If you didn’t think I was crazy before, this will leave you with little doubt:
*drum roll*
Introducing…my summer reading list!
Since my favorite variety of voyeurism is sneaking peeks at people’s bookshelves, I guess this is the online booklist equivalent of throwing my trenchcoat open to you. Please don’t pursue the metaphor any further.
American Religious History:
Most of these are an extension of my directed readings last semester.
- Mormons and the Bible by Philip Barlow
- The Refiner’s Fire: The Making of Mormon Cosmology by John Brooke
- Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling by Richard Bushman
- Fits, Trances and Visions: Experiencing Religion and Explaining Experience from Wesley to James by Ann Taves
- American Theocracy by Kevin Phillips
- Lived Religion in America: Toward a History of Practice edited by David Hall
History of Funerary Rites in America:
The focus of my master’s thesis. I’m trying to get an early start.
- The Sacred Remains : American Attitudes Toward Death, 1799-1883 by Gary Laderman
- The American Way of Death Revisited by Jessica Mitford
- Rest in Peace : A Cultural History of Death and the Funeral Home in Twentieth-Century America by Gary Laderman
- Purified by Fire: A History of Cremation in America by Stephen Prothero
- Celebrations of Death : The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual by Peter Metcalf and Richard Huntington
Fiction:
Fiction…I used to read this stuff, once upon a time.
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
- Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
- Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
- Master and the Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
- My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
- Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
- Moonheart by Charles de Lint
- The Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake
- Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock
Buddhism:
I used to have a strong bias against studying Buddhism in America, but I’m walking the middle path now.
- Jizo Bodhisattva: Guardian of Children, Travelers and Other Voyagers by Jan Chozen Bays
- Luminous Passage: The Practice and Study of Buddhism in America by Charles Prebish
- The Catalpa Bow: A Study of Shamanistic Practices in Japan by Carmen Blacker
- The American Encounter with Buddhism by Thomas Tweed
- Asian Religions in America: A Documentary History edited by Thomas Tweed and Stephen Prothero
Religious Studies:
Read “miscellany.” I really love theory, though. Theories are tools for the mind, and I plan on acquiring a few more for my analytical toolbox this summer.
- Crossing and Dwelling : a Theory of Religion by Thomas Tweed
- Outline of a Theory of Practice by Pierre Bourdieu
- Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice by Catherine Bell
- Society must be Defended by Michel Foucault
- Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions by Catherine Bell
- The Future of Religion edited by Satiago Zabala
- The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris
- When Relgion becomes Evil: Five Warning Signs by Charles Kimball
- To Take Place : Toward Theory in Ritual by Jonathan Z. Smith
- God’s Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible by Adam Nicolson
Spirituality:
Nutrition for the soul.
- The Best American Spiritual Writing 2005 edited by Philip Zaleski
- American Pilgrimage: Sacred Journeys and Spiritual Destinations by Mark Ogilbee and Jana Riess
- Restless Souls : The Making of American Spirituality by Leigh Schmidt
Feminism:
In order to fight inequality, I have to be trained first, like when Bruce Wayne studied with masters in Asia before taking on the mantle of Batman.
- No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women by Estelle Freedman
- Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by bell hooks
- Introducing Feminist Theology by Anne Clifford
- Masculinity Studies and Feminist Theory: New Directions edited by Judith Gardiner
Other:
I have a protagonist in a novel I’m writing who cuts herself, and I’m trying to understand why.
- How to Read Literature like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading between the Lines by Thomas Foster
- Cutting: Understanding and Overcoming Self-Mutilation by Steven Levenkron
- A Bright Red Scream: Self Mutilation and the Language of Pain by Marilee Strong
- Amazon Hacks : 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools by Bausch, Paul
Ongoing:
These (especially the first two) are my scripture now.
- Emerson: The Mind on Fire by Robert Richardson
- The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
- From Plato to Derrida: Philosophic Classics edited by Forrest Baird and Walter Kaufmann
It’s already in flux. But since I created the list a couple of days ago, I’ve already read all of Mormons and the Bible and a good chunk of Amazon Hacks. What’s more, I found this neat tool to catalog my reading list:
It’s a beautifully crafted book cataloging program for Mac OS X. Not only does it look scrumptious, but it can read the books’ barcodes and automatically import all of the associated data from Amazon sites in several different countries! Here’s a screen capture of a book scan:
The titles and images in the background were pulled off of Amazon Japan (if you look closely, you may be able to tell that one of them is the Japanese translation of the first Harry Potter book). The escaped convict with the demon eyes in the scan-cam is me. The lasery red lines are put in by the programmers and designers at Delicious Monster mostly for show, because they have class.
I’m realistic about my goals for summer. I’ll be happy to get through a third of these. But I love looking at people’s shelves, and I thought I’d share what’s on mine with you.
17 responses so far ↓
1 Parker // Jun 11, 2006 at 3:38 am
John,
If you haven’t read it, you might enjoy “The Undertaking: Life Studies From the Dismal Trade,” by Thomas Lynch, poet and funeral director (family business). He is one clever guy, and his essays in this book are delightful. Well, maybe delightful is not the right word for such a deadly subject–nevertheless, they are well writen essays.
2 Josh // Jun 11, 2006 at 5:54 pm
You will have to write up a review of Delicious library, I have been tempted to buy it several times.
3 D.McBride // Jun 11, 2006 at 8:21 pm
You could have read one of those books in the time it took you to draw up the list!
Ever organized, eh? I admire the devotion you have to knowledge acquisition. I once gave an icebreaker speach based on the books I’ve started but never finished. Enough books to push Amazon over their quarterly revenue target.
Enjoy the reading!
4 Rich // Jun 11, 2006 at 9:24 pm
John,
Ambitious reading list — impressive! Just make sure you make time to play with your kids this summer! ;o) If I still lived in Cali, I would be spending all my free time at the beach (yup, I’m still a bum at heart).
I’m currently reading “Beekeeping for Dummies”. I’m seriously considering getting a hive or two. Did you know that a typical healthy hive produces 80-100 lbs. of honey every year?!
Looking forward to reading that novel of yours (I know some people that cut themselves…).
5 Caroline // Jun 12, 2006 at 7:48 am
I just finished “Never Let Me Go”! I enjoyed it even though I usually have a hard time with Brit lit. I’m interested to hear what you think about it!
Have you read “A Handmaid’s Tale”? I was reminded of this book as I read “Never Let Me Go.” I think I may have liked “A Handmaid’s Tale” better…
6 pilgrimgirl // Jun 12, 2006 at 12:46 pm
Rich:
Are you at all concerned with taking up beekeeping with all of the africanized bees flying around the US?
Maybe this isn’t a problem where you live, but it’s a huge concern in SoCal (we all duck and cover when we see bee swarms).
~jana
PS: If I didn’t think beekeeping was super-dangerous nowadays, I’d be trying to start a hive in my garden. Bees fascinate me. I’m not at all scared of them individually, I just get creeped out when I see them flying en masse.
7 John // Jun 13, 2006 at 11:13 pm
Parker, thanks for the recommendation–I’m adding it to my list!
Josh, we primarily use BookCollector by the folks at collectorz.com (it’s cross-platform). But you’re right, I should review DL. Perhaps I’ll compare them both.
McBride, was I this organized in the mission field?
I probably have five books started for every one finished. I’m sure your speech was great fun. BTW, have you had a chance to do radio or podcasting? You’ve got the voice for it!
When it comes to books, I sometimes feel like Scrooge counting his gold.
Rich, I may extend my deadline to the end of the year! BTW, my best friend, who lives in Layton, is on the verge of starting a beekeeping hobby. Maybe the two of you will have to compare notes…
Caroline, I’m glad you liked it. May I recommend Remains of the Day, also by Ishiguro? It’s one of my favorites, and I also don’t read much British fiction (besides their great genre fiction: Tolkien, Arthur Conan Doyle, Douglas Adams, mystery, SciFi, etc.).
Ack! I need to stay on top of the comments a little more!
8 D.McBride // Jun 14, 2006 at 5:40 pm
Were you this organized in the mission field? That was 15 years ago, but my recollection is that you were and you weren’t. You were organized in your focus and deligence, but less so in your frequent consumption of ice cream.
9 Rich // Jun 15, 2006 at 3:37 pm
Jana,
I understand that “Beekeeping for Dummies”, despite the title, is one of the better books out there for comprehensive info on beekeeping.
The nice thing about your own hive is that you choose the queen — she’s the one that creates the hive, and if she’s of the gentle Italian persuasion (apparently the most common in the beekeeping community), you have little to fear.
In the book, the author describes how he’s been keeping bees for 20+ years, and claims that:
1. Nobody in his family has ever been stung
2. Nobody ever visiting his home has been stung
3. None of his neighbors have ever been stung [by his bees].
I find this very reassuring! He says he gets stung 3-4 times a year, but then he’s in the hive itself, bees all over him, and that’s just a natural consequence of being brave. You can certainly wear protective clothing that will reduce your chances of getting stung to nearly zero if you are careful.
My understanding is that Utah winters are cold enough that the African strains are not likely to get too established here. I don’t know what the likelihood is of your queen mating with an africanized drone in SoCal, but I’ll bet that if you contact a local beekeeping expert or club they can give you that info. Google both ‘beekeeping’ and ‘bee keeping’, and see what comes up.
As I recall, he greatly downplays the Africanized threat, saying most of it is hype, FWIW.
I was surprised to learn that you really need very little space to keep bees; there are people living in Manhattan for example that have bees on their rooftops. Bees will typically fly miles to find nectar and pollen in the course of a day’s work.
10 Jaq // Jun 15, 2006 at 9:26 pm
Your reading list has provided me with fuel for my own (after I finish off all these food-related books). I’d like to recommend Karen Armstrong’s books, if you haven’t read her. I’ve got her newest (”The Great Transformation”) in the to-be-read pile. Her “History of God” is a classic.
11 Miko // Jun 16, 2006 at 10:10 am
Your post has inspired me to buy Delicious and finally catalogue & organize the thousands of books, DVDs, videos, games, & CDs we have in this itty apartment (it’s difficult to walk in here).
12 John // Jun 16, 2006 at 9:24 pm
McBride Choro: heh–my love for ice cream hasn’t changed much, though in my old age I consume much less of it.
Jaq, thanks for your recommendation! I have several of Karen Armstrong’s books, but the only one I’ve read is her history of Jerusalem. She’s on my list, just a little further down! I especially want to get to Battle For God which I think explores fundamentalism in the Abrahamic religions. Please let me know if you discover (or have encountered) other books in a similar vein.
If you like Karen Armstrong’s histories, you might enjoy Jonathan Kirsch’s Moses, A Life and The Woman Who Laughed at God.
Miko, you’ll have to let me know how it all goes–I know that cataloging our books was a beastly task that took months. We use the LoC classification, which we had to look up manually –we’re just crazy like that. *grin*
13 BryceI // Jul 13, 2006 at 10:19 am
No.
14 Miko // Jul 21, 2006 at 10:38 am
omigod, this is the best thing ever! I just dl’d the trial and scanned 10 items (one it couldn’t identify and the other didn’t have an ISBM). Random selections from the video, book, and game shelves here in the not-so-delicious living room. I promptly bought it. it’s poifect! Thanks for pointing me in its direction. I’ll let you know if/when I finish…
15 John // Jul 22, 2006 at 10:00 pm
Bryce: thanks for the confirmation. I’m not going senile yet!
Miko: Isn’t it a thing of beauty? Look closely at the detail on the book/CD images–the crease near the books’ spine, the reflection off the CD case. And it’s functional, to boot!
16 Miko // Jul 23, 2006 at 7:11 am
Also, a book some of you might be interested in (in vein of your fundamentalism in Abrahmic cultures) is the Alphabet versus the Goddess. The author explores the effects of left-brain thinking vs. right-brain thinking on religion and how it got us where we are.
17 John // Jul 26, 2006 at 10:39 pm
Thank you for reminding me of that book! I encountered it in the Bodhi Tree Bookstore on Melrose, was intrigued and wrote down the title, but then lost the slip of paper and forgot all about it. Another book to add to my list–muwahahahaa!
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