Sunnyvale: The Rise and Fall of a Silicon Valley Family by Jeff Goodell

"Even the name of the town I lived in made me feel lucky: Sunnyvale. I loved the word Sunnyvale." --Jeff Goodell in chapter 1.

This book is called "Sunnyvale." This is a memoir about a Sunnyvale family and the brokenness and healing (some). It also gets into the generational patterns of relationships and abandonment and the pain that it causes.
The author does a good job engaging us with his family and I really got into this book and cared about the family members. It was honest.

However, this book really could have taken place anywhere in the United States. "Sunnyvale" is the title of the book, but the place did not really play a role at all.

Let me tell you how I got this book. This has happened twice now: I am learning that if I'm at a garage sale and I want to buy a large piece of furniture and also a book, they usually throw the book in for free. This doesn't mean that I buy large pieces of furniture in order to get free books, I'm just saying that sometimes people are nice like that and that's how I got this book (actually, it was Boomer who bought the table and I wanted the book).

Tell me what you reread...

"Tell me what you read and I'll tell you who you are is true enough, but I'd know you better if you told me what you reread." --Francois Mauriac

I have a neat-o headboard that is a bookshelf too. Most of my favorite books are kept here so that they are not very far away. Below is a list of the books that I re-read. I wonder what they say about me.

Care to share with me the books that you re-read?

Books that I re-read

Books that I try to read at least once a year:

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Finding Contentment: When Momentary Happiness Just Isn't Enough by Neil Clark Warren

Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott

Books that I read when I need to remember Truth about Life:

The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge

Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul by Stasi and John Eldredge

My favorite fiction:

Harry Potter (all of them! well, #4 is my favorite) by J.K Rowling

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

The Gift of Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler

I like Anne Tyler books although the endings befuddle me sometimes. This book addresses the question of: What if we marry the wrong person? The main characters are Pauline and Michael Anton. They marry young, right after Michael is discharged from the military during World War II. We read about Michael and Pauline's differing personalities, their discontents, their divorce, and post-divorce life.

As mentioned in previous posts, I appreciate Tyler's descriptions of the ordinary. As is usually the case with Tyler's books, this is an enjoyable read...but again, sometimes the endings leave me hanging and I'm not sure if I'm missing something or if it really is just how life is - things aren't tied up neatly. Things are messy and being okay with that sometimes takes time.

The Economist

I realize that I haven't been posting as much lately. Mostly because I haven't finished that many books recently. There are a couple of reasons for this: One, I'm in graduate school and have tons to read already. The second reason is a more recent development: Since December, I've been subscribing to The Economist magazine.

Awhile ago, I decided that I wanted to get my world and US news from a non-US source. The Economist, published in London, is a very dense, no-nonsense news magazine. The print is small and the pictures are few. It's pretty much like reading a book on current events every week and I have to keep on top of it in order to finish each issue before the new one arrives in Friday's mail.

So, I have been reading, just not as much fiction. I am waiting for my sister to chastise me. Alas! Three more weeks until summer vacation.

Everyday Sacred: A Woman's Journey Home by Sue Bender

A sweet gem of a book by the same author who wrote Plain and Simple. In this book, she explores how to be mindful of the things that we usually consider ordinary and how to appreciate the little touches of grace and generosity that are sprinkled throughout our days. A rich, thoughtful book that I read as slowly as I could. Definitely one that I will keep in my library and read periodically.