In the immortal words of Lazlo Toth, “You send out letters, you get back letters, that’s for sure!” I invited you to send recommendations and you did! Thank you for your comments, which I’d like to pass on to all readers. I was also asked what books were my night stand, but have to admit that they are insufficiently highbrow to report. I will say that I just finished Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto. Though not a book about religion, it is about redemption through music: I didn’t want it to end. I’m currently reading The Investigation, by J. M. Lee, also about redemption, but through poetry. And now for your recommendations. (I have eliminated last names because we’re no longer on Facebook.) . . . Sandi — I recommend Housekeeping and Gilead by Marianne Robinson. I just finished The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penney, still pondering the history of touching the divine by Gregorian chanting. My neighbor just read Still Life by Louise Penny and said she has been mulling the metaphor over and over how we all are “still lives.”
Rick — Isaac Bashevis Singer’s The Slave, a beautiful reflection on the enduring tension between an honest life and a dutiful faith. Also Wuthering Heights; Philip Larkin’s poem “Church Going” should get you going, though the title is a very bad pun. Jennifer — I highly recommend anything by Flannery O’Connor and A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving Darin — Have you considered Frank Herbert’s Dune? I also vote for Flannery, and I favor the gritty approaches, like Anne Lamott. With your noir leanings, you might like Robert Conrad. Maybe Barbara Kingsolver’s less sympathetic approach to religion isn’t up your alley, but she has made a mark there. In another vein, Madeleine L’Engle is not just for adolescents. Here are a few more where religion is a major character, albeit a dark one: Angela’s Ashes; The Kiterunner; The Invention of Wings. Since you mentioned mystery, I do not recommend spending much time on Dan Brown—his flagrant inaccuracies and wild speculation would take too much time to debunk, but they are page turners. Not sure if you plan to venture into poetry, but Christian Wiman stands out among contemporaries and might be worth a genre exception. John — Jayber Crow, by Wendell Berry Jeff — I have always been partial to O’Connor’s fiction—both her novels and short stories. Pat — Moby Dick, surely one of the greatest pieces of American religious fiction. I’m reading it side-by-side with a tome called Unpainted to the Last. This is a book dealing with the art conjoining Moby D. Ginny — I like Marilyn Robinson. Home and Gilead and Lily are excellent, and her essays give me much to ponder. I liked The Peabody Sisters by Megan Marshall: it’s fascinating—a great read. Juanelle — Once We Were Brothers, by Ronald H. Balson Tara — “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Philip K. Dick. Breakfast of Champions (meta-God, robots, plagues). Richard Powers’ Generosity: An Enhancement is newish and might be interesting. Ron Currie Jr.’s collection of shorts titled God Is Dead is really great. He posits what would take the place of religion if we could prove we accidentally “killed” God. Theresa — I want to read more of Isabel Allende’s books. 9/1/2015 04:17:04 pm
Have you read "The Color of Water"? It is my favorite book about religion, or actually about a religious person. A true story written by a son about his mother, an amazing woman. The author was interviewed on NPR (in the 90s) and I mentioned the title to a roommate who then went to the library and got the book, so I finally read it myself. I think you'd love it.
Rebecca Moore
9/2/2015 10:52:58 am
Hi Kathy, Thanks for this suggestion. I will add it to the reading list! Hope all is well in Ohio! Comments are closed.
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Author Rebecca Moore is Professor Emerita of Religious Studies at San Diego State University. She is currently Reviews Editor for Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions and Co-Director of The Jonestown Institute. Archives
December 2021
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