A good little intro to understanding the Psalms--the genres and poetic devices that wouldn't be readily apparent to a casual reader of the Psalms.

I'm still processing this one. It was a strange mash-up of thriller, philosophical deep-dive, and absurdist fiction. And it worked. It totally worked.

A deep dive into the parables, Levine peels back layers of platitudes that have attached themselves to Jesus' words over the centuries, revealing stories that disturb and inspire.

This is the first book I've found that connects biblical theology to sexuality in a way that makes sense. It isn't a set of rules or purity scare tactics; it's connecting full human life, faith in Christ, and the complexity of human relationships.

Like its subject matter, Panther lures you in with colorful, unbelievable, beautiful tales, only to terrify you in the end.

Very in-depth study of the Psalms and other Hebrew poetry, focusing on parallelisms and other devices. As a non-specialist, it was more than I needed, but it was good to see all the intellectual rigor the Psalmists use to give shape to their work.

A beautiful memoir that draws you into another life and another world.

An intriguing juxtaposition of the glories of the Chicago World's Fair and the horrors of a serial killer active during the same time frame.

This book is a slow burn, with many threads coming together in a gripping climax. Like all Stephen King, but horror or catastrophe is a door to deeper reflections; this time exploring whether humanity has the ability to keep from destroying itself.

This is a loving tribute to a magnificent and complicated country, part travelogue, part history.

A beautiful, quirky graphic novel that reveals the political, historical, and everyday reality of life in Burma, all seen through sometimes mundane vignettes of an outsider's life.

It's hard to read this and not compare it to Maus. So sue me.

There are lots of good and interesting things about this graphic novel; however, it just felt like it simmered but never came to a boil.

Amazing. They take the dark history of lynchings and the true story of a light-skinned African American to spin an exciting tale of a reporter going undercover to expose the ugly truth.

Masterfully written real-life murder mystery in which strands of the story slowly come together.

Not exactly my thing, but also not wasted time. The book is the diary/narrative of Raney, a young woman recently married and trying to navigate her prudish Baptist upbringing with her husband's more liberal approach to the world.

What a great book on a subject most people avoid! I'll likely revisit this in the future; it was so rich with insight I feel I would get even more on a second reading.

I was interested to "read" this book because it had no words. In the end, I found it strangely disturbing.

A wonderful compendium of poetry based on scripture. Not all poems were devotional--some were quite unspiritual takes on the passages--but I found it a creative supplement to my daily Bible reading.

A detailed account of the newly canonized Saint Romero. This was particularly meaningful for me as I was reading it during a trip to El Salvador to take part in the canonization celebrations. This is not a quick read. Brockman includes excerpts from hundreds of letters and sermons as well as detailed accounts of minor meetings between Romero and bishops, politicians, and friends. This is not an inspirational, light biography of Romero and his war-torn country.

A few good quotes:

Christianity demands, by vocation, the forming of community. The communities must embody the values of the gospel, must be consciously a part of the universal church, and must be a leaven in the world to extend God's kingdom. (p. 194)

How I would like to cry out over all the fields of El Salvador this night the angels' great news: Fear not! A Savior is born! What now seems insoluble, a dead end, God is already marking with a hope. (p. 215, from a Christmas sermon)