Rector's Summer Reading List

Dear friends,

It's time for the once a year summer reading list! The usual disclaimers are in place: I may not read all of these, others may get added, and these books are not necessarily recommendations as I haven't read them yet, so I can't make a recommendation! If you would like to read along and set up a time to chat, please let me know. The list is a mix of fiction and non-fiction this season, although I am most excited about the fiction as I find myself longing to be transported by a good story... so let's dig in and read for fun and faithful learning!

Nancy+

Fiction:

Whale Fall, by Elizabeth O'Connor

"In 1938, a dead whale washes up on the shores of remote Welsh island. For Manod, who has spent her whole life on the island, it feels like both a portent of doom and a symbol of what may lie beyond the island's shores. The arrival of two English ethnographers who hope to study the island culture, then, feels like a boon to her—both a glimpse of life outside her community and a means of escape." Whale Fall won the 2025 Chautauqua Literary Prize. 

The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong 

"Following the cycles of history, memory, and time, The Emperor of Gladness shows the profound ways in which love, labor, and loneliness form the bedrock of American life. At its heart is a brave epic about what it means to exist on the fringes of society and to reckon with the wounds that haunt our collective soul. Hallmarks of Ocean Vuong’s writing—formal innovation, syntactic dexterity, and the ability to twin grit with grace through tenderness—are on full display in this story of loss, hope, and how far we would go to possess one of life’s most fleeting mercies: a second chance."

Atmosphere: A Love Story, by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

"An epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits." As a child I dreamed of being an astronaut, so I am particularly excited about this story and to be reminded of the hope and excitement we had as a country during the manned space flight program. 

Non-fiction:

Something Between Us: The Everyday Walls of American Life, and How to Take them Down by  Anand Pandian  

An anthropologist's quest to understand the deep social and political divides in American society, and the everyday strategies that can overcome them. In 2016, Anand Pandian was alarmed by Donald Trump's harsh attacks on immigrants to the United States, the appeal of that politics of anger and fear. In the years that followed, he crisscrossed the country―from Fargo, North Dakota to Denton, Texas, from southern California to upstate New York―seeking out fellow Americans with markedly different social and political commitments, trying to understand the forces that have hardened our suspicions of others. The result is a groundbreaking and ultimately hopeful exploration of the ruptures in our social fabric, and courageous efforts to rebuild a collective life beyond them.

The Fifth Season: Creativity in the Second Half of Life by Mark Nepo  

Now in his seventies, poet and philosopher Mark Nepo explores the rhythms of aging in the second half of life. As the years go by, the question for each of us becomes more and more real: What does it mean to age? Despite the limitations that come as the body wears down, Mark Nepo believes that there are many gifts to inhabit by aging. So much is gained and so much is shed along the way. The Fifth Season offers Mark’s wise and gentle insights on growing older, helping readers identify the second half of life as a turning point, a time of integration and transformation that guides us in making sense of our experiences. 

Reaching Out: The 3 Movements of the Spiritual Life, by Henry Nouwen

This is a book in 3 parts. Participants will gather on three Wednesdays at 12:30-1:30 pm in the Library over the summer to discuss the sections in order. If you have additional questions, please see The Window for more information.