Last month we asked congregants what books were on their summer reading lists. Because we had so many responses, we turned this into a two-part segment. As you will continue to see, UUCWC congregants are prolific readers.
I got on an Elizabeth Strout kick. I still haven’t read Olive Kitteridge, but I have read: My Name is Lucy Barton; Olive, Again; Anything is Possible; The Burgess Boys; Ask Me Everything; and Oh, William. I love her writing and the inner connection and emotional depth of the characters. Plus, they are aging and falling in love after ending relationships that really don’t end. This is my story too! – Lynne Molnar
This summer, I’ve read Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, about the death of Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes’ son, Hamnet; Whistler by Ann Patchett, a beautiful story about flawed family and forgiveness; The Gift of Stones by Jim Crace, a novel (recommended by Phyllis Warren!) with characters from the age of stone cutting verging on the discovery of bronze; The Beginning Comes After the End by Rebecca Solnit, a book of essays about the dark time we are in right now and how we can/will survive it, and Theo of Golden by Allen Levi, a story about kindness and generosity and taking the time to “see” people. There were others, but these were the most wonderful. My next book will be Seek Immediate Shelter by Vincent Yu, a first novel for this author. – Chris Piatek
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery, and Indian Givers by Jack Weatherford. Don’t look for a theme here; in general, I read mostly non-fiction and a few mysteries. – Jane Root
I read The Other Einstein about Albert’s first wife, a very interesting portrayal of their relationship, and am currently reading David Baldacci’s Strangers in Time, a novel about a couple of kids at the end of WWI. – Steve Saddlemire
I read Dan Brown’s Secret of Secrets and have queued Virgil’s The Aeneid and Maggie Haberman’s Regime Change. – Joe Schenk
I’m finishing Birding to Change the World: A Memoir by Trish O’Kane. Ann Patchett’s Whistler and Kathryn Stockett’s The Calamity Club are up next. – Anne Sears
I plan on reading Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. We loved the movie, and I hear the book is even better. – Lynda Shapiro
My current book list is focused on traveling. I’m reading several travel books on Finland, a book on 5,000 things to see in America, and the Fifty Places to Drink Wine Before You Die by DC Helmuth. – Roger Shapiro
Currently, I am re-reading one of my favorites, The Fellowship of the Ring. Every few years I reread The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I am on the waitlist at the library for Whistler by Ann Patchett, one of my favorite authors. I also read a lot of non-fiction, but I have to pace myself because they are mostly very sad books. One book on my list is There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone. – Sandee Steinberg
Mark Twain’s biography by Ron Chernow. It’s 1,000 pages, so it seems like three books. Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto—wonderful writing. The Last Slave Ship (Clotilda) by Ben Raines. Lastly, I am revisiting a book that I read 30 years ago, Seven Arrows by Hyemeyohsts Storm—many stories rich in Native American wisdom. – David Thomas
I just finished reading James by Percival Everett and re-reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain for book club. Also, on my list for the next month or so are Lisa Scottoline’s new book This Changes Everything and Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. – Jayme Trott
Shamanic Journey into Earth’s Wisdom: Reflections on the Cosmovision of Thomas Berry, edited by Gail Worcelo, SEC;
The Philosophy of Sri Chinmoy: Love and Transformation by Kusumita P. Pederson; and Eco-Civilization: Making a World that Works for All by Jeremy Lent. Loved reading Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future by Patty Krawec. – Brian Tucker
I am hoping that after this surgery, I will be able once again to read! It’s a long story, but reading distance has not returned…at least on the printed page, which I do for reading books. I can’t seem to bring myself to read on a device. I started a book last summer before the last surgery, Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way by Jeffrey Blount. I got to the last 50 pages before the surgery, and those 50 pages are still waiting for me. – Dan Tuft
Good People by Patmeena Sabit, Be a Player: A Breakthrough Approach to Being a Better Player ON the Golf Course by Pia Nilson and Lynn Marriott, and The Dollar Rebellion: How Billie Jean King and the Original 9 Became the Change They Wanted to See by Billie Jean King. – Susan Vigilante