David W. Swanson

Pastor and Author

On the Night Stand

Later this summer our family is taking a week vacation where our primary activities will be cooking, napping and reading.  I’m interested in what books you’d recommend I bring; I’m especially interested in fiction as I read far too few novels.

Malcolm X: A Life Of Reinvention by Manning MarbleI’m coming to the end of Manning Marble’s fantastic new biography of Malcolm X.  It’s a large book built on two decades of research and I’ve learned so much about this iconic figure, along with the context that was so influential in his life and work.

Parker Palmer’s small book, Let Your Life Speak, has been my weekly day-off reading for the past few weeks.  I’ve found myself referencing the book in multiple conversations and this will be a resource I recommend to those thinking about vocation, calling, career, etc.

Two books await some upcoming time away from work.  I’ve enjoyed Alan Jacobs’ essays and have been anticipating his latest, The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction.  For my birthday last week Maggie gave me How to Write a Sentence by Stanley Fish, a book that promises to be far more interesting than the title suggests.  (Unless you’re the sort who notices the ways words are stacked together.  You know who you are.)

Lastly, my sister and brother-in-law gave me a subscription to The New York Review of Books that should begin arriving any day.  I have a thing about rotating magazine subscriptions yearly so this replaces The Believer which I thoroughly enjoyed, mostly for its utterly unpredictable but always intriguing content.

David Swanson

3 responses to “On the Night Stand”

  1. AM Avatar
    AM

    I have been enjoying the short stories of Jhumpa Lahiri. I read the collection “Interpreter of Maladies” early this year and am now reading ” Unaccustomed Earth”. I will take a pause from it after Grandma takes me to the library today to get more fifth grade books. I had started “Let the Great World Spin” (Philippe Petit and his walk between the twin towers somehow connects the characters) and was loving it, but paused when I found out I was teaching 5th grade and dove into kids books. I loved the writing. Anything I can get at the library here for you? We are going today. Can’t wait to have you all here!

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  2. John Kotte Avatar
    John Kotte

    Anything by Dickens, but I especially recommend Pickwick Papers or David Copperfield.

    Reply
  3. Janice Avatar
    Janice

    I just finished reading a book by Ian Brown called The Boy in the Moon, A Father’s journey to Understand His Extraordinary Son.
    Mr. Brown writes about his son Walker who has a rare genetic condition called Cardio-Facio-Cutaneous Syndrome. Only about 120 people have CFC. Some of the symptoms may include heart defects, neurological, visual or feeding problems as well as developmental delays. Mr. Brown is blunt in writing about the difficulties raising Walker. He challenges readers to consider how they perceive and relate to people with a disability. He asks ethical questions and shares ideas of how we can include people with a disability in our lives.

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