What I Read (waaayyy back) in November & December
Saw these lovely fresh releases of some l'engle favorites at a bookstore in November. didn't buy them ... yet.
See what I read in January, February & March/April, May/June, July, & August. September & October.
I'm way behind on book updates, so forgive me for cheating with publisher book blurbs and one-sentence micro reviews! I rely on the blog as my reading record so this will be better than nothing!
40. An Unhurried Life: Following Jesus' Rhythm of Work and Rest by Alan Fadling (IVP Books, 2013. 199 pages)
"The 2014 Christianity Today Book Award of Merit Winner (Spirituality) "I am a recovering speed addict." Beginning with this confession, pastor and spiritual director Alan Fadling goes on to describe his journey out of the fast lane and into the rhythms of Jesus. Following the framework of Jesus' earthly life, Fadling shows how the work of "unhurrying" ourselves is central to our spiritual development in such pivotal areas as resisting temptation, caring for others, praying and making disciples. Here is a book that affirms that we are called to work and to do work. Productivity is not a sin―it is the attitudes behind our work that can be our undoing. So how do we find balance between our sense of calling and the call to rest? An Unhurried Life offers a way."
Micro Review: Ironically, I had to hurry through my reading of this book for a spiritual direction certification assignment (lack of planning on my part) and look forward to reading again the thoughtful, reflective invitation to enter into a life not given to the demands of striving. Highly recommend for individual or group reading!
41. Beginning to Pray by Anthony Bloom (Paulist Press, 1970. 128 pages)
"Beginning to Pray has established itself as a modern spiritual classic. Hailed by both Catholics and Protestants, it was written by an Orthodox archbishop for people who had never prayed before, and has been read and loved by persons at all levels of spiritual development.
'The realm of God is dangerous,' says the author. 'You must enter into it and not just seek information about it...The day when God is absent, when he is silent - that is the beginning of prayer.'"
Micro review: This is one of the most helpful books on prayer I've ever read, and one I plan to reference again and again. Highly recommend for individual or group reading!
42. Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting by Marva Dawn (Eerdmans, 1989. 217 pages)
"According to Dawn, the phrase “going to church” both reveals and promotes bad theology: it suggests that the church is a static place when in fact the church is the people of God. The regular gathering together of God’s people for worship is important—it enables them to be church in the world—but the act of worship is only a small part of observing the Sabbath.
This refreshing book invites the reader to experience the wholeness and joy that come from observing God’s order for life—a rhythm of working six days and setting apart one day for rest, worship, festivity, and relationships. Dawn develops a four-part pattern for keeping the Sabbath: (1)ceasing—not only from work but also from productivity, anxiety, worry, possessiveness, and so on; (2) resting— of the body as well as the mind, emotions, and spirit—a wholistic rest; (3) embracing—deliberately taking hold of Christian values, of our calling in life, of the wholeness God offers us; (4) feasting—celebrating God and his goodness in individual and corporate worship as well as feasting with beauty, music, food, affection, and social interaction.
Combining sound biblical theology and research into Jewish traditions with many practical suggestions, Keeping the Sabbath Wholly offers a healthy balance between head and heart: the book shows how theological insights can undergird daily life and practice, and it gives the reader both motivation and methods for enjoying a special holy day.
Dawn’s work— unpretentiously eloquent, refreshingly personal in tone, and rich with inspiring example—promotes the discipline of Sabbath-keeping not as a legalistic duty but as the way to freedom, delight, and joy. Christians and Jews, pastors and laypeople, individuals and small groups—all will benefit greatly from reading and discussing the book and putting its ideas into practice."
Micro review: The practice of attending church every week as a spiritual, Sabbath-keeping practice needs many champions now, and Dawn is a skilled, conscientious champion if not my favorite author on this particular subject (which feels like sacrilege to admit!) Recommend for individual or group reading.
43. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner (Modern Literary Classics, 2002. 335 pages)
"Called a “magnificently crafted story . . . brimming with wisdom” by Howard Frank Mosher in The Washington Post Book World, Crossing to Safety has, since its publication in 1987, established itself as one of the greatest and most cherished American novels of the twentieth century. Tracing the lives, loves, and aspirations of two couples who move between Vermont and Wisconsin, it is a work of quiet majesty, deep compassion, and powerful insight into the alchemy of friendship and marriage."
Micro review: I chose this novel after repeated recommendations from the savvy Modern Mrs. Darcy ("This gorgeous, graceful novel will appeal to fans of Wendell Berry and Marilynne Robinson.") and thoroughly enjoyed being absorbed into the ordinary accounts of an extraordinary friendship that spans forty years, and that, in many ways, reminded me of some of my own. Recommend for readers of gentle but poignant literary fiction.
44. What the Land Already Knows: Winter's Sacred Days by Phyllis Tickle (Loyala Press, 2003. 128 pages)
via Goodreads: "In her three-book series that spans the liturgical year, renowned author Phyllis Tickle recalls simple stories from life on her family's farm in Lucy, Tennessee. In these spiritually uplifting and nostalgic memoirs, Tickle records the richness of faith in everyday life. What the Land Already Knows celebrates Advent, Christmas, and the Epiphany. Wisdom in the Waiting reflects on Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. The Graces We Remember provides tales from the end of Pentecost to the beginning of Advent."
Micro review: Picking up where I left off in the Farm In Lucy short stories trilogy, I found this volume a wonderful introduction to the beginning days of winter. Highly recommend for those who enjoy true stories of family/farm/home life with a liturgical slant.
45. The Abundance: A Novel by Amit Majmudar (Picador, 2014. 272 pages)
"When Mala and Ronak learn that their mother has only a few months to live, they are reluctantly pulled back into the Midwestern world of their Indian immigrant parents. In the brief time between diagnosis and deterioration, busy, efficient Mala commits to mastering her mother's slow art of Indian cooking. Perfecting the raita and the rotli, the two begin not only to work together but also to talk, confronting their deepest divisions and failures. But when Ronak hits upon the idea of selling their cooking-as-healing experience as a high-concept memoir, immigrant and native-born must find a way to cross this last divide.
With grace, acuity, and wry compassion, in Abundance, Amit Majmudar has written anew the immigrant experience, the clash of cultures, the conflicts of assimilation, and, most poignant, the tangled ties between generations."
Micro review: I read this enjoyable, satisfying novel after seeing it mentioned in Sarah Arthur's wonderful Light Upon Light: A Literary Guide to Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, and especially appreciated the insight into the lives of an immigrant Indian family making sense of their Hindu faith traditions within the context of the United States. Recommend!
46. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson (HarperCollins, 2005. 128 pages)
"Laughs abound in this bestselling Christmas classic by Barbara Robinson! The Best Christmas Pageant Ever follows the outrageous shenanigans of the Herdman siblings, or “the worst kids in the history of the world.” The siblings take over the annual Christmas pageant in a hilarious yet heartwarming tale involving the Three Wise Men, a ham, scared shepherds, and six rowdy kids.
Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Gladys Herdman are an awful bunch. They set fire to Fred Shoemaker’s toolshed, blackmailed Wanda Pierce to get her charm bracelet, and smacked Alice Wendelken across the head. And that’s just the start! When the Herdmans show up at church for the free snacks and suddenly take over the Christmas pageant, the other kids are shocked. It’s obvious that they’re up to no good. But Christmas magic is all around and the Herdmans, who have never heard the Christmas story before, start to reimagine it in their own way.
This year’s pageant is definitely like no other, but maybe that’s exactly what makes it so special."
Micro review: This was my selection for Advent for our church's reading group (Apostles Reads) because it's the rare kind of book that both adults and children find both hilarious and heartwarming. Recommended reading for everyone, every year!
47. Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler (Knopf, 1991. 352 pages)
"Ian Bedloe is the ideal teenage son, leading a cheery, apple-pie life with his family in Baltimore. That is, until a careless and vicious rumor leads to a devastating tragedy. Imploding from guilt, Ian believes he is the one responsibly for the tragedy. No longer a star athlete with a bright future, and desperately searching for salvation, he stumbles across a storefront with a neon sign that simply reads: CHURCH OF THE SECOND CHANCE.
Ian has always viewed his penance as a burden. But through the power of faith and the love of family, he begins to view it as a gift. After years spent trying to atone for his foolish mistakes, Ian finds forgiveness and peace in the life he builds for himself."
Micro review: Another Christmas-oriented novel mentioned by Sarah Arthur (and, I think, also in Eugene Peterson's Take & Read), I found the plot intriguing and the characters beautifully developed, but did not love several of the ways the plot played out over the several decades and left the book feeling disappointed. Still recommend as a well-written novel by a well-loved author.
48. The Good and Beautiful God: Falling In Love With the God Jesus Knows by James Bryan Smith (IVP Books, 2009. 232 pages)
"God wants me to try harder." "God blesses me when I'm good and punishes me when I'm bad." "God is angry with me." We all have ideas that we tell ourselves about God and how he works in our lives. Some are true--but many are false. James Bryan Smith believes those thoughts determine not only who we are, but how we live. In fact, Smith declares, the most important thing about a person is what they think about God. The path to spiritual transformation begins here. Turning to the Gospels, Smith invites you to put your ideas to the test to see if they match up with what Jesus himself reveals about God. Once you've discovered the truth in Scripture, Smith leads you through a process of spiritual formation that includes specific activities aimed at making these new narratives real in your body and soul as well as your mind. At the end of each chapter you'll find an opportunity for soul training, engaging in spiritual practices that reinforce the biblical messages on your mind and heart. Because the best way to make a complete and lasting change is to go through the material in community, small group discussion questions also accompany each chapter. Those who are leading apprentice groups will also find additional help and opportunities to interact with other leaders at the Apprentice website, www.apprenticeofjesus.com. This deep, loving and transformative book will help you discover the narratives that Jesus lived by--to know the Lord he knew and the kingdom he proclaimed--and to practice spiritual exercises that will help you grow in the knowledge of our good and beautiful God."
Micro review: We read this as a Sunday morning small group, and I was impressed not only with the author's substantive theological insight, but also with his gracious tone and impeccable recommendations for spiritual practices to make each theological truth about God's character root itself deeply in our hearts. Highly recommend - especially for group reading!
Go to my reading lists page to see my reading lists from 2016 and previous years.
Here's my Goodreads page. Let's be friends!
I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!
What are you reading these days?
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p.s. This post includes affiliate links in this post because I'm trying to be a good steward, and when you buy something through one of these links you don't pay more money, but in some magical twist of capitalism we get a little pocket change. Thanks!