Cindy's blog

Woman of Taste By Cara Sure, I enjoy reading as much as the next library rat. But after a long, hard day of shushing people and fussing over index cards, I don’t really feel like flopping down with War and Peace. You know? I do want to read something edifying, but with my limited free time, I need it to really speak to me. Something both practical and soul-satisfying. What I want to read is… cookbooks.

Below is a visual aid representation of the most recent books I’ve read. They are dividedby before I read any Cormac McCarthy (Pre-Mac) and during or after reading Cormac McCarthy (Post-Mac). These are novels I consider above average or great, books that stick out in my memory. I’ve omitted books I began and abandoned. Generally, these books are from oldest to most recently read; however, I am not responsible for these not being in exact order.

I took a class in college called Electronic Rhetoric. Interesting stuff if a bit abstract. Unless you’ve been living in a cave you may have noticed that technology has affected the way people communicate. The way information is disseminated. Inter-personal dialogue has been replaced by texting, IMing, Emailing; sometimes words and letters aren’t even necessary. Have you ever used an ‘emoticon’? In ancient Greece, philosophic and political discourses would often last an entire day if not longer. Roosevelt’s fireside chats usually lasted about 30 minutes.

Reading Obrey Hendricks, Jr.’s book, the Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus’ Teachings and How They Have Been Corrupted, is like sitting at the feet of a contemporary griott, and having the story of a hero told in a fashion that makes that hero larger than life. Given that the hero, Jesus Christ, is already larger than life, the story becomes all the more enriching because of the many historical interpretations of today.

I think Cormac McCarthy is taking over my life. I kid you not. After a long and heated debate, with myself, I finally convinced myself that Blood Meridian is my new all-time favorite novel. Now to the average casual reader this may not seem like a life altering event. But for me, this momentous declaration becomes as serious as Rob Fleming’s (of High Fidelity) All-Time Top 5 Lists.