Top Ten Books Jenny is Thankful for This Year

The Top Ten topic today is actually top ten books on your winter TBR list, but since it is Thanksgiving I thought it would be nice to deviate from that topic. I attended a retirement party for one of the professors in my department this past week and he said something that has stuck with me. This man is a brilliant scholar as well as a caring professor so he has said lots that has made me think. This is just the latest in a long list of things. He said that those of us who are in literature, rather that be professionally or unofficially, are drawn there because one life is not enough. He went on to explain exactly what he meant, but I want you, dear reader, to think on it for yourself. It is a beautiful sentiment and deceptively shallow on the surface. I would, as always, love to hear your thoughts, whether they be here or in person.

So, Thanksgiving + that wonderful thought has lead to this list of books I am thankful for this year. It has been extremely difficult to narrow it down to ten!

    
1. The Psalms. I am thankful for the Bible as a whole, but different books seem to be more dear during different seasons of life. This is a Psalms season for me. The honesty and rawness of the Psalms is something that has been resonating with me.

2. Possession by A.S. Byatt. The beauty of the prose made me love this book more than I probably would have otherwise. The philosophical questions couched in poetry were especially beautiful. After reading this book I felt full and sated.

3. Medieval Exegesis by Henri de Lubac. This study on the history of biblical exegesis was the turning point for my thesis. Without this book my thesis would be mostly speculation. Plus, this man is a wonderful, thorough scholar.

4. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen. Lesley Anne recommended this book and I am so thankful she did. The little, everyday magics in her books highlight the beauty of an ordinary life. Plus, her descriptions of the settings make one want to plan a trip ASAP.

5. Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey. This is the book we read for book club this month and I highly recommend it! I do not want to take up a lot of space here, but suffice to say it is thought-provoking, encouraging, and peaceful. I know that last one is a hard one, but if you read it you will understand :)

6. The Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews. This is a fantasy series set in an Atlanta that experiences fluctuations in magic. This series is all about the characters for me, and not just the main characters, but the cast of secondary characters is great. It starts out a bit slow but is worth sticking with.

7. Is That a Fish in Your Ear? by David Bellos. This is a book I had to read for a class on translation last semester. While I don't agree with everything he says, it is so interesting and makes you think about how we communicate.

8. American Gods by Neil Gaiman. This modern take on deities and culture is funny and astute. There is something about Shadow that is extremely engaging. He might be in my top ten for favorite characters.

9. The Just Church by Jim Martin. This book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in social justice. It is from a Christian perspective and speaks mainly to those involved through their local church. The focus on the personal and the community is my favorite part and something that has been overlooked, I think.

10. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. This is one of the funniest books I have ever read. If you like the movie, you will love the book!

Jenny Reviews: Possession

The Vitals
Possession by A.S. Byatt
Release Date: 1st October 1991
Page Count: 555
Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Target Audience: Adult
Series: No
Source and Format: Purchased; Paperback

Summary (From Goodreads)
Winner of England’s Booker Prize and the literary sensation of the year, Possession is an exhilarating novel of wit and romance, at once an intellectual mystery and triumphant love story. It is the tale of a pair of young scholars researching the lives of two Victorian poets. As they uncover their letters, journals, and poems, and track their movements from London to Yorkshire—from spiritualist séances to the fairy-haunted far west of Brittany—what emerges is an extraordinary counterpoint of passions and ideas.

Notes on Possession
This book. I adore this book. I am also in awe of this author. Not only has she written a novel, she has written a novel about two Victorian poets and included poetry from said poets. Who both have distinctive writing styles. She is a literary genius, as far as I'm concerned. This is not a book that you sit down and read in two days. If you read it with the sole purpose of figuring out the mystery of the relationship between the two poets you will miss out on so much. Her witty observations about the world of academia, postmodern literary theory vs. reality, psychoanalysis and sexuality, and human nature are wonderful but in danger of being lost if the reader does not take the time to really read this book.

The heart of the plot is the search for a connection between Henry Randolph Ash and Cristabel Lamotte. Ash and Lamotte were two poets who wrote in Victorian England but have not had any reason to be linked together until Roland Mitchell stumbles on a draft of a letter from Ash to Lamotte in a book of Ash's. From there is it a race to stay one step ahead of everyone else as Mitchell and Dr. Maud Bailey try and piece together what the nature of the relationship between the poets was and if it influenced their respective works. The book flips back and forth from the present day to Victorian England. We are introduced to Ash and Lamotte through their letters first, both to one another and others of their acquaintance. It is an interesting dynamic as the reader is able to hear first what the "modern" scholarship says of the authors and then gets to discover their hidden depths as Mitchell and Bailey put together the pieces of the puzzle scattered throughout England and Brittany.

This book is not for everyone. I fully recognize this. It is very much a work of literary fiction. Those who have not studied literary theory or are unfamiliar with Freud and psychoanalysis will not get some of the jokes and allusions, but it should not deter one from enjoying this novel. The story and storytelling are superb.

Memorable Quotes
“I cannot let you burn me up, nor can I resist you. No mere human can stand in a fire and not be consumed.”

“I cannot bear not to know the end of a tale. I will read the most trivial things – once commenced – only out of a feverish greed to be able to swallow the ending – sweet or sour – and to be done with what I need never have embarked on. Are you in my case? Or are you a more discriminating reader? Do you lay aside the unprofitable?”

“How true it was that one needed to be seen by others to be sure of one's own existence.”

Overall Diagnosis