A post about books ... and Naomi didn't write it.

So there's one prolific reader in our house, and it's not me. But I'm trying. Sometimes.

I have a lofty (ahem) goal of reading one book a month this year. I think that's the first new year's resolution that's made it past February in years.

I'm delighted to say that I'm actually on target and we're more than half-way home. I owe it all to two things though:
(1) books on CD
(2) a 50 minute commute every day.

So if you're getting picky about it, I'm not actually "reading" all these books. I am consuming their contents however, and am pretty darn good about retaining it even though I'm also occupied with the safe operation of a motor vehicle.

So here's my list thus far:
1. The Teammates by David Halberstam. All about the friendship between Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky. Entertaining read about some of the old time Red Sox. Turns out Ted Williams was a bit of a jerk. Greatest hitter of all time, but a bit of a jerk.
2. In-N-Out Burger by ... I can't remember. Unauthorized profile of the company isn't nearly as good as their food. Made me hungry all the time and want to fly to somewhere on the West Coast for lunch.
3. More To Be Desired Than Gold by Christy Wilson. Heaps of great missions stories from the guy who started the Urbana missions conference. Inspiring stuff.
4. Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy (audiobook). What a great guy. Made me feel bad that I rooted against him in all those epic matchups with the Pats, especially since there's definitely a jerkiness vibe coming from Mr. Belichick. But I consoled myself by remembering that I did root for him in the Super Bowl against the Bears. Now I want to try to get him to Richmond for The Family Foundation gala and a nice men's retreat.
5. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (audiobook). Not unlike The DaVinci Code in that it starts out really well and then rapidly descends into hooey. I will say hooray to the idea that prayer really effects things in the physical world and that people who discount faith are far more naive than those that hold to it; but boo to the whole "the temple is just a metaphor for the human mind and god is each of us" malarkey.
6. Blockade Billy/Morality by Stephen King (audiobook). King wrote Faithful back in 2004 about that year's Red Sox team. It was all baseball, and it was an enjoyable read (listen). I was expecting all baseball with this short story. Uh, no. This was like Faithful but with a touch of The Shining, albeit in fairly tame, short-story form. The bonus short, Morality, can be summed up like this: willful sin (of the kind that even people who don't believe in sin would think is pretty bad) has a real corrosive effect on your life and relationships. The End.

That brings me to the book I'm on now ... the only one so far I'd already read (really read): The Screwtape Letters. Read it in college and loved it, so it was long overdue for a second visit. Loving it again. Two things strike me:
1) there's so much in this book that 50 minutes is too much in one day. You need to do one or two chapters, at most, and spend the next 24 hours thinking about them and letting their insights sink in. It's such a short book, and yet you burn through it at your own risk.
2) as great as it is, it'd be nice to have an updated version that addresses some of the more contemporary challenges a Christian faces. Our issues today are somewhat different from 1941 England. Some brave soul (or total fool) ought to write a version for 2010 America. Maybe I'll take a stab at it on my weekends, as I can be both very brave and very foolish. (I believe it will require finding the extreme of both to take this on). I certainly have the time, as all my nighttime reading is now done while safely ensconced in my automobile during daylight hours.