Summer Reading

Summer is coming …. which means, for the church nerds among you: the long season of Pentecost with no feast days. Or for most us, summer means a more laid-back vibe and time for SUMMER READING. I’ve got books lining up for the opportunity–ones that have been on my shelves but never quite got opened or finished. Ones like the brilliantly researched The New Jim Crow and Rainbow Theology (our summer book club selection), Occupy Spirituality (recommended by Marj Mollar) and Being Mortal (I’m obsessed with this one and we’ll be studying it together in the fall)–all four of these offer great analysis of our times and our religious context. For something on the funnier side, I’m reading Three Mystics Walk into a Tavern which brings together three spiritual giants across time (from Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions) for a conversation. It reminds me of the Wesley brothers comic strip which is set in today’s culture but puts John Wesley (Methodism’s founder) and his brother Charles in conversation with obscure characters who lived hundreds of years apart. AND it’s got an irreverent vibe which I love. http://www.wesleybros.com/

I have a colleague that gets giddy when the newest “book” issue of “The Christian Century” comes out because it has all these recommendations for books from our favorite theologians, professors, and pastors. They recommended Toni Morrison’s latest novel, God Help the Child, A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler, Lila, the third book in Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead trilogy, and All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr who “deftly weaves together the stories of two youngsters caught up in World War II.”

There are different rules for what qualifies as summer reading. Some insist on beach-ready paperback novels, others want a minimum of 400 pages that will take two summer months to wade through. What’s your criteria for summer reading? Share what’s on your summer reading list.

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