Prayer by Richard Foster - This book has deepened my understanding of prayer and therefore deepened my practice of prayer. I love Foster's love for simplicity. It is refreshing and freeing while not glossing over the effort that prayer requires of us.
Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster - I think I asked before, can a book on the Spiritual Disciplines refresh the soul and lift the heart? This one can. Same as above - refreshing, simple, freeing while still calling Christians to an excellent and devoted love for God.
Bold Love by Dan Allender -What does love look like? What does loving a difficult person look like? Do you cover over sin or cover up? When is it wise to confront? I read this book twice this year, making the third and fourth times through. The final time was with the ladies for Bible study and that was amazing. The header on the back of the book says it all: "If Jesus advocated the kind of love we advocate today, he would have lived to a ripe old age."
*Disclaimer- This book should be read in it's entirety or not at all. It is not one to take a chapter here and a chapter there. The entire context is important and without it, one would be left with an unbalanced message - a message antithetical to that of the book.
Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy- This is a hard read simply because Tess, the main character, has such a difficult life. Thomas Hardy was a man imprisoned by fate. He did not serve a loving God who was for him, even in the most difficult circumstances, and his novels evidence this. But I love Tess. She is probably my favorite character in literature. Maybe because I just feel so sorry for her - I don't know. She is such a sympathetic heroine. All through the novel I felt so much for her and so wanted everything to be ok. Tess is a real woman, with real feelings, in the midst of real difficulty. But poor, poor Tess. She works so hard to be strong and to maintain hope in spite of her circumstances. It's such a sad ending. But, I better stop - don't want to give anything away...
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens- My first go at Dickens and it was a good choice. Boy believes there just has to be more out there for him - more money, more prestige, more social status - but finds out that he just won't find what he's looking for without paying a price. Talk about over the top characters! These are some quirky people -Pip, the boy who wants more; Estella, think mean girls; and Miss Havisham and her jilted self living in her mansion of squalor. And the wedding cake! What in the world! This is a must read just to meet these characters.
The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis - This series begins with Out of the Silent Planet, then onto Perelandra and finally That Hideous Strength. The books can be read separately -I mean they don't leave you with a cliff hanger at the end. The common element is the character of Dr. Ransom and some of the themes carry through the series. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed these because I am usually not a big fan of science fiction. But then again, these are not simply science fiction stories. Lewis' favorite book of his was Perelandra, the second in the series. I prefer the third, That Hideous Strength. Lots of quotables in pure Lewis form.
1 comment:
I am PUMPED that someone else loves Great Expectations. I wasn't a big fan when I read it in high school (because I was an idiot) but when I taught it last year, I fell in love with the crazy plot and the poignant characters.
Very good read. =)
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