I remember wanting to read Open Heart very slowly too. Some books call for that simmering pace. You’re wise to want to bring it to life.

Breaking Stalin’s Nose is unrelated to the Gogol story. It’s a young boy who is a loyal follower of Stalin…and then his father is arrested as a spy.

Perhaps it’s good that you don’t know much about denominations? 🙂 I know more than I’d like to. They tend to be divisive instead of unitive for the church as a whole.

Habits of Grace and Centering Prayer both sound very good. I am loving Open Mind, Open Heart, but it’s a very slow read. Every sentence I read I want to act on it, bring it to life. It’s very readable, but over-stimulating. Perhaps I should read it “normally” then read it again “actively”.

I don’t suppose Breaking Stalin’s Nose has anything to do with the Gogol story (The Nose)? Very good story (short, funny ,weird).

I have just finished reading “Anglicanism: a very short introduction”. I have almost no grasp of “denominations” so this was interesting for that side of things, what a “Church” is or should be, etc. I will probably have a look at the “Apostle’s Creed” and the “Nicene Creed” to see how I measure up. Are those kinds of things universally important? I suppose you can’t let in any old heretic…

David

Thanks, Kym. I like including the quotes when I can because it gives a better taste of the book than just my words alone. Yes, some of Kondo’s suggestions are a little too out there for me too. 🙂 Spark Joy is very similar to the first book, except that the extra illustrations are very helpful!

I’m wishing you could leave these comments in audio version, Floyd. 🙂

I read Marie Kondo’s first book and gave it a mixed review. Found some of it very practical and helpful, and there were other parts that I thought a bit “out there”. I might pick up Spark Joy just to see how it compares.

Thanks for visiting my Bookshelf Review!

“Right-ee-oh,” (this time in a Felix The Cat’s voice).

Thanks, Jennifer. I have recently started listening to a new podcast (to me) about what books people recommend and it’s been fascinating (as if I need to add more books to my to-read list!). It’s called “What Should I Read Next?” with Anne Bogel.

Haha. I probably retain as little knowledge as Ms. Pacman would from the books. 🙂 You keep reading the controversial stuff; that’s often the most entertaining and informative. The Last Week had some controversial thoughts in it that I need to think more about. We need to continue being stretched to prove old dogs can still learn new tricks, right? 🙂

I am reading The Return of the King mainly on my Kindle, but at only 47% in, the story seems to have reached its climax already. I had to look at my paperback version to discover that there are LOTS of pages at the back for the appendix so I’m further into the book than I realized. 🙂 Very good.

I totally understand why you start and stop Walden. Fairly early on, I began just skimming. I did finally make it to the end, but only because I wanted it to be over. ha. There were some amazing passages, but I had to muddle through a lot to get there.

Thanks!

Jennifer Dougan
http://www.jenniferdougan.com