Promenade of New and Recently Discovered Books

Here's an annotated bibliography (informal of course) of books that have been on my radar lately, categorized by subject for ease of browsing.

Christianity
Everything must Change by Brian McClaren
Brian McClaren, as many know, is deeply associated with the "Emergent" church, and as such has received alot of criticism. I find his writing to be clear and engaging. In fact, I will have to eventually post some articles and blog posts by the man as a sample. Theologically, he is somewhat "liberal" (though I am beginning to question the usefulness of the term applied to theology), but I have recenlty been following right behind him. One of my favorite books on practical Christian ethics was co-written by McClaren: Adventures in Missing the Point (other co-author: Tony Compolo).

The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post-Religious Right America by Jim Wallis
Speaking of liberal, Jim Wallis' new book promises to be very interesting. Though, personally confused on the role of Christianity in politics, I have a lot of respect for Jim Wallis and his Sojourner's Magazine. A veritable voice crying the wilderness, Mr. Wallis (along with Tony Compolo and few others) have been spreading the gospel of peace, justice and above all love for a very long time. Mr. Wallis has a lot to do with the much touted paradigm shift in the way Christians are seeing social and political issues that will hopefully have a positive impact on the elections.

Fiction
AEgypt (4 book series) by John Crowley
I read a review of these books recently, and now I am going to have to take my bank card, throw it in a coffee can full of water and put into my freezer, to avoid going out purchasing all four of these seemingly fascinating books. Here are the actual titles:

1. The Solitudes
2. LOVE and SLEEP
3. Daemonomania
4. Endless Things (published 2007)

The Investigation by Stanislaw Lem
I recently read Solaris, and found it to be quite possibly the best "hard" science fiction book I've ever read. I want to read the Investigation, which is supposed to be another philosophical novel set in London, and raising questions about scientifc enquiry that I have a feeling are very relevant. Unfourtunately, it is a devilishly difficult book to find.

Well, I am going to end this here mainly because I am having formatting issues with the above list. I hate computers. Give me that unmatchable smell of books. Stay tuned for the next installment though, there is never really an end to the promenade.