Midsummer Book Talk

Updates and Accountability

Before I get to the mid-year book update, I want to say sorry I didn’t write last week from the UUA General Assembly in Baltimore. I began the week feeling poorly because of medication changes and ended the week feeling poorly because of some dodgy salmon, and in between had rehearsals and meetings and a sore ankle that kept me from being as active as I’d like.

What I will say is that there were some amazing ideas and conversations, which have sparked even more prompts for columns, so expect to hear a lot about Congregational Shenanigans™, what it means to be worshipping communities, and how people of faith can change our world by changing the ways we are with each other.

But now, on to book talk!

As noted in January, I’ve challenged myself to 40 books this year, and… well… it’s been slow going. May brought some additions to the list in the form of assigned books for classes, and well, I just don’t know what happened to my life, but I have not read as much as I’d hoped. I have fantasies of reading several books for pleasure this summer … we’ll see how that turns out.

Here’s what’s been accomplished - just 15 books (not counting the 11 children’s books):

Books for D.Min. Classes

Anthem: Social Movements and the Sound of Solidarity by Shana L. Redmond (good and foundational when thinking about how music provides a foundation for movements)

Music and Theology by Don E. Saliers (SO SO GOOD!)

Protest and Praise: Sacred Music of Black Religion by Jon Michael Spencer (good but thick)

In Their Own Words: Slave Life and the Power of Spirituals by Eileen Guenther (this is part amazing history, part commentary, part concordance - if you ever use spirituals, you must get this book)

Liturgy and Architecture: From the Early Church to the Middle Ages by Allan Doig (I do NOT recommend this book; the review I wrote for my history of Christian church architecture class was snarkier than it should be and still my professor thinks I should write reviews for journals)

Theology in Stone: Church Architecture from Byzantium to Berkeley by Richard Kieckhefer (this one was much better, and of the two books for our history of Christian church architecture class, I rather enjoyed this)

Sacred Power, Sacred Space: An Introduction to Christian Architecture and Worship by Jeanne Halgren Kilde (this is the one architecture book I really loved - and it was assigned for our Visual Culture in Ministry class; it’s the one of the three I recommend to anyone leading worship)

Seeing and Believing: Religion, Digital Visual Culture, and Social Justice by Ellen T. Armour (this was great - she gets in the technical weeds a bit here and there but her thesis and methodology is super sound; I highly recommend if you’re trying to understand the Charleston shooter as she does a remarkable analysis)

A Multitude of All Peoples: Engaging Christianity’s Global Identity by Vince L. Bantu (this didn’t click for me at all, but it was useful for other classmates serving in Christian denominations, so it may be useful as an antidote for western/white biases)

Heathen: Religion and Race in American History by Kathryn Gin Lum (HOLY COW THIS BOOK SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING. Seriously - it’s dense like Gary Dorrien’s work is dense, but engaging and full of incredible information. Gin Lum lays out the too too long history of othering through this analysis.)

Justice/Social Action/Climate Change/Feminism/Racism etc.

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer (a beautiful, elegant, loving, and short read)

Theatre

Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson (a delightful take on the life of the bard. I’ve not encountered much of Bryson’s writing until now and I’m a fan)

Mythology

Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes (so so good - Haynes is so great!)

Fiction

The Marlow Murder Club (Marlow Murder Club #1) by Robert Thorogood (delightful. And I love Samantha Bond)

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin (I had to finish it because it felt undone)

I am hoping beyond hope to get through at least three novels this summer - along with all the writing and organizing and series watching and planning and goofing off and hustling. Stay tuned… and stay cool!

No post next week - I have a research paper to finish for the aforementioned history of Christian church architecture class, and so far the research is a bit of a slog. Plus I’m supposed to be on vacation. See you on the 9th!

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay