Here’s the bad news: I have fallen behind on the 75 book challenge by about two books. I’m up to 10 but it seemed to take a long time to get through Spirituality for Our Global Community, a choice for my book group.
The prose was oddly stilted and while I’m not sure I didn’t agree with much of what he had to say, the book just didn’t inspire me to action. He suggested a particular theological base for global community but didn’t offer much in the way of how we might actually get there beyond a vague idea that it involved getting rid of most contemporary religions, or at least all their metaphysical aspects. Religion would become more cultural with no insistence on truth. He was a little too rational for me and seemed to dismiss mystical experiences as simply figments of the imagination. I just had this vision of a secular humanist world, stripped of culture diversity.
In addition, he seemed to paint the world in broad, black and white strokes with many unsubstantiated facts about how the world is going to hell in a hand basket, encouraged along by organized religion. But I quickly tired of being referred to as “dear reader” when he told me how, “everyone knows” and “it’s a fact ” when indeed I wasn’t sure that was so. In addition, he suggests that while he encourages you to think about what he says, if you ultimately don’t agree you are a naysayer and a relativist who doesn’t recognize truth when you see it staring you in the face.
I found it hard to read but I finished it and now need to get caught up. I have an ambitious reading list for March. All biographies and all for my book group which meets at the end of the month.
Our group has been together for some time and we’re exploring new ways for choosing books. So, for next month, we’ve agreed to read a biography that focused on spirituality, peace or social justice. I am taking a broad view of that and in the interest of getting more serious about my reading, I pulled five biographies off the shelf:
- Ramblin’ Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie by Ed Cray
- Aldo Leopold: A Fierce Green Fire by Marybeth Lorbiecki
- Andrew Wyeth: A Secret Life by Richard Meryman
- Zen Effects: The Life of Alan Watts by Monica Furlong
- The Trials of Lenny Bruce by Collins & Skover
I’m going to start with the Guthrie biography. Spirituality and social justice expressed through music. I think it fits. If I could read all five in March, I would still be a bit behind on the challenge but I would feel very good about chipping a hole in my to be read pile while following through on a serious theme. Then, I could spend April reading quick fiction and get caught up.
But how to do this? I need to commit to at least an hour of reading every day, probably two. And, the older I get, the earlier those hours need to be or I end up sound asleep, book falling from my hands. So, first thing in the morning seems like the way to go. I’ve been trying to regulate my work hours–when you work from home, you can work all the time–so I generally don’t settle in for the first email until about 8:30 AM. With a 30 second commute, I could easily find an hour to read before heading to the office. A latte, my leather chair, and a good book. Sounds like a great way to start the week!
