What are you reading?

A really interesting book called "A History of God," by Karen Armstrong. It sounds really far out there, but it was a New York Times best-seller. It starts out with a conjecture of what we know about the history of man. It follows mainly Islam, Christianity and Judaism, with a few mentions of Buddhism. It's very readable — I can understand it. Also, about a month ago I read "A Sweetness in the Belly" about a girl whose parents were Irish-English hippies. ... She becomes an intense devotee of Islam. ...

What do you most like about Armstrong's book?

It's giving me a lot of history and understanding in a readable way — you know that I don't have to sit in a straight chair to stay awake. I think we all go searching and want to learn things, and I feel I'm really learning. ...

The first two share a religious connection — was this choice purposeful?

No. I read "Sweetness" first, by accident; I found it in the library. It wasn't any searching for God or anything. The other arose out of a conversation with friends visiting from Cambridge about the search for God and what it means. I'm very interested in history in general, and comparative religion. ... But next month I'll probably be interested in the history of hopscotch or something.

Does this recent investigation inform your longstanding work to support our community?

I'm not sure I'm that organized. You know, I was on the City Council, and then I became a real-estate agent, and you would think they didn't follow, but they do — both are about working with people and then getting them into homes. I just go looking for everything. You could call me a dilettante in my reading.