As I look back at my list of what I read last month, I think I read way too much. Part of it was spring break, with extra time to read and not feel like I was supposed to be doing "work." And I'm sure part of it was just trying to adjust to this pandemic. Especially as we were adjusting our in office work schedule. Reading was something I could do that was work related and could be done at home.
Spiritual Formation: For this one I have two books. I read Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson. He is a songwriter and the book is his story of that, and how creativity is part of how we express our connection with God. It is told in a more personal way, much like an autobiography, which I tend to enjoy more than a purely academic type of book.
I also re-read The Book of Joy which was written by Douglas Abrams, Desmond Tutu, and Dalai Lama. It was included as part of the Sarah Bessey Spiritual Formation reading list, her selection for February, and since I finished the other one early in the month, I reread it. They talk a lot about dealing with day to day issues, pain, fear--struggles humans have and how to reframe those to allow those to grow joy in your life rather than letting it consume you. It was written based on conversations, and Abrams did a great job of keeping the spirit of that meeting between these two men intact.
Poverty/social justice: I made myself finish The Locust Effect by Gary Haugen. The first part of the book is painful to read, because of the content and his description the violence that he has observed through his work with International Justice Mission. This violence feeds on poverty throughout the world, and contributes to its longlasting effects. And the second part of the book was difficult to read because it was much more like reading a dissertation or something of that sort.
Fiction: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. After reading through all the books I kept giving myself to read, my brain desperately just wanted something FUN to read. We have the whole series in various forms so I started this set again.
With my daughter: for bedtime reading I read the biography of Helen Roseveare by Janet and Geoff Benge, and then moved on to Pippi Longstocking. Again, more fiction needed and at this point in March we are digging through our shelves.
Leadership: Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni. I learned it is difficult to read that book and then go to a staff meeting! He did a great job explaining the problem through a fictional account and then summarizing the changes he suggests to make staff meetings more meaningful to all participate. And then since I had skipped a Leadership book in February I added Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. This was also a re-read but a good reminder.
Other: My friend and I had started reading C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce in January, one chapter at a time. We finished at the beginning of March. We were hoping to then attend a performance of this at the end of March. That of course was postponed until October.
Based on the recommendation by another friend. I also read The Years That Matter Most by Paul Tough, which focuses on the college process, from admissions on through to what colleges do (or don't do) to help students graduate on time--as well as the role that race and income play in all of that. This is my son's junior year, and he is looking at colleges beyond our state school across the street from our house, so I appreciated this glimpse into what is ahead.
This month's promise to myself: one book per section, unless it's fiction!
Spiritual Formation: For this one I have two books. I read Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson. He is a songwriter and the book is his story of that, and how creativity is part of how we express our connection with God. It is told in a more personal way, much like an autobiography, which I tend to enjoy more than a purely academic type of book.
I also re-read The Book of Joy which was written by Douglas Abrams, Desmond Tutu, and Dalai Lama. It was included as part of the Sarah Bessey Spiritual Formation reading list, her selection for February, and since I finished the other one early in the month, I reread it. They talk a lot about dealing with day to day issues, pain, fear--struggles humans have and how to reframe those to allow those to grow joy in your life rather than letting it consume you. It was written based on conversations, and Abrams did a great job of keeping the spirit of that meeting between these two men intact.
Poverty/social justice: I made myself finish The Locust Effect by Gary Haugen. The first part of the book is painful to read, because of the content and his description the violence that he has observed through his work with International Justice Mission. This violence feeds on poverty throughout the world, and contributes to its longlasting effects. And the second part of the book was difficult to read because it was much more like reading a dissertation or something of that sort.
Fiction: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. After reading through all the books I kept giving myself to read, my brain desperately just wanted something FUN to read. We have the whole series in various forms so I started this set again.
With my daughter: for bedtime reading I read the biography of Helen Roseveare by Janet and Geoff Benge, and then moved on to Pippi Longstocking. Again, more fiction needed and at this point in March we are digging through our shelves.
Leadership: Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni. I learned it is difficult to read that book and then go to a staff meeting! He did a great job explaining the problem through a fictional account and then summarizing the changes he suggests to make staff meetings more meaningful to all participate. And then since I had skipped a Leadership book in February I added Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. This was also a re-read but a good reminder.
Other: My friend and I had started reading C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce in January, one chapter at a time. We finished at the beginning of March. We were hoping to then attend a performance of this at the end of March. That of course was postponed until October.
Based on the recommendation by another friend. I also read The Years That Matter Most by Paul Tough, which focuses on the college process, from admissions on through to what colleges do (or don't do) to help students graduate on time--as well as the role that race and income play in all of that. This is my son's junior year, and he is looking at colleges beyond our state school across the street from our house, so I appreciated this glimpse into what is ahead.
This month's promise to myself: one book per section, unless it's fiction!
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