Reading List 2011-2012

Since I am not currently employed full time or even part time, I have a lot of time to sleep, watch television, eat, shop, surf the net, blog, run and read.  Getting 8 hours of sleep is good.  Getting 10-12 hours of sleep is overkill.  Watching the morning news for an hour is useful.  Watching Ion television or USA for hours at a time is a waste of my time and not good for my circulation, unless I'm walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bicycle. Eating is good, but only in moderation.  Shopping is good stress relief, but a big stressor on my wallet.  Surfing the net can also be a good thing or a waste of time, depending on my intentions for doing so.  Blogging can be a good way do develop my communication skills, keep a journal, vent my feelings, etc; but I would have to be careful of what I blog about.  I'm putting stuff out there that everyone can see, including friends and future employers.  Running is a very good practice to implement into my daily life, but it's so difficult to start and maintain.  It also should not take up the majority of my day; it should last 30 minutes to an hour tops, at least right now at my fitness level.  Reading.  Reading is a good activity.  I can expand my knowledge and vocabulary; plus, it helps me to stop daydreaming about the future, which has become almost like a disease for me.  I believe daydreaming, at least about the things that I daydream about, can cause or increase depression. Like most things, a little bit of daydreaming is ok, but too much can be detrimental.  Back to reading.  Of course, reading while sitting for hours on end causes the same circulation problems that watching television for hours on end does.

I need to find a job, or at least more volunteer opportunities on the days that I do not have to leave the house.  I currently volunteer at Vanderbilt on Mondays, attend a martial arts class on Mondays and Wednesdays.  Running and walking could take up the other days of the week...  But I'm getting off-topic.

I have a reading list:

Books read: Animal Farm, by George Orwell; Every Patient Tells a Story, by Lisa Sanders, MD; The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

Books to read: The Emperor of All Maladies, by  Siddhartha Mukherjee; The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom; God and World in the Old Testament, by Terence E. Fretheim; A Scientist's Guide to Talking with the Media, by Richard Hayes and Daniel Grossman; A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan; The Best of It: New and Selected Poems, by Kay Ryan; The Power of Half, by Kevin and Hannah Salwen; Divergent, by Veronica Roth; The Present Age, by Soren Kierkengaard; Through Painted Deserts, by Donald Miller; Seeing the Unseen, by Joe Beam; God Never Blinks, by Regina Brett

Why these books?  Well, since we're all afraid of the possibility of our current society becoming an Orwellian society, I decided to read up on what such a society would look like.  I've already read 1984 in high school, but should probably read it again; however, I had not read Animal Farm until recently and decided to read it because it was there, it was by Orwell, and it was short.  So short, in fact, that I was able to finish it in about 5 hours.  I am not a fast reader.  The book made me furious throughout its entirety.  I did let out a chuckle at the last page, though.  Earlier, I read The Hunger Games because friends recommended it, and I had listened to enough of it in audio form to become intrigued, both because of the adventurous aspect of it of because of it's depiction of a dystopian society.  I enjoyed the book, but wished it didn't end the way it did.  I'm kind of a romantic.

The next book, Every Patient Tells a Story, I had started earlier than the previous two books, but had put it down for a while while I was in my last semester of college.  It was the last book I bought from Davis Kidd before it went out of business. (sob!)  I bought it because I want to become a physician, and I thought that it would give me good insight into what today's doctors consider in the process of making diagnostic and treatment decisions and also into the way doctors and patients do and should interact.  I found the book to be very interesting and informative.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in medicine.  I started reading The Emperor of All Maladies because it's a biography of one of the most mysterious and life-altering diseases: Cancer.  It is also a Pulitzer Prize winner.

Oh goodness, If I go into detailed descriptions of why I plan to read each book, this is going to be one extremely long post. So, for brevity's sake, one-liners will be presented from now on:

The Hiding Place: Because my sister told me I had to read it.
God and World in the Old Testament: Because my dad highly recommended it.
A Scientist's Guide to Talking with the Media: Because it might be useful to me in the future as I slowly lose the ability to effectively communicate with lay-people. (oops, that's a two liner.  How about One sentencer's?)
A Visit From the Goon Squad:  Because it's a Pulitzer Prize winning novel.
The Best of It: New and Selected Poems: Because it's a Pulitzer Prize winning book of poetry written by the 2008-2010 United States Poet Laureate.
The Power of Half: because its description inspired an idealist-at-heart, like me.
Divergent: because it's supposed to be kind of like The Hunger Games, and I needed to buy more books to get free shipping from Amazon.
The Present Age: Because the cover looked pretty, and it's good to read old books you don't agree with 100%.
Through Painted Deserts: Because Donald Miller is an awesome writer.
Seeing the Unseen: Because it was used in a Bible study at my home congregation.
God Never Blinks: Because God Never Blinks.

Well, this post is still quite long, but I enjoyed writing it.  It's therapeutic.

Now I'm off to nourish my body with food in moderation.

~Shannon

Reflections

     I finished the books I decided to read over break, plus another-Crazy Love by Frances Chan- and have started some new ones: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, The Screwtape Letters and Miracles both by C.S. Lewis, and Voices from the Margin edited by R.S. Sugirtharajah.  I'll probably finish the first three before school starts and maybe bring the other two with me to read when I have free time.  The last two are not leisurely reads, though.  I need a dictionary beside me to read Miracles, and I'm thankful that I learned what hermeneutics and hegemony meant in Faith and Culture because both words occur frequently in the essays in Voices from the Margin.  I actually started Three Cups of Tea and The Screwtape Letters last year before school, but never finished them, so I started where I left off in both of them.  Most of these books have caused and are causing me to rethink the way I've been living my life.  They've shown me the lives of real people who are living out their God-given stories, and they encourage me to do the same with my life.  For most of my life, I've been selfish and scared, seeking refuge, not in God, but in my daydreams-seeking refuge from the world, when I should be living out God's story in it, doing good and spreading His love through my actions and words.  I glean much more satisfaction from life when I actually do good with it instead of think about doing good, so one would think that I would pursue opportunities to occupy myself with good deeds, but that's where my shyness kicks in.  I have no problem doing something someone asks me to do (so long as it's not one of my family members asking; though, I've been working on that and have made significant improvements in letting go of my pride and selfishness, but I still have some issues with pride), but starting something is just not my cup of tea because I'm afraid that no one will want to help, and I don't want to bug people in the first place.
     I want to go outside my comfort zone, to get to know people that I wouldn't normally associate with because of my preconceived (and most likely wrong) notions of them and because of my belief that they do not want to get to know me.  Once I get to know someone, I do things for them, not because I feel sorry for them, but because I love them.  Downside to being an introvert: I don't do well knowing a lot of people a little. I'd rather know a few people a lot.  That's where developing a love for all people regardless of whether I know them or not comes in.  And in a way, I do love everyone, but I wonder if it's because I know that's what I'm supposed to do or if I really do.  I suppose it's harder to show love to people if I'm afraid that they won't like me or won't talk to me (I hate awkward silences and not knowing what to say, so I struggle with wanting to talk, but not wanting to at the same time), and this is where loving myself should come in.  If I don't love and think well of myself, how can I love and think well of others.  I know God, my family and my friends love me, and I can see in the mirror that I'm not bad looking, and I have made new friends who seem to think that I'm pretty neat, so why should I assume that I won't be liked by others? And really, it shouldn't matter whether others like me or not; I should still love them and be a friend to them.  During this semester, I plan to work on getting to know different people and becoming more of a servant.
     I feel like, in reading the books I've read, in addition to the Bible, every day has opened my eyes to a better way to live my life and reminded me of what it really means to be a Christian.  I have read the Psalms and the Gospels many times, but each reading seems just as much an epiphany as the previous reading.  I love the Psalms because they are poems and songs of praise, supplication, lament, essentially of every emotion a human can feel, to God.  The authors of these beautiful verses praise God for his awesome power and love, ask Him to defend the oppressed and poor, and express sorrow in turning away from Him.  The Psalmist expresses his constant need and love for God.  Now, the Gospels are the really convicting readings because they deeply challenge my selfishness and pride.  They are not so comfortable to read and often bring me to tears, mostly because I am not sure how I am to give up everything and follow Jesus.  Does that mean go live in a community like the Simple Way, or does it mean going to medical school so I can become a doctor and work in public health clinics and in third world countries?  What about raising a family? Should I even marry?  I think I might want to get married and have children, but then my family would have to make enough money to support everyone in it, and I may become less generous with my money.  I don't know at this point, and I think it's ok.  I just need to put my trust in God and live my life in constant need and love for Him.

Christmas Break Reading List

The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne (I'm slightly afraid to read this, which means that I should.)

Getting On Message: Challenging the Christian Right from the Heart of the Gospel edited by Rev. Peter Laarman (Hoping to read one essay every day and get my dad to read and discuss it with me.)

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller (I haven't read this in its entirety yet because freshman year and The Silmarillion got in the way; then I forgot about it for a while.)

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (I should finish this book. I'm so close!  Too bad I know how it ends because my sister accidentally told me.)

+ portions of my textbooks that I will be using next semester. (Maybe I'll do this...)

No poem right now, which isn't that unfortunate since nobody reads this blog anyway. :(  Maybe if I follow more people...  Ah, I shouldn't worry about it.  God, I know you read this.  Well, you know what I'm going to type before I type it, and you understand all of my metaphors, even if I don't.  I suppose writing in a journal would suffice, but then I might deprive anyone who may stumble across this blog from some possible insight.  At any rate, it's a good way to keep up with recent writings.  If no one else reads what I write, I'm satisfied to know that You do; and knowing that, I will write to you and about you.  Please help me to go to bed at decent hours from now on.  Thank you.  Love, Shannon