July Reading Wrap-Up
July's reads, recommendations, and oncoming study
I’ve been responding to the bookish calls recently. It’s been more flow than ebb on the reading front, which keeps the hunger pains of the yearly reading goal satiated. Arthurian ballad, Narnian adventure, fly fishing novella, raw poetry of the soul, rigorous theological discourse. If there were such a thing as a food pyramid of literary genre, I have read a well-balanced diet through July.
JUNE’S READING LIST
A River Runs Through It - Norman MacLean
Piercingly intimate. A tension between grace and besetting sin, shown through the beauty of a brotherly relationship and Montana’s Blackfoot River. How can one be so graceful, and yet so violent? I originally picked this up at the start of the year, after reading an article where Wendell Berry gushed over the beauty of this story. As I have been wading into the world of fly fishing, it drifted to the top of the list and was a beautiful hit.
Worship, Community, and the Triune God of Grace - James B. Torrance
A joyful reread. I have been leading a young, budding scholar through a book list. In June, it was Athanasius’ On the Incarnation; this month was an initial dive into the deeply pastoral Trinitarian theology of the Torrance brothers. I so highly recommend this work for anyone who is in ministry. We often overlook the deeper implications and practicality of Christ’s High Priestly mediation at the right hand of the Father. To have the weight of ministry rightly situated on the shoulders of Christ releases the church to participate in His ministry under an easy yoke. To miss this is to bear a burden we were not made to bear.
Thomas Torrance and the Orthodox-Reformed Theological Dialogue - Jason Robert Radcliff
I love ecumenical dialogues toward agreement and reconciliation. I so long for the unity of the Body of Christ. Jason Radcliff here traces a significant dialogical move in this direction. The East and West have been split over a handful of issues, but perhaps the most significant has been the filioque clause in the Nicene Creed. Does the Spirit proceed from the Father alone, or from the Father and the Son? In the late 20th century, the Orthodox and Reformed made a remarkable stride forward through a joint statement on the Trinity, “cutting behind the filioque controversy” as it were, and offering the church at large, not only a solid piece of theological clarification, but also a remarkable example of irenic pursuit of union together in Christ. This is not a read for everyone.
Book of Common Prayer YouVersion Reading Plan
Based on the Daily Office Lectionary found in The Book of Common Prayer (1979), this was a nearly two-and-a-half-year reading plan that took the reader through the psalms and gospels countless times throughout the 2+ years of reading, plus daily readings from the OT narrative and NT epistles. I loved it.
The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis
Oh, to be old enough to read fairy tales again! I find Narnia inexhaustible. This time around, I am doing a read through each of the seven books with a student. I’m trying to introduce him to the better stories and “the right kind of books.” What a joy to live into the story of the creation of Narnia, and to see so many biblical truths take flight in Lewis’ beautifully poetic allegory. It’s proven to offer an approachable context to situate so many of this young man’s questions.
Galahad and the Grail - Malcolm Guite
The buzz of the season, and with great reason. Malcolm Guite has taken up the tale to bring the Arthurian tales to the hour we are in, and I am deeply grateful for it. I’ll share more below, but I joyously recommend.
Trinitarian Perspectives - Thomas F. Torrance
Tom Torrance has a remarkable ability to bridge theological gaps amongst the varied streams of Christendom. This work is a remarkable display of ecumenical understanding, while also being able to articulate and construct toward theological and doxological unity. Though it definitely fits within an academic category, this work is remarkably helpful for understanding the theological language, and how we use this language, about the Triune Godhead. The introduction alone is one of the most concise and approachable works of Trinitarian Christology that I have found.
Behold the Pierced One - Joseph Ratzinger
Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) continues to climb the ranks of impactful theologians, for me. This work is a remarkable example of why that is. Often, theologians can fall into rigorous systematic categories, and works of theology end up feeling like doctrinal statements shoehorned into a textbook format. Ratzinger refuses the trap, and maintains the aweful wonder of translating reality through the hermeneutics of the crucified and risen One. Even with some slight disagreements throughout the work, I was brought to tears and seized by beauty more than once. The two homilies that closed the book left me longing for a theological and pastoral imagination of such radiance and definition.
A Theology of the Ordinary - Julie Canlis
A stunning example of theological brevity and pastoral significance. I’ve lost track of how many times I have re-read this short little work. How do we understand ordinary life in the light of the Triune God of grace and the vicarious life of Christ? Canlis does well to situate the reader in the midst of the answer, while also revealing the stories that continue to wage war over our lives.
The Rage Against Grace - Jordan Sleed
Last month, I discussed Jordan’s more recent volume, Speaking of Broken Glass, as being a wonderful example of verse set to the cadence of grace defined humanity. This volume is yet another remarkable body of poetic honesty from Sleed. In The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen insists that “the most personal is the most universal.” The Rage Against Grace embodies the sentiment. The rhyme structure isn’t in verse alone, but even more so in the collective human experience marked by the joyful anguish of paradoxical desire. The two volumes form a very honest diptych and deserve a place on your shelves.
The Freedom of a Christian - Martin Luther
What a joyful short read, offering a clear structure of thought from Luther as to his emphasis on freedom in Christ, the necessity of grace and faith, and the supplication of both in Christ. His movement in regard to works read much more charitable than has often been presented by those I’ve heard emphasize his position. Yet another reason we should go to the sources before receiving caricatures of others.
RECOMMENDED BOOK OF THE MONTH
Galahad and the Grail - Malcolm Guite
Long have I said that I need to familiarize myself with the Arthurian legendarium. Like Homer’s epics, the Arthuriad has tutored much of the literature in the West. Lewis and Tolkien credit a great deal to the substance of these medieval sagas. And yet, it’s been a can I’ve kicked endlessly down the road. That is, until Malcolm Guite began the project of taking up the tale, with shed-spun ballads in his typical mastery of the English language.
I enjoy collecting enchanting figures. Those who see with sacramental lenses, discerning the deep things residing within the familiar. They train us how to see. Malcolm is just one of those people. He is a poet, priest, professor, songwriter, and sage with the remarkable ability of witnessing to the mystery at the heart of it all. Like Lewis’ wardrobe, Malcolms verse are larger on the inside than they are on the out. I’ve been greatly impacted by his sonnets, essay columns, lectures, videos, and academic writings. However, Galahad and the Grail carries a different magic, especially when read by Malcolm himself.
The cadence and tonality of Guite’s ballad structure offer a wonderful tension and release between merriment and gravitas. He does not shy away from the central Christian themes within the stories; rather, he brings them to the surface and offers them with great care and sacramental weight. The medieval stories sing all their virtuous notes of chivalry, honor, service, courage, and sacrifice. Guite does so with absolute reverence, always in the key the story demands.
In addition to the artistic excellence of Malcolm’s verse, the book is illustrated by the incredible Stephen Crotts. From the ornate manuscript cap letters to both color and black and white etchings and block prints, the book mirrors the beauty and weight of the holy objects described within its pages. Cloth-bound, ribbon-strung, rich in its crimson red accents, Galahad and the Grail is a treasure for any shelf, worth taking up time and time again.
It’s worth mentioning that the audiobook is voiced by none other than Malcolm himself. His rich English accent, warm tonality, and impeccable emphasis and cadence truly bring the stories and characters to life. As Guite’s videos have shown, when it comes to storytelling, he is fluent in pen and in speech.
CURRENT READING INTERESTS GOING INTO AUGUST
We are currently anticipating the imminent arrival of our baby girl, Emma Nuel. Something I learned with our second child was that I receive the midnight sleep interruptions gracefully when I have audiobooks to look forward to. Fittingly so, I have Jane Austen’s Emma ready to go upon my daughter’s arrival. I may continue with some of Austen’s other novels throughout the month.
I just received the Everyman’s Library Pocket Poetry volume of George Herbert’s verse. I have this and the Emily Dickinson volume in the overnight bag for the delivery room. Poetry is good for the downtimes and in-between moments, easy to pick up and put down as needed.
I’m midway through Breakfast with the Pope, a collection of short writings from John Paul II. It’s been quite enjoyable and Christ-centered so far, with some beautiful reflections.
I just finished Tolkien’s translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which also included two additional works he translated from the same manuscripts. I intend to go back and re-read his translation of The Pearl. I’ll be honest, I was spacing out while going through the poem. Knowing Tolkien considered it a masterpiece from the Middle Ages, I want to return to it and give it a proper, slow reading.
Lastly, I’ve been writing a short theological commentary on Paul’s letter to the Colossians at the request of a friend, so I have been enjoying a fresh, slow read of one of Paul’s great prison letters.
Go in grace and peace!
In Christ,
N.R. Mayo
Once again, I cannot thank you enough for reading these poems! And for giving such great recommendations overall. So glad you do these posts!
You give excellent book summaries. I appreciate how you string words together so beautifully. I may be adding a few of those titles to my fall reading list.