My Book Mene

I was tagged by my friend tiber jumper from www.crossed-the-tiber.blogspot.com just about a month ago and am finally getting around to responding!

Three non-fiction books everyone should read:

The Catholic Bible, for completeness of the books included within. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament should be read, as the Gospel is Jesus Christ's leading of all to God, and a complete understanding of God's will really involves understanding the Old and the New Covenants. In the OT the Prophetic books and the Wisdom books in particular can be of great consolation and aide even with modern day problems. And I'd add "The Catechism of the Catholic Church" as a supplementary text so that one can cross reference.

The Qur'an (Koran). Oddly, with all of the "politically correct" and liberal education our children have been receiving, including "comparative religion" and all sorts of "cultural" and "lifestyle" information, I think people have had wisdom sucked out of their heads instead of being informed by wisdom. If we are to survive on earth our collective faith in the God of Abraham must be well informed and understood. The Qur'an is essential reading, even if one is disturbed by where our faiths differ, because ultimately it is a book of great faith and true comprehension of it only adds to one's faith, rather than deters.

Any great and comprehensive biography of George Washington. I have quite a library of books about him, including my favorite, first edition (in the 1790's) publication of his letters to Congress during the Revolutionary War. It is an amazing experience to read the letters of the father of our country as he struggles to get the basics for his troops as we fought the greatest military power in the world. While he was "upper class" George Washington is the ultimate man who had to rise up beyond belief into the role of Commander in Chief and President, and knowing his true story inspires anyone in any place in their life. Don't read an analysis, read an actual chronological biography, because only then do you get the true understanding of the progression of this great man and birth of this great country. I see Amazon has tons of books... mine are in storage and are the classics about Washington written in the mid-1950's so I can't give author and purchase info. Use discernment about reading revisionist works that minimize his faith. My all time favorite, beside reading Washington's own letters, is the six volume work by Freeman, published in the 1950's (Freeman died as he was finishing this series,) which is considered the definitive biography of Washington. The American journalist Douglas Southall Freeman (1886-1953) was one of the major biographers in the United States during the 20th century. There is also an out of print one volume edition of Freeman's works.

Three books of fiction everyone should read:

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. The movie, while a worthy effort, is no substitute for reading this monumental work.

Carl Sandburg's poetry. I see that a volume of the complete poems is available so that would be the best investment. I bought his individual books of poetry in used book stores, back when used book stores existed, sigh. I loved "Cornhuskers" and "Smoke and Steel."

"The Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance" by Herman Wouk. Sheer brilliance and illuminating. I loved the miniseries too.

Three authors everyone should read:

Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. Especially his Memoirs, and one can include the Peter Seewald series of interviews.

Somerset Maugham. "The Painted Veil" is my favorite. or Joseph Conrad. Both represent when literature really was "fine."

Gladys A. Reichard for any of her wonderful classic books about the Navajo. Frank Waters. "Book of the Hopi" is extraordinary and a treasure. Both for their tour de force non-fiction and fiction books of Native Americans.

Three books no one should read:

Left Behind by Tim LaHaye. I read the whole series, knowing that it was written over a period of like ten years, thinking that maybe some reality would dawn on the authors and they'd feel some shame over their cartoonish treatment of God and the faithful. Nope.

Anything by Sylvia Browne and her ilk. In my "open mind phase" I read her books to see if she had a clue. Her stuff is so bad I would not let my dog vomit on it, the vomit being more realistic of course.

Other Lives, Other Selves by Roger Woolger and any other "self help reincarnation" book. People aren't crazy enough? Irresponsible garbage. How to really mess up someone's mind, lead them away from Christ, and leave them feeling victimized by an imaginary life they never led. And I know people who do this to children.