The Year of Living Biblically, by A. J. Jacobs. This is by the same guy who wrote The Know-It-All, which I really enjoyed, and I liked this one even more. It’s so nice when authors don’t disappoint you. This time Jacobs, who’s an agnostic, decides to take a year to live the Bible as literally as possible. He grows a beard, stones adulterers (with pebbles), tries to obey the commandments, and becomes what he calls a “reverent agnostic” along the way. His journey was eye-opening for both him and me, and it made me think about what I do to follow the Bible. Pretty good for a secular book from an agnostic author.
North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell. It took me a while to get into this one, and I found it to be a rather slow read. For me, that’s usually a deal breaker, but this time I was glad I persevered. The title refers to the north and south of Victorian England, and it’s interesting to see the difference between the pastoral south and the industrialized north. Margaret is the heroine, and she is very enjoyable—I love her growing sense of social justice, and her romance is worthy of an Austen novel. Lovely.
2 comments:
I'm glad you liked both those books - they're two of my favorites. I've only read two of Gaskell's other books - Mary Barton and Wives and Daughters. If you get in the mood to try either of those I recommend Wives and Daughters.
I haven't read Wives and Daughters, but the miniseries is great!
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