SCHULZ AND PEANUTS: A Biography
David Michaelis
From the publisher: “Charles Schulz’s cartoons have a profound depth and resonance that touched the soul of modern America. The author now explains why. The brilliance of the Peanuts gang is rooted in the life and emotions of its creator. With great research and sensitivity, Michaelis takes us on a wondrous journey through the worlds of Charlie Brown and Charles Schulz.”
From me: I was surprised to actually learn some things I didn’t know by reading this thick book. (Definition of “thick”: This tome is the reason I only got through four books in this four-month period.) Some of the personal revelations that found their way into the comic strip were semi-amazing, including Schulz clearly (once you know the behind-the-scenes story) admitting to switching his affections from his first wife to others along the way to his second wife. Mind blown.
Page 56/Sentence 5: Years later, he would remember his teacher’s astonishment as she stood behind him, marveling that “Charles,” alone among his classmates, had taught himself to evoke ice not as a glittering surface but as a solid mass.
WEIRD: Because Normal Isn’t Working
Craig Groeschel
“Journey with author and pastor Craig Groeschel as he shares a Christ-centered philosophy, on everything from money to scheduling to purity, that will help you break out of the normal rut and live according to the rhythms of God’s grace and the truth of his Word.”
I truly enjoyed reading this. Yes, I am weird in my own way, and found myself secretly smug at being able to say “I know” about some of the chapters. But then there were those sections that held a mirror up to my face and made me realize I’m way more normal than I’d like to think. The challenge, as always, is to take those sections to heart and let the Lord keep working on me.
56/5: The white clouds seemed to be painted across the deep-blue sky.
A CHANGE OF HEART: A Harmony Novel
Philip Gulley
“Join Quaker Sam Gardner in his fifth year as pastor of Harmony Friends Meeting, where members must face the fragility of life, realize the resilience of family, and embrace the human ability to forgive.”
This book is more fun than the publisher’s description above might make you think. But in the same breath, there IS plenty of thought-provoking truth to be had here, too: “She isn’t the type to say ‘I told you so’ and rub it in, though she did have a self-satisfied smile that set him on edge.” Okay...that’s more funny than profound, but trust me, Gulley has some things to say about the human condition within his tale.
56/5: Instead, people gathered in the church basement, in the bosom of family and friends, eating chicken and noodles, profoundly grateful for having dodged death’s bullet.
ADORNING THE DARK: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making
Andrew Peterson
“Andrew Peterson believes that God calls us to proclaim the gospel and the coming kingdom using whatever gifts are at our disposal. This book is both a memoir of [his] journey and a handbook for anyone interested in imitating the way the Creator interacts with his creation, written in the hope that his story will provide encouragement to others stumbling along in pursuit of a calling to adorn the dark with the light of Christ.”
Having gained a sizable appreciation for Peterson from reading The Wingfeather Saga, I eagerly dove into this memoir-ish meditation. It’s full of useful insights like “If you don’t know what a lock-in is, then be grateful. It’s an all-nighter for a church youth group and is one of the things that is wrong with the world,” (HAHA!) but also liberally populated with self-effacement and drop-jaw beauty. THIS IS NOT JUST FOR CREATIVE TYPES. Or rather, Andrew would tell you that we are ALL creative...you know...like our Father.
56/5: I framed the drawing and hung it on the wall by the front door, in a place where I’d see it every time I left the house.
