Friday, August 3, 2007

Literary Kung-Fu

Recently I asked Kirsten to list her top ten titles and authors and make a list of books she has read twice, and I have accepted her invitation to do the same. Not being a voracious reader, I feel like I am standing here in my underwear without a whole lot of depth to my lists. Ilse made a comment I can relate to about reading level, and although I have read Tolstoy, Steinbeck, and Chekhov, my literary kung-fu is still waning. I am always looking for good suggestions, so please look at this as an invitation to share your ideas, or even better, a post of your favs.

Walking on Water is a title I share with my creative my friends and have given as a gift many times. I would love to hear comments on it if you have read it. Here is a quote: “As Christians (and artists) we live by revelation, so we must be careful to never get ourselves into rigid molds.”


Top Ten

Walking on Water - Madeline L’Engle
Growing into the Blue - Ulrich Schaffer
Surprised By Light - Ulrich Schaffer
Two-Part Invention - Madeline L’Engle
Power of One - Bryce Courtenay
What’s So Amazing About Grace - Philip Yancey
Ruthless Trust - Brennan Manning
Walking with the Saints - Calvin Miller
Toxic Faith - Stephen Arterburn (thanks LM)
Wild at Heart - John Eldredge

Titles I have read more than once:

Walking on Water - Madeline L’ Engle
Matthew Volume I - William Barclay (a commentary, but a good read)
Walking with the Saints - Calvin Miller
Tree and Leaf - Tolkien
Two-Part Invention - Madeline L’Engle
Listening to Your Life - Frederick Buechner
Ruthless Trust - Brennan Manning
Soul Survivor - Philip Yancey
Surprised by Light - Ulrich Schaffer
Growing into the Blue - Ulrich Schaffer
The Normal Christian Life - Watchman Nee
A Grief Observed- C.S. Lewis
Harold and the Purple Crayon - Crockett Johnson
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales - Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
Something Under the Bed is Drooling - Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes)
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - Judith Viorst

Top three authors:

Madeline L’ Engle
Brennan Manning
Phillip Yancey

3 comments:

kirsten said...

Thank you so much for posting!! I agree with you that one's list of titles is a bit of an expose; it does reveal something about us, I think.

I love to see Madeleine L'Engle on your list as she is an author I have read multiple times also & an author/artist that I have such deep respect for. Yancey and Manning are others. Power of One is a title that I considered too! That is such a deeply moving & powerful book.

Reading your list, I see so many others I need to grab & read. It is a good thing I went out and bought more bookshelves last weekend!!

Thank you so much for sharing your titles & authors. I love to hear what other people are reading, what is moving them, what stands out to them. It pushes me out of what those authors/genres/titles I might normally gravitate toward to try something new. Oftentimes, those are the titles that have the most profound impact.

23 degrees said...

Thanks Kirsten, the feeling is mutual!

There are very few titles that I have happened across blindly, most come from a recommendation. If I keep running into quotes from an author or a book from different sources (and fall in love with the quote) I know it will make my reading list.

Glad you like Madeline! I would love to meet her. I have good friends that know her and introduced me to her work.

Yancey I met only five years ago although I knew his work years earlier through an illustration I made for Focus on the Family.

Ulrich is a poet that has been a constant companion since my teen years...in spirit. I have tried to track him down and would love to meet him, but have had no luck.

Pretty stoked you have read Power of One. I was not sure if that book was well known.

L.L. Barkat said...

I'll have to dig out that L'Engle book. It's upstairs hiding in the attic dust. But seems like something that might be a timely read yet again.

Never heard of Ulrich, but I like the sound of the titles. Mostly, I'm always in search of authors I can stick with, reread. I look for depth more than breadth (but end up getting breadth because I have to search so long and hard!).