BLA

I think Amos and I need to join a BLA, or Book Lovers Anonymous because...
we love books.
Oh dear.
I decided we should write down all the books we have, just so that we know and so we can avoid buying duplicates.  So far I have about 180 books on the list, and I've only listed the books on six shelves and the coffee table, plus a few more I have in my parents' storage unit.  That means I still need to record the books on . . . twelve more shelves.
Oh dear.

I've read a few books recently.  The first was The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  I'm not sure if it benefited me in any way, but it was definitely interesting.  It is set in the future in a super-controlled country, and, as you can imagine, crazy things are the norm.  I'm not sure I would recommend it to anyone, but it was very intriguing.

I'm still reading The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday by Neil MacFarquhar.  It is interesting, but I get a little lost on who is who in the story and/or Middle East, and since I've taken so long to read it (it's stretched over at least five months), I'm a little confused when he references people he mentioned earlier in the book.  I will plow through it, though.  It is interesting to read because, 1) it's about the Middle East, 2) it's his personal experiences + research, and 3) he went to many different countries that are currently in upheaval.  I actually took this book on our honeymoon because I knew Amos sleeps a lot more than I do, and I didn't want to be bored in case he took a really long nap.  One day I read it for a little bit then fell asleep myself.  I awoke a while later from a crazy dream involving terrorists and a plane exploding right above the San Diego airport, which we passed just about every day we were down there.  Wow.  That was a bit scary.  I'll bet MacFarquhar never anticipated his book giving people nightmares!

Now I'm reading Walking the Bible by Bruce Feiler.  It sounds good, but it is more interesting than inspiring. The author took time to travel all around the Middle East, following the narrative of the Bible from Genesis to Deuteronomy.  Along the way he meets all sorts of interesting people and tells fascinating and sometimes funny stories (like the story about the grand opening of the Suez Canal; something about a ship getting stuck right before the ceremony and the procession of boats couldn't continue until the lodged ship was blown up!). Another favorite section of this book describes Feiler's walk from the Haas Promenade down into the Hinnom and Kidron Valleys and then up into Jerusalem.  I can still picture the whole area so clearly.  Also, Feiler meets the Israeli archaeologist Gabi Barkay, the same famous archaeologist who gave a lecture in my Jerusalem Archaeology class. :D  However, as far as the content goes, the author is exploring his Jewish faith for the first time and therefore his observations and conclusions are not always rarely accurate.  It definitely makes you think about what you, as a Christian, know to be true and why you know it is true.

*I noticed I use the word "interesting" quite a bit.  I shall have to remedy this . . . in future posts. ;)