Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Dandelionlady

Home
About

Home
Pagan
Books I Read This Month: July

Books I Read This Month: July

Last updated on: July 24, 2017 at 9:28 am by Melissa Hill

Books I Read This Month: July 2017-07-24T09:28:02-04:00 Melissa Hill

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

So what have you been reading, Dear reader? Here’s what I’ve been working on, in no particular order, just as I happen to write about them.

The New Moon’s Arms by Nalo Hopkinson This one is a fiction novel written by one of my new favorite authors. I have loved everything I’ve read of hers. It’s set in modern day Caribbean islands and is about this menopausal woman who begins to have magic finding powers. It’s not only so funny (especially if you or anyone you know is going through The Change) it’s written by a black woman about a black woman and her family. So so good. That fact that it’s written by a POC is pretty much icing on the most excellent cake. I read it in a day and it was a breath of fresh air between more scholarly tasks.

A classical still life painting of scattered books and papers on a desk.

Jan Davidsz. de Heem [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Miasma by Robert Parker So, I got this one out of interlibrary loan. This means I only get it for two months, which is not enough. I had only made it through three chapters when it was due back! So with my husband’s encouragement I spent a marathon five hours one Saturday reading the whole thing and taking copious notes. I’m slowly putting up all the notes over on my Patreon account and trying to really process what everything I read might mean for my own personal purification practice and for larger purification works. This book is really just a beginning, I need to look cross culturally and will be looking for more scholarly works on purification and spiritual pollution.

Harley Quinn Vol 2: Power Outage by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti Okay so I have weaknesses. Some people are weirdly obsessed with football or LuLaRoe Leggings. I have a weakness for superheroes and when I was younger than I am now I was particularly obsessed with Batman: The Animated Series. So if you are not well versed in Batman lore and knowledge, I will tell you there was a writer for that show named Paul Dini who created a character that became amazing. Harley Quinn. People do a lot of things with Harley, and I’m sure she likes some of them more than others. I didn’t love the movie. The Joker is her origin story, not her ending, at least in my little corner of reality. I like this comic because it captures her true Neutral Neutral nature very well, and I have a bit of a thing for the whole Poison Ivy and Harley dynamic and love story. What can I say? She’s a powerful bisexual woman, it’s kinda awesome!

The Healing Wisdom of Africa, by Malidoma Patrice Somé. I got this one as part of a reading list for an upcoming class on diversity training that I am hoping to take, and because I occasionally have Hermione like tendencies I started reading it before class. I am liking it ever so much. The author is of the Dagara people in Burkina Faso in Africa. I had to go look on a map to find it. It’s north of Ghana in West Africa. He was raised in a western style boarding school, away from his village and family, but eventually goes back to his home. This book is his attempt to share and explain the wisdom of his village and native culture to a western mind, because he is in the rare spot where he understands both cultures. I think he’s pretty amazing, considering what he describes reminds me a lot of what Native Americans had to go through when their children were forcibly taken and “educated”. I haven’t finished this one yet and am looking forward to reading more.

River of Gods by Ian McDonald this one is a futuristic fiction book set in an India of 30 years from now. I like the combination of religion and computer tech. It has the feel of some of the best of cyberpunk, like Snow Crash had. We’ve hit the edge of cyberpunk already. It’s no longer “fiction” so I’ve thought about what was next and I think this author has too. It’s been slow going, mostly because I’ve been focused on other work and other books. I don’t know if I will finish it or not.

Last but not least:

The Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram I’ve read this book a couple of times already, but it came up again on a list of pagan theology books on another pagan Patheos blog: Dowsing for Divinity. I posted it on my facebook feed and bam! Suddenly I am in a really cool group of people who are going to be reading Spell of the Sensuous and a bunch of other pagan theology books if all goes well. Best thing of all? I didn’t have to organize it! *Insert happy dance here* We’ve got a Gardnerian, some various druids and druid clergy, a religious studies prof and a couple of PhD students so I think it’s going to generate some great discussion. I will report back as things develop!

That’s all for this month, I hope you’ve been reading some great books too. If you find my work useful, consider supporting it over at my Patreon. Even a small monthly contribution can help me a great deal. Thanks!

Columns

Theology, Ethics, Philosophy

Previous Post

July 19, 2017

Why I am a Druid or how I Defected from Wicca with a Bunch of My Folk

Next Post

August 13, 2017 A Pagan Priest's Response to the Horror of Charlottesville

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category animism Cermony and Liturgy Columns Community Dandelion Seeds Health and Wellness History Holidays Magic Nature pagan parenting plant animism Politics Ritual and Practice symbolism and science Theology, Ethics, Philosophy Uncategorized

Select a Month August 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 January 2014 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 February 2013 January 2013 July 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which is the only book in the Old Testament named after a woman besides Ruth?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Miriam Esther Naomi Deborah