The books that shaped Ginger

I recommended this to Traci Thomas on episode 162 of WSIRN. This true story reads like a thriller; it begins and ends with a prison escape. What journalist Hampton Sides does is tell both sides of the story. You get what happened from the point of view of MLK Jr. and from the point of view of James Earl Ray, who called himself Eric Galt at the time that he became a follower of George Wallace and traveled to Memphis in 1968. This is a period of time that a lot of people know was extremely important; they feel like they know a lot about it because it's part of our nation's history, but Sides writes about how you don't really know what happened or why it matters. Hampton Sides himself narrates the Audible version.
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Ginger says: This is the book that made my faith my own. Buechner was a Christian minister, but unlike any spiritual thinker I’ve ever come across. His novels and memoirs and sermons are irreverent reverence. They’re fresh and literary. This slim essay made me “listen to my life” for the echoes of the gospel that are as large in theme as any tragedy, comedy, or fairy tale I’d ever read… and then some.
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Ginger says: I used to write off poetry as a genre that was not for me. It’s hard sometimes to understand, and … to be honest a little pretentious a lot of the time. But somehow sitting under Malcolm Guite at an arts and literature conference, poetry came alive for me and what I’d perceived as pretension was more mystery, which is the rich gift of poetry with its perfect tension of sparse and florid language. Guite has several books of his own poetry, as well as anthologies that are practically a master class in poetry itself. In this anthology, Guite selects a different poet per day for the advent and Christmas season, then gives two or three short pages analyzing the poem. This is my favorite of his collection, but he has various anthologies for other holidays and seasons of life.
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In Audrey Niffenegger's cinematic debut, an art student falls in love with a librarian. So far, so good. But they met when Clare was six and Henry was 36, and they married when Clare was 23 and Henry 31. Henry travels through time, forward and back, unwillingly, unpredictably. In her love story Niffenegger explores what this jarring disruption does to a man, to a marriage, to a family.
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Often cited as C. S. Lewis's greatest work, here he retells the myth of Cupid and Psyche. Lewis said he was haunted by the source material all his life, because he was struck by how illogical some of the main characters' actions were. By recasting the myth as the tale of two mortal princesses caught in a love triangle, he explores devotion and loss, dedication and betrayal, and the different ways we can love. To hear more about this book, listen to What Should I Read Next episode 27, "Books good enough to make you turn off the tv (even if you love tv)," in which Kendra Adachi names this a lifetime favorite novel.
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Buckle Up!

It’s almost time for the Summer Reading Guide. Order now and plan to join us on May 15th for Unboxing—the best book party of the year!

summer reading starts May 16th

Grab your Summer Reading Guide and join us for the best book party of the year!