An Open Book: July/Aug 2024

Fiction

Who Am I To Judge? by Emily Hanlon

This was a murder mystery with a twist: a priest confesses to the murder, but the protagonist doesn’t believe he’s guilty. Is he covering for someone?

I appreciated that the author presented the church-going characters as less-than-perfect… because we’re all sinners, after all! The main character, Martha, was quite judgmental, but I think it was a good challenge (intended or not) for the reader to question his or her own judgmental tendencies. Am I like Martha?

At times I got confused with the names: Martha, Marya, Maria, that I’d have to stop and remind myself who was who, but that faded as the story went on and the characters developed. There was also a bit at the end where I felt like the B-storyline wasn’t totally wrapped, but maybe that’s going to be covered in the next book, which I plan to read!

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief & Murder by Dianne Freeman

Maybe you’re noticing a theme; I like to read mystery! This is a book I found at the grocery store several years ago. It promised all the things I love: an English countryside, a wedding, a mansion, and murder! When I bought it, I didn’t know it was the 3rd book in a series, but it didn’t seem to matter that I hadn’t read the others.

The main character, Lady Harleigh, is a widow who has fallen in love with a new man and travels to his family’s estate for her sister’s wedding. It’s hard to give too many details without spoiling it, but I didn’t solve it myself and kept wondering, “How are all of these accidents/deaths related?”

Non-Fiction

In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen

This was my second time reading this and I want to read it again and again.

Henri Nouwen has a way of writing that just immediately calms me down. In this book, he opens talking about his transition from teaching at Harvard to living in a community with people with disabilities. He acknowledged how his previous accolades in academic circles meant nothing to the men and women he was now serving.

The book covers the main points of a speech he gave at a conference on Christian leadership. He covered the 3 temptations all leaders (even Jesus) face:

• The temptation to be relevant
• The temptation to be popular
• The temptation to be powerful

It’s a humbling book, but it’s also so freeing because it reminds us that our goal isn’t to be relevant, popular, or powerful. Our goal should be to be in love with and in communion with Jesus, and we need more leaders like that! Any good work that I do comes from God. It’s only if I allow the Holy Spirit to move through me can I truly do God’s work. I’m inspired to fall more deeply in love with Jesus after reading this again.

I especially loved the parts about how one of the Daybreak residents accompanied Henri on his trip to give this speech, and this man ended up sharing a few words on stage after Henri spoke. It was so beautiful and such a great reminder about the dignity of life, regardless of intellect.

I will read this again and again.