It seems like when summer dances in everyone comes out with lists of “summer reads” like you’re going to have all this amazing leisure time at the lake and your daily responsibilities (or your kids) will magically disappear. Well, that hasn’t exactly been my reality. And add to that the fact that I’m a slow reader who doesn’t retain much and you’ve got a profile of my reading world.
However, I have read a few books over the past two months, and I’d love some suggestions from you too! Here are mine.
Pretty eclectic bunch, eh?
I recommend all of them.
Call the Midwife is the memoir of a midwife in the poor east end of London right after World War 2. It’s wonderful, with rich characters, but be warned that a section on her interaction with prostitutes is quite graphic. It’s also been made into a PBS series!
Does Jesus Really Love Me? is a spiritual pilgrimage. A memoir of sorts, by Jeff Chu who has become a friend of ours. This book really brings you into the painful world of gay Christians. It chronicles Jeff’s cross-country journey, interviewing Christians across the theological spectrum. He “tries to distill what the diverse followers of Christ believe about homosexuality and to understand how these people who purportedly follow the same God and the same Scriptures have come to hold such a wide range of opinions.” It is heart-breaking, informative, and provocative. I so appreciate Jeff’s efforts to be open-minded and even-handed in his treatment of this difficult subject.
Start. Punch Fear in the Face/Escape Average/Do Work that Matters is an inspiring book on personal development. Jon Acuff takes readers through 5 stages of a successful life – Learning, Editing, Mastering, Harvesting, and Guiding. At the back of the book he includes action steps for each stage. Super practical.
In 7 Men, and the Secret to Their Greatness. Eric Metaxas writes short biographies of George Washington, William Wilberforce, Eric Liddel, Dietrich Bonhoffer, Jackie Robinson, John Paul II, and Chuck Colson – individuals who have impacted our world and are worthy of emulating. According to Metaxes, they all have one particular quality: that of surrendering themselves to a higher purpose, of giving something away that they might have kept. I think every man and every teenage boy should read this! We need more books like this that lift our eyes to a higher calling.
So, what about you? What books would you recommend?
Glad to know there’s another Eric Metaxas book! I look forward to your book lists, thanks for posting! Off to amazon now…….
Here is my eclectic summer reading~~Mother Teresa Come Be My Light, Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin, The Will of God as a Way of Life by Gerald Sittser, Idol Lies by Dee Brestin, Discipleship by Dietrich Bonnhoeffer, and Women of Courage by Katherin Martin. All of these titles are very good books. Temple Grandin is a brilliant PhD with Autisim and writes about nicely about her struggles and what we can learn from autistic people.
Thanks so much, Tina! I’d love to hear more about the books by Sittser and Brestin as I’ve enjoyed others by those authors!