A brief summary of what I’m currently reading or have recently finished, why I read it, and whether I’d recommend it. Although really, it’d have to be truly terrible for me to bother writing about a book I wouldn’t recommend……
Not Forsaken (Jennifer M. Greenberg) – don’t pick this up on a whim. The subtitle is telling: “A Story of Life After Abuse: How Faith Brought One Woman From Victim to Survivor”. The opening chapters recount (in stark but not graphic terms) the abuse she endured, and the rest of the book chronicles her way through the trauma. . The beginning especially was difficult to read; the remainder is insightful and informative for anyone who has experienced abuse themselves, or loves someone who has. Hope and the power of the gospel are on full display by the end.
Gaudy Night (Dorothy L. Sayers) – A queen of the Golden Age of Detective Novels, Sayers is known for both her detective novels featuring Lord Peter Wimsey and also her theology. This particular novel explores essentially what it means to be a natural woman. It’s worth reading by itself, but I found the insights from Cindy Rollins and Angelina Stanford on The Literary Life Podcast to add to the experience. You can find all of those episodes here: https://www.theliterary.life/category/gaudy-night/.
The Body Keeps the Score (Bessel van der Kolk) – Here again, the subtitle is helpful: “Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma”. Van der Kolk explores the connection between physical and mental illness, particularly chronic conditions, and previous trauma. He delves into the various ways our bodies and brains respond and react to trauma, and what may be done to resolve and mitigate the continuing effects. It’s written from a secular standpoint, however; without the Great Physician healing the soul as well as the body, treatment is only superficial. (It’s worth noting that though it left with me an astounding number of questions that I still haven’t processed fully, almost 3 months later, it’s also only the second book I’ve ever purchased with the express intention of marking it up. I rarely write in, mark up, or even underline my books.)
A Woman of No Importance (Sonia Purnell) – A fitting title for a biography of a woman of whom I’ve never heard. Virginia Hall was a spy for the British Special Operations Executive and the American Office of Strategic Services during WWII, and then for the CIA after the end of the war. I’m always on the look-out for good biographies of women who pushed the boundaries and stretched their “ceiling”, and this was a no-brainer add to my reading list when I came across it on a summer reading list.
So there you have it: 4 books I’m reading right now or have recently finished. If you’ve read any of these (or decide to after reading this post), drop me a note and let me know what you thought of them! And let me know what you’re reading right now too.