What’s a book discussion like?
A note from Pastor Holly
You might see book discussions on our calendar and wonder what that’s like.
Maybe you’ve never been a part of a book club before, and it seems intimidating, or maybe you have a certain image in your head about what that looks like and it’s not you.
I’m going to tell you what it looks like, and then you still get to decide if it’s for you or not.
We’ve been discussing various kinds of books for about seven years now. Some of them are fiction; some are non-fiction. Sometimes they deal directly with religious things, and sometimes it’s more of a book that teaches us something about humanity or ethics.
Here is a list of some of the books we’ve read:
Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connections and the Language of Human Experience, by Brene Brown
Outlaw Christian: Finding Authentic Faith by Breaking the Rules by Jacqueline Busse
Bewilderment by Richard Powers
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
One Coin Found: How God’s Love Stretches to the Margins by Emmy Kegler
Boys and Oil by Taylor Brorby
Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians by Austen Harte
Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Red State Christians: A Journey into White Nationalism and the Wreckage it Leaves Behind by Angela Denker
Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor
Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono
Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What Our Souls Know and Healing the World by John Phillip Newell
Such Kindness by Andrew Dubus
The River We Remember by William Kent Kruger
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
Revival Season by Monica West
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith by Kathleen Norris
An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor
Honest Advent: Awakening to the Wonder of God-With-Us, by Scott Erickson
Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown
Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans
Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor
When we get together, there is usually a group of between three and 15 people. It is a casual gathering where we notice impressions we have about the book, talk about the things that stand out to us, and sometimes use a reader’s guide to give questions that help pull out themes or interesting conversations. It is preferred if you’ve finished the book before you come; when folks don’t they tend towards leading the conversation away from the book. That is all that is expected.
While there are some regulars who read every book, people come and go, and you are welcome to as well. Come check it out! Or, just use this list as a reading list for you.