That means it was a good day.
Here's what I bought:
- Seeking Peace by Johann Christoph Arnold. A piecemeal history of the world, organized by subject, looking at the ways various groups and individuals have sought to oppose war and foster peace. Spoiler alert: he's J. Heinrich Arnold's grandson, and he comes to the conclusion that joining the Bruderhof is the answer. (I read the last page.)
- Injustice Made Legal: Deuteronomic Law and the Plight of Widows, Strangers and Orphans in Ancient Isreal by Harold V. Bennet. That's a long title. This guy is claiming that the law of Deuteronomy is a thinly veiled means of maintaining power and wealth to the powerful and wealthy in ancient Hebrew society. I'm really interested in this thesis, and I hope his research is up to such an ambitious task.
- Desire of the Everlasting Hills by Thomas Cahill. Cahill writes popular-level books looking at "the hinges of history," those times and movements that shifted large historical trajectories. His most well-known book is How the Irish Saved Civilization, which I read a few summers back when I was staying at Emgee's in Portland. This book is about the world before and after Jesus.
- A Theology of Compassion: Metaphysics of Difference and the Renewal of Tradition by Oliver Davies. I've been meaning to pick this up for a few years. Davies is attempting to put together a postmodern-friendly systematic theology, based on relational and narrative truth claims, rather than propositional. I'm really looking forward to this.
- Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea and Shenzen: A Travelogue from China by Guy Delisle. These are beautiful hardbound copies of Delisle's award winning graphic-novel depictions of these capitol cities.
- Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart Ehrman. I've listened to the audiobook version of this, but I wanted a copy for reference. It's a must-read for anyone who considers the Bible authoratative, and interesting even for those who think the Bible is merely interesting.
- Jesus in Our Wombs: Embodying Modernity in a Mexican Convent by Rebecca Lester. I had never heard of this book, but it was featured at the bookstore and recommended by authors and organizations I trust, and looks fascinating. It's the story of a year in a convent, looking at the lives of the first-year novices living there. I might start this one first.
- The Triumph of Abraham's God: The Transformation of Identity in Galations by Bruce Longenecker. I've been meaning to check out Longenecker for a while, and this seems as good a place as any to start.
- The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Jesus Came to Die by John Piper. Give me a break, it was on sale for $3, and I'm sure it'll come in handy sometimes, even if it does give only two pages to each reason Jesus died.
- A Quaker Book of Wisdom: Life Lessons in Simplicity, Service and Common Sense by Robert Lawrence Smith.
- Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, General Board of the General Conference Mennonite Church. A handy reference.
Have you read any of these books? Which one would you start first?
Alternatively, what books have you bought recently that you would recommend?
-NDSR
Comments (16)
You're lucky. I spend at least 300 every quarter on books. College can suck it. :/
@xNicolax - I love spending money on books, but I hated spending money on books for class because 2/3 of them were no good. Now that I get to pick what I read, I feel much better dropping that much on them.
I just finished
Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexualityby Jack Rogers and loved it. A new edition is coming out in April though (didn't know that when I bought my copy last month)....I'm thinking of buying the new edition as well.
The book by Lester sounds really interesting...I would probably start there.
I have to say, I am quite jealous. I could quite easily spend a hundred dollars on books and I would more than happily do so (although my reading list would have much more fiction).
I do have a copy of The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Jesus Came to Die by John Piper. I've paged through it a few times, with no real surprises.
Currently I'm reading Fear and Trembling by Kierkegaard in the non-fiction field. It's very interesting, can't say much more than that. Well, I guess I could say that it has been helping me have more faith in faith recently.
The Pyongyang one and the Misquoting Jesus one sound awesome dude. But man, 100$ on books.... what's the deal? I almost spent that much at Powell's the other day. Its sad.
But I've got one to recommend for you that I just finished yesterday. Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson. My dad recommended it to be because he heard "Shakespeare" on the radio show he listens to and it turned out to be a somply fantastic critical approach to what we know and don't know about him. Anyway, it was amazing.
So I got home, and everyone in my family had a book for me to read. Dad wants me to read Into the Wild, Steve got me the new Ender book, and my mom wants me to read The Shack. Surprisingly, Travis and Amy both recommend it as well, and Travis said that even Prof Sanders had good things to say about it. I'm wary; it seems kinda hocus-pocus-style-Christian-feel-good book to me after reading the first bit. Anything to say on it?
(btw, got my dad reading Brothers Karamazov. ^^)
@Mr_Kamikaze - The Shack is interesting. It's basically a defense (Why does God allow bad things to happen?), but it deals a lot with the idea of the trinity, with each person of the trinity being represented by a different character. In some ways, I think The Shack is intended to be for orthodox Christian ideas what The Matrix is for zen Buddhism. Less violent, though.
There are times when the imagery of The Shack seems a bit out there for me, a bit new-agey, but the book contains a surprising amount of wisdom as well. I am glad it has become as popular as it has. I think it does a lot of good for people who have always attended church but never thought too much about it.
Sanders is using it in place of Pilgrim's Progress, which is cool. I'll bet 2/3 of the class still reads the Wikipedia entry instead of the book, though.
envy.
cahill, davies, and lester sound most interesting to me. i'm in a people-y mood so i would start with lester.I bought the Passion book a few years back as a personal devotional for the Easter season. I don't remember all the 50 reasons, but I do remember that I didn't regret buying it.
@pastorstephencollins - You wouldn't, you closet Calvinist.
That's a whole lot of reading - even for you!! Yeah, I wish I had even 10% of the money I blew on textbooks - I'd be able to buy a bunch of worthwhile books. Obviously, you bought more than the Piper book on sale to get that much for your money. I'd be interested in your take on the Deuteronomy book, but I'm afraid I'd struggle to read it myself.
What I've got on my current reading shelf is: "The Barbarian Way" and "Soul Cravings" by Erwin Raphael McManus, "Kingdoms in Conflict" by Charles Colson, and " Whatever Happened to the American Dream" by Larry Burkett. Can't give much insight on any of these yet - seems like a motley collection, but you take what you can get when you're short of cash. (There are some things I wouldn't read no matter what. I hope none of these will fall into that category! I always feel violated when I discover that I've allowed myself to be tricked into choosing trash.
I'm gonna make note of these books.
The Irresistible Revolution and Jesus for President, by Shane Claiborne. Two hippie-ish books that deal with the practical side of following Jesus, talking about things like war, peace, consumerism, politics, etc.
Life on the Vine - talking about the fruits of the spirit, and how our culture gets in the way.
I'm using the library these days and I can barely afford the overdue fines. I hardly ever check out nonfiction unless it's an autobiography, Nietzsche, a martial arts book or something that might help me overcome a gigantic career snag.
The last two books I completed were Williim Shatner's Up Till Now: The Autobiography, and White Line Fever by Lemmy (of Motorhead), which were great, hilarious reads and powerful testimonies to artisitic integrity. Right now I'm working my way through two popular fiction authors whose legacy I am familiar with but have never read before: T.C. Boyle's Tooth and Claw, a collection of short stories, and Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses. The former is quite entertaining and loaded with ten- and twenty-dollar vocabulary words. Rushdie, on the other hand, employs a free-wheeling colloquial style reminiscent of Thomas Pynchon and almost as off-putting, but the story is beginning to take hold.
Thanks for asking.
@Mr_Kamikaze - Take your father's advice and read into the wild. i'm currently in the middle of it and can honestly say it's the best read i've had. (besides gushy romance novels haha) i've fallen in love with "alex."
and Nick, i'd choose to read the Misquoting Jesus one as well. there have been some nearly heated arguments at work lately, and i think it may come in handy.
I've just ordered... the book that @hubbaduh - recommended.
Another copy of Shattered Dreams by Larry Crabb (for a friend)
Brennan Manning's- Ragamuffin Devotional
Bring 'em Back Alive- Dave Burchett.... facilitating the healing of the wounded (in Jesus) in our churches so that they can in turn lead others to be healed at the cross as well.
We need to live together again so I can read your books. I found 2 bookshelves today. Nice ones for $20 and $30. I'm stoked. Picking one up later today.
I'm jealous! I'd probably start with Ehrman's book, then follow up with Bennet or Davies.