Thursday, May 28, 2009

Books #16 and #17, (but who's counting)


In my self-imposed reading challenge this year, my latest were:

1. Plain Truth, by Jodi Picoult. This was our church book club's selection for May. It's about a young, unmarried Amish girl who is accused of smothering her new-born baby. I found the book intriguing at the beginning, a little slow in the middle, but absorbing by the end, with the plot twists and turns, and the trial. I thought that the author was very sympathetic and detailed in her depictions of Amish life and faith (that being said, I have very little first-hand experience with the Amish faith, myself). I'm looking forward to our discussion tonight.

2. Eat this Book, by Eugene Peterson. I now have one of his other titles, Tell It Slant, and want to read as well Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places. I was pulled in to the first chapter, but again got bogged down in the middle, and really enjoyed the last two chapters, on translations and new manuscript discoveries. Now, as I write that sentence, I make it sound like this is a scholarly book for scholars -- but nothing could be further from the truth. Peterson makes the discoveries of the Egyptian manuscriptions about a century ago into a really fascinating conversation about how God speaks to us in our ordinary language(s). Just in time for Pentecost.

Now, I'm reading a young adult novel called Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. Anyone out there heard of it? I'll let you know when I'm done....

What are you reading? What do you recommend?

4 comments:

Barbara B. said...

Thanks for posting about what you're reading! I'm currently reading "Fingerprints of God" by Barbara Bradley Hagerty. (She's got a great first name, don't you think?!)
I'll probably blog about it when I'm done!

Diane M. Roth said...

yes, Hagerty does have a good name :).

sounds like an interesting one.

I'll be looking for that blog post.

ROBERTA said...

i'm completely absorbed in "The Wisdom Jesus" by Cynthia Bourgeault.....fabulous read...

Diane Vogel Ferri said...

I loved Plain Truth. I think it's one of Picoult's best. It should be a good discussion!