Reading Recommendations
​Have a favorite book?  Here is a place to tell us about it. Can be nonfiction or fiction.  And if it is currently in our library, so much the better.  We have a great library filled with reference books and plain old good reads.  Our first comes from an author Jan Keron who wrote the Mitford series.  They are set in the fictional town of Mitford, N.C. and follow the lives of the inhabitants through the eyes of Father Tim.  The books are funny, sad and full of wisdom.  Well worth reading and with fall approaching a good way to spend some of the upcoming cooler days snuggled up with a good book. 
Thanks, Tana for our first suggestion.
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Below are listed books that Pastor Joel submitted. Other than his top pick, the Bible, we don't have them in our library, but several are listed at zero cost on Amazon for Kindle. Though having the actual book would be much better, and of course there is our local Timberland library.

1. The Bible  Note:   It never gets old

2.  History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides  Note: Book about a fascinating and disastrous war which illuminates what it means to be human.  Perhaps the greatest book ever written next to the Bible. (in my opinion, of course)

3. Metamorphosis by Ovid  Note: About 250 stories of change and transformation. As it occurs to me, life is ultimately about change and the tragedy and beauty of what we become.  The book has also been  major source of inspiration for art and human imagination.

4. In Memoriam (collection of poems) by Tennyson Note:  Tennyson thought deeply about faith in a contemporary context.  I always liked what he says.  Some of his poems really just blow me away. I guess it is just a personal preference. 

5. The Courage to Be by Paul Tillich Note: These are a group of lectures put together in a book.  At least in my view he updates the theology of Augustine and Luther for the 20th Century.  He takes very seriously the cultural context of faith as well.  I have been influenced by Augustine as much as any theologian and I feel Tillich falls in line with that tradition. The idea of courage in an age of anxiety is compelling to me.

From Sandy:
One of my favorite books it titled " If I Gained the World" by Linda Nichols. Linda is a graduate of the University of Washington. This book is a story of getting our priorities right and how God cares for His children, especially when all else fails. It's an excellent book-have read it 3 times and will probably read it again.  Linda also has several other books and they are available on Amazon. At the Scent of Water is also a very good book. both are Christian fiction. 


From Chris
​Here is one I am currently reading.  It is a translation by M. Sweeney and Mark S Burrows of Meister Eckhart's Book of the Heart, Meditations for the Restless Soul.  It reads like poetry and each  "poem" is a  day's worth of meditation, at least for me. He lived 1260-1328 during a time much like our own.  He was a priest who was almost marked as a heretic.  I find this little book to be treasure.
Another really good book that has helped me gain a better understanding of the Old Testament is The Bible Jesus Read by Phillip Yancey. 
​Also if you like history a book called The Hare With the Amber Eyes is well worth the read.  It is about a wealthy Jewish family before and after WW2.  Review from Amazon: The Ephrussis were a grand banking family, as rich and respected as the Rothschilds, who "burned like a comet" in nineteenth-century Paris and Vienna society. Yet by the end of World War II, almost the only thing remaining of their vast empire was a collection of 264 wood and ivory carvings, none of them larger than a matchbox. 
​It is a moving story about what happened to them and their collection. The ending left a surprise that alone would make it worth the reading. It is available on Amazon and other carriers. 

​I  know we have lots of readers who have books to recommend.  Please send them to me so I can post your choices  here and we can help each other find  great books.  There are many in our library. Thanks to Esther who takes care of our library.
​Chris

 A book that is in our library:  Confesssions by St. Augustine.  Timeless,  and a cornerstone of Christian literature.