Books and books and books and articles and magazines and my brain hurts.
I’m at the end of winter quarter in school and have two weeks to mostly rest my brain. Except that I picked up a new and rather large writing assignment, so I guess there is no rest after all. Here are some of the non-text books I’ve been reading lately. Some I skimmed, some I savored every word.
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor (again). Remember a year ago how she joined me for my Pillars book launch party? My goodness that was incredible. I still can’t believe it was real.
Petals of Blood by Ngugi wa Thiong'o for our Horn of Africa book club.
Let’s Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World by Danielle Friedman. When and how was the sports bra invented? How strong can, and should, women be?! This was so much fun to read, reminds me a lot of where things are for women athletes in the Horn of Africa in 2022, and it made me curious so I went back in YouTube and sure enough you can find these old workout videos she mentioned. I even used to do them, especially after the twins were born. They’re hilarious and I highly recommend you spend a couple hours doing some Tamilee Webb Buns of Steel or Jane Fonda. I did them using video cassettes. Remember those? Yup.
Shoutin’ in the Fire: An American Epistle by Dante Stewart
Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition by Christine D. Pohl. I’m working on an article for a magazine about sanctuary and radical hospitality and had the honor of interviewing Dr. Pohl for the piece. Her books and words are rich with wisdom and I highly recommend her books.
Living into Community: Cultivating Practices that Sustain Us by Christine D. Pohl. This and the first one by her are only $2.99 ebooks.
The Vanishing: Faith, Loss, and the Twilight of Christianity in the Land of the Prophets by Janine Di Giovanni. Read in light of Ukraine and conversations about orthodox Christianity, this book is important and devastating and slightly hopeful. What has happened to Christians in these ancient lands? I’m so thankful to have learned through this book about the global and historical body of believers. On sale for $3.99!
Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger by Soraya Chemaly.
What are you reading?
I remember that Pillars launch party. I just finished reading Barbara Brown Taylor's Learning to Walk in the Dark, which had been on my list to read since then. It was very good and very apropos to where I am now.