Summer is just around the corner. Vacation time? Taking a book with you? Reading is a true privilege. How small my world would be if my teachers had not taught me to read.

I’m often asked about my reading habits and what I read.

One word fits my reading habits best – eclectic.

First things

First thing every morning, I carry a cup of freshly brewed coffee to a chair near my bedroom window, beginning this part of my day reading the Holy Scriptures and offering first prayers in the same way Dixie and I have done for years.

After a time of meditation, cherishing the Good News, I glance through my online version of the Seattle Times for the Bad News, just to be sure we are all still here in the world as we know it.

Since I write fiction as well as nonfiction, I read both general fiction and religious, usually just before retiring in the late evening. It’s relaxing and one of the ways I am able to observe writing styles and storytelling techniques.

I read to see how other writers and authors have crafted their art.

I read to understand what I don’t understand.

I read to know people and the world I live in.

I read to enrich my spiritual life.

And I read for the absolute joy of reading.

Here is a list of books I’ve read in the past year. It’s best to view this as more of a confessional than a recommendation. Some were very good. Other not so much. And a few I left out altogether. These are not necessarily “religious” and are not particularly recommended. They are just what I’ve been reading of late.

Fiction

The Valley (The Valley Trilogy Book 1): A Novel, by Bryan, Helen

The Eleventh Hour: A Novel, by Catherine Coulter

All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel, by Doerr, Anthony

The Last Man: A Novel, by Vince Flynn

The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax: A Novel, (a reread of the first in older series of 14), by Gilman, Dorothy

The First Hostage: A Novel, by Rosenberg, Joel C.

The Third Target: A Novel, by Rosenberg, Joel C.

Gray Mountain: A Novel, by Grisham, John

Non-Fiction

The Holy Bible: various versions

John: The Gospel of Wisdom, by Card, Michael

The Gift of Years, by Joan Chittister

The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton, by Horan, Daniel P.

Poustinia: Encountering God in Silence, Solitude and Prayer, by Doherty, Catherine

The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation, by Dreher, Rod

The Miracle Morning for Writers, by Elriodm, Hal

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, by Godin, Seth

The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing, by Jeff Goins

The Wonder of Aging: A New Approach to Embracing Life After Fifty, by Gurian, Michael

When Breath Becomes Air, by Kalanithi, Paul

The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask, by Mittelberg, Mark

Heartbroken: Healing from the Loss of a Spouse, by Roe, Gary

The Eight Core Principles, by Rohr, Richard

A few favorites

Falling Upward by Richard Rohr101 Famous Poems edited by Roy J. Cook

G. K. Chesterton: Apostle of Common Sense by Dale Ahlquist

The Eight Core Principles, by Rohr, Richard

The First Hostage: A Novel, by Rosenberg, Joel C.

The Third Target: A Novel, by Rosenberg, Joel C.

Looking ahead to this summer

Early Christian Writings: The Apostolic Fathers (Classics), by Louth, Andrew; Staniforth, Maxwell

In Farleigh Field: A Novel of World War !!, by Bowen, Ryys

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, by Cain, Susan

Growing Old in Christ by Hauerwas, Stanley

Breach of Trust: A Novel by Mills, DiAnn

Aging as a Spiritual Practice by Richmond, Lewis

And who knows what other gems there are yet to be discovered, polished, read, and enjoyed?

I am told somewhere between 600,000 and 1,000,000 books are published each year. That being said, I’m sure I’ve missed out on some good ones.

So, tell me, what are you reading this summer?