AUTUMN 2001:

Books I am reading for non-credit discussion courses and groups:

Carla Ricci. "Mary Madeline and the Women Who Followed Jesus."
Barbara Reid. "Choosing the Better Part."
Ivone Gebara. "Longing for Running Water: Ecofeminism and Liberation."

Fiction for your enjoyment:

Check out Barbara Kingsolver: Her writing is exquisite: "Prodigal Summer" weaves together three stories of human loves within a larger tapestry of lives inhabiting the forested mountains and small farms of Virginia. Be sure to read "Pigs in Heaven", "Bean Trees", and "Animal Dreams by Kingsolver".

Mirvis, Tova. "The Ladies Auxiliary". (USA Today: “The triumph of the book is its portrayal of these women, whose community is a treasure of tradition and moral values.”

Ozeki, Ruth L. "My Year of Meats". (Newsweek: “A sexy and funny cross-cultural tale of two seemingly disparate women that is “a feast that leaves you hungry for whatever Ozeki cooks up next.”)

Anne Rivers Siddens: I find her writing more interesting and superior to the writing of Nora Roberts.

In "The Saving Graces", Patricia Gaffney describes the ten-year friendship of Emma, Rudy, Lee and Isabel. Each women is as real as someone you used to know, and friendship is a precious treasure.

Lorna Landvik's "Patty Jane's House of Curl" is on location in Minneapolis, and the familiar landmarks make a fun read. These Norwegians are funny. This book can inspire a fresh insight into what is normal anyhow!? When you've finished that one, you may want to pick up Lorna's "Your Oasis on Flame Lake": more fiction with a Minnesota setting.

"A Map of the World" by Jane Hamilton is an Oprah Book Club selection...a surprising tale on a dairy farm in southern Wisconsin.

"When beautiful, unmarried Vianne Rocher sweeps into the pinched little French town of Lansquenet on the heels of the carnival and opens a gem of a chocolate shop across the square from the church, she begins to wreak havoc with the town's Lenten vows. Her uncanny ability to perceive her customers' private discontents and alleviate then with just the right confection coaxes the villagers to abandon themselves to temptation and happiness, but enrages Pere Reynaud, the local priest.".....so reads the back cover of "Chocolat" by Joanne Harris. Don't miss this delightful, enchanting story!

Good press...bad press! Some of the worst and the best of what the press can be in the lives of real people, "Lake News" begins in Boston. But Barbara Delinsky's story of a woman victimized by the press and a different kind of newsman quickly moves to involve the residents of a small New Hampshire town.

Amy Tan's "The Hundred Secret Senses" is a story of the inheritance of love: its secrets and its truths, set in San Francisco and a remote village in southern China. Also check out "Best American Short Stories 1999" edited by Amy Tan: a variety for everybody.

God loves you. You are called to be a child of the Creator of the Universe. Let us join hands and hearts to include all creation. May the Spirit be with you, energizing you to joy.

Need inspiration and organization to help plan your life?

Wondering which books to read about child-raising?

Read about personality preferences (Myers-Briggs personality type indicators).

Do What You Have the Power to Do. - a book review.

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