A Few Good Books

Books I’ve read (or finished) thus far in 2014.

My Elder: Joseph the Hesychast by Elder Ephraim of Philotheou: I don’t think my feeble words will do justice to this great book and I know they won’t do justice to the person of Elder Joseph.

I read this book (over 700 pages) in just one month because I couldn’t put it down. I had read the Greek version years ago, but the English version has much more detail. I am at a loss for words to describe it. Elder Joseph is clearly a great saint of the Church; his asceticism, prayer, fasting, vigils are all described in the book but so are his love, his tears, his wisdom, his suffering on behalf of others. His spiritual counsel is so enlightening that, in my opinion, it confirms that he was in perfect communication with Christ because his words are not just for monastics, but laypeople too. The Gospel was written for all Christians, not just monastics, and I believe Elder Joseph’s spiritual advice is as applicable to laymen as it is to monks. If you don’t own a copy of this book order one as soon as you can.

May we have the Elder’s blessing!

Community of Grace by Mary Alice Cook: This book tells the story of a community centered in Eagle River, Alaska, made up of individuals who, despite setting out on many and various paths in life, somehow manage to come together as one in St. John the Evangelist Orthodox Cathedral. The writing and story-weaving were great, but I was left wanting to know more about the Orthodox elements of life in Alaska rather than the conversion stories of the members of St. John’s.

Λόγια Καρδίας (Words from the Heart) by Gertonissa Macrina: Since it takes me about ten times as long to read a book in Greek as it does to read it in English, this book has been on my nightstand for about a year, but I finally finished it. I have posted a number of my amateur translations of this work on the blog and even given a talk based on the biographical information of Gerontissa Macrina provided in this book.

Reading of Gerontissa’s continual trials and yet her great commitment to follow Christ produced a healthy dose of self-loathing in me at times. The life and words of a saint, such as Abbess Macrina, can at times inspire us to try harder, while at other times they make us want to crawl under a rock and admit: “My soul’s dignity I have enslaved to the passions; I am become like the beasts and have no power to lift mine eyes unto the Most High” (Stichera, Holy Friday).

The lives of the saints not only reveal to us that it is possible to become holy, they can also reveal to us what we are lacking, and this isn’t a bad thing, in fact it can be very helpful. When we compare ourselves to the holiness of the saints, especially in regards to how they conduct themselves in the midst of trials and tribulations, we can challenge ourselves to act in similar ways, to imitate their courage and conviction, and perhaps most importantly of all, we can be humbled enough to bow our heads and say, “with my head bowed low, O Christ, I pray to Thee as did the Publican, O God be merciful to me and save me” (Stichera, Holy Friday).

This book is currently being translated into English.

Close to Home by Molly Sabourin: I had wanted to read this book for some time and am so pleased I finally got my hands on it. It’s a delightful book, targeted to mothers or expectant mothers, but its insights and thought-provoking commentary on a life with children are enough to intrigue any reader regardless of whether one has children. Molly’s honest description of her struggles, worries, and concerns provoke the reader into reflecting on his or her own battles and it’s encouraging to know these struggles are common. Close to Home reminds us we’re striving together to attain sanctity through the ups and downs of everyday life, and so I highly recommend this book.

The Curious Incident of the Dog at Nighttime by Mark Haddon: I chose to read this book as a part of a project I did for school and I really enjoyed it. It is very enlightening and gives the reader an intimate look into the world of a young man who could be labeled, on the one hand, as having asperger’s syndrome, and on the other as being a genius. It also offers insight into the complex emotions a person goes through, and how social isolation can result when someone experiences difficulties connecting emotionally.

Follow Me  by Bishop Augoustinos of Florina: I posted a few excerpts from this excellent book in the past few months. Although it is written as an aid to missionaries (those who share the Gospel at home and abroad), I consider it an incredibly resourceful Gospel commentary. I learned so much and was so inspired I can honestly say it was hard for me to put the book down some nights and go to bed.

In this book, Bishop Augoustinos – not only wise on spiritual matters – demonstrates his knowledge of influential historical and political figures as well. Along with lots of quotations from the Holy Fathers, Bishop Augoustinos quotes such people as Gandhi, Dante, and Napoleon (this latter figure quite a bit, actually).

It just so happened that during Holy Week the section of Follow Me I was reading corresponded to each theme of the day. When we were remembering Christ’s betrayal by Judas in the church services, I was reading Bishop Augoustinos contemporary on him. When we were singing about St. Peter’s denials, I was reading about them in the book. Although the hymns always bring the events of Holy Week to life, reading Bishop Augoutinos’ commentary enhanced their reality by filling out the details.

I cannot recommend this book enough.

The McGunnegal Chronciles: Into a Strange Land (Book I) by Ben Anderson: I heard an interview with the authour on Ancient Faith Radio and I was immediately intrigued. A few weeks later I saw that the kindle version was on sale for 1 dollar and I snatched it up; I’ve always loved fantasy books.

(Fun fact: After my BA I was planning on doing a MA in Literature and Theology to study the fantasy genre and it’s connection to Christianity, like the Inklings & co (back then studies on the Inklings weren’t as prominent as today). I was hoping to focus on George MacDonald because he is my favourite fantasy authour. We moved to South Korea to teach English instead…)

Ασκητές Mέσα στον Kόσμο (Ascetics in the World) complied by an athonite monk: I am currently reading this book. It is volume one of two volumes of stories about holy, ascetical people who not only lived in the world but lived within the last one hundred years or so. I am really enjoying this book and hope to post a few amateur translations now and again. To my knowledge this book is not translated into English, but it should be.

Elder Ambrose: Optina Elders Series by Fr. Sergius Chetverikov: I am also reading this book currently. I’m over hundred pages in or so and it’s great. The only complaint I have thus far is that the authour will break off writing about St. Ambrose now and again to speak at length about St. Macarius and St. Leonid (the elders before Elder Ambrose). The information is all wonderful but I would prefer to read about them in their own books and read about St. Ambrose in his. With the exception of Elder Barsaniphius, I have not yet read the Optina Elders, but we have four of the seven books in the series so I will hopefully get a number of them read in the near future. I’ve had them recommended to me many times but they weren’t available in Thessaloniki (in English, at least) so we waited to get them once we were back to Canada.

Voyage to the Rock by Fr. Matthew Penney: (I saved the best for last). Although I read this book in its various stages of development once I had my very own paperback copy I opened it up one Saturday afternoon and couldn’t put it down until I finished it once again (I think it was like a day or two later).

The book’s target audience is middle to young adult but it is possibly the best mystery/ adventure I’ve ever read. The writing is excellent, the characters are real and genuine, the plot is enthralling, and best of all it presupposes an Orthodox worldview – illustrating that all the magic, miracles and adventure we dreamed of as children really do exist in Orthodoxy. No matter your age you will definitely love this book. You can visit the website here and read views on here on Amazon and here on Goodreads.

What have you been reading?