What is the FPCH Staff Reading?
Author: Anne Vial
June 04, 2020
Whether we make it to the beach this summer or are still
hunkered down at home, nothing beats reaching for a good book to help us
reflect, to rouse our spirits, to give us a laugh, or to make us feel connected
to worlds nearby and far away. With the simple instruction “Tell us what you’re
reading,” the FPCH staff has shared books they are studying or relaxing with,
and now we share them with you.
Nancy Ruth Wainwright, Director of Children’s Choirs,
answered the call first, so I’ll begin with her. In her first response, Nancy
Ruth said, “I am presently reading
Deception
Point by Dan Brown and have just finished
Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen (for the 15th or 20th time – I love this book, especially
for a few minutes’ reading before sleeping).” Before all the
other responses were in, she’d finished Dan Brown and moved onto
My
Grandfather’s Blessing, also by Rachel Remen, and is rereading Louise
Penny’s mystery series featuring Chief Inspector Gamache.
I,
Anne Vial, Office Administrator, have also
returned to Louise Penny’s mysteries, using the stay-at-home order as an excuse
to start the series over from the beginning. The stories are surprisingly
thoughtful; God even shows up a few times. I am also rereading
Foucault’s
Pendulum, a novel by Umberto Eco. Eco spreads philosophy and arcane
knowledge of the occult thickly onto a plot that bears a slight resemblance to
The
DaVinci Code by Dan Brown.
In addition to wading through reams of regulations and
recommendations in response to COVID-19,
Barb Sewell, longtime Director
of the First Presbyterian Preschool, is reading
Your Perfect Year by Charlotte Lucas. What happens when a middle-aged
businessman starts following instructions in the diary of an unknown stranger?
Barb will have to let us know!
Marisa
McGovern, who
is taking on the directorship of the Preschool as Barb transitions into
retirement, is a busy mom with not much downtime for her own reading. She says,
“my current reading life seems to be consumed by read-alouds to my children and
then articles, news reports, recommendations and guidelines.” She has recently
read a
New York Times article titled “Navigating the Wilds of Maternal
Love,” written by her friend Maggie Master. Marisa said, “In these challenging
times, more than ever, the power of maternal love is recognized.” Marisa sent a
wonderful list of her kids’ read-alouds – ask her for recommendations! I am
glad to hear that her sixth grader is devouring the Harry Potter series.
There
can never be too much Harry Potter in your life, agrees our Director of Youth
and Family Ministries,
Gabrielle Heimerling. Gab has just finished
rereading the series. On her nightstand, she also has a truly eclectic set of
books to consume:
The Whurl Story Bible,
Autism Discussion Pages, books on Enneagram personality mapping, and some good solid fiction, including
The
Furies by Katie Lowe and novels by the always refreshing Jane Austen. From
the sound of things, she’ll need another nightstand soon.
Ed Hess, Community Caseworker, is reading history.
For political history, he’s got Michael Beschloss’s
Presidents of War,
covering U.S. leadership from 1807 through the Vietnam War. For cultural
history, Ed is reading
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young by David Browne. He didn’t say so, but I’d bet Ed is also
listening to that band’s songs, which famously comment on the unsettled times
of the late ‘60s and ‘70s.
I
told Minister of Music
Peter Leibensperger that I counted a musical
score as a book, and he wrote the following: “Right now I found myself
returning to the score of Gustav Mahler's
Kindertotenlieder, and
listening primarily to the first movement,
Nun will die Sonn' so hell
aufgeh'n. This piece is filled with anguish and profound pain as you
hear a parent who lost their child during the night try in vain to find comfort
in the rising sun. I hear it as an expression of the collective pain that we
are all feeling right now.” Follow Peter’s links to a recording of Mahler’s
piece:
Piano Reduction/Recording, a translation of the text:
Translation, and Peter's own analysis of the
music:
Analysis.
Many of us need the comfort of music right now. Art and
beauty, too. You can tell from Organist
Mark Cole’s list that he is
finding beauty and peace in his garden. His book list:
A Way to Garden,
by Margaret Roach;
On Flowers, by Amy Merrick;
Secret Houses of
the Cotswolds, by Jeremy Musson;
Nature into Art (The Gardens of
Wave Hill), by Thomas Christopher;
The New American Herbal, by Stephen
Orr; and
On Garden Style, by Bunny Williams. Mark clearly comes
indoors sometimes where he is reading
Transforming Paris (The Life and
Labors of Baron Haussmann), by David P. Jordan;
The Other Side of
the Coin (The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe), by Angela Kelly; and
The
Little French Bistro, by Nina George.
I
happen to know that Financial Secretary
Kris Bean is also spending time
in her garden. But she finds time for reading, too. Her choice right now is
Last
Day by Luanne Rice. The novel satisfies her preference for crime and
mystery stories. This book has all that and good family drama, too.
Rebecca
Mannion,
Receptionist, has a good balance of thoughtful and escapist in her reading
choices. She wrote in that she is reading, “
The Meaning of Marriage, by
Timothy Keller – Pastor Timothy Keller uses passages from the Bible to explain
the principles of marriage; and
The Stranger, by Harlen Corban – a crime
thriller that focuses on the secrets people keep and the strange ways they
react when they think those secrets might be exposed.”
Our
newest staff member, Pastor
Nikki Passante, is fitting some challenging
and thoughtful reading in between Zoom meetings. Nikki is rereading
The
Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and
The Story of Dietrich
Bonhoeffer: Radical Integrity, by Michael Van Dyke. We look forward to
benefitting from Nikki’s ruminations on the faith of a man committed to
bringing light into truly dark times.
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