Intriguing Reading Lately....

My reading has been rather eclectic lately. I didn't manage to finish Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis during Lent. I found it somewhat repetitious and a little annoying -- not sure why. Kempis seemed rather legalistic in his application to the Scriptures, and legalism tends to raise my hackles rather fiercely. I've put it aside to read at a later date after getting close to halfway through it.

However, I've been savouring every word of C.S. Lewis' autobiographical Surprised by Joy which I have to finish for Sunday's Logos meeting after church. I'm really enjoying this slow walk (it seems slow to me, anyway, in comparison to other books I'll be discussing further down in this post) through Lewis' childhood and schooling (where I currently am, about 25% through) and his thoughts and flights of imagination are fascinating. A real treat of a book, but definitely one that must be digested, not ripped through.

Speaking of ripping through a book, it's been eons since I read an entire book within 24 hours, but I did so this weekend. On Thursday I spotted Mary Higgins Clark's newest mystery Just Take My Heart at Target and made a mental note to locate it at the library. I discovered a crisp new copy on our library's New Releases shelf on Friday afternoon and snatched it up; I was the first reader of this particular copy. I started it late Friday evening in the spa, and by Saturday evening, I had finished it. For a little while, her books seemed rather formulaic and I could figure them out quite early, but her last three or four books broke with her earlier formula and are quite different. I enjoyed this one greatly, and it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat all the way to the final chapter. A great read.

So now I'm back to the book I had started just before discovering Mary Higgins Clark's newest offering -- I picked up a battered copy of the Da Vinci Code for a dime at the library a while back, and I thought I'd reread it. The Church history is so off it's laughable, but it is a good read and one that kept me on the edge of my seat. I started reading a few scenes in the middle for fun, but then decided to read it all the way through again, and I'm enjoying it even more so this time. With a sequel coming out in mid-September and a film version of Brown's earlier Angels and Demons coming soon to theatres, perhaps it is a good time to revisit Da Vinci Code.

I'm still very, very slowly plugging away at The Family Cloister; it's a great book but it always seems to wander to the bottom of my book stack. There's a lot to think about and apply with this wonderful book that applies the Rule of Benedict to modern family life. I heartily recommend it and just wish I had more time to devote to it.

So that's what I'm reading lately. What about you? I'm always on the lookout for book recommendations.