One of my goals this year – well, every year – is to read more books. I got out of the habit of reading just for fun in divinity school. Even though the reading assigned for my coursework was fun, in a way, it didn’t feel like leisure time.
And after all that work was done, I just didn’t have it in me to keep reading.
Over the last four years, I have tried to make more room to read fiction. But it didn’t really start clicking until I significantly limited my social media time. Giving up social media as a Lenten practice has actually been transformative.
Instead of scrolling endlessly, I am spending that time reading books that interest me and allow me to vicariously enter someone else’s world without the real life burdens my pastoral care practice can bring.
I’m not going to rank or rate the books I’ve enjoyed so far this year, but I’ll share some info about them below. Note that links are affiliate links to Amazon.
The Books I’ve Read (and recommend) so far are:
Glittering Images
Starbridge Series, Susan Howatch, 436 pages.
The Starbridge series was recommended to me several years ago, but I only got into it this year. Glittering Images is about a 37-year-old Church of England priest working as a theology professor in the years leading up to WWII. His dean sends him on a secret mission to spy on a bishop who has some funky ideas about marriage, and whom the dean suspects is harboring a scandalous secret. The book reads as a spiritual exploration on the burdens of ordained ministry and an Agatha Christie mystery all in one. Learn more here.
Glamorous Powers
Starbridge Series, Susan Howatch, 680 pages.
The second book in the series, Glamorous Powers follows Jon Darrow, a – you guessed it – Church of England priest working as a monk during WWII. Darrow has psychic powers that lead him to have a mystical vision that convinces him to make some drastic career changes, even though he is already 60 years old. He has a lot of baggage to sort out and a lot of pride to contend with. I like this series because, despite being a bit wild, they do a good job of depicting the interior life of ordained ministry, particularly as it relates to discernment and public vs. private identity. This book is more like a psychological thriller than the last one. Learn more here.
Intermezzo
Sally Rooney, 449 pages.
Rooney’s books can be described as literary, except they also have a vivid, let’s say, romance component. I just finished this book last night, and did that thing where I just sat there cradling my kindle, deep in emotional processing. I have read two other Rooney books and this one is my favorite. It follows two brothers who have just lost their father to cancer. Ten years apart in age and never very close, their grief further strains their relationship. Meanwhile, they are dealing with their own identity formation and relationship issues. They have to work through their own shame and self-disappointment in order to move forward. Learn more here.
On My Shelf:
- Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin
- Beyond Belief, Helen Smith
- Ultimate Prizes, Susan Howatch
- Scandalous Risks, Susan Howatch
I’d appreciate your recommendations!
