Summer Reading List for the Uncertainty of Right Now
Nothing was written or generated by AI on this list
Two weeks ago, at least two newspapers in the United States published a summer reading list that included books that don’t exist. They were found through the horrors of AI. I’ve read the explanations on how this happened and I still don't get it.
I’m particularly saddened by this news because I love a good summer reading list. There has been much despair that people aren’t reading as much as they once were. Maybe this AI-generated list is a sign of that. Maybe not.
In my attempts to understand this news, I stumbled upon something Jane Smiley wrote in 13 Ways of Looking at a Novel. This was more than 10 years ago but the statistic she cites from that time was that men were reading less fiction. Those same men are getting more and more power which is a concerning if they’re not reading. Reading fiction (or maybe just reading) allow us to flex that muscle to see the world from another perspective.
When we cannot know what will happen next, and so much is uncertain, what stories do we tell? What do we choose to read? What worlds do we want to inhabit? How do these words on the page alter our experience of the present moment? I’m especially wondering what questions aren’t answered and what feels insurmountable which led me to create my own book list. Only my own intelligence has been relied upon here. I was more interested in story in creating this list. There’s more fiction and memoir. This isn’t about instruction but about story, yours and mine. How will we find ourselves through all this chaos?
At the very end of this list, you’ll find an invitation to share in conversation through Zoom whether you’re read all of these books, skimmed one of them or just don't know how to settle into the uncertainty of this moment. I so hope you’ll share your time zone and join me in this curious space. There’s an invitation below or you can jump in right here.
There was a time that I had a ritual to my journal writing but it’s been difficult to reestablish as a busy mom, which is perhaps why I eagerly preordered Suleika Jaouad’s The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life. It feels needed right now as we each try to process what is happening and how we might untangle all those hopes and fears bouncing around in our heads. I confess that I am a little intimidated by this book because her first book was so good. She is a gifted writer and that is a barrier for me to put words on the page. Journaling shouldn’t be about good writing, but telling the truth. It doesn’t need to be pretty. It needs to be real and this is something I trust in the collection of writers and thinkers gathered into this tome. You can find
here on Substack in which this essay was shared from the book before it released.
Austin Channing Brown’s I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, according to the publisher, “is an illuminating look at how white, middle-class, Evangelicalism has participated in an era of rising racial hostility, inviting the reader to confront apathy, recognize God’s ongoing work in the world, and discover how blackness—if we let it—can save us all.” What more might we understand about all that feels uncertain right now through this testimony? You can find more at Wild Holy & Free here on Substack where
recently celebrated this book’s 7th birthday.
Lydia Sohn’s Here: A Spirituality of Staying in a Culture of Leaving came to my attention through a giveaway offered through the Christian Century’s Books Worth Reading. The subtitle caught my attention so I clicked through to find an invitation to explore an aspect of the Rule of St. Benedict and wonder what it would mean to resist the restlessness so prevalent in our world right now. There was an essay published in the Christian Century on this very topic here and I’m curious what that means for all that feels uncertain.
I am an avid fan of the podcast that created this book, with another intriguing subtitle, All these Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown. It is one of only two hardcopy books that I didn’t go with the movers. (The other one is this one, if you’re curious.) This is the first book I’ll be reading.
Paul Knitter’s Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian explores a crisis of faith when it feels like everything might be to be thrown out about what was once believed, only to find himself grounded in a greater experience of the human story. To hear a bit of this story, listen in on the Can I Say This in Church Podcast.
Without realizing it, I watched the Netflix adaptation of Matt Haig’s How to Stop Time. It’s not something I usually do as I prefer to read first and then watch but sometimes these things happen. I really enjoyed Haig’s writing in Reasons to Stay Alive which is a memoir, rather than a work of fiction. I am interested to see how his big ideas about how to live fully are explored through a romantic story.
I want to add a book of poetry to this list but it felt impossible to choose one. Poetry is where I turn when I can’t find the words and it still feels like there is something to say. What poetry most speaks to you in the uncertainty of this moment? What poetry should be added to this reading list exploring all that feels uncertain?
After you have chosen one (or more) books to explore the uncertainty of this moment in time, I hope you’ll consider joining me in this conversation rooted in books and spiritual direction. Find out more here.
A note to add: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through any of my book links and make a purchase. You can also support me through buying Bookshop gift cards and purchasing books of your choosing. Thank you!
