Reading Genius

A few weeks ago, my almost six year old niece was having a conversation with Himself.  She told him, "Mommy said that you and Aunt Donna are reading geniuses."  I stopped listening there.  I have never been called a genius at anything.  My sister thinks that?

I have always loved to read.  Growing up, I was the kid in class that got in trouble for reading too much.  Is there such a thing?  My family made bi-weekly trips to the library and when I finished reading the books I picked out I would start in on what my dad had chosen.  I think I read Surgeon Under the Knife and books by Dorothy Fuldheim when I was in Junior High.

I remember hiding my books between the mattresses.  After I got tucked-in for the night, I would slip them out and read by flashlight under the covers.

I track my books on GoodReads and set a goal for the year of forty books.  As we near the halfway point of the year, I am closing in on that goal.  I have read mostly fiction with just a couple of biographies thrown in for good measure.

At the beginning of the year I created a list on GoodReads, 2018-to-read, of a dozen books that I own that I have been wanting to read and haven't.  I think it is about time to get started on them.

Primal Loss: The Now-Adult Children of Divorce Speak by Leila Miller  

There has been a lot of discussion of this book on Leila's FB book club.  I think it will be an enlightening read as one who grew up in an intact family.  I have a feeling, too, that will also be a bit depressing.

What's Wrong with the World by G.K. Chesterton

It's GKC.  What more needs to be said?

The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder edited by William Anderson

When I was young, the Little House books were my favorite.  So much so, I tried to convince my parents to plan one of our vacations around visiting the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum in Mansfield, MO.  That didn't happen, but I still have those books and look forward to passing them on to my niece.  I won this book on GoodReads and really need to get to reading and reviewing it.

Setting the World on Fire: The Brief, Astonishing Life of St. Catherine of Siena by Shelly Emling

I have see some of St. Catherine's quote, but I know nothing of her life.  I want to learn more.

The Woman Who Was Chesterton by Nancy Carpenter Brown

It is reported that on several occasions GKC sent a telegram to his wife Frances from some distant (and incorrect) location, writing such things as "Am in Market Harborough. Where ought I to be?"  A woman married to such an eccentric and a genius has to be some sort of special herself.  I want to know more.

Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #3) by Ransom Riggs

I read the first two books in this series and they were terrific.  I started on this one a while back and, while the writing is still excellent, I found it much darker than the first two.  I think it's one of those books that I will just have to be in the mood to read.

Everything Is Grace: The Life and Way of Therese of Lisieux by  Joseph F. Schmidt

St. Therese is my confirmation saint and I have read her autobiography and her letter.  I would still like to know more about her.

The Golden Slipper and Other Problems for Violet Strange by Anna Katharine Green

Himself thoroughly enjoyed these stories and they come highly recommended. 

Old Thunder by Joseph Pearce

I have been lucky enough, albeit briefly, to meet and speak with Mr. Pearce.  I am awed by his life story and his brilliance.  One of the best books I ever read was his biography of GKC, Wisdom and Innocence.  If this biography of Hillaire Belloc is half has good, I am in for a real treat.

Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith by Rober E. Barron

I have had my copy of this book since shortly after it came out and well before he became a Bishop. 

Good Eats: The Middle Years by Alton Brown

When we still had cable, this show was one of my favorites to watch on the Food Network.  I like learning the science behind cooking different foods.  I can see why technique makes such a big difference for some items.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

We were going to read this for a book club that I was in.  But life got busy and I had to drop out of the group.  It's been sitting on the shelf for many years just waiting to be read, club or no club.

AMDG