42 Comments
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Kay Bonikowsky's avatar

Sorry, I couldn't read past jalapeno limeade. 😂 Is this a mix!? You make it yourself? K, now going back to finish the article.

Kristin Du Mez's avatar

Ha, I should have included a link—Trader Joe’s!

Kay Bonikowsky's avatar

Ty! Great list, bought some and library holded others. I've been reading through Carol Gilligan's books on the initiation into patriarchy. Her studies are eye opening!

Diane Roth's avatar

Too many books!!

Susie Richardson's avatar

As if I didn't already have a stack of "to-be-read" books ... Still ... thanks.

Marla Taviano's avatar

Okay I’m buying Born Again Queer immediately. I’ve been reading The Unhappy Gays (Tim LaHaye, 1978) and making art from it to show the hypocrisy and ridiculousness behind evangelical homophobia. So. Much. Harm.

Kristin Du Mez's avatar

The Unhappy Gays—a classic!

Marla Taviano's avatar

The number of times I’ve yelled out loud at a dead Tim LaHaye from my couch. 😅

Twila Finkelstein's avatar

I read "Tim La Haye" and had a guttural reaction (I'll spare you details)

Marla Taviano's avatar

I’m so sorry 😅

Twila Finkelstein's avatar

Thanks. I found the Pepto and anti-acids. I will live. cortisol levels still high.

Marla Taviano's avatar

Related: I wrote a book about sex in 2007 as a conservative evangelical Christian and I reread it a few months ago for research and filled a wine glass with Pepto bismol and snapped a photo as a joke, but the nausea wasn’t a joke. 🤢

Charles Meadows's avatar

How am I supposed to get my biblical studies reading and translating done when you and Beth keep recommending all these books?? Katie Gaddini's was absolutely fantastic. Greg Garrett's and Zach Wagner's have been on my radar... And William Stell - I remember being impressed by his talk at a panel you moderated at AAR-SBL - maybe on Isaac Sharp's book? I think when it's all said and done your substack will have been a big factor in a lot of us changing our minds about LGBT folks, seeking a posture of kindness and opting to place goodness above doctrinal rigor - this is virtue - yes? Hopefully Zach Wagner will agree. Hope you have a relaxing summer before the book tour madness begins!🌞🍹

Kristin T. Lee's avatar

Thank you so much for including We Mend with Gold here, Kristin! I’ve been so moved to hear how it has connected with readers and hope it finds its way to those who need it to help on this journey of reconstruction and decolonization.

Kristin Du Mez's avatar

I hope it keeps finding its readers!

Lori Z.'s avatar

Thank you for this one too Kristen, it definitely grabbed my attention.

Camden Morgante's avatar

I love so much how you feature smaller-platformed authors and are so generous to share your recommendations and endorsements. Thank you so much!

Kristin Du Mez's avatar

Early on, I noticed how people with big platforms tended to promote other people with big platforms. Theyre the ones who need it least! It’s really hard to break through the noise right now, but sometimes people with quieter voices have the most valuable things to say.

Camden Morgante's avatar

And I so admire and respect you for this.

Good Trouble's avatar

Thank you, Kristin! Grateful for you and for your work!

Rosanne Lopers-Sweetman's avatar

Is bestseller Yesteryear on your pile of reading material? Is there reality in all that fakery? I will maybe answer the question once I have your book in my hands

Kristin Du Mez's avatar

I already read it! I’ll do a post on it soon.

Lori Z.'s avatar

That looks really good. On my list to read! Thanks for that.

Chelsea Kim Long's avatar

Zach Wagner's book is on my radar after hearing him on the Holy Post! As someone who thinks a ton about how the church can so negatively impact women, the other side of the coin is of course toxic masculinity...and we NEED Christians helping men cast a vision for true godly masculinity.

And I read Live Laugh Love partly on the beach in Costa Rica, so yes, any book can be a beach read if you try hard enough!

mmeforte's avatar

The Donner book is so good. I do love a story of unknown heroism and bravery in the face of a seemingly unbeatable opponent.

Ruth's avatar

Yes, I love hearing about these unsung heroines. I Would love to read her story of bravery.

Lori Z.'s avatar

I already have What Grows in Weary Lands, I love Tish's books. She's a great writer. Golden Child looks really interesting as well, so that will go on my list. Thank you for all of these. I will likely add more as the summer moves on.

Norma Prina Murphy's avatar

I'm leaving Friday and (not having seen this) finished packing my 'entertainment bag' a few hours ago. Will be finishing Spirit of Justice and then hitting Jesus and John Wayne. Thanks to you both in advance!

Kristin Du Mez's avatar

Good choices!

Barbara's avatar

Thank you for your book list! I had to google info. on Jalapeno limeade🙃. I'm reading two interesting books right now. 'The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader' by Melissa Murray is perfect for a bookclub. Self-education is a form of resistance. I'm lucky to be reading The U.S. Constitution with a group. I'm also reading 'The End of Violence: Eliminating the World's Most Dangerous Epidemic' by Dr. Gary Slutkin. I am finding that 'The End of Violence' provides a hopeful new paradigm (seeing violence through the lens of epidemiology) for finding ways to end violence. The bad news is there are too many good books to read--the great news is we will never run out! 😊

Jonathan Brownson's avatar

That's enough to give me quite a sunburn....

Rebecca Stultz's avatar

Most of these I have read of before, and several have previously been added to my overly long want-to-read lists. Thank you for telling us about Mildred Harnack, someone I too have never heard of. That book will be added to my history list.

This month I finished:

* On MIndful Democracy: A Declaration of Interdependence to Mend a Fractured World by Jeremy Engels (favorite line: "Democracy is a practice.")

* Nature Poems to See By with graphic illustrations by Julian Peters (for a poem every day)

* The Wedding People: A Novel by Alison Espach for book club.

On my stack for the summer:

* finishing Ehrman's How Jesus Became God (less than a 100 pages to go)

* finishing Eliot Coleman's The Self-Made Farm and Garden: A Return to the Roots of Organic Gardening.

* a skimming reread of The Parable of the Sower for a "talk about" with a daughter and my son

* the young adult novel In an Instant by Suzanne Redfern for August book club

* On Courage: How to Be a Dissident in an Age of Fear by Julia Angwin, a library request

* if time allows, How to Resist Amazon and Why by Danny Caine and another novel of my own choosing.

Michelle Harrington's avatar

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Kristin! I’m leading adult ed at my church this fall, and “needed a word” re: our “queer Christianities” module—I opened my email to learn of William Stell (and many other relevant new books). Grateful for the introductions!