Over the last month I’ve read ten recently published books. My April list of recommended reads features four books published in 2020 and six published in 2021. (5+) Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way and Presence by Diana Butler Bass (HarperOne, 2021) (4.5) Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage by Anne Lamott (Riverhead Books, 2021) (4.5) Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues by David Read More …
Anne Lamott
Book Recommendations – November 2018 (#1762)
My sharing of good books on this blog have evolved from traditional book reviews to book ratings. In recent months I've shared a list of 8-12 books I read the prior month that were published in the current year followed by some additional detail about the top 2 books. This month, 4 books share the top spot with ratings of 4.5. Rather than extending my commentary to this larger number, I'm simply providing a list. (4.5) How I Found God in Everyone and Everywhere: An Anthology Read More …
Top 10 Books of 2017 (#1714)
There are so many good books published every year. The best of the best among those I read this year follow in my eighth annual listing of my top ten books of the year. Author Title Marcus Borg Days of Awe and Wonder Tony Campolo and Bart Campolo Why I Left, Why I Stayed: Conversations on Christianity Between an Evangelical Father and His Humanist Son Joan Chittister Radical Spirit: 12 Ways to Live a Free and Authentic Life Elizabeth Currid-Halke The Sum of Small Things: A Read More …
Book Recommendations – June 2017 (#1688)
As we move toward mid-June many people are creating or actively revising their summer reading lists. Wherever you may be in your planning (even if your plan is not to plan at all), I encourage you to consider picking up some of my recent reads. The following ten books have all been published in 2017. I have rated them on a 1-5 scale allowing for the top of the scale to be extended to a 5+ for the best of the best. (5+) The Witness of Religion in an Age of Fear by Michael Read More …
End of Year Book Recommendations (#1508)
While I already posted my December book recommendations and my Top 10 Books of 2014, neither list includes a few books that I read in the waning days of 2014. The best from that group follow (rated on a scale of 1-5). (5) Pray: Prayers for People Who Say They Can't by Donna Schaper (2014) (4.5) All Whom God Has Joined: Resources for Clergy & Same-Gender Loving Couples by Leanne McCall Tigert and Maren Tirabassi (2010) (4) Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Read More …
Review of Help Thanks Wow (#0932)
Meet the Author Anne Lamott is the author of seven novels and five best-selling nonfiction books. She was honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship, and has taught at the University of California - Davis. Lamott’s biweekly Salon Magazine “online diary,” Word by Word, was voted The Best of the Web by TIME magazine. Book Basics Help Wow Thanks: The Three Essential Prayers is simple, honest, and personal. Lamott shares her understanding of and Read More …
Effectively Welcoming Visitors (#0695)
Kevin Hendricks, founder of Monkey Outta Nowhere and author of Addition by Adoption: Kids, Causes and 140 Characters (2010), recently wrote a post for Church Marketing Sucks entitled "Making Visitors Feel Welcome (But Not Too Welcome)". In the article he reflects on the topic in light of his reflections after hearing Anne Lamott read from her latest book and talk about her own experience. Recognizing a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective, Hendricks suggests those Read More …