Sheila worked on Crux staff this past winter. Before she worked in the store she was a constant customer. Here are her next three reads:
Heather is our used books and communication specialist. She particularly enjoys writing about herself in the third person. Her next five reads (in no particular order) are:
How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One by Stanley Fish. “I hope I write better after reading this. I hope I read better as well!”
Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke. “Not that I need convincing to read more, but the excerpts I’ve read from this book are interesting.”
Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis by Lauren F. Winner. “I’m looking forward to this one as I found her other memoirs and spiritual writing engaging.”
Leviticus (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible) by Ephraim Radner. “This is part of my larger project of learning to take Leviticus seriously.”
Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre. “Words are important!”
Today we feature the next five books Alain, another member of our customer service team, plans to read. Alain prefers philosophy and history as you can see from this selection.
Here are the next five books that Andrew, one of our customer service representatives, plans to read. Actually, there are more than five books on this list as Andrew has lumped four of the Chronicles of Narnia into one item. Hmm. This is a list of the next eight books Andrew plans to read, disguised as five books:
We’ll continue the Crux staff summer reading lists with Pam, our Customer Service Manager. Pam’s next five were all highly recommended to her, and she hopes that after she reads them she’ll be recommending them to store customers.
Previous Next Five Books series Next
Over the next few days, Crux staff members will share the next five books they plan to read. We’ll start with Cindy, our manager.
Next in the Next Five Books series
R.A. Dickey honoured by Wycliffe College
See the Star’s coverage of Wycliffe’s convocation, then check out R.A. Dickey’s memoir Wherever I Wind Up available at Crux.
In the spirit of this blog post that asks readers to talk about books that actually changed your life, here are some books (or sets of books) that have changed my life. These are in not ranked in any way, this is just the order in which they came to mind.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I cannot pick only one from this set that has changed me – the whole set and the world they define has an ongoing influence on my thinking about life and faith. I’ve been reading and re-reading the series for longer than I care to admit. There are key phrases from the works that echo in my head: “He’s not a tame lion” and “Farther up and farther in!” are two examples. A key idea that echoes in my head is Aslan reminding various characters that he only tells them their own story, not other people’s story, and never what might have happened. The creation of the world when Aslan sings everything into existence is an incredibly powerful scene. One other thing that sticks with me from this series is the idea that all the characters are moral agents who make decisions and are held responsible for their decisions. They are never held responsible for the actions of others, but they are firmly held responsible for their own actions. Aslan is very clear about that. I think that is a very important thing that I learned from those books.
Susan Howatch’s Church of England books and including the three set at St. Benet’s. I’m not sure this series has an official name (Starbridge?) but all of these books influenced me. If I had to pick one of the nine, I’d say Mystical Paths is one possible key book for me, but it might also be Absolute Truths. How was my life changed by these novels? Well, for one thing, I went out and got a spiritual director because the books impressed on me how important such a person could be for a person in ministry. I think the books have also influenced me in other ways – not that I always agree with the characters or how Howatch presents theology, but they all give a clear picture of the possibilities and pitfalls of ministry work.
Let Her Speak for Herself, edited by Marion Ann Taylor and Heather E. Weir. Hey, that’s a book with me on the cover! This book influenced my life because it showed me that publication was possible, and that writing was not always the easy choice. Plus since this book was published I am officially an author, and that is life-changing all by itself.
What about you? Which books have actually changed your life?
We are honoured that Crux Books has been nominated as a favourite bookstore for the North York Mirror’s 2013 Reader’s Choice Awards. If you vote via the http://www.insidetoronto.com link you will find us under bookstores on the last page of the nominations. You can also vote for us by emailing readerschoice@insidetoronto.com with Crux Books Inc. as the subject line.
Thanks for supporting us!
It is always exciting when new publications land at Crux. Today, three new publications arrived in one box.
Number 1:
This is a new book on being missional. It seems like there are a lot of books on being missional, but this looks like it has potential to be interesting. How can people pop out of their Christian zone and be relevant to the world?
Number 2:
This is a new reference work that introduces the reader to theologians through church history. I’ve just surveyed the table of contents and find six women included among the theologians covered. Not bad. Women appear to be well represented among the contributors also. If you are looking for an introduction to historical theology, this looks like a useful resource.
Number 3, the one I think is most exciting
A new study of the work and thought of C.S. Lewis by Alister McGrath — who also just published a new biography of Lewis. The photo on the cover is great, the chapter titles are enticing, and if this book is not here when you arrive at the store, it might be because I bought it.
Crux Books 