Holiday Books, Books, Books

Yesterday I ran down to the bookstore (ha!  I don't run anywhere around here, thank you high altitude. I took the bus from work) to look for some Christmas books to add to my annual December reading list.

Found some:

JK!  I'm making sure you are paying attention.

A Christmas Carol - illustrated.  Rapper L, this one is for you!  And I'll have you know that I started it last night!

Something a little different.  Can't wait to start it.

I enjoy essay and short story collections, so I am curious about this one.

As I whip through these I'll give you guys a full report.  I would just like to mention that there are several copies of Holidays on Ice still available.  :)

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::NON HOLIDAY BOOK RECOMMENDATION:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

One of my favorite authors, Anne Lamott, just published a new book:

She says, as you may glean from the title, that the three essential prayers we have (or should have) are Help, Thanks, and Wow.  This greatly appeals to me, as my most common prayer, especially when in an airplane, is, and I quote, "PleaseGodpleaseGodpleaseGodpleaseGod."  I guess that would fall into the Help category.  :)

This is perhaps her shortest book, but it is well written in her sardonic and self-deprecating style.  Lamott is extremely down to earth and realistic, down in the dirt if you will.  But some also consider her irreverent, so be forewarned.  I have to say though, she is a master of humor.  She is so hilarious!  I have most of the books she has written, both her memoir-type essays as well as her fiction, and she nails human behavior.

A little bit from this book:

"We religious types, even those who detest organized religion, pray for deeper faith and a greater sense of oneness with God.  Once when I was about to fly to the other side of the world and asked my church for prayers, my pastor said, 'By the time you get on a plane, it's too late for beggy prayers.  It's time for trust and surrender.'

These two things are almost all I want, but unfortunately, neither one is my strong suit.  I am very strong on blame, and wish this were one of God's values, but trust, surrender?  Letting go, forgiveness? Maybe just after a period of prayer, but then when the mood passes and real life rears its ugly head again?  Not so much.  I hate this, the fact that life is usually Chutes and Ladders, with no guaranteed gains."

Although this is not a holiday book, I do recommend it during the holiday season.  Namely because its focus is prayer and this is a useful daily reminder in one of the busiest times of our entire year.  After all, a serious take-away from the Biblical Christmas story is that God purposefully chose normal people to work through, to spark the greatest gift ever to mankind.  A teenager; a carpenter; dirty, lowly shepherds.  A small town, a manger.  Maybe he could work through someone like me, too.

Enjoy!