Mundane Monday

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Top 5 Books

1. The Book of Ruth, by Jane Hamilton.

I read this in my late twenties, around the same time as my sister was reading it. We called each other regularly about new plot developments. It was the first time I read a book about someone I almost knew, but really had nothing in common with. Nor did I want to have anything in common with Ruth: her life is very circumscribed, she lives with her abusive mother, and live is 100% out of her control. Things just happen to her, around her.

2. Plainsong, by Kent Haruf

I love this book. Nothing much happens, but it totally evokes the eastern plains of Colorado, not my favorite place by any means, but still part of my 'home' state. I love the feel of the characters, the easy comprehensibility of the small town, the difficult choices easily made. I especially love the kindness and goodness of the people, even if they do occasionally stupid things. I can't really tell you much about the plot, because I really didn't fall in love with the plot. It's not about what happens; it's about where and how it happens.

3. Atticus, by Ron Hansen

I read this before Plainsong, and they are somewhat superficially similar in that the foundation of the characters is in ranch life on the plains. It is classified as a mystery, but it is really about the relationship between a father and son, about the distances between people, and the connections that no one else can see. Yes, there is the obligatory whodunnit plot to move things along, but the emotional content of Atticus, the father, is so strong. This is the kind of dad we all deserve, and frequently have, but we somehow fail to notice. It's no accident that the name of the town in Mexico where most of the story takes place is Resurección; it's a hopeless/hopeful place.

4. The Long Winter, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Had you asked me as a child, I would have chosen These Happy Golden Years, or perhaps By the Shores of Silver Lake as my favorite. However, having reread the series a few years ago with an adult perspective, I've rearranged my priorities. Yes, the story is pretty didactic. It's a kids' book. Still, there is something on virtually every page for adults to pay attention to. The importance of family, the importance of planning ahead, the need for community, the reality of having to depend on one's own resources, the nitty-grittiness of poverty.... The moral: It's important to be brave but not foolhardy. My grandparents homesteaded. It was not a romantic life. The Long Winter awakens me to the home-truths, the necessity of remembering what is important in the long run, rather than what might be fun and exciting today but will wither and die in the cold.

5. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

In a nutshell: Bad things happen. Often. Repeatedly. You can't always get what you want. But knowing, and admitting, what you want will get you far along to road to happiness. Even then, life won't be perfect. That's ok, just take care of what and whom you love, and be honest and forthright no matter what. Goodness prevails. And so we circle back to The Book of Ruth.