The publication of the New York Times top 100 books of the 21st century (so far) reminded me of the old adage: “So many books; so little time.” I read over 200 books a year. But I’d read only 17 on this list spanning 24 years. They missed some wonderful books (in my opinion): All the Light We Cannot See which is arguably better than Cloud Cuckoo Land which made the list, and The Covenant of Water. All the same, I got some ideas of books I want to read. This is the stuff of TBR piles! I’m curious to hear what you think of the list.

Five Articles Worth Reading

Obviously, “100 Best Books of the 21st Century” (no paywall). Tick off books you’ve read on the list and books you are interested in, as well as “if you liked this…” suggestions of other books to read. Perfect for a hot afternoon with an iced-tea at your side!

Many fans of Alice Munro were troubled to learn that her daughter was abused by her step-father, Munro’s husband. Munro stayed with him and was estranged from her daughter. “A Silence Is Shattered, and So Are Many Fans of Alice Munro” unfolds the story. What do we do when someone we admire is shown to have feet of clay?

I’ve bookstore-crawled in my home town. Axios covered the story of a 500 mile bookstore crawl across two states in “Hundreds line up in North Carolina and Tennessee for used books road trip.” At stake? $800 in store credit and swag!

Henry David Thoreau, one of the American transcendentalists, was born July 12, 1817. The Point published an article this week on Thoreau, transcendentalism, and Thoreau’s use of metaphor. Read or listen to “The Imitative Impulse” to understand more about Thoreau and this important intellectual movement.

Finally, if you are a fan of the writing of Zora Neale Thurston, Publisher’s Weekly announced “Amistad to Release Never-Before-Published Novel by Zora Neale Hurston.” Publication is slated for January 7, 2025, what would have been her 134th birthday.

Quote of the Week

As a walker, I enjoyed this quote from Thoreau:

“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.”

As an evening walker, I might add “An evening walk is a fit ending for any kind of day.”

Miscellaneous Musings

Shirley Mullen, in Claiming the Courageous Middle, speaks for many of us frustrated by the binary choices our polarized politics offers. She uses language I’ve used before of being “third way people.” I think I’ve found my people! Looking forward to seeing how she works this out. I’ll be reviewing it next week.

On a related note, I’ve always struggled with mutually exclusive binaries. Sure, there are some things that are just wrong. But I’ve also found that on many things, when I listen to those I disagree with, I often learn that I don’t have the whole truth. And if we are trying to solve real world problems, we often come up with better solutions, ones that work for all or most of us rather than just some.

I’ve waded into Gary Habermas’ 900+ page On the Resurrection: Volume 1: The Evidences. He unpacks the case for the resurrection of Jesus step-by-step using a “minimal facts” approach. The book is daunting in size but reads well. This is part of a four volume series. Two volumes are out. He is 74. I hope he completes this project but I’m not sure I’ll read all four! He does have a great research assistant.

I am a George MacDonald fan. This week, I interviewed Timothy Larsen, who introduces and annotates a new edition of Diary of an Old Soul. If you have a chance, I invite you to listen to the interview. I learned so much about MacDonald and this work of devotion. I’m thinking it will make some good Christmas gifts!

Well, that’s The Weekly Wrap for this week!

Past editions of The Weekly Wrap may be accessed under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.