A friend of mine recently asked whether I had a list of books “that have been particularly impactful or interesting,” especially in the realm of spirituality and religion—and suggested that if I didn’t already have such a list, I could put one together for one of my next blog posts. It took me a while to actually put the list together, but it’s ended up being a really interesting exercise. Of the forty books that I’ve picked, some have been more influential than others. There’s also a bias toward the recent, and I haven’t shied away from the idiosyncracies of my reading habits (that is, there are plenty of comics and plenty of French books on the list—not to mention at least one French-language comic). Nonetheless, I hope this is helpful to other folks looking for a book to read in these domains!

A few months ago, I began listening to the Radio Télévision Suisse show Babel again; I have an off and on relationship with the show and decided it was time for another on. I was impressed with an interview Siegwalt gave discussing this book and put it on my list. It turned out I could buy it from the Swiss publisher, which offered a flat 5€ shipping fee, even to have it sent here to Kentucky. It’s a very interesting book, one that articulates a need to redefine and rename God there where lived reality and its anxieties meets with tradition and community. I think there’s a lot I can take from it, but it’s also characterized by long sentences and academic French that put my comprehension to the test. I wish I’d read more of it in one go instead of dragging it over six weeks; I might have held onto more of the argument. So, my fourth heart in the rating is probably aspirational, but I think this has a lot to say for the journey Community of Christ is on (and me with it), so I’m confident I’ll come back to it.