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Summer Reads & A Giveaway

I meant to do this Summer Reads post yesterday, but time slipped away from me and skedaddled out my front door.  Actually, the truth is my husband and I went to see the new Pixar film Up in 3-D.  The reason Pixar is king and queen and everything in between is that they’ve always adhered to the principle that story rules.  It’s true.  It shows in every movie they’ve done.  Amazing what they can do!  They did one sequence at the beginning of the movie where there were no words, but you understood a large passage of time, just with visuals.  Unbelievably good.  Go see it.

Now, onto the strangest summer read list you’ve ever seen.  Since I haven’t had time to pre-read any of these books, I’m going to tell you what books I’m reading this summer.  I’m a pack rat when it comes to hoarding away titles and names and ideas.  Here’s my treasure.

At the end of this delicious list of books, I’m giving away a SIGNED copy of the book that changed my way of thinking about how I live my life.  You do not have to be a parent.  You do not have to be Buddhist.  You do not have to be any sort of labeled thing.  You just have to be you.  In fact, I first read about this book from a guy (Dan Barden) who was writing for Poets & Writers Magazine (in an article called “Writer as Parent”).  You’ve heard me talk about this book many times, and now I want someone else to benefit (besides the myriads of friends I’ve already bought this book for!)  Hey, did you hear me say I’m giving away a SIGNED copy?  The book is Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood by Karen Maezen Miller.  Just leave a comment below with the word you’re living today, be it “exhausted” or “peaceful” or “forgetful.”  If you’re bashful and wish that your name not be seen by anyone but me, e-mail me at comment4elissa at gmail dot com, and I’ll squirrel away your entry.  Next Wednesday, I’ll announce the winner!

Back to my list, in no certain order.

Yes, My Darling Daughter by Margaret Leroy.  About a four-year-old child who tells her mother she had another life before.  It’s being compared to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and Donna Tartt’s The Little Friend.

Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue by Neale Donald Walsch.  On the jacket cover: “Suppose you could ask God the most puzzling questions about existence–questions about love and faith, life and death, good and evil.  Suppose God provided clear, understandable answers.”

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.  “An audacious revision of the stories of Faust and Pontius Pilate, The Master and Margarita is recognized as one of the essential classics of modern Russian literature.  The novel’s vision of Soviet life in the 1930s is so ferociously accurate that it could not be published during its author’s lifetime and appeared only in a censored edition in the 1960s.”

In the Kitchen by Monica Ali.  About a London cook whose life spirals out of control after a worker is discovered dead in the kitchen’s basement.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley.  From Publisher’s Weekly: “Fans of Louise Fitzhugh’s iconic Harriet the Spy will welcome 11-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce, the heroine of Canadian journalist Bradley’s rollicking debut.”  [For all you aspiring writers out there, this book is written by a 70-year-old first-time novelist!]

Beyond the Bedroom Wall: A Family Album by Larry Woiwode, and his newest, A Step from Death: A Memoir.  I was just introduced to this author by my editor at Books & Culture.  Where have I been all these years?  Woiwode has been touted as wise and thoughtful and faith-inspiring, and I’ve never heard his name.

Cheating at Canasta by William Trevor.  I’m a little late on this, seeing as it came out in October of 2007, but really, is it ever too late for William Trevor’s short stories?

And last but not least, I need to do my homework on whether or not Jesus is divine.  Did I startle you by saying that?  Yes, I know.  In some circles, just asking the question is considered blasphemous.  But I really want to know, and it’s been bothering me since Bing in Birmingham asked me some tough questions this past spring, which I answered here.  N. T. Wright is on my list, as well as Jaroslav Pelikan–even Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger)!

An eclectic mix from me to you on this muggy Saturday morning.

Today, we are scouting for the perfect cornfield (for Dan’s movie), then going to a 50’s car show, then heading to the Strip Club for dinner (take a deep breath…it’s a steak house).

May your spirit and body be recharged this weekend.

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