A Cross-Post: Commentary on Christmas TBR Lists

                                                    (Original entry can be found here)

In 1983, Marguerite Yourcenar wrote:

"The time of commercial Christmas is already here... For most of the celebrants today, the great Christian feast is limited to two rites: buying, more or less compulsively, useful or unuseful objects, and gorging themselves..."

No wonder, then, that some religious denominations choose NOT to celebrate Christmas at all. And having walked in the pouring rain yesterday for hours on end because of the December Carmageddon that made the local news yesterday (* achoo *), I'm feeling rather Scrooge-y at the moment.

So I'm glad to be reminded by Yourcenar about the meaning of the season: 

"It is concerned with a birth, and a birth such as births should always be, that of a child awaited with love and respect, carrying within himself the hope of the world... It is concerned with the poor... It is the festival of men of goodwill... It is the festival of the human community... It is a festival of joy, shaded with pathos... Finally, it is a festival of the Earth itself -- of the Earth which, in its revolutions, passes at this moment the winter solstice and leads us all towards Spring. And that is why, long before the Church fixed this date for the birth of Christ, it was already, in antiquity, the Feast of the Sun."

This is a bookstagram post, after all, and won't be complete without my asking: What books did you gift yourself this season?

Behold my To-Be-Read list! We have our annual two weeks of break coming up, and I look forward to sleeping in and reading as much as I can :) 

I FINALLY have volumes 1 and 2 of MAUS, the famous graphic novels featuring the real experiences of the author's father who survived the Holocaust. MAUS became prominent this year because a school board in Tennessee voted to ban it from the curriculum, sparking an international conversation and driving up the demand for these books so high, it was sold out everywhere! So it means so much to be able to grab these babies, now!

I'm also excited to read I Promessi Sposi 's English translation, The Betrothed. Nothing like the Pope saying it's his favorite book to recommend it!

I got a copy of Seven Pillars of Wisdom two years ago, but am only going back to it now, after having watched (AND LOVED) the film with Peter O'Toole of the blue eyes, Lawrence of Arabia. No wonder the movie is a classic, it's truly a gem! I hope the book matches the magic of the film!

Speaking of Arabia... I have a nonfiction account of Danish explorers in the 18th century going to modern-day Yemen, formerly known as Arabia Felix. Am so glad this account was written of a little-told story, as the world is in need of such inspiring stories of courage and scientific curiosity!

I'm also looking forward to The Levant Trilogy by Oliva Manning, based on her wartime experiences in the Middle East.

There's a certain geographic and historical slant to my reading choice for Christmas, although I am only realizing this now! While it's hard to pinpoint why I'm drawn to wartime exploits during a peaceful holiday, I suppose it has to do with what Yourcenar mentioned above: the fact that Christmas is actually tinged with melancholy, even from its very origin. A child is born, who will grow up to die for humanity. This underscores that JOY is a choice. May we choose joy every day, and not just this December. And with the help of books, coffee, and good company, there is so much happiness to look forward to!