Three Books I'm Eager to Read in 2022
Some French existentialism, genre-bending sci-fi, and Zora!
Hi friends,
This week our family is moving from Memphis to Charlottesville, VA to lead a new church plant, so this newsletter will be on the shorter side. We welcome your prayers as we say goodbye to a city and people we love and head into a new community.
As promised, though a bit late, here are the three literary works I’m most excited to read this year. (I’ll share the theological works I’m excited to read next time around.)
Man’s Fate (1933) was a favorite of Ralph Ellison’s, so when I saw this at Burke’s for $5 that was an instant cop. It’s a French existentialist novel about a communist insurrection gone bad in Shanghai in 1920s. Yes, please.
Cloud Atlas (2004), from what I hear, was turned into a humdrum movie, but the book comes with high praise from friends with exceptional taste. It’s touted as the work of genre-bending visionary. It’ll be my first read from David Mitchell, and I have to say I have high hopes.
Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” (2018) In 1927 Hurston spent around three months with eighty-six-year-old former enslaved man Cudjo Lewis, talking about his life and this book is his story through Hurston’s pen.
“Best of 2021” on the Think Christian Podcast
I greatly enjoy talking music and movies with Josh Larsen on the Think Christian podcast. We discussed the spiritual angles of the satirical, Oscar nominated Netflix movie, Don’t Look Up, a movie that has 2-3 moments, but primarily falls prey to its ambition, tastelessness, and self-importance.
If that’s not your cup of tea, you might like the Best of 2021 episode which covers the best in TV, film, and music. I share a bit about King’s Disease 2 by Nas, a fascinating attempt at Proverbs-like wisdom from a hip-hop legend.
All the best,
Claude