Reader's Journal 2017 * Sage Parnassus

source: https://sageparnassus.com/readers-journal-2017/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=readers-journal-2017

It's that time of year! Next year I plan on publishing this list on Dec. 1st as per a few requests. It seems it might be helpful when thinking about Christmas gifts to post this before the holidays instead of after. I agree.

So, do tell me what you think! Have you read any of these? Did you post a list of the books you read this year? Please link in the comments! The comments on the Reader's Journal posts are some of my favorite discussions.

1. Mariner - A Voyage with Samuel Taylor Coleridge by Malcolm Guite

This recommendation really needs its own post. I didn't know what to expect when I picked up Guite's tome. I've always been slightly fascinated by Coleridge and have read The Rime of the Ancient Mariner a few times. But what I found was a feast! He so deftly weaves the mystical and strange poem together with Coleridge's own life journey and shows us how Coleridge comes full circle back to faith. Sad that most of what I knew before was tied to his addictions. Guite's writing and insight kept leading me along and I was sad when it was over. Bravo!

2. The Genesee Diary - Report from a Trappist Monastery by Henri J.M. Nouwen

When both Kate and Marcia recommended this book to me, I knew I had to read it. Nouwen spends 7 months in a monastery and we get to read his thoughts during that time. His insights, especially when it comes to traveling and speaking, resonated deeply with me. Reading this theologian's struggles with his faith and belief were so down to earth and real. It ends during Advent which is also when I fittingly finished the book. Lots of commonplace entries from this one!

3. Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard

So I guess I'm a Millard fan now. I loved Destiny of the Republic, River of Doubt, and now Hero of the Empire. Millard takes lesser-known events from lives of the famous and turns them into...page turners! This is an astonishing book about the early days of Winston Churchill when he was a prisoner of war and his amazing escape. Lots of biographical information that was new to me. This one went directly to dh's nightstand.

4. The Curve of Time by Muriel Blanchet

The wonderful ladies from the Charlotte Mason West - Conference at Puget Sound presented me with this book as a thank you gift. I could hardly put it down. It is the story of a widow, Muriel Blanchet, who decides to sail along the coast of British Columbia summer after summer with her 5 children. I was constantly amazed at her harrowing experiences. I wondered if it could be done in today's day and age without someone turning her in. There were truly scary events and I was amazed that they came through all of them unscathed. There was also beauty and wonder and she expresses all of it so well. So good.

5. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Did you know that assisted living was a new term coined in about 1983? Having recently lost a loved one and also moved a set of parents into assisted living, Gawnade's book about end-of-life living was an eye opener. I feel like I understand more clearly what is most important. Please read this before your relatives get close to this stage of life - it will help you navigate things with more compassion and understanding. Thank you, Cindy.

Here's the rest of the list! An "*" means I highly recommend it.

6. Heaven's Ditch* by Jack Kelly (no relation!) 7. Hillbilly Elegy* - A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance 8. The Young Travelers Guide to England and Wales by Trease (wrote about this here) 9. The Gown of Glory by Agnes Sligh Turnbull 10. The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp 11. Lab Girl* by Hope Jahren 12. The Freedom of Simplicity by Richard Foster 13. Hannah Coulter* by Wendell Berry (my 3rd time through?) 14. Rilla of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery 15. Soul Survivor* by Phillip Yancey 16. Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret by Hudson Taylor 17. Holy the Firm by Annie Dillard 18. Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson 19. Plan B by Pete Wilson 20. The Living* by Annie Dillard 21. A Gathering of Larks by Abigail Carroll 22. A Fierce Love by Shauna Shanks 23. A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz 24. Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung 25. The Alphabet of Grace by Frederick Buechner

This is a record of the books I read mainly at night when I retired for the day. It does not include the books I read for our school nor does it include the dozens of books I read only portions of. Some I blogged about, most I did not. The Bible, devotionals, CM's 6 volume series, or research stuff - none of that is included here. I learn something from everything I read but I don't necessarily like everything I read.

Teaching from Peace, Nancy

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