I realized something as I took out the three books I was carrying in my bag as we traveled south for vacation. This is what I realized: Together, they reflected fully who I am.

Before I tell you what they are, I invite you to consider for a moment what you are reading/listening to/watching and how that reflects who you are. Do you feel that it is a fair representation of you and if not, why not? Do you wish you were spending your reading/listening/watching time differently? Or perhaps you are pleased that you are stretching yourself?

Here are my three books: One was a compendium of stories by Peter Falk called Just One More Thing: Stories from my Life. Yes, it is the Peter Falk of “Columbo” – and other stage and movie – fame. The other is a novel: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. As usual, I am not reading it when it first hit the shelves. What a beautifully written novel; I can understand why it sold so many copies. Even when I pick it up for only a page or two, I am fully engaged. I don’t want to finish it. The last book, called Understanding the Prophets by Sheldon H. Blank is research for when I teach an Osher Course through CMU in the winter and for future teaching about the book I am publishing with the CCAR Press (hopefully in May 2022) Prophetic Voices: Renewing and Reimagining Haftarah. Though all of the content is already in my book, and it is in the design phase, there is always room to learn more and I have so much more to learn.

Together, these books represent me: a little retro – plus, it is more relaxing for me to watch reruns and multi-task than to watch new shows. A novel that captures me. An opportunity to learn.

What are you reading/watching/listening to? What’s on your list for 2022?