*updated!*

37. The God We Never Knew: Beyond Dogmatic Religion to a More Authentic Contemporary Faith
This is the second book I’ve read by Marcus J. Borg, and I very much appreciate his style. He’s an academic, but manages to write readable, accessible prose that doesn’t come off as condescending. One thing I found interesting was his description of a common image of God as king, judge or police officer, stating that in this monarchical model of God, God becomes the superego. I also found his commentary on social justice particularly moving.

When I said I was reading this book, Jen said “Because you want to?” Well, yeah…I’ve always said that I wished I’d taken some religious studies classes in college. There’s so much I don’t know anything about. Luckily for me, I met a man who has a master’s in theology. 😉

36. Matilda
I really liked Roald Dahl when I was a kid…Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach were among my favorite books…but I missed this one. Luckily for me, Rand happened to have it lying around, and once I got started, I couldn’t put it down. A cute story, funny, well-told, with lots of heart. I simply adored this book. 🙂

35. Naked Pictures of Famous People
Jon Stewart before The Daily Show. A fun little read of Woody Allen-esque essays. Quite entertaining. 🙂

34. Fahrenheit 451
How could a self-respecting English teacher not have read this book before? Ummm…I don’t know, but I’m catching up now. 🙂 I finished this during my free time this afternoon, completely engrossed. This is a short little book, but I literally devoured it once I started reading. Fantastically entertaining and thought-provoking, and definitely a story that holds up over the years.

33. Cat’s Eye
I have to say it again…I adore Margaret Atwood. I wouldn’t say this was my favorite of her work (so far, that’s a toss-up between The Blind Assassin andThe Handmaid’s Tale), but I did think it was very, very good. The stories of Elaine’s childhood are gut-wrenching. I would agree with some of the reviews I read that didn’t think Atwood did such a good job of following Elaine into adulthood, of allowing the reader to feel that same emotional-connectedness, except that I think that was kind of the point.

A side note about Atwood…a few years ago, I was applying to a creative writing program (which I later decided not to pursue) and asked one of my professors to write me a recommendation. He wrote me an absolutely glowing letter, and in it, he described my writing as “delightfully Atwoodian.” At the time, I had read zero Margaret Atwood. I now take it as an amazing compliment. 🙂

32. Anthem
This would be my first, and thus far only, experience with Ayn Rand. When Jen read this, she commented on how similar in theme Lois Lowry’s The Giver was, and I would have to agree. What is clear in reading even just this short bit of Rand is her dissatisfaction with Communisim and Socialism, the theme that permeates all of her work.

I had to roll my eyes at one of the Amazon reviews. I’ll bet you can figure out which one. 😉

What I get from Anthem and all of the dystopian fiction I’ve read is this…any ideological extreme carried too far can be frightening and dangerous.

31. Pride and Prejudice
Part of my quest to read more classic literature. I enjoyed this, especially in tandem with listening to The Jane Austen Book Club. I didn’t realize how much Helen Fielding *really* had Austen in mind when she was writing Bridget Jones. Now I definitely need to sit my butt down and watch the movie. (mmm…Colin Firth…)

And wow, I just wanted to smack Lydia. Eek!

30. Catalyst
I read and absolutely loved Speak, so I had to read more Laurie Halse Anderson. I picked this up last night at Barnes & Noble and finished it during my free time today. I really appreciate the way Anderson captures the teenage voice. I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as I enjoyed Speak…I thought that story was more compelling. Also, I felt that the protagonist’s main storyline was left somewhat unresolved.

Next book starts a new post…I’m almost at the halfway mark. 🙂

See the rest of my list here.