Get Moving, People. What Are You Reading This Summer?
Yes, the end of summer is creeping closer and closer, but there's still time to get a few books read before the season ends.
We urge you to make time to stimulate your brain and keep reading a part of your life. No time? Consider logging off Pinterest or Facebook for a half an hour and all of a sudden, you'll find yourself getting through at least a few pages a day, maybe even more.
Find a comfortable place to curl up with the right book. Starbucks is eating away at your budget? Consider your couch, maybe not the most exotic location ever, but with the right book, you'll find yourself in another world.
Okay, fine, you say. Need some ideas for books to consider? What a coincidence. We've compiled a list of ideas of what we plan to read and what we recommend, from the serious to the silly.
Amy Julia Becker
What Happened to Sophie Wilder, by Christopher Beha (2009)
I'm reading What Happened to Sophie Wilder, by Christopher Beha, a novel about a struggling young writer who re-encounters his first love.
Noticing God, by Richard Peace (2012)
I'm also reading Noticing God by Richard Peace, and I'm very grateful for the insight it has offered in practicing the presence of God every day.
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman (1997)
This book is next on my list, a true story of a culture clash between American doctors and their Hmong patient.
Recommend:
MOMumental, by Jennifer Grant (2012)
I thoroughly enjoyed (and needed) Her.meneutics writer Jennifer Grant's MOMumental, a wonderful series of vignettes about family life that gives me hope for our sanity as our children get older and that gave me reassurance that I'm not the only mother of young children in need of help (or a day at a spa) all the time.
State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett (2011)
I also enjoyed Patchett's novel about fertility, medicine, love, and family.
Anna Broadway
To Read:
On Becoming a Novelist, by John Gardner (1999)
The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1880)
I first discovered Dostoevsky in high school, when we had to read Crime and Punishment. Based on the story's description, I expected to hate it, but to my surprise, it was fast-moving and engrossing. It is still the book I remember better than any other from that year, and could even extrapolate some of the themes. Though Brothers is much longer, it's already had some amazing passages. Nor is it dull going, despite the long paragraphs in my translation, which is the highly praised new one.
Recommend:
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, by Dai Sijie (2002)
For fiction, either one of Dorothy Sayers's Lord Peter books, which are a very re-readable, sheer delight, or Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, which I happened upon at the library a while back. This fascinating tale really transported me—again, into a world I didn't expect to like—and is possibly the best book about reading or engaging with literature that I've ever read.
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KLL
Question: Does anyone know the name of a book about a single Christian women who was a youth group leader and the stories that she shares of some of the women she mentored about there experiences with dating? Thank you!
Molly Bolt
"Memory Lake: The Forever Friendships of Summer", by Nancy S. Kyme, is a great summer read. It will take you back to wonderful, carefree, summer memories. It is a memoir, so it is true. It reads like a work of non-fiction. It is full of wisdom with a spiritual message of finding strength and overcoming fear. It is a winner in the 2012 Next Generation INdie Book Award in their inspirational category.
Ann Jennerjahn
Here are some recommendations I'd like to contribute: The Heavenly Man, by Brother Yun. A true story of a contemporary Chinese believer whose life spanned both the cultural revolution and the underground church. When I first read this I kept wondering why I was getting deja vue, and finally realized it was reminding me of the book of Acts. Some of it is heavy, but some of it reads like an adventure story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Invitation to the Supernatural Life by Michele Perry. This is an amazing book. It manages to be 'easy reading' but with deep content. She runs an orphanage in South Sudan, and finds joy in being there, in spite of the difficulties. She speaks briefly about her own birth defects, which make her story all the more incredible. The book really is an invitation to the supernatural life, regardless of circumstances. Come, take the invitation. The ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. I come back to this book again and again when I need to be reminded that it is all by the grace of God. Always Enough by Heidi Baker. Heidi is a missionary in Mozambique. When I read her book it disturbed me because I realized she was either an amazing saint of God in our day, or a con artist, and I wanted to know which. So I actually bought a plane ticket to Mozambique to go see for myself. If you want to hear stories about God doing miracles today, read this book.
CHRISTY HEMPHILL
Gilead by Robinson is one of my favorite books of all time. Some of the paragraphs you have to read a couple times because they are just so beautifully written and insightful.
Christina Page
Looks like a lot of interesting titles. I'm looking forward to checking a few out. I'd also recommend Gilead by Marilynne Robinson- a summer read I quite enjoyed.
JoMae
Thanks everyone for sharing your titles! What a wonderful list! I'm enjoying and recommend Kristina LaCelle-Peterson's Liberating Tradition: Women's Identity and Vocation in Christian Perspective. Mary Karr's Lit is on my stack. I've read her first two and along with dgstone, recommend that for perspective, Marlena! My Inclusive Bible (by Priests for Equality) is due to arrive today and I'm eager to begin using it!
Juniper
I am reading (amongst others) 1. The Trinity and Subordinationism: The Doctrine of God and the Contemporary Gender Debate by Kevin Giles 2. Apologetics by Groothuis 3. Memories of Mohammed by Omid Safi 4. A lot of fiction.
Jeff Troyer
Veneer is written by Tim Willard and Jason Locy. Not Tim Dillard FYI. Tim Willard also just wrote a book for/ with Bebe Winans on the Life of Whitney Houston, called The Whitney I knew. http://www.amazon.com/The-Whitney-Knew-Bebe-Winans/dp/161795084X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342662611&sr=8-1&keywords=the+whitney+I+knew
Kristen73
Thanks so much for the recommendations! Just for future reference: it was very hard to follow which list came from which blogger (much like the often-repeated criticism of the comments section here!) Were the names above or below the book lists? A simple redesign would help keep the focus on the content without any haze of confusion or frustration... Thanks again for all the thought-provoking posts and the tips for where to find more good reading this summer!
Elsbeth Schumm
Bonhoeffer, by Eric Metaxas is the book that I would recommend highly. It gives rich insight into both the life and the times of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Metaxas writing style is charming, easy reading interspersed with humor. Very worth while.Ma
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