I have one more book to track down because I can't seem to find my copy but I know it's in the library so I'm posting the book list for next month today.
As I'd said, the theme next month is Religion and Spirituality and the books will be all non-fiction. I do have a few days scheduled during the month for novels in order to break up the monotony, but the only one that I definitely know that I'm reading is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. I should have the others chosen by the end of March.
So, without further ado, in no particular order, these are the books you can look forward to me reviewing in April:
- In My Own Words: An Introduction to My Teachings and Philosophy by His Holiness The Dalai Lama (Buddhism)
- Who Speaks for Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think by John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed (Islam)
- Her Voice, Her Faith: Women Speak on World Religions edited by Arvind Sharma and Katherine K. Young (Various)
- The Goddess Lives in Upstate New York: Breaking Convention and Making Home at a North American Hindu Temple by Corinne G. Dempsey (Hinduism)
- Good Without God: What A Billion Non-Religious People Do Believe by Greg M. Epstein (Secular Humanism)
- God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens (Atheism)
- The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew--Three Women Search for Understanding by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner (Interfaith Relations)
- The Confessions by Saint Augustine (Christianity) (Reread of the Month)
I'm unbearably excited for all of these books, I'm just hoping that I can fit them all in. April is the last month of the semester and I have about four major projects to do. I should be okay, but if I'm not I'll shave off a couple of the books and save them for "extra-credit" reading another month.
Which books are you most looking forward to?
-Gabe
I first came across St. Augustine's "Confessions" when I was a freshman in college. It was a monumental experience in terms of both the content of his writing and the freshness and relevance of his writing style. After re-reading them again recently, I am still struck with how contemporary the book feels. Aside from many of its 4th century particularities, the concerns that St. Augustine had and the way he frankly and honestly dealt with them could be lifted from almost any contemporary tell-all autobiography. The biggest exception is the fact that "Confessions" is a quintessentially and irreducibly a religious text, and in an age when religious considerations are largely pushed towards the margins of their life stories, it is refreshing and uplifting to see what would a life look like for someone who took them very seriously and committed himself to reorganizing one's whole life around the idea of serving God wholly and uncompromisingly. "Confessions" is a very accessible text, and for the most part it does not deal with theological and philosophical issues. The exception is the latter part of the book, which are almost exclusively dedicated to those topics. You may want to skip those at the first reading, but I would encourage you to read them nevertheless. Maybe the very inspiring and uplifting story of St. Augustine's conversion to Christianity can lead you into deeper considerations about your faith or the meaning of life in general. I cannot think of a better introduction to those topics than "Confessions," nor of a better guide than St. Augustine.
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