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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Book List....
One of my summer goals is to read a lot. I realized that in all the busyness of school and life I had neglected my love of reading. After this realization I decided that this summer would be the perfect time to catch up a little. Therefore, I'm now in the process of putting together a summer book list and would love some ideas. So if you have any favorites let me know. New, old, fiction, nonfiction, Christian...whatever you've read and loved.
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9 comments:
Let's see....my favorites...
anything by NT Wright (Challenge of Jesus or Christians at the Cross would be a good starting point)
anything by GK Chesterton (I think you'd enjoy some of his essays or one of his novels perhaps)
anything by Shakespeare ('nuff said)
There are tons of good summer books out there, but it might be helpful to mention some of your favorite authors. Writing style makes a big difference in what people can/will enjoy. To my mind, anything that you can read out loud and actually enjoy listening to from your own mouth is worth the trouble.
Ok, one of my faves that I've read multiple times, is actually a juvenile fiction book that's been around for a while is "Witch of Blackbird Pond", by Elzabeth George Speare; it's easy to read, set in the middle of the puritanical witch hunt craze, has adventure, heart, romance and a moral. Aside from all of that, the story truly is great. In my mind, it's the perfect summer read, it's not just fluff, and it's not an overambitious feat (read: War and Peace or Anna Karenina) but a capturing easy to read story: by-the-pool-laying-out delicioiusness in it's glory :)
Ash, I actually spied your real reading list on the computer while visiting. I am getting ready to read Beautiful Boy & Three Cups of Tea for book club. Maybe we can discuss them over the internet like we currently are for Ezer (code-like how I changed the name ;). Love, J
hm.. fell upon your blog as I was bloghopping, and decided to put a book title in. I am currently reading a book called "Cold Tangerines" its a very interesting quirky type of nonfiction personal story. A "refreshing" read.
:)
one of the best books i've read is "To End All Wars"...it used to be called "Through the Valley of the Kwai" by Earnest Gordon. It's always a book I recommend because it was so powerful. It's a true story of British and Australian soldiers in a Japanese prison camp during WWII.
I love anything by A.W. Tozer as well.
For light reading, I've enjoyed Ted Dekker's stuff and Jan Karon's Mitford books. Obviously totally different genres but both good I think.
enjoy your summer reading!
also, nick, I was wondering what GK Chesterton novel you'd recommend? I've never read any of his stuff but have always had an interest.
My apologies for the length of this comment, but I do very much appreciate Mr Chesterton. If you've never read GK Chesterton, then I'd suggest starting with a genre you're interested in and reading his contribution to that genre. If you find his writing style is not for you (there are those who don't like fighting philosophers), then I'd recommend to look to those authors he loved (Whitman, Dickens, Shakespeare, and Chaucer among others).
If longer fiction is your cup of tea, then I'd probably suggest starting with The Flying Inn or Manalive. The Man Who Was Thursday is his most famous novel, though it isn't quite as long, and is one of the few mystical detective stories you'll find. Don Quixote is good, but continues his political arguments that I think are better grounded in Napoleon of Nottinghill.
For short summaries of these and some of his other works, the following site is excellent: http://www.chesterton.org/discover/chesterton101.html
For more general advice in approaching Chesterton, here's an excerpt from an email I wrote a few years back.
So here are some thoughts, by writing style (remember that he wrote a number of other pieces in each of these categories). I suggest to start with one of the first three and then go from there (they're fairly short and gives time for the reader to catch onto his style).
Short Fiction: Club of Queer Trades
Short General Essays: Tremendous Trifles
Short Apologetic Essays: Heretics
Theological History: Everlasting Man
Longer Apologetics: Orthodoxy
Biography: Thomas Aquinas
Economics: Outline of Sanity
Literary Criticism: Charles Dickens
Debate: with George Bernard Shaw
Political Fiction: Napoleon of Nottinghill
Mystical Fiction: Man who was Thursday
Epic Poem: Ballad of the White Horse
Children's Fiction: Father Brown Stories
Beyond this, he wrote plays, collections of poetry, histories, at least one hymn that I know of, and 20 some odd years of news articles on just about everything you can imagine. But to be honest, reading just a little of any of his works gives a feel for the reasons some people love him and others hate him. He is a strange, innocent lucid character, looming larger than world, filled with a joy-filled passion for life in all of its strange forms. He debated, and befriended, most of the major atheists of his day (who happen to also be many of the major literary names that survive in today's textbooks). And yet, he fiercely fought with those who would dehumanize man to 'save' man (George Bernard Shaw is a good image of this).
Chesterton brought to the table a playful, non-serious, sacramentalism. He saw mystery, glory, and beauty where others saw cold, boring, clarity. By and large, saw a depth and richness in reality that many of today's adults (and children, sadly) need in large doses.
thank you nick! that was very helpful! i'll check these out.
Yeah thanks a lot Nick for your very helpful comments (and everyone else who gave me ideas). I'm excited to get started!
-Ash
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