What I'm Reading Now

A few books that I've read this summer:

"The Great Emergence" by Phyllis Tickle.

I know that her name is hilarious, but the woman is brilliant. This short book discusses how the Church is changing in very big ways. Think of it as a report on where we are with a historical framework built around it.

"The House at Sugar Beach" by Helene Cooper.

A great tale of a privileged girl growing up in Liberia before and during the first coup that overthrew the Congo people and led to 20 years of violence.

"A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah.

It reads like a modern day "Night". Incredibly difficult, human, and tragic. Yet, somehow, victorious. I'll probably post more on this book later.

Just reread "Harry Potter 7". Say what you want, J.K. Rowling is brilliant.

Now Reading: "The Winter of Our Discontent" by John Steinbeck.

Steinbeck is one of those people that most writers are seeking to emulate in their work. His way of telling a story is brisk and real and, at the same time, has a way to interlace philosophy and human commentary in a way that makes you ache with the characters. I've never read "The Grapes of Wrath" but I think it will be next.

Coming Soon: Cleaning off the shelf with books that I've had and not yet read. "Crime and Punishment", "Herzog" by Saul Bellow.

I've tried to read "Catch-22" twice now and ever been able to get through it. I think that after a 3 year hiatus, I may be ready to give it another go.