a season of books

All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr  
I am fascinated by stories of children in wartime.  


Stony Ground: The making of a Canadian Garden, by Douglas Chambers  

... the making of one Ontario garden.  
Purchased at a Thrift Store somewhere along the road from Bethany to the West Coast on a Bethany Players tour, by invitation of Lisa Braun (her fun encouragement notes to people on tours included instructions like this:  "Buy a used book at a thrift store along the way.").



Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction, by Margaret Guenther
Read this with an online book club, facilitated by singer and songwriter and newly hired Director of Education at Renovaré, Carolyn Arends.  Loved that the author has the same last name as my mom.

The Harry Lehotsky Story, by Paul H. Gobe
The life story of a man who moved his family into the inner city neighborhood where my daughter and her husband lived.  

Ruth, and I & II Samuel
Epic sagas of famine, family, struggles for power, tracing God at work amidst the tides of human history.  Finding David ... shepherd and poet, warrior, and musician, with fierce loves and loyalties.  My perspective of King Saul is shaped significantly by a paper of one of my students.    

The Garden of Eden, by Sharon Butala
Ethiopia, and farming in southern Saskatchewan, and women surviving

When Books went to War: The Stories that Helped us win World War II, by Molly Guptill Manning
A fascinating documentation of the impact of books - burned by the Germans in the early years of WWII, and distributed to the soldiers on the front by the Americans.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain
Helpful for understanding some of the wonderful people in my world



Come Back, by Rudy Wiebe
I had to put it down after a couple of chapters.  I will go back, but it is heart wrenching.



Secret Keeper, by Kate Morton ... and The Forgotten Garden, and Distant Hours ...
I enjoy the surprise plots of her historical fiction.




The 100 Year Old Man who Jumped out the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson
So unpredictably entertaining ... a man wandering through the historical landscape of our world without an intentional bone in his body. 

The Girl who saved the King of Sweden, also by Jonas Jonasson
Laugh out loudly ridiculous and you just keep reading because it is impossible to know what will happen next.


The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein
The opposite of the 100 year old man in it's absolute straining intentionality... with a twist.

The Back of the Turtle, by Thomas King
A classically Kingishly unsettling read.

Louis L'Amour: Hondo, Sitka, Crossfire Trail.  And quite a few more.

Servants of the Map, by Andrea Barrett
Opening up new worlds of mountaineering and exploration and map making with short stories that weave through the Himalayas and characters' lives.

The Book of Hebrews
Clouds of witnesses, and encouragement to keep meeting together as the church, and reminding us of the work of Christ, and knowing that we live forward, anticipating promises fulfilled in the lives of our children and children's children.  Stay with the race set before me.

The Home Children, by Phyllis Harrison
Ways that our attempts to help children in need can go drastically wrong. A book telling the stories of many British children who were sent to Canada in the 18-1900's.

The Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline. Another thread of the same story

Shake Hands with the Devil, by Roméo Dallaire
Such a very awful and tragic account of something that is almost impossible to consider. 

The Definitive Wit of Winston Churchill, by Richard M. Langworth
A fun look at the words and wit of this British leader. Great quotes.

God with Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas, Edited by Pennoyer
Prayers, and meditations, paintings and thoughts about this season of the year.  Awaiting Immanuel.  I come back to it every Advent.
AND just now discovered a new follow-up:  God for Us:  Rediscovering the meaning of Lent and Easter compiled by the same editor with many of the same authors.  I think that this will join my friends.

Glimpses of Grace, by Madeline L'Engle
A book with bits and pieces of L'Engle's writings scattered across each day of the year.  I've kept this handy for a few years.

The Shoes of the Fisherman, by Morris West
A compelling novel providing a glimpse into the chambers of religious power in the Catholic Church. Hard to say why I enjoyed this as much as I did. Humanizes the office of the Pope.  

Learning to Walk in the Dark, by Barbara Brown Taylor
One of the "perpetually being read" books ... not finished but keeps it's place on my pile of books currently being read which I carry around from bedroom to living room, to the fireplace and kitchen.  It has been important to learn this skill, of learning to walk in the dark.  
Also Exclusion and Embrace, by Volf.
and 
Resident Aliens by Stanley Hauerwas and William H Willimon
A slow read - it attempts to undo world views and deep ways of thinking. These things do not easily undo. 

Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Childs
A Christmas gift from my son after we enjoyed the movie "Julia and Julia".  I started reading this again after the bombings in France.  This is also a slow read - an attempt at a change in your worldview.  For that is what changes in ways of cooking require. 

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer
Oh I loved this... title and all.  I first borrowed it from the library only because I loved the title, and loved the technique of telling a story with letters between various characters.  Also touches on children in the war.  After reading it, found it at Sam's place in Winnipeg (hello Andy and Joanna!) and brought it home.





Bone & Bread, by Saleema Nawaz.
A 2016 selection for Canada Reads.  I am tempted to write out the final paragraph for you.  It wouldn't be a spoiler, would it? It is such a beautiful last paragraph.




Mudhouse Sabbath, by Lauren Winner
A book with a complicated history in my life.  Deeply valuable lessons learned.





Mister Good Morning:  stories of flesh, blood, and holy spirit, by Murray Pura
I only lend this one out to people whom I know will love it, and it needs to come back to me.  
Short stories, parables ... glimpses into lives, and wrestling with God, and gardens, and wealth, and a whole lot more.