my 5 favorite reads in 2014

My top 5 favorite books from 2014.  

-- 1 --

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell: (Ballantine Books, 1997. 408 pages) 

This novel just about wrecked me -- in mostly good ways. Since it falls in the category of Sci-Fi, I'd probably not have picked it up on my own.  But some dear friends shared how much they'd loved the story of -- well, a Jesuit priest in outer space. With only a little bit of experience reading science fiction, I've quickly learned that the power of the genre -- for me -- is the way a well-told story of an imaginary land and its inhabitants can help me reframe the powerful drama of my own land and species in the most surprising, touching ways.  This was the case for me reading about the brave team of space explorers hoping to give and receive love on the planet Rakhat -- for some, even the love of the Gospel of Christ.  The devastating results of offering pure, but misunderstood, love mirrors all the great tragedies we know since the beginning of man.  And the beginning of my very own life on Earth.  

-- 2 --

Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life by Henri Nouwen: (165 pages) 

I have never read a book by this man that did not touch me deeply at the spiritual, emotional and intellectual level.  Reaching Out is no exception.  So much so that we're using the book at a ministry retreat this fall.  Also, Nouwen -- whom I'm pretty sure never had children of his own -- gave me the wisest words I've ever needed for parenting.  You can read about that here:  My top 4 parenting epiphanies, or My Child Is Not My Property But My  Guest

-- 3 --

My Bright Abyss: Meditation of a Modern Believer by Christian Wiman (New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013. 182 pages.)

Amazing, amazing, amazing.

-- 4 --

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton (316 pages)

This important novel of South Africa's history has been on my reading list for years.  When our church book club chose it for August's selection I read along even though I couldn't join them for their discussion night.  The story is exquisite, rich, sad and joyous and Zulu priest Stephen Kumalo has become one of my all-time favorite novel characters. This is a book I will re-read often.

Related link:  

To Better Remember Nelson Mandela, Get To Know This 'Country' at NPR

-- 5 --

Booked: literature in the soul of me by Karen Swallow Prior (T.S. Poetry Press, New York, 2012. 199 pages + discussion guide)

I really, really enjoyed this book.  My sister received it for Christmas from her in-laws and recommended it to me.  For one thing I love reading books that are about books.  For another, it's a memoir woven within the framework of a book about books.  My favorite sort of thing.  And Karen Swallow Prior did not disappoint.  There was nothing soporific or too matchy-matchy about the way she wove together her story of growing up formed by good parents, good community, good church and, yes, good books.  

A tiny excerpt:

"I know that spiritual formation is of God, but I also know -- mainly because I learned it from books -- that there are other kinds of formation, too, everyday gifts, and that God uses the things of this earth to teach us and shape us, and to help us find truth."

*Go to my Book Pile page to see my reading lists from 2014 and previous years.*

What are you reading right now?

*Linking up with Jenna today

5 favorite reads in November

No time for summaries, but here's what I read last month!

what I read in November

-- 1 --

41  The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester (Harper Perennial, 1998. 242 pages.)

-- 2 --

42  The Hound of the Baskervilles: Another Adventure of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (Penguin Classics, 2009. 195 pages) (Masterpiece book club)

Here's some places to watch this classic story: 

Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch (2012)
Jeremy Brett (1988)
Basil Rathbone (1939)

This is the site my sister is drawing from to round up resources for our book club: Masterpiece Theatre website

-- 3 --

43  The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith : (Mulholland Books: Boston, 2014. 384 pages)

-- 4 --

44  My Bright Abyss: Meditation of a Modern Believer by Christian Wiman (New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013. 182 pages.)

Amazing, amazing, amazing.

-- 5 --

45 The Long Home: Poems by Christian Wiman (Ashland, OR : Story Line Press, 1998. 75 pages.)

Listen:  Christian Wiman Reads Two Poems for Bill Moyers

*Go to my Book Pile page to see my reading lists from 2014 and previous years.*

What are you reading right now?

*Linking up with Jenna today

5 favorite reads in September & October

what I read in September & October

-- 1 --

36  Walking Home: A Poet's Journey by Simon Armitage (Liveright, 2014. 304 pages.)

A pleasant, enticing account of one poet's ambitious hiking and poetry reading tour down the entire Pennine Way, also known as England's Backbone.  This book would work well for fans of hiking, England, poetry or travel.  Occasionally a bit too prosaic from a poet but still enjoyable story telling. 

-- 2 --

37  Anne of Green Gables by L.M.M. Montgomery

Believe it or not I've never read the books.  In the late 1980's I enjoyed the made-for-Canadian-television series starring Megan Follows as the bouyant Anne Shirley, imagined in the early twentieth century stories by L.M.M. Montgomery.  Completely enjoyable comfort reading -- especially in a rather melancholy season.

Also, I loved the cover art.

-- 3 --

38  Anne of Avonlea by L.M.M. Montgomery: (W.W. Norton & Co., 2000. 273 pages)

Part 2 diverges from the film version quite a bit.  I found myself slightly disappointed (but please don't tell my Anne-loving kindred spirits!)

-- 4 --

39  Paper Towns by John Green: (Dutton Books, 2008. 305 pages)

I'm joining a book club at my office.  I've probably  mentioned before that I am like 15 years older than the median age of my coworkers.  Thus, I'm stretching a bit on some of the book selections.  This would be an example of that.  I enjoyed the book until about two-thirds of the way in and, well, I just couldn't keep reading.  My daughter confirmed my decision.  

Some fun writing, fun friendly midnight pranking, just couldn't like the characters.

-- 5 --

40  The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (Little, Brown and Company, 2013. 455 pages)

When my co-worker suggested this title by Robert Galbraith (aka, J.K. Rowling), I nearly jumped up and down at the suggestion.  This is a title I can get behind!

Amazon's blurb:

After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this.

Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

*Go to my Book Pile page to see my reading lists from 2014 and previous years.*

What are you reading right now?

*Linking up with Jenna today

5 favorite August reads and good stuff I read online this week

before the book list, here's a a favorite image from our week

That's our Natalie on the right,
ready for Homecoming 2014!

5 favorite reads in August

-- 1 --

31 Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton (316 pages)

This important novel of South Africa's history has been on my reading list for years.  When our church book club chose it for August's selection I read along even though I couldn't join them for their discussion night.  The story is exquisite, rich, sad and joyous and Zulu priest Stephen Kumalo has become one of my all-time favorite novel characters. This is a book I will re-read often.

Related link:  

To Better Remember Nelson Mandela, Get To Know This 'Country' at NPR

-- 2 --

32  Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life by Henri Nouwen: (165 pages) 

I have never read a book by this man that did not touch me deeply at the spiritual, emotional and intellectual level.  Reaching Out is no exception.  So much so that we're using the book at a ministry retreat this fall.  Also, Nouwen -- whom I'm pretty sure never had children of his own -- gave me the wisest words I've ever needed for parenting.  You can read about that here:  My top 4 parenting epiphanies, or My Child Is Not My Property But My  Guest

-- 3 --

33  Rick Steves' Ireland 2014 by Rick Steves: (584 pages) 

How many ways can I say that I love this guy and his travel guides?  Let me add one more with this current guide for traveling to Ireland.  Brian and I are dreaming about travel -- maybe even for our 25th wedding anniversary next year.  Both of us are Irish pretty recently in our family lines and we've heard a rumour that we could get a pretty decent fare.  We're not serious enough to buy the book yet, but I took lots of notes from this library copy!

-- 4 --

34  The Story of the World, Early Modern Times (audio) by Susan Bauer

OK, I admit it.  This volume covering the major historical events from the years 1600 to 1850 -- from Elizabeth I to the gold rush in California -- is supposedly for children, but I totally enjoyed it.  We took it with us on vacation from this summer and it made for great listening during traffic jams.  I'd like to listen to the whole set even though I sort of started in the middle because that's what I found on the library shelves.  

-- 5 --

35  Quack This Way: David Foster Wallace & Bryan A. Garner Talk Language and Writing  (123 pages) 

Accidental friends, writer David Foster Wallace and lexicographer Bryan Garner record an interview about the use and misuse of language and the importance of good writing skills across all vocations.  It's informal, easy to read and insightful.  

.....

Other good words online this week

Liturgical Worship - Part 1 (Gather), 2 (Word), 3 (Thanksgiving), 4 (Send) from Christ Church Anglican, Overland Park, KS: Four brief, clear primers to the four main movements in an Anglican worship service.  Highly recommend!

It's Like They Know Us on Tumblr:  Have you seen this?  Totally snarky and totally hilarious. For example: "Our favorite fall tradition is dressing immaculately and taking photos with goats."  You know it.

Rich Mullins Tribute Special at 20: the Countdown Magazine:   September 19th was the seventeenth anniversary of Rich Mullins' death.  This audio tribute is long, but a wonderful remembrance of songs and interview clips with a man who understood grace in a beautiful way.  One disclaimer:  occasionally the announcer gets a bit campy and slightly  morose, but I think he really loved Rich and, well, he's a radio announcer after all. 

Hoping for a good week for us all, friends.

Peace....