Gallimaufry Grove: ProjectTHINK - February/March Update

How has your winter been this year? For me, January and February were ridiculous. Just ridiculous. I didn't end up getting nearly as much personal reading done as I would have liked due to said ridiculousness. But, then, ProjectTHINK was never intended to impress the well-read scholars out there. It was only meant to help me keep my brain sharp, prevent my slide into the ranting and raving of social media madness, and maybe inspire someone (anyone) else.

With the winter months being so pathetically crazy, I used February to continue working on my January reading list. I am still working on it. Sigh. Maybe I will have more personal time in the spring...

Now for a little Book Report ('cuz I just KNOW you want to know, ya' know?):

Daily Bible Reading: When I don't have time to read, I don't mind dropping some books for the day (or week...or month....), but I don't want to drop my Bible reading. When I drop my Bible reading, bad things happen to my attitude. So I read my Bible. Everything else is negotiable.

Harvard Liberal Arts Education in 365 Days: Well...this one might take me more like 2 years to finish. I read an entry when I can, but I don't sweat it when I can't. I also don't sweat it if an entry is completely ridiculous/irrelevant to my life -- i.e. Lengthy diatribes on the different philosophical approaches to poetry. I'm falling asleep just thinking about it. Sorry to all you poets out there, but my love of poetry ends at limericks. (I'm deep. I know.) Except Shakespeare. There's always a place for Shakespeare. But back to Harvard. If I'm not getting anything out of the day's reading, I skip it. My time is limited. I try to put it where it does the most good.

How to Win Friends and Influence People: I'm taking this one slowly, so I am not finished with it yet, but read.this.book. There is a reason it has been in print for over 75 years. 'Nuff said.

Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money: Excellent, practical guide on managing your money the way your great-grandparents did. You know, the grandparents who actually owned what they had, didn't spend more than they earned and actually saved money. This book will help you learn to manage your money and will teach you how to fix your finances if you've already messed them up. This book goes on my list of must reads for newlyweds and marrieds (along with Marriage on the Rock and Boundaries).

Gulliver's Travels: I can tell I am out of my favorite genre with this book. It is well written, tongue in cheek, and full of political satire, but it just isn't my thing. Sigh. How will I ever be well-read when I am so picky?

In other news: I read Pamela by Samuel Richardson for research purposes. It was written in the 1700's and is considered by many scholars to be the book that transitioned Britain from the adventure novel and developed an appetite for books that would come later like Jane Eyre and Pride & Prejudice. So I read it. It was hogwash. Laughable hogwash. Pamela, our heroine, swoons about every 5 seconds. The entire cast is in constant fits of tears (it was written at the height of "sensibility" as an ideal. Think of Marianne Dashwood from Sense & Sensibility. Now multiply that by infinity and spread it around to absolutely everyone from young girls, to butlers, footmen, fathers, farmers...tissue anyone?) Our anti-hero, Lord B---, is a lying, manipulative stalker...until he suddenly isn't and becomes the supposedly swoon-worthy hero. Wait, what!?!

Basic plot line: Powerful, rich man repeatedly tries to woo virtuous but desperately poor young girl into a life of sin. She refuses. He tries to trick her into a life of sin. She refuses. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. I did a lot of eye-rolling and thinking, "how many times are we going to replay another version of the exact same scene?" Then suddenly, he's the good guy. And they marry. And they make everyone rich and happy. The end. Now you don't need to read the book. You're welcome.

If, however, you are still determined to read this book, please be aware that there are shocking words used. At the time of the writing, they were not considered curse words. I mean, the ultra-virtuous Pamela is using these words ad nauseum in her letters to her godly, virtuous parents. Most girls don't write curse words to their parents - at least not intentionally. These words were considered innocent then. In our era, however, I wouldn't want a child of mine reading a book containing those words. You have been warned.

What I plan to do for March:

Hmmm... That's a good question. I will finish up what I haven't completed from January/February. I also have a stack of books awaiting review for church and school. They don't make this list, but they take up my free-reading time. Hopefully I will have time for a "fun" book, but I haven't selected it yet. I will look through some of those "well-read" reading lists that are all over the internet, pick something and hopefully give you a better review than Pamela.

How about you? Are you trying to stop your own slide into shallowness by reading more? Are you just so much stronger than me that you would never slide into shallowness, no matter what you did or didn't do? Read any good books lately? I hear there's a lady at Gallimaufry Grove who is on the hunt for some decent classics...