Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Summer Reading

I decided to try some of Wendell Berry's essays.  Love his fiction but wasn't sure about biting off his intellectual musings.  Well, I'm glad I did.  As we were leaving the library Monday Brian noticed "Imagination in Place" on the new book rack.  Perfect place to start.
So, last night, Brian took the older two out to see "Oceans" (which caused some trauma to the oldest who has a soft spot for animals).  I got the youngest two in bed and looked around thinking of all I should do.  Then I looked out back.  It was around 8:00 in the evening, my favorite time of a summer day.  Forget the chores.  I got my book and some ice cream and hurried to the deck.
The air was just right, with a gentle warm breeze that just kind of envelopes you.  I heard a rumble of thunder, or maybe it was a jet, and closed my eyes, pretending it was the ocean waves I actually heard and that I was at the beach.  (You can laugh.  I did.)
I skipped around a little in the book but found this one quote that I loved from an essay called Sweetness Preserved (love that title): 
"I would say, partly from knowing the story I am talking about that though you may get a new life, you can't get a new past.  You don't get to leave your story.  If you leave your story, then how you left your story is your story, and you had better not forget it."


3 comments:

podso said...

Love your description of the summer evening on the deck. You write so well! Do you read Bonnie's blog--she writes of WB often!

Bonnie said...

That book has the most lovely cover.
I think Berry has a worldview that is catching ....and his ability to say what he sees going on is amazing. I am right there with you in a marvel of his works.

The Wild, Wild Westerners said...

I'm really going to have to check out that author! I love to relax by "seeing/hearing" the beach, too. :)