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| "What's with all this reading, anyway?" |
Earth may be blown to smithereens (one of my mother’s oddball words) any day now, but until that happens I continue to go to my bookshop, continue to communicate with friends with phone calls, texts, emails, letters, and in-person conversations, go for walks with my dog, and yes, I am still reading. Here is the list of the books I’ve read since the beginning of the year. There are not as many as usual for over two months into 2026’s twelve, but here they are:
1. Binet, Laurent. Perspective(s) (fiction, 2023)
2. Raskin, Jamie. Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy (nonfiction, 2022)
3. Letts, Elizabeth. The Perfect Horse: The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis (nonfiction, 2016)
4. Giffels, David. Barnstorming Ohio to Understand America (nonfiction, 2020)
5. Field, Isobel. This Life I’ve Loved (nonfiction, 1937)
6. Stevenson, Robert Louis. An Inland Voyage (nonfiction, 1878)
7. Stevenson, Robert Louis. Crossing the Plains (nonfiction)
8. Sixsmith, Martin. The Lost Child of Philomena Lee (nonfiction, 2009)
9. Morris, Heather. The Tattooist of Auschwitz (fiction, 2018)
10. Hill, Justin. The Drink and Dream Teahouse (fiction, 2002)
11. Paton, Alan. Cry, the Beloved Country (fiction, 1948)
12. Buchan, Elizabeth. Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman (fiction, 2002)
13. Power-Greene, Ousmane K. The Confessions of Matthew Strong (fiction, 2022)
14. Galbraith, John Kenneth. The Scotch (nonfiction, 1964)
15. Paul, Elliot. Linden on the Saugus Branch (nonfiction, 1947)
16. MacDonald, Ross. Sleeping Beauty (fiction, 1973)
17. MacDonald, Ross. The Name is Archer (fiction, 1946-1983)
Make what you will of my Books Read 2026 list so far. Ask questions if you have them. I can tell you that I am currently reading Thomas Hardy’s Under the Greenwood Tree at bedtime; with dinner, a book about trees written for artists (forget title and author name; the book is at home, and I am not); began The Man Who Planted Trees, by Jim Robbins, sitting in my car by the side of an icebound inland lake; and have a George Elliot novel, The Mill on the Floss in the wings, ready to follow Thomas Hardy.
Sometimes I find it hard to justify (to myself) the hours I spend reading books while the country and the world fall apart; however, giving up the hope of making certain others care about what breaks my heart, I am now spending less time online, having realized at long last that sharing and forwarding stories to people who either deleted my messages without reading them or maybe even blocked me and never saw the messages at all was a lost cause. As long as they continue circling their golden calf and cheering him as their savior (incomprehensible!), they will be unable to take in messages that conflict with their "true belief.” (Here's another.) Time to re-read Eric Hoffer?
I won’t deny, either, that much of my reading is escape (just look at the dates of some of those novels and memoirs and travel books), but who wouldn’t want to escape from a present in which one’s own beloved country bombs a children’s elementary school in another country, kills over a hundred schoolgirls, and our “leaders” express not a single word of regret? Everything else—all the threats to voting rights, violations of the Constitution, outright lies left and right, incompetence and corruption—all of it pales for me in the light of those dead schoolgirls. Will Iran be better off now that the Ayatollah is gone? Those little girls, dead, are not better off. You think opposing abortion regardless of circumstances means you reverence life, and yet you say nothing in opposition to these murders? And because I am an American, these murders were done in my name, also! For shame, America! For shame!
Beautiful earth! Beautiful trees and mountains, lakes and rivers, hills and prairies alive with life! Potentially beautiful human animals with your lacerated hearts and stumblings and gettings-up-again and attempts to love one another! Open your eyes!
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| Beautiful Michigan! |
9 comments:
Both nature and reading are ways to escape the current state of our country. It's such an onslaught, we need breaks to maintain some semblance of mental health.
I realize that reading this blog is not always an escape--certainly not this post!--but I cannot pass over the deaths of those little girls in silence. They deserve to be mourned. And then, yes, my dog deserves a run in the fresh air, and that refreshes me, too.
Local newspaper had a photo of a dog that looks exactly like your Sunny. But this one is a working cattle dog. Does Sunny have cousins? (or is she a professional model in her spare time ?) Yes the political blog world is a combat zone without explosives, But trending towards logic and facts rather than lies and hate. I'm hoping the cookie continues to crumble.
Aussies and border collies would generally work sheep but could probably work cattle, too. Anyway, many herding breeds have similar looks and coat color variations.
Do you really think Americans are coming to their senses? More and more Americans, I mean? FERVENTLY hope you are right!!!!!
T'was a small dog and I didn't read the whole article (and we do have a lot of sheep!) I'm optimistic, given the growing polls and especially the demographics (young, women, hispanic etc) dropping continually. Also know a few Trump voters who are
'turned' as well as GOP congressmen quitting etc. Who knows how long it will take to pick up the pieces? My reading report-
almost finished with H.W.E. Sagg's 'Civilization Before Greece and Rome and pondering how the Levant became centuries of
war ruins up to this minute and is still termed the Holy Land.
Given your reading list I confess to being far less prolific....
Australian cattle digs are small but look nor much like Aussies.
What worries me is all the big $$ invested in an antidemocratic and privatize-everything agenda.
I do a LOT of re-reading, Bob, but am also reading, for the first time, THE LINCOLN READER and highly recommend it.
Nor much should read not much. Sheesh!
Yet another Sunny dog, this time on the front cover of the April
Reader's digest (I only read their joke pages). Are you sure she hasn't taken a job with the local modeling agency?
Ah, Bob, your sightings only go to prove that my Sunny is far from unique. Many dogs have her good looks! But as was true for the little prince and his rose, Sunny is one of a kind for me and I appreciate on her behalf your compliments on her beauty.
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