Lately Reading...

it's both a calm & a complex sort of afternoon here....i have a gumbo started on the stove: which is kind of a big deal ~ although i'm a genuine La. girl, i'd usually rather buy my gumbo than make it! but my Mom is helping me with this one, so hopefully it will turn out well. it seems so long since i've blogged that i thought i'd do something quickly while i watch the gumbo...
i've been doing more reading lately...i'm kinda proud that i've actually been finishing up some of the many books i keep starting:) Remember when we used to "review" and share reads in the "old-timey" days of blogging? i kinda miss that...so here's a listing of some of what i've been reading
(in no particular order):

~The Emily Series & The Blue Castle (L. M. Montgomery): these books are so comforting...and funny...and bittersweet. i've been reading Montgomery since i could read, it seems....and her books are like wonderful old friends to me.
~Me, Myself, & Bob (Phil Vischer): this is the story of VeggieTales...it's creation and it's demise. it's a fascinating read...what a brilliant guy Phil Vischer is! but it's also the story of losing a lot...and how Vischer learns to live "Holding everything loosely but God Himself." very good.
~Tattoos On The Heart (the power of boundless compassion) (Fr. Gregory Boyle): i'm about 1/2 way through this  one. Boyle founded "Homeboy Industries", a gang-intervention program in LA. I've heard him interviewed and his spirit and this story is very inspiring!!
~The Liars' Club (Mary Karr): this memoir tells the story of a family so dysfunctional that lots of other stories pale in comparison! it's tough reading!! very!! but SO interesting...lots to learn here. it's set in East Texas and i can really relate to the cultural dynamics. so well-written.
~An Unquiet Mind (Kay Redfield Jamison): Jamison is one of the foremost authorities on manic-depressive illness...and suffers from the disorder herself. this is not a new book and it is a must-read for anyone interested in mental illness or working in the field. it's beautifully written and helps me feel so much compassion for these issues. On our worst days, most of us still don't know what depression or mania feels like and Jamison helps us understand better.
~The End of Sexual Identity (Jenell William Paris): i was a big fan of JWP's blog and i'm sad that she's stopped it. This book is rather "scholarly" and i'm pretty sure i don't wind up in the same place as she does on some of these issues. But it's interesting reading...about some important subjects. (esp. interesting is her use of The Holiness Manifesto!)
~bagels and grits (A Jew on the Bayou) (Jennifer Anne Moses): she had me with the title!:) and i actually got to hear this author speak  in Baton Rouge. This is her spiritual autobiography and challenged & deepened my own faith. It's good when books do that...
~ The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted (Bridget Asher): this is a lovely and fun read. but it also explores grief and loss and love....and the possibilities of new beginnings. i love this quote: "Grief is a love story told backward."
~ crazy love (Francis Chan) and Lies Women Believe (Nancy Leigh DeMoss): i read both of these for church....had heard about both so it was good to read them for myself. They're both worth reading! especially good is Chapter 7 in crazy love. i really enjoyed the bible study we've had with the DeMoss book...
~We Live As Christ (Dennis Kinlaw): i was prompted to reread this book as i prepared for giving a little talk at my church...and i'm so glad i did! this is a powerful, convicting read....full of admonition but full of God's grace and faithfulness. Now to read the other Kinlaw books i have....
~Grace (Eventually) (Anne Lamott): i've just started rereading this one...every now and then when i start to feel a bit pressured by "performance ideals"....it's good to read a little Lamott!:)

ok...done listing for now...but not done reading... i've learned about myself that no matter how long it takes me to finish reading something, i eventually will finish it!! i've learned that i probably never will be the world's deepest reader...likely will never win on some check-off list of classics. i'm so tired most of the time that sometimes reading is just too much effort. So i have to read books that nurture my soul and interest my mind. Cliched reads just don't do it for me. i'm loving memoirs more & more the older i get. i like variety...and i like to hear different points of view. mostly, i love books that transport me a little...not to some imaginary escape land....but to a place where i can see my reality in a new (hopefully better) way.

so...what are you reading these days?