Monday, December 31, 2018

Joining the "Christian Greats Challenge" (Mama Squirrel's Reading List for 2019)

Carol at the blog Journey and Destination has set up a reading challenge for 2019, and several of my planned books fall into the categories she suggests. So I'm going to begin my new reading list with the challenge books, and then add the rest afterwards. 

1)  A Book on Early Church History (up to about 500 A.D) or a book written by a key figure who lived during that time, or a biography about that person. 


Part III: Christian Testament Since the Bible (re-reading)

2)  A Book About a Prominent Christian Who Was Born Between 500 A.D & 1900 


(See #1)


3)  A Christian Allegory


The Inferno

4)  A Book on Apologetics 


The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God (in progress)

Willard, Dallas


5)  A Philosophical Book by a Christian Author


Medieval Wisdom for Modern Christians: Finding Authentic Faith in a Forgotten Age with C. S. Lewis

6)   A Missionary Biography or A Biography of a Prominent Christian who lived [was born?] any time between 1500 A.D to 1950 A.D


Now and Then: A Memoir of Vocation

7)  A Seasonal Book


The Faces of Jesus: A Life Story

8)  A Novel with a Christian Theme


Housekeeping

Robinson, Marilynne

Notes from Underground

Dostoevsky

9) A Good Old Detective or Mystery Novel


==


10)  A Substitute - choose a book in place of one of the above categories:


40 Days to a Joy-Filled Life: Living the 4:8 Principle (in progress)
Karon, Jan

Friends for the Journey
Shaw, Luci, and Madeleine L'Engle

Breath for the Bones: Art, Imagination, and Spirit: Reflections on Creativity and Faith
Shaw, Luci

Praying Twice: The Music and Words of Congregational Song

Wren, Brian

Other Books to Read This Year

A note: My biggest mistake in planning is usually that I list books I don't own, or can't easily borrow. This year I'm sticking mostly to what's already on the shelf.

Tales from Ovid: 24 Passages from the Metamorphoses
Ovid, Ted Hughes (translator)

Do Not Say We Have Nothing

Thien, Madeleine

The Book Thief
Zusak, Markus

The Practice of Poetry: Writing Exercises from Poets who Teach
Behn, Robin

How to Read a Poem
Phillips, Christopher

Pooh and the Philosophers: In Which It Is Shown That All of Western Philosophy Is Merely a Preamble to Winnie-the-Pooh
Williams, John Tyerman




On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books

Raelin, Joseph A.

Tools for Teaching
Davis, Barbara Gross

On Education (in progress)
Frye, Northrop
 
The Well-Crafted Argument: Across the Curriculum
White, Fred D.

Linked from the Challenge post at Journey and Destination.

4 comments:

Carol said...

Well, I had a lovely surprise when I saw your comment on the sign up post. 🙂I would like to read Dante one of these days but I’d like to get a translation that makes it as easy as possible for me. Do you have a certain translation in mind?

Mama Squirrel said...

Hi Carol! I have read John Ciardi's translation and some of Dorothy Sayers' Paradise. This new copy of The Inferno came my way and I've been waiting to see what it's like.

Amy said...

Lovely and ambitious list! :)

Cleo @ Classical Carousel said...

Wow, it looks like you have a busy reading year ahead of you! The Inferno was marvellous both poetically and historically. Charlotte Mason all the way and i've heard that Buechner is an excellent writer. Enjoy your challenge! :-)