June Reading Roundup

June was a big reading month for some reason. Some of what I read was serious and had to be read slowly and chewed on; some of it was light and fluffy and I swallowed it whole.

The Lost History of Christianity, by Philip Jenkins

While many people in both the East and the West now associate Christianity with its Jesus-to-Paul-to-Rome-to-Europe-to-the-colonies trajectory, that’s only a small part of the story. Christianity existed and often flourished in non-Western context long before the Europe discovered the nations. This interesting volume is full of stories from the early churches of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. It pulls together much little-known history, spreads it out on the table, and looks for patterns. Not an easy read, but like all the Jenkins books I’ve read, I’d recommend this one highly.

Behind the Scenes of the New Testament, by Paul Barnett

Barnett, an Anglican Bishop in Australia, looks at the cultures and context of the New Testament characters, places, and events, helping readers to appreciate and interpret the writings, and in analyzing both the writings themselves and other historical documents, provides a mild apologetic for trusting the contents and the theologies that arose from them over the years.

Annie John, by Jamaica Kincaid

This short coming-of-age novel sees the title character from her wonder-filled childhood in Antigua through the confusion of adolescence to the brink of adulthood, exploring the topics of death, friendships, religion, disappointment, and independence. It’s the sort of books the critics would call “luminous,” which means it’s beautifully written, creative, and a bit sad and wrenching.

What Is the What, by Dave Eggers

The intense, apparently only slightly fictionalized account of one of the “Lost Boys” of Sudan, including both life in Africa and his life in America; I also wrote about this here.

I also read a couple of children’s books, the first several in L. Frank Baum’s series: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Marvelous Land of Oz, Ozma of Oz, and Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz.

“Marvelous Land” is a hilarious tall tale/satire. I’d forgotten. There are definitely some bits that would be quite politically incorrect, today, and the ending was a bit shocking. These are all in the public domain, so I read them in ebook versions on my computer (starting when I was stuck at the Savannah airport for several hours). Here's one of my favorite lines:

The Scarecrow sighed. "In an emergency," he announced, "it is always a good thing to pause and reflect. Please excuse me while I pause and reflect." The Marvelous Land of Oz, p. 101.

Hannah Grace, and Long Journey Home, by Sharlene MacLaren

Fair-to-middlin’ “Christian” fiction. “Home” is a contemporary novel about a single mom coming out an abusive marriage and falling for the guy who moves into the apartment next door; “Hannah” is a turn-of-the-century novel set in a small western town that, imagine this, just got a new sheriff. Both have that romance-writer-turns-Christian-novelist feeling; e.g., the main characters steal passionate kisses even when they are not sure they trust each other and somebody might be involved with someone else? But of course (I’m not spoiling anything, am I?) guess who ends up engaged at the end. Maybe I should limit my exposure to this genre!

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built, by Alexander McCall Smith

In this most recent installment of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, the eccentricities of Mma Makutsi (Precious Ramotswe's assistant) stood out to me. I both thought, "I am like her," and "I am sometimes surrounded by people like her": "having all those peculiar ideas and insisting on them." Here’s a taste:

"Have you noticed? We are becoming lazy…. These days nobody knows how long it takes to walk anywhere because we have stopped walking, Mma. … and here’s another thing. Have you heard of evolution? Well, what will happen if we all carry on being lazy like this and drive everywhere? I can tell you, Mma. We shall start to grow wheels. That is what evolution is all about… Oh yes. Our fingers have evolved so that we can do things like typing. That is well known. Why should our legs not evolve in the same way? They will become circular, I think, and they will turn round and round. That is what will happen, Mma, if we are not careful.”

Of course, as Mma Ramostwe recognizes, there is always a grain of truth, sometimes more, in Mma Makutsi’s opinions.

Also read another novel which Alexander McCall Smith wrote as a newspaper serial, and the whole thing is online. It’s called Corduroy Mansions. Check it out.

Buckingham Palace Garden, by Anne Perry

I hadn’t read any Anne Perry mysteries for a long time and did not remember them to be so dark. Her books are set in Victorian times, and in this one the less-than-admirable Prince Edward finds himself in trouble when a prostitute he has hired is found dead, the next morning, in the linen closet. It’s up to our detective, Thomas Pitt, and his maid Gracie (who takes on a job in the palace), to figure out what happened.

Dead and Berried, by Karen MacInerney

Cozy if not highly original tale about a single woman who likes to cook and runs a B&B, dating a man in law enforcement, and of course seems to get herself in the darnedest scrapes. Set on an island in Maine. Charming stuff.