2004: What I Read
Here's the list of what I read in 2004.
Sadly, I try to read as much as I can-in fact, my hopes are to read 120 books or 20,000 pages a year (whichever comes first). I started keeping track 8 years ago (1997) and the closest I've come was 105 books in 1999 or 19,704 pages in 1998. Why do I do this to myself?
2004 Reads:
58) Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott. A good recommendation from some great friends.
57) Complete Bolivian Diaries of Che Guevara and Other Captured Documents, edited by Daniel James. I'm a sucker for anything written by Che.
56) Public Power in the Age of Empire, by Arundhati Roy. This is starting to get sick... Roy RULES!
55) Active Meditations for Contemplative Prayer, by Thomas Keating. I try to pick this up to give my soul fuel for silence and reflection. Hard to rush through this one, in fact, rushing through it would mean missing the substance.
54) Vintage Hughes, a Langston Hughes complication. Some of the greatest Hughes poems such as, The Negro Mother, Good Morning Revolution, Advice, Bible Belt, Birmingham Sunday, and War keep this one readable and moving.
53) War Talk, by Arundhati Roy. I can't stand it... Arundhati R.U.L.E.S. I devoured her other 2 compilations of political essays and this was no different. Arundhati is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Her courage and boldness is shocking... Articulate. Brilliant. Relevant. I can't believe it took me so long to get to this one.
52) Global Justice: Liberation and Socialism, by Che Guevara. This seems to be a newer Che title on the English market. Had ordered it before and then given my first copy to a Romanian friend. This is 3 pretty good essays, including the one where there famous quote, "At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by feelings of love. It is impossible to think of a genuine revolutionary lacking this quality." (from "Socialism and Man in Cuba).
51) The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood. My first Margaret Atwood book, wasn't sure where to start and I liked this cover the best. It's a little too much like 1984-meets-The Giver-meets-20 Ways to Confuse Sexuality.
50) How Far to Follow: The Martyrs of Atlas, by Bernardo Olivera. I was literally scared to touch this one. My spiritual Director Bob scored it for me. He had recommended it several months ago, but when I searched for it on-line and found copies from $135-210 I didn't really consider it. It's one of those books that I wonder if I'm even worthy to pick up... the martyrs really lead us in more ways that we'll ever know.
*49) A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas an American Slave. Brent Anderson inspired me to buy this after he read me the first page of the appendix. Seriously one of the most important books I've ever read. Hard to get started, I'd suggest reading the appendix first, but once I found my rhythm I couldn't put it down.
48) A Sorrowful Joy, by Albert Raboteau. I was a little disappointed. This is another title in the Wit Lecture Series from Harvard. Previous Wit Lecture booklets (From Brokenness to Community by Jean Vanier and The Human Condition by Thomas Keating) where incredible, so my hopes were high for this little read. The content contains important exposure to an African-American man's spiritual journey, but I've found other similar works to leave more of a lasting impression.
*47) An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire, by Arundhati Roy. It's hard to know where to start... this one lays it down in no uncertain terms. This concept is a pretty good glimpse into the heart of this quick read, "when victims refuse to be victims, they become terrorists and are dealt with as such" (pg. 12). Steph scored this for me from South End (gotta love South End Press)-thanks Stephanizzle McGizzle.
46) The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman. I've read this at least twice, this time in preparation for our Omaha staff retreat. The hokey-ness makes parts of it hard to swallow, but the idea behind it is good.
*45) Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie. Why oh why did I wait this long to read Midnight's Children??!! It's obvious why this won the Booker of Booker prizes (the best Booker Prize winner in the first 25 years of the Book Prize award's history). I'd suggest brushing up on your modern history of India before reading this one. When I finished, it I felt a part of me went missing... hated for it to end. By the way, I met Salman Rushdie last year at a bookstore in India and had him sign a copy of this for me-he has my business card and I'm still waiting to hear from him :)
44) Peter and the Wolf, illustrated by Bono. Only because I love Bono so much (and it was free-thanks Kinley for the hook-up).
43) Terrorism and the War in Iraq: A Christian Word from Latin America, by C. Rene Padilla and Lindy Scott. I'm not sure how anyone could find this book but it's worth it just to read chapter 3 (United States Foreign Policy and Terrorism).
42) Eleanor Rigsby, by Douglas Coupland. I will read whatever he writes and this is his newest novel (bought it in Singapore b/c it's not available yet in the US). It's a good, quick read-typical Coupland (which I love). Hard to rank this among his other titles, in fact, I don't know if I could pick a favorite Coupland book.
41) The Magician's Assistant, by Ann Patchett. Bel Canto was one of my top reads from 2003 and Taft (read that earlier this year) was great, but this is the low point in my attempt to read all of Ann Patchett's stuff. Hopefully I can keep my chin up and get to her other titles.
40) The Mirror of Lidasal, by Miguel Angel Asturias. I only read this because I'm trying to read at least one title from every Nobel Prize winner for literature (35 down, 66 to go). Unless you're trying to do the same, there are better books out there.
39) Amsterdam, by Ian McEwan. I wish I would have read another McEwan title to cut my teeth on his writings. This was quick enough getting through, but not something I'll re-read.
38) The Giver, by Lois Lowry. I'll definitely re-read this. Stephanizzle set me up here. I'm still wondering why I never read this when I was younger. Simple, yet profound.
*37) Blindness, by Jose Saragmago. This was my second reading and I imagine as long as I have sight I'll re-read this one many more times. We read this for our "Friend of the Man" book-club and I think we all got a lot out of it. Though it's dark, the messages that emerge on identity, faith, community, and the core of humanity paint an interesting portrait of the meaning and substance of life.
*36) Poverty, by Raniero Cantalamessa. Last year on my way to Romania when Steph and Phileena were sleeping in the Frankfurt airport I cruised through this. I've read it 4-5 times since and can't get enough of it. Cantalamessa breaks down poverty and looks at its expression from 4 angles. This one gets the Chris-Vicious-Super-Duper-Stamp-of-Approval.
35) Spiritual Direction and Meditation, by Thomas Merton. Merton's always good, even in the controversy. I read this b/c I'm meeting with a Spiritual Director this year and wanted some exposure to the practice.
34) Poverty of Spirit, by Johann Baptist Metz. Can't remember how many times I've read this and can't guess how many more times I'll read it.
*33) The Human Condition, by Thomas Keating. Might be the book that changes my thinking more than any other 2004 read.
*32) The Outsider (a.k.a. The Stranger), by Albert Camus. "Friend of the Man" inaugural 2004 selection. Camus is messed up and does a great job of passing the funk along. Probably in my top 10 novels-got to love this, even in the darkness of it.
*31) Can You Drink This Cup?, by Henri Nouwen. Read it again.
30) Can You Drink This Cup?, by Henri Nouwen. Less is more. Moving. Powerful. Seems to get to the heart of God's intentions for living.
29) The Known World, by Edward P Jones. This one was hard to get into. I'm not always a big fan of the stream-of-consciousness styles.
28) Open Heart, Open Mind: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel, by Thomas Keating. A good introduction to contemplative prayer, but not my favorite Keating book.
*27) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon. Comforting in all the right ways. Good to know that someone out there things like this and reassuring to know that I'm not alone. Sad this didn't win the Booker Prize this year-maybe it's a sign that the Booker is losing its relevance.
26) Taft, by Ann Patchett. Makes me like Ann Patchett even more.
25) Beowulf, by Seamus Heany. I know it's a classic, but I'm glad that literature has come so far-likely thanks to Beowulf.
24) The Wisdom and Witness of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. A reader on his life and writings. The cover weirded me out a little…
23) Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power, by Alexandra Robbins. I’m always up for a little conspiracy theory.
22) Serving As Senders: How to Care for your Missionaries, by Neal Pirolo. The title pretty much explains it.
21) The Basque History of the World, by Mark Kurlansky. Too much history and culture for the Basques to still be oppressed.
*20) Grace Matters: A Memoir of Faith, Friendship, and Hope in the Heart of the South, by Chris Rice. Chris is a good friend and his life is exemplary. The story of his struggle in community is inspiring and freeing.
19) When You Are a Godparent, by Elizabeth Bookser Barkley. Read this one for Adina and Kirby-trying to do the right thing.
18) Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith, by Eric O. Jacobsen. I read this one with Mr. Mike-an philosopher architect. Loved the spiritual implications of New Urbanism.
17) Show Me the Way, by Henri Nouwen. What can I say, Nouwen rules.
16) Nina Simone, by Kerry Acker. Nina was ALL WOMAN!
15) The Biblical Role of Elders For Today’s Church, by Larry Kreider, Ron Myer, and Steve Prokopchak. I’m not an elder, but found a lot of the material in this book great as I try to better serve the community I’m a part of.
*14) I Put A Spell on You, by Nina Simone. ALL WOMAN NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. Gotta get your hands on this one (the book).
13) Things We Couldn’t Say, by Diet Eman. She survived the Nazi holocaust and her letters and journal entries tell her story of love, loss, survival and hope. A few of us had dinner with her shortly after I read this-she’s amazing.
12) Dear Theo: The Autobiography of Vincent Van Gogh. His letters to his brother… the fuel of his genius seemed to be pain, rejection, and disappointment.
11) Invisible Monsters, by Chuck Palahniuk. Pretty rough in parts and full of surprises.
10) Paradise Reclaimed, by Halldor Laxness. Only because of the Nobel prize bondage I’m under.
9) Hunger, by Knut Hamsun. Need I mention the Nobel prize again…
8) One Man’s Bible, by Gao Zingjain. Nobel prize…
7) Bells in Winter, by Czeslaw Milosz. Want to guess???
6) When the Emperor Was Divine, by Julie Otsuka. When will we redeem our history?
*5) Community and Growth, by Jean Vanier. Excellent! Embarrassed to say I hadn’t read it until this year…
4) The Actual, by Saul Bellow. I’ve read 3-4 of Bellow’s books and still haven’t really connected with any of them.
3) Vernon God Little, by D.B.C. Pierre. Seriously… I’m sad to I finished this one. In fact, this might be why the Booker Prize is so hard to take seriously anymore. I shouldn’t have finished it… T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E.
2) Disgrace, by J.M. Coetzee. There are better books out there. Really.
1) Way of the Cross, by Virgil Elizondo. Can hardly think of a better way to start the year off than reading theological reflections on the stages of the cross-even more, written by Liberation theologians.
* = you better read these ones if you can, really.
Sadly, I try to read as much as I can-in fact, my hopes are to read 120 books or 20,000 pages a year (whichever comes first). I started keeping track 8 years ago (1997) and the closest I've come was 105 books in 1999 or 19,704 pages in 1998. Why do I do this to myself?
2004 Reads:
58) Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott. A good recommendation from some great friends.
57) Complete Bolivian Diaries of Che Guevara and Other Captured Documents, edited by Daniel James. I'm a sucker for anything written by Che.
56) Public Power in the Age of Empire, by Arundhati Roy. This is starting to get sick... Roy RULES!
55) Active Meditations for Contemplative Prayer, by Thomas Keating. I try to pick this up to give my soul fuel for silence and reflection. Hard to rush through this one, in fact, rushing through it would mean missing the substance.
54) Vintage Hughes, a Langston Hughes complication. Some of the greatest Hughes poems such as, The Negro Mother, Good Morning Revolution, Advice, Bible Belt, Birmingham Sunday, and War keep this one readable and moving.
53) War Talk, by Arundhati Roy. I can't stand it... Arundhati R.U.L.E.S. I devoured her other 2 compilations of political essays and this was no different. Arundhati is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Her courage and boldness is shocking... Articulate. Brilliant. Relevant. I can't believe it took me so long to get to this one.
52) Global Justice: Liberation and Socialism, by Che Guevara. This seems to be a newer Che title on the English market. Had ordered it before and then given my first copy to a Romanian friend. This is 3 pretty good essays, including the one where there famous quote, "At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by feelings of love. It is impossible to think of a genuine revolutionary lacking this quality." (from "Socialism and Man in Cuba).
51) The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood. My first Margaret Atwood book, wasn't sure where to start and I liked this cover the best. It's a little too much like 1984-meets-The Giver-meets-20 Ways to Confuse Sexuality.
50) How Far to Follow: The Martyrs of Atlas, by Bernardo Olivera. I was literally scared to touch this one. My spiritual Director Bob scored it for me. He had recommended it several months ago, but when I searched for it on-line and found copies from $135-210 I didn't really consider it. It's one of those books that I wonder if I'm even worthy to pick up... the martyrs really lead us in more ways that we'll ever know.
*49) A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas an American Slave. Brent Anderson inspired me to buy this after he read me the first page of the appendix. Seriously one of the most important books I've ever read. Hard to get started, I'd suggest reading the appendix first, but once I found my rhythm I couldn't put it down.
48) A Sorrowful Joy, by Albert Raboteau. I was a little disappointed. This is another title in the Wit Lecture Series from Harvard. Previous Wit Lecture booklets (From Brokenness to Community by Jean Vanier and The Human Condition by Thomas Keating) where incredible, so my hopes were high for this little read. The content contains important exposure to an African-American man's spiritual journey, but I've found other similar works to leave more of a lasting impression.
*47) An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire, by Arundhati Roy. It's hard to know where to start... this one lays it down in no uncertain terms. This concept is a pretty good glimpse into the heart of this quick read, "when victims refuse to be victims, they become terrorists and are dealt with as such" (pg. 12). Steph scored this for me from South End (gotta love South End Press)-thanks Stephanizzle McGizzle.
46) The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman. I've read this at least twice, this time in preparation for our Omaha staff retreat. The hokey-ness makes parts of it hard to swallow, but the idea behind it is good.
*45) Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie. Why oh why did I wait this long to read Midnight's Children??!! It's obvious why this won the Booker of Booker prizes (the best Booker Prize winner in the first 25 years of the Book Prize award's history). I'd suggest brushing up on your modern history of India before reading this one. When I finished, it I felt a part of me went missing... hated for it to end. By the way, I met Salman Rushdie last year at a bookstore in India and had him sign a copy of this for me-he has my business card and I'm still waiting to hear from him :)
44) Peter and the Wolf, illustrated by Bono. Only because I love Bono so much (and it was free-thanks Kinley for the hook-up).
43) Terrorism and the War in Iraq: A Christian Word from Latin America, by C. Rene Padilla and Lindy Scott. I'm not sure how anyone could find this book but it's worth it just to read chapter 3 (United States Foreign Policy and Terrorism).
42) Eleanor Rigsby, by Douglas Coupland. I will read whatever he writes and this is his newest novel (bought it in Singapore b/c it's not available yet in the US). It's a good, quick read-typical Coupland (which I love). Hard to rank this among his other titles, in fact, I don't know if I could pick a favorite Coupland book.
41) The Magician's Assistant, by Ann Patchett. Bel Canto was one of my top reads from 2003 and Taft (read that earlier this year) was great, but this is the low point in my attempt to read all of Ann Patchett's stuff. Hopefully I can keep my chin up and get to her other titles.
40) The Mirror of Lidasal, by Miguel Angel Asturias. I only read this because I'm trying to read at least one title from every Nobel Prize winner for literature (35 down, 66 to go). Unless you're trying to do the same, there are better books out there.
39) Amsterdam, by Ian McEwan. I wish I would have read another McEwan title to cut my teeth on his writings. This was quick enough getting through, but not something I'll re-read.
38) The Giver, by Lois Lowry. I'll definitely re-read this. Stephanizzle set me up here. I'm still wondering why I never read this when I was younger. Simple, yet profound.
*37) Blindness, by Jose Saragmago. This was my second reading and I imagine as long as I have sight I'll re-read this one many more times. We read this for our "Friend of the Man" book-club and I think we all got a lot out of it. Though it's dark, the messages that emerge on identity, faith, community, and the core of humanity paint an interesting portrait of the meaning and substance of life.
*36) Poverty, by Raniero Cantalamessa. Last year on my way to Romania when Steph and Phileena were sleeping in the Frankfurt airport I cruised through this. I've read it 4-5 times since and can't get enough of it. Cantalamessa breaks down poverty and looks at its expression from 4 angles. This one gets the Chris-Vicious-Super-Duper-Stamp-of-Approval.
35) Spiritual Direction and Meditation, by Thomas Merton. Merton's always good, even in the controversy. I read this b/c I'm meeting with a Spiritual Director this year and wanted some exposure to the practice.
34) Poverty of Spirit, by Johann Baptist Metz. Can't remember how many times I've read this and can't guess how many more times I'll read it.
*33) The Human Condition, by Thomas Keating. Might be the book that changes my thinking more than any other 2004 read.
*32) The Outsider (a.k.a. The Stranger), by Albert Camus. "Friend of the Man" inaugural 2004 selection. Camus is messed up and does a great job of passing the funk along. Probably in my top 10 novels-got to love this, even in the darkness of it.
*31) Can You Drink This Cup?, by Henri Nouwen. Read it again.
30) Can You Drink This Cup?, by Henri Nouwen. Less is more. Moving. Powerful. Seems to get to the heart of God's intentions for living.
29) The Known World, by Edward P Jones. This one was hard to get into. I'm not always a big fan of the stream-of-consciousness styles.
28) Open Heart, Open Mind: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel, by Thomas Keating. A good introduction to contemplative prayer, but not my favorite Keating book.
*27) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon. Comforting in all the right ways. Good to know that someone out there things like this and reassuring to know that I'm not alone. Sad this didn't win the Booker Prize this year-maybe it's a sign that the Booker is losing its relevance.
26) Taft, by Ann Patchett. Makes me like Ann Patchett even more.
25) Beowulf, by Seamus Heany. I know it's a classic, but I'm glad that literature has come so far-likely thanks to Beowulf.
24) The Wisdom and Witness of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. A reader on his life and writings. The cover weirded me out a little…
23) Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power, by Alexandra Robbins. I’m always up for a little conspiracy theory.
22) Serving As Senders: How to Care for your Missionaries, by Neal Pirolo. The title pretty much explains it.
21) The Basque History of the World, by Mark Kurlansky. Too much history and culture for the Basques to still be oppressed.
*20) Grace Matters: A Memoir of Faith, Friendship, and Hope in the Heart of the South, by Chris Rice. Chris is a good friend and his life is exemplary. The story of his struggle in community is inspiring and freeing.
19) When You Are a Godparent, by Elizabeth Bookser Barkley. Read this one for Adina and Kirby-trying to do the right thing.
18) Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith, by Eric O. Jacobsen. I read this one with Mr. Mike-an philosopher architect. Loved the spiritual implications of New Urbanism.
17) Show Me the Way, by Henri Nouwen. What can I say, Nouwen rules.
16) Nina Simone, by Kerry Acker. Nina was ALL WOMAN!
15) The Biblical Role of Elders For Today’s Church, by Larry Kreider, Ron Myer, and Steve Prokopchak. I’m not an elder, but found a lot of the material in this book great as I try to better serve the community I’m a part of.
*14) I Put A Spell on You, by Nina Simone. ALL WOMAN NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. Gotta get your hands on this one (the book).
13) Things We Couldn’t Say, by Diet Eman. She survived the Nazi holocaust and her letters and journal entries tell her story of love, loss, survival and hope. A few of us had dinner with her shortly after I read this-she’s amazing.
12) Dear Theo: The Autobiography of Vincent Van Gogh. His letters to his brother… the fuel of his genius seemed to be pain, rejection, and disappointment.
11) Invisible Monsters, by Chuck Palahniuk. Pretty rough in parts and full of surprises.
10) Paradise Reclaimed, by Halldor Laxness. Only because of the Nobel prize bondage I’m under.
9) Hunger, by Knut Hamsun. Need I mention the Nobel prize again…
8) One Man’s Bible, by Gao Zingjain. Nobel prize…
7) Bells in Winter, by Czeslaw Milosz. Want to guess???
6) When the Emperor Was Divine, by Julie Otsuka. When will we redeem our history?
*5) Community and Growth, by Jean Vanier. Excellent! Embarrassed to say I hadn’t read it until this year…
4) The Actual, by Saul Bellow. I’ve read 3-4 of Bellow’s books and still haven’t really connected with any of them.
3) Vernon God Little, by D.B.C. Pierre. Seriously… I’m sad to I finished this one. In fact, this might be why the Booker Prize is so hard to take seriously anymore. I shouldn’t have finished it… T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E.
2) Disgrace, by J.M. Coetzee. There are better books out there. Really.
1) Way of the Cross, by Virgil Elizondo. Can hardly think of a better way to start the year off than reading theological reflections on the stages of the cross-even more, written by Liberation theologians.
* = you better read these ones if you can, really.
posted by Chris Heuertz at 6:00 AM
1 Comments:
i don't know anybody else who reads this much. goodness
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