I’m presently reading “The Memory of Old Jack” by Wendall Berry. It has captured me in the same manner as “Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck did equally because of the settings of days long past in America and the descriptive nature of the writing of deep emotions. I strongly recommend this book.
What I Read in 2022
As the year wraps up, here are the recommendable books I read this past year (I’ll spare you the few that I regretted reading):
- “New Seeds of Contemplation” by Thomas Merton. This could be considered one of his seminal works. I’m a big admirer of Merton and will be the 1st to admit that some of his writings can be hard to digest. Engagement is required. But I consider him a spiritual guide of sorts and strongly recommend his work to all.
- “The Spirit of Zen” by Alan Watts. A fairly easy read about a very challenging subject.
- “Dune Messiah” by Frank Herbert. A re-read. The conclusion to the story of Paul Atreides, the main character in the start of the Dune saga. I do hope Denis Villeneuve gets to do a 3rd movie that covers “Dune Messiah”. The 1st part of “Dune” (he split the telling of the 1st novel into 2 parts) was brilliant and I look forward to the 2nd part’s release in 2023. The books are always better but he did an admirable job conveying a very dense and nuanced story on film.
- “The Seeker and the Monk” by Sophfronia Scott. A book of imagined conversations between a contemporary thinker and the late Thomas Merton, using Merton’s personal journals as the focus.
- “Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen” by Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill . Surprisingly insightful interviews with the one musician I miss more than any other at this point.
- “Running with the Devil” by Noel Monk. An entertaining recounting of the era of Van Halen that is nearest and dearest to my heart (i.e. 1978-1984). As I posted previously, it is likely a skewed perspective of a shared history but it is enlightening and entertaining all the same.