2021 Reads, Update #1

You can find my plans for the year here.  

Here’s my first update of the year.  I finished off Prince Caspian as a read started last year, read five short stories, a novel, In This House of Brede, and a work of spirituality, Dark Night of the Soul.   Caroline Gordon’s short story, “The Presence,” is deceptively deep and I hope to try to write up a post on it. 

I’m currently reading the retired Archbishop Charles Chaput’s new book, Things Worth Dying For, at the Catholic Thought Book Club at Goodreads.  There’s an interesting story with this read.  A month ago I received a private message on Goodreads from the publisher of the book, Henry Holt.  This was shortly before the book was to come out to the public.  Because we're a Catholic book club she offered our book club free copies of the book (I assume so we could write good reviews on it), and I responded if she did we would read it next.  Well she did.  She sent out some two dozen copies to us and we're reading it and discussing it.  I sent the discussion links to the publisher and she passed it onto the Bishop.  Then I got a note from someone on the Bishop's staff that he would love to monitor our discussion.  How cool is that!  If you want to check in on our discussion, you can find the various discussion links at Goodreads here.  Eventually I will post on the book on this blog.

I also started Alice McDermott’s novel Charming Billy, and I’m trying to finish Acts of the Apostles and a couple of other books that have gone unfinished for over a year.  And of course I read the monthly devotional, Magnificat.  As usual, I’m behind in my reading.

 

Completed First Quarter:

Prince Caspian, a novel from the Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis.

Magnificat, January 2021, a monthly Catholic devotional.

“Baptism,” a (Don Camillio) short story by Giovanni Guareschi, translated by Adam Elgar.

Magnificat, February 2021, a monthly Catholic devotional.

In This House of Brede, a novel by Rumer Goddard.

“The Coffee-House of Surat,” a short story by Leo Tolstoy.

“The Presence,” a short story by Caroline Gordon.

Dark Night of the Soul, a non-fiction work of spirituality by St. John of the Cross.

Magnificat, March 2021, a monthly Catholic devotional.

“Nimram,” a short story by John Gardner.

“Screwball,” a short story by William Baer.

Magnificat, April 2021, a monthly Catholic devotional.

 

Currently Reading:

Things Worth Dying For: Thoughts on a Life Worth Living, a non-fiction work by Charles J. Chaput.

Dominican Life: A Commentary on the Rule of St. Augustine, a non-fiction work by Walter Wagner, O.P.

Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith, a non-fiction work by Robert Barron.

Acts of the Apostles, a book of the New Testament, RSV translation.

Charming Billy, a novel by Alice McDermott.