What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-The Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England by Daniel Pool

If you are a fan of 19th Century British Literature, as I am, you may find this book helpful in understanding such things as why marrying for money and not love was so important and why rich Londoners would venture to the country in the summer or why the workhouse was as bad if not worse than the prison. While I did borrow this book from the library, I could see myself referring to this often if it sat upon my bookshelf.

How the Reformation Happened by Hilaire Belloc

Hilaire Belloc sets up all the events leading to the Reformation. Unlike what most American textbooks tell us, Belloc believes that, among other things, it was hatred toward the clergy due to abuse and corruption that led to what he calls the "Flood of Revolt." Belloc explains in detail the people and events occuring in Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Scotland and England that helped the Reformation happen in the 16th Century.

At 180 pages, it would appear to be a short read. However, I found it chock full of information that I had to digest in small bites.

Life in a Jewish Family: Her Unfinished Autobiographical Account (Collected Works of Edith Stein, Vol 1)

This is the autobiography of Edith Stein, a Catholic convert, who would later be known as St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Edith, the youngest of eleven children, grew up in a family that was lukewarm to their Jewish faith. While attending college, she became fascinated with Husserl and his idea of phenomenology. She became his student and received her doctorate based on her thesis “On the Problem of Empathy.” Later she converted to the Catholic faith after reading St. Teresa of Avila's autobiography.

The Importance of Being Foolish - How to Think Like Jesus by Brennan Manning

After reading this book, I can see why Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical , has been influenced by his writing. Brennan Manning has the ability to flesh out Jesus in a way I hadn’t quite seen before. He has shown me how Jesus thinks from the heart. It is a different perspective and it has given me several “Aha!” moments.

The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical

What happens when you put a guy from Tennessee in a suburban Philadelphia college? You get a "yankified" guy on fire for serving the "least of these." The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical is a story about Shane Claiborne and his spiritual journey from Tennessee to Philadelphia to India and to Iraq. His story is told in a down to earth, no nonsense way. It is a way in which you feel like you've known him for ages. Shane shares about the people, places and moments that have transformed his life. In sharing these life changing moments with us, Shane changes the lives of those who read this book.

Quaker Summer

Heather Curridge has everything - a large house with an in ground pool, a husband who is a doctor and a darling son who attends a private school. But does she really have everything? Quaker Summer is a story about suburbia and the drive to be accepted by everyone. In the process of gaining acceptance in her social circle, she loses herself. She fills her time with shopping sprees and then feels guilty about her purchases once she is home. She justifies her spending by giving away her "old" items, like deck furniture, to her friends.

Then events happen in Heather's life that challenge the way she thinks and acts. She starts to see that there really is more to her life than shopping. She reaches out to others by serving the poor, the drug addicted, the alcoholics, the lonely and the homeless. The void that Heather was trying to reach by shopping is now filled by serving. Quaker Summer will leave you feeling blessed and inspired to serve the "least of these." There is no excuse to avoid God's calling if He has tapped you on the shoulder after reading this book. Lisa Sansom, the author, had the foresight to add a list of places to volunteer at the end of the book.