaches from the Hebrew interpretive tradition to discern the actual events surrounging Jesus' death, Bishop Spong questions the hitorical validity of literal narrative concerned the Ressurection. He asserts that the resurrection story was born in an experience that opened the disciples' eyes to the reality of God and the meaning of Jesus of Nazareth. Spong traces the Christian origins of anti-Semitism to the Church's fabrication of the ultimate Jewish scapegoat, Judas Iscariot. He affirms the inclusiveness of the Christian message and emphasizes the necessity of mutual integrity and respect among Christians and Jews.

This Hebrew Lord: A Bishop's Search for the Authentic Jesus (new edition) ~ by John Shelby Spong, 1988, 1993, religion

"In this study I found a Lord, a center for my being.  Behind the supernatural framework of the first century ... I discovered a life I wanted to know; a life that possessed a power I wanted to possess; a freedom, a wholeness for which I had yearned for years."  Illuminating the "figure who stands at the center of all the Christian Church is," Spong explores Jesus under the light of the Hebrew tradition into which he was born.  Candid, personal, and soundly argued, this is Spong's spiritual and intellectual pilgrimaged to the Christ he discovered in Jesus of Nazareth.

Living in Sin? : A Bishop Rethinks Human Sexuality ~ by John Shelby Spong, 1988, religion

Is celibacy the only moral alternative to marriage?  Should the widowed be allowed to form intimate relationships without remarrying?  Should the church receive homosexuals into its community and support committed gay and lesbian relationships?  Should congregations publicly and liturgically witness and affirm divorces?  Should the church's moral standards continue to be set by patriarchal males?  Should women be consecrated bishops?  Bishop Spong proposes a pastoral response based on scripture and history to the changing realities of the modern world.  He calls for a moral vision to empower the church with inclusive teaching about equal, loving, nonexploitative relationships.

New Year's Day

 Arline (talking with her hands) and Jane

 Ginnie and Donna (doing Google research)

Donna and Carla

The discussion was great, and when we had a question, Donna grabbed her laptop and found the answer for us.  Our friends met our other friends, and it was good.

Happy New Year

Sammy and I welcomed in the new year together.  Donna (her person) is working, and Kiki (my cat) is being punished by having to stay in our bedroom with the door closed.  Earlier in the evening, Kiki decided her own supper wasn't enough — so she went in Sammy's room and ate half her food and pooped in Sammy's litter box.  As you can probably tell by the alarmed look on Sammy's face when I got close with my cell phone camera, she isn't exactly a cuddly cat.  She likes her space, except when she chooses to let Donna pet her.  She rarely lets me near her, but tonight she chose to be in the living room with me.  Just the two of us.

Have you made any New Year's resolutions?  What are your hopes for this year?  I wish you the very best.