Next three books

Salt and Light, 11×14 oil on board, NFS

This California artist does more than just draw or paint. Sometimes she knits, sometimes she reads, sometimes she does both at the same time (if the book will lie flat).

  1. Pennybridge, by David Tolladay is a self-published novel by a pastor from Tollhouse, California. (Hmmm, do you think his hometown influenced the title of the book?) It is the story of a pastor, somewhat reminiscent of the Mitford series by Jan Karon. There are little sub-stories woven throughout, it held my interest, was a little hokey at times, had typos and needed an editor, and I thought it was great anyway!! The book was given to me by a dear friend who goes to his church, so I thought of it first as a mercy-read but ended up thoroughly enjoying the story.
  2. An Italian Affair, by Laura Fraser (the same author of Losing It from my last list) is an autobiographical book about an affair with someone she met while on a trip to heal from being dumped by her husband of 18 months. It is written in a odd style – don’t know the right technical term, but it is the “you” tense. She is brave and adventuresome and lets the reader in on her thoughts and feelings. Can’t say that I related to any of it, but it was certainly interesting to read! (and the complete opposite of Pennybridge)
  3. All Over the Map, by Laura Fraser is her third book. This one tells of her struggles at turning forty, her quest for purpose and her travels during the next 6 years. It has a happy ending, but leaves me wanting to know what happens next in her life. And, it causes me to be both immensely grateful for my stable steady safe life and a little dissatisfied too. I’d love to meet Laura, but will be content reading her blog.

A new year, still reading

“Salt and Light“, oil paint on board, 11×14 (Thank you, Steven S., for the title!)

This year I will continue to tell you what I am reading (Thank you, Melissa, for the idea!). What does this have to do with art? Nothing, except it gives you a more complete view of who this California artist is.  I’ll do it in groups of threes. Just finished or am finishing these books:

  1. Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo (such an unfortunate last name). I was astonished and inspired  by this book. It is a simply told story by the father of a boy who had an amazing life-changing experience at the age of 3. It is very convincing. It is here on Amazon.
  2. Sylvia’s Farm by Sylvia Jorrin. This is a book of essays by a sheep farmer in upstate New York. At first I was confused because the chapters didn’t seem connected. When I read it, I could picture the sheep, the 28 room house, the stone walls and gates, the barn and carriage house. It made me go to her website to see the photos, but they were distorted on my screen. She uses the word “shall” too much, but I liked it anyway.
  3. Losing It by Laura Fraser. I learned of this book from a reference to Fraser’s writing in another book. Her blog is great to read – what a life, what a writer! It made me order all 3 of her books from the library and this was the first to arrive. It is a very engrossing look into the diet industry and how the myth continues, despite the fact that diets are proven to not work.

What are you reading?