Dear Beloved Community,
It’s been a beginning-of-the-summer tradition of mine to use this space in the newsletter to share some books I’ve read and loved recently. Sort of a “suggestions for summer reading” kind of list! These aren’t all necessarily spiritual or theological, but all have captured my imagination and interest in lasting ways. I’ve asked my colleagues on staff to also share a few things they’ve loved, so perhaps you’ll find a thing or two to pick off our list and read during these summer months!
How We Learn to Be Brave, by Mariann Edgar Budde
You might recognize Episcopal Bishop Marian Budde’s name from the headlines earlier this year, as her sermon at the Washington National Cathedral upon the occasion of the presidential inauguration was one for the history books. Full of conviction and faithfulness, Bishop Budde offered a plea for the incoming president to show mercy to the vulnerable and the stranger, “for we were all once strangers in this land.” It should be no surprise that Bishop Budde summoned such extraordinary courage for such a time as this, because she wrote the actual book about how to do it! How We Learn to Be Brave is full of stories and sermon snippets, biblical exegesis and history, and one I’ll return to time and time again.
Dear Writer: Pep Talks and Practical Advice for the Creative Life, by Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith is one of a precious handful of writers who had a poem “go viral” in our internet day and age. “Good Bones” was everywhere in 2017, and Maggie’s 2023 memoir titled “You Could Make This Place Beautiful” took its title from the poem. Her writing is so compelling to me, so of course I loved her book on writing and the creative life! One of the best pieces of advice is that if you’re living, you’re creative!
Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand, by Jeff Chu
Jeff Chu was a Manhattan-based journalist turned seminarian studying the theology of farming and soil, when he realized just how many seeds of his life were beginning to flower. In his beautiful memoir, Jeff speaks about his Chinese heritage, the process of leaving New York for Princeton Seminary, his work at the school’s “Farminary,” and all he learned along the way.
You Might Feel a Little Pressure: Finding Wonder After Miscarriage, by Mary Adkins
Mary Adkins is one of my oldest friends in the world, as our parents are best friends from their seminary days nearly 50 years ago. She has been a successful writer and writing instructor for years, yet after a series of miscarriages that she and her husband experienced, she found herself incapacitated with grief in all its forms. Her frank, aching memoir tells the story of this season and all the faith and doubt, loss and hope that punctuated the way through.
Sunrise at the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
OK this one might just be the outlier of the list, but I have long loved The Hunger Games series and its dystopian take on the intersection of young adults, the American story, war, and power. Sunrise at the Reaping is the latest entry into the series, a prequel to the original three novels that is gripping and all too real at times. If you’re looking for a heart-pounding read, go read the series from the start and cap it off with Sunrise at the Reaping!
This summer, I have several novels, memoirs, and thoughtful nonfiction on my reading list that I hope will tap into different parts of my brain. They are:
- The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life, by Suleika Jaouad
- The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Abundance, by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
- A Philosophy of Walking, by Frederic Gros
- Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair, by Christian Wiman
- Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver
- The Widening of God’s Mercy: Sexuality and the Biblical Story, by Christopher Hays and Richard Hays. This book has lingered on my ‘to be read’ list since it came out, and tells the compelling story of two Christian evangelical seminary professors, father at Duke Divinity School and son at Fuller Seminary, and their changing understanding of human sexuality within the dream of God for all people.
And if you need a few more suggestions, here are some from our staff!
- Lena has been listening to Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler and reading Kitchen Hymns by Padraig Ó Tuama .
- Mary loves The House in the Cerulean Sea and Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune (“not surprising,” she notes!), as well as Watering the Soul by Courtney Peppernell
- David keeps thinking about The Way of the Pilgrim.
- Amy has read books in a recent retreat and her Doctor of Ministry work, including Trauma-Informed Pastoral Care by Dr. Karen McClintock and The Nine Asks: Creating Safer and More Courageous Spaces by Kimberly Danielle.
- Ryan recently read Living with a SEAL: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet and is obviously inspired by it! (Check out his Instagram reels!)
Happy reading!
Together in God’s work of Love,
Pastor Emily