What I've Been Reading on Spring Break

(Note: I tried to post this last night, but the internet connection freaked out on me, and since it was late I just went to bed instead. So classes have resumed, but I still wanted to put this up.)

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Without the kick-in-the-pants/fingernails-on-chalkboard incentive of classes, I do actually enjoy reading, both for pure pleasure and for my own edification. This week I've run the gamut of cotton candy to - well, if not steamed spinach (reportedly good for you but utterly uncomestible), at least a good granola. Here they are, for your own reading pleasure (or not), in the order in which I picked them up:

The Princess Bride (30th Anniversary Edition), William Goldman (fiction)
Nutritional value: Hot fudge sundae. It could be more sinfully delicious, but not a whole lot. And yet, there's some, uh, protein and calcium in there... somewhere...
Why: Recommended by an online friend as "better than the movie." If I had read the book first, I'm sure I would agree. But it's hard to top years of Cary Elwes and Robin Wright in your head. Still, the book does provide a lot more mind-teasing humor than the film. Intentionally short on closure and clarity, which drives me up the wall a little. As I'm sure it's meant to.
Grade: A/A-

Can You Keep a Secret?, Sophie Kinsella (fiction)
Nutritional value: Cotton candy. I can read about one book every three months that's this fluffy and sugary and still enjoy it.
Why: Long layover in the Pittsburgh airport, and I deserved it after the emotional stress of family stuff earlier in the week. Pretty funny, good sense of voice, but no real attempt at depth of any kind. I've read better in the same "chick-lit" genre.
Grade: C

The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations, Dan Kimball
Nutritional value: Granola. Crunchy, pretty thought-provoking (especially if you haven't already read half a dozen other books on related topics...), but very accessibly written.
Why: Okay, I have an academic and professional motivation for picking this up (independent study and work in young adult ministry), and my reasoning for trying to get through part of it during break is primarily to cut down on my workload during my final quarter in seminary. This does seem to be the most relevant book out there from an evangelical perspective trying to address current trends in reaching unchurched young people, but I'm having a hard time sticking with it long enough during break to actually make progress.
Grade: B+

The Dirty Girls Social Club, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez (fiction)
Nutritional value: I really wanted to come up with something clever and culturally relevant here, like nachos or quesadilla con pollo or platanos fritos or something, but I'm pretty sure all of my reference points would be offensive to Latino/a people. Let's see... how about batido de mango, a mango smoothie? One of my favorite (daytime) drinks when I lived in Venezuela - sweet and rich and fruity so it has to be a little good for you, right?
Why: I was looking for something light but still interesting at the local branch of the public library. The Boston setting, girlfriend-group approach (alternating first person perspectives from each of the six main characters), and Latina culture caught and held my attention. As a white girl with only a bunch of northern European ancestors on both sides, I can't say for sure how "authentic" it is, but it seems to ring true (to me, at least) in the diversity of experiences, voices, and perspectives it contains. Honest and lively and a little heartbreaking at times. And I stayed up late the night before classes started to finish it.
Grade: A

And now, onward to spring quarter and my last 10 weeks of forced reading for at least a few years, I hope.