What's on your bookshelf?

Life in the U.S. seems to have a frenetic pace. You constantly hear things like; "I just wish I had more time to read, or I wish I had more time to study." I frequently said such things to friends, or usually when speaking with someone whose "mind was greatly improved by extensive reading" in an effort to thwart any accurate judging of my character. I was shallow. On careful review I find that lack of time was not the issue; how I spent my time was the issue. I found ample time for Netflix, Hulu and a myriad of other forms of visual entertainment, but rarely could find time for a book.

Now, before anyone goes down this road, I know that there are educational things on TV. If you have any doubts about that, ask any 1st grader about sex. What I have noted is that even when it is positively educational; it is spoon-fed. So, upon my arrival in Africa I began to notice a difference. I was reading more and subsequently I was learning more. In addition to constant language study (living in an Afrikaans house) I was opening and expanding my mind and my knowledge base through reading.

Here comes the second disclaimer. Reading in and of itself is not that redemptive of a pastime depending on what I am stuffing into my mind. If I say to you that I am improving my mind and as proof you ask me how and I say, "I read three books last month." This boast would be effectively nullified if I said that they were cheap fiction novels (notice my hesitancy to delve deeper into any particular genre; I want people to still read this blog). Please don't misunderstand me. I do not read lengthy philosophies or endless biographies very often (almost never). What I say is more a challenge to myself and to others who may read this.

So, I thought that perhaps I would just share what I have read in the past few months to a year and share what I thought about the read. If you like it or it sounds interesting, perhaps that would inspire you to read it as well.

The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes Us Through The Events of Our Lives by Dr. Ravi Zacharias

A book recommended by (and I think given to me by) my good friend, Jon Stratton. If you have ever wondered why things happen in life; Why cancer? Why did I loose my job and wreck my vehicle in the same month? Though the latter could be due to incompetence on your part, this book, while not telling why, lets us get a glimpse into the mind of a loving Father who holds the strings of our lives and is busy weaving a beautiful tapestry. I might add, when you surrender your life to Him and allow Him control. Excellent read.


Out of Africa by Karen Blixen

Many of you may have swooned (that is if you were female and older than I was in '85) from Robert Redford's role in the film bearing the same name. Though perhaps grand on a scale that shows a little of the magic of the North-east African countryside, it does little or no justice to Blixen's greatest work. The book, though flowery to a fault in its remembrances of a by-gone, colonial era that many would wish to return to (unless you were a Somalian or Kikuyu native), is beautiful. Straight from its opening lines to its ending paragraph, Blixen weaves her magic in prose with descriptions that come alive in your mind. I cannot remember when I have enjoyed reading a book so much...wait, never-mind I can, but that is a little further down the list and for different reasons. Though beautiful, (at times horrific like in the shotgun incident) and thought-provoking, the life lived that is portrayed in the movie was just as sordid and just as full of heartache. However, she mentions nothing of her syphilis in her biography. We are often kinder to ourselves in our own memory.


The Man-Eaters of Tsavo by John Henry Patterson (Free on Kindle)

In this gutsy book, the hero, (played by a laughable Irish Val Kilmer) faces off against...oh wait, that's the movie. Okay, so if you have only seen The Ghost and the Darkness then you have received a few chapters of perhaps the most exciting time of Patterson's stay in East Africa. The rest of the book is full of colonial privilege, dispensable Indian workers (they were usually the lion's favorite dish) and the seemingly endless pastime of blasting away any poor creature the was unfortunate enough to walk in front of Patterson's rifle. Though I am perhaps a bit hard on Patterson, it does show the dearth of conservationist thought that was part of colonial Europe. See a new species of antelope never recorded? Well of course I'm going to pick the dominate male with the best horns and blast him into next week. Who cares about the future of the herd and their genetics and so on.


Going Solo by Roald Dahl

This is another in a line of fascinating biographies that I have read. These are Dahl's recollection of working for Shell in East Africa and then his entrance into the RAF in WWII. A fascinating read from a master storyteller, but I fear it may be just that, stories. I would not dream of discrediting all of his facts, but I have enough knowledge to know that some of what he posits as fact is in all actuality, myth. So, enjoy the book for what it is. It is a short read and easily accomplished in not too many hours and if you are a pilot or just enjoy good stories, it is a must.


Too Close To The Sun: The Audacious Life and Times of Denys Finch Hatton by Sara Wheeler

This should almost be required as a companion guide to Out of Africa. As is the custom when a biography is written decades after the deceased has well, deceased; it is full of details one would not be so quick to inject if he were still alive. It is the chronicle of one of the most-liked while perhaps the most singularly selfish individuals. He was adored and loved wherever he went, but he only adored and loved if it was convenient for him and his plans. He was not the dashing American of the '85 film, but rather a hawk-nosed, English graduate of Eton who was that particular brand of gentry that seemed bored with life in general. Wheeler's writing is top notch and her vocabulary left me stumped two to three times on a page. The advantage of reading it on a kindle is that a dictionary was always a few clicks away. Through modern eyes it shows the other side of colonialism as well as he and Karen Blixen's relationship. Interesting read over all.

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss

Does anyone else hear a giant stretching sound? If you thought the movie was unbelievable, do yourself a favor and give the book to the library before you are tempted to read it.


The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford by Ron Hansen

Hansen's prose is breath-taking. He has the ability to turn a rather sordid part of our history (US) into poetry. He pulls no punches as to Jesse's true nature and does not do his victims the injustice of calling Jesse a "robin hood." Though it is in the genre of historical fiction (being full of conversations and feelings that cannot possibly be known), I think he stays close to the facts that he researched. Since I grew up in the midwest and had known Jesse James' name since infancy, this was of particular interest to me.


The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

This was my second time through this book and I am so glad I did. The first time was on a plane en route to Phoenix, AZ for a family reunion. I was 15 at the time and lacked the necessary maturity to understand (as if I really understand now) what Lewis was saying. A spectacular visual journey and full of deep insights into the heart of man, God, redemption and depravity. Some may balk at his purgatorial depiction of hell, but keep in mind, it is a dream and the point of the book is not a treatise on the nature of heaven or hell, but our relationship with God and the things that keep us from accepting His greatest gift; salvation.


What's So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey

I was recommended this book years ago and never read it. I recently decided to read it and was glad I did. Like Lewis, Yancey doesn't mind asking questions that many of us are afraid to ask. The reason being that when we go to tell the world about this grace, they will not be afraid to ask those questions. We need to think about why this grace we tell others about is so wonderful. What makes it amazing? This book is well worth your time and if nothing else, Yancey got me to think and moved me to tears several times.



Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I really don't need to say much here. This is a fantastic book and the characters in it are memorable. There is a reason it is has been made into several film versions and its hero and heroine are household names. After reading this I would say that of the film adaptions, BBC's six part series does the best (if you have that much time to commit), but as with all films, it pales in comparison to the original. "Read it. I know you'll love it."






Facing the Lion: Growing up Maasai on the African Savanna by Joseph Lekuton

A short, vivid account of growing up in the Kenya wilderness, getting an education and eventually coming to America and becoming a teacher. If you think you have had a rough life, think again. This man endured unbelievable obstacles to be where he is today. A fascinating read and a wonderful triumph. It is short (intended more for children) and simply written. It wouldn't win a Pulitzer, but it is a beautiful story and well worth the time.





Don't Look Behind You: A Safari Guide's Encounters with Ravenous Lions, Stampeding Elephants and Lovesick Rhinos by Peter Allison

This would also not win any Pulitzer prizes, but it is hilarious, warm and engaging. I wish I could include a few excerpts because there were times that the tears were flowing. He tells of the humor living in the wild, dealing with European and American tourists who were more than a little naive and of the heartache of watching animals suffer.





Mahlengeni by Kobie Kruger

Personal anecdotes by a game ranger's wife in the Kruger Park. This is an interesting take on living in the wild. Instead of the usual stories from unattached men, living in tents and dangling their life on the edge, this is a stay at home mom in the middle of nowhere, trying to keep her sanity, her house and support her husband. A beautiful set of stories and very interesting.


At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

I love this book. This is the other book that I enjoyed as much as, if not more than Out of Africa. I don't know what else to say, I'm afraid I would start gushing. I love little facts. Things that escape most people's attention just fascinate me and this book is full of them. If you have ever wanted to know why we use salt and pepper predominately over other spices, why there are three or four innocuous buttons on your suit sleeve or why the Eiffel Tower was built, you have to read this. It is very secular in its outlook and its approach to science and history, but that aside, Bryson has pulled together an unbelievable amount of facts and deposited them in a relatively small book that is very easy to read.

I hope you have enjoyed the list. I will add to it as it grows. I am currently reading Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain and will include that when I am finished. Feel free to let me know in comments, an email or Facebook what you have been reading lately.