Amid the frazzled pace of kids’ soccer games, church Fest-i-Fall outreach events, and preparations for two major holidays, Her.meneutics’ regular writers have managed to squeeze in some pleasure reading. We’ve offered summer reading lists before, but the frenetic pace of fall may just mean you’re needing some “beach” reading all the more. Enjoy – and make sure to add your own reading selections in the comments section!
A special thanks to CT editorial resident Morgan Feddes, who helped compile this list, and who added a selection of her own (hint: it’s the basis for a cold-war spy thriller in theaters this December).
Michelle Van LoonFlunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray and Still Loving My Neighbor, Jana Riess (2011)There has been a rash of books written with the stunt-like theme of trying something new or different for a set period of time. These authors are usually hoping for deep wisdom or fresh direction in their lives. Jana Riess’s memoir does just the opposite as she details her year immersed in auditioning spiritual disciplines, accompanied by reading of companion classics to illuminate her journey. She shares her struggles with disarming honesty and humor, and discovers that “a failed saint is still a saint.”
Ruth MoonThere but for the, Ali Smith (2011)I’m reading this because it got a good New York Times review (original, I know), but also because I like the premise: “At a dinner party in the posh London suburb of Greenwich, Miles Garth suddenly leaves the table midway through the meal, locks himself in an upstairs room, and refuses to leave. An eclectic group of neighbors and friends slowly gathers around the house, and Miles’s story is told from the points of view of four of them.” There’s a section for each word in the title and I’m still on “There,” but so far it’s witty and semi-profound, so I’m enjoying it.
Gina DalfonzoBecoming Dickens: The Invention of a Novelist, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst (2011)As Dickens’s bicentennial year approaches, this new biography explores the thought processes of a writer who “never seems to have been sure whether he was searching for something or running away from it.”
Karen Swallow PriorRumors of Water, L. L. Barkat (2011)Includes reflections on the beauty and creativity of writing, parenting, and living.
Caryn RivadeneiraMambo Kings Play Songs of Love, Oscar Hijuelos (1990)A nice, Christian author told me about this book when she found out my husband was Cuban. “It’s a little hot,” she said. “But good.” Especially since it won the Pulitzer in 1990, I happily gave it a go. “A little hot” is the understatement of the year! Muy caliente! I’m no prude, but I end up skipping over the smuttier segments. But still. The story of two musical Cuban brothers as they seek fame and wrestle with home- and love-sickness in America is fantastic. Great energy and a lot of fun, if you don’t mind the heat.
Rachel Marie StoneGod in a Brothel, Daniel Walker (2011)A law enforcement officer from New Zealand travels undercover to more than a dozen countries to gather evidence of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking of women and girls, giving up everything for the sake of rescuing the “least of these.”
Jennifer GrantMarch, Geraldine Brooks (2005)Winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, March tells the story of Peter March, husband to Marmee and father to Little Women. In Alcott’s novel, March is absent after having gone to war; Brooks invents his story and it is told, in part, through his letters home. Brooks’s writing is compelling, both in its rich descriptions of life in 19th-century America and its profound exploration of how suffering changes us.
Marlena GravesTattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, Father Greg Boyle (2011)Critically acclaimed by Publishers Weekly in 2010. My fourth time going through it!
Amy Julia BeckerThe Shape of the Eye: Down Syndrome, Family, and the Stories We Inherit, George Estreich (2011)I read an essay by the author at the website Bloom: Parenting Children with Disabilities and was struck by the combination of lyrical writing and deep analytical thinking about our culture. Estreich brings this beautiful yet unsentimental style to his memoir, in which he tells the story of his family.
Morgan FeddesTinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, John le Carre (1974)I have to admit, this was pushed up to the top of my “to-read” list mostly because of the upcoming movie. But regardless of the reason, I’m glad to be reading it now. Originally published in 1974, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is regarded as one of the best espionage thrillers out there (if not the best), and at this point, I think I would agree. A word of warning, though – it starts in medias res, so it takes some effort to get into it (about 30 pages for me). But I find that’s part of the appeal.
