Current Read: Animal Farm - George Orwell

Amazon

Current Audiobook: War and Peace

Going for round 2 on this one.

War and Peace

Loved this one on Audible.
One of my new all-time favorites. Tolstoy's reflections on divine providence, the will of the people, and the idea of "the great man" are told first through the story of two of the Rostov kids, and then through his direct reflections on the Napoleonic wars. His essay at the end of the book was very interesting to me, though I did not understand it all, but the story itself is brilliant. Definitely worth the effort of 1400+ pages.

Augustine's Confessions

This classic was delightful. I have read the early sections before, up to the point of the great early church leader's conversion. That's all great, but what thrilled me this time was his discussion of memory and sin at the end of the book. It was very edifying and helpful. Communion with God in this life as we move toward the next is such an important theme for our careful consideration. Click here for Amazon.

The Moviegoer

This 1960 novel by Walker Percy is intriguing and prophetic. Binx Bolling seems to live life through the movies. (How much more can we do that today, rushing through several seasons of a TV show with Netflix on-demand viewing in just a couple of weeks.) Much of this story is hard to follow because it is such an interesting portrayal of a confused mind caught in the grips of despair without any real self-awareness of that condition. The main character's life only comes together through an almost accidental commitment to a woman that seems more messed up than he is. An interesting twist...

God Still Loves the French

I received this book from two different friends, one of whom is a missionary to France. The author, Marc Mailloux, tells his own stories about life in France, where he attended seminary and served the Lord for many years. He is an engaging story-teller, and I was surprised to find that the book sparked some thoughts about life in our ministerial context in Northern New England.

Heart of Darkness

What a Conrad treat! I am listening to it again immediately, since I found so much spiritual benefit from it. We learn where the true heart of darkness really is. Even Marlow, who tells the story, found that he was longing to listen to the Voice, Kurtz, who set himself up like a god among the people. This impulse to be worshiped, and attraction to people that seem to have the Voice, leads men to drink the Kool-Aid too many times.