rebecca soble

I am reading and reading. And then more. Here’s a partial list.

The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant. Historical fiction about the wives and daughter of Jacob. I would have read it in one sitting if I could have stayed awake. Written with elegance and warmth at a deliciously slow pace. An inspiration to appreciate being female and the strength of community that can exist among women.

Subwayland: Adventures in the World Beneath New York, by Randy Kennedy. This is a collection of columns Kennedy wrote about the NYC subway for the New York Times. Entertaining, educational and eclectic: just as the subway is itself. Makes me want to get my MetroCard back in action.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. Subtitled The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, this book had me giggling and snorting through paragraphs on improper apostrophe usage. It reassured me that I do use commas correctly after all — though, unlike most Americans, I prefer to eschew the Oxford comma — and encouraged me in the true usefulness of the colon (see paragraph above). A delightful education.

From Beirut To Jerusalem by Thomas L. Friedman. A slightly less delightful education, but exceedingly worthwhile. Friedman, an international correspondent for the New York Times writes about his experiences as a journalist amid the political happenings in Beirut and Jerusalem during the turbulent 80’s, with ample views backward and outward when necessary. If you’re American and trying to understand the Middle East, this book is an excellent start. Good luck to you, and please explain it to me when you’ve figured it out.