Book reviews from our fall books issue, plus a chat about the Bible and more.

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** So much to read
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One of our subscribers (Lloyd in Honolulu, or “Lucky Lloyd” as I’m inclined to call him since he lives in Honolulu) recently emailed me to express gratitude for our November fall books issue ([link removed]) . He noted that with so many books out there to read, it’s important to be selective about which ones to spend time and money on. I was glad to hear that our books issue, chock full of reviews, was helpful in making those decisions.

We have two of those brand new reviews here for you today. Beau Underwood reflects on two books that share an epistolary format ([link removed]) : one addressed to Martin Luther King Jr. and one to the author’s own sons. Victoria Wick describes a climate-related memoir ([link removed]) from the prophetic voice of Elizabeth Weinberg. We also have a feature from Katherine Willis Pershey, who revisits a childhood book ([link removed]) and its complicated role in her life.

I remember feeling extra pressure about picking books to read when I was a conservative evangelical—because every book was competing with the Bible. Any minute or hour I spent reading fiction, or even theology, could surely have been better spent reading the scriptures. (Despite this pressure, I still found the time to read plenty of books about dragons or robots.) This week’s video, a lively chat with Century associate editor Jess Mesman ([link removed]) , touches on spiritual trauma, reading the Bible, and much more.

Email me: How do you pick and choose which books to read?
Jon Mathieu
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20Editors%E2%80%99%20Picks)
This week’s top articles:
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** Epistles of hope for our time ([link removed])
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“Hope is the thread that unites these two volumes. This hope is unexpected, given the threats Randal Jelks perceives and the experiences Shaka Senghor has endured.”
review by Beau Underwood
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** Returning to a book that shaped my imagination ([link removed])
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“Treasures of the Snow is preachy, saccharine, and manipulative, and I expected to feel little more than disdain upon rereading it. But despite myself, I found it endearing, wholesome, and heartening.”
by Katherine Willis Pershey
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** Jessica Mesman on Joel 2, apocalypse, and survival ([link removed])
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Jon Mathieu and Jessica Mesman discuss Jessica’s recent lectionary article on Joel 2, plus they chat about religious trauma, surviving apocalypse, prophetic poetry, horror films, and the musical Hamilton.
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** In the Lectionary for October 30 (Ordinary 31C) ([link removed])
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You want to see and be seen by Jesus? Sinner, get ready!
by Jessica Mesman
Ordinary 31C archives ([link removed])


** In the Lectionary for November 1 (All Saints C) ([link removed])
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On All Saints’ Day I remember those who tried and failed and tried again.
by Kat Banakis
All Saints C archives ([link removed])


** A reminder of what’s worth saving ([link removed])
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“The call to climate action has never been more urgent, and Elizabeth Weinberg doesn’t shy away from how absolutely terrifying that is. This is a book for those of us who feel overwhelmed by the realities of climate devastation.”

review by Victoria Wick


** The Sparrow Tree ([link removed])
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“Sparrows deck the leafless tree
like plump brown figs that bob and flit,
hopping in random synergy
from twig to twig. They fluff and sit...”
poem by Susan McLean
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