Books about world religions, doubt, weirdness, and cake
Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor
This is an absolutely gorgeous book about the "holy envy" that we experience when we take the time to truly learn about other religions and to see the world through new perspectives. Taylor organizes the book through her story of teaching world religions at a conservative university, and uses that framework as a jumping-off point to talk about religion and faith, orthodoxy and open-mindedness, in a stunning and thoughtful way. She put into words a lot of things I've had trouble articulating— about how I'm learning to appreciate other religions and how this appreciation helps me become a better practitioner of my own. One of my favorite books I've read recently.
Beautiful and Terrible Things: Faith, Doubt, and Discovering a Way Back to Each Other by Rev. Dr. Amy Butler
This memoir was interesting to read, tracing Butler's life and career in a non-sequential way, as she navigates childhood abuse, her family's disapproval of her becoming a pastor, a late-term abortion, a divorce, professional opportunities ripped away from her, and more. The story itself was fascinating, although the writing wasn't as compelling as other memoirs I've read. Still worth checking out, though.
How to Be Weird: An Off-Kilter Guide to Living a One-of-a-Kind Life by Eric G. Wilson
In this series of 99 exercises, the author encourages us to behave in ways that are just slightly out of the ordinary, to stretch our brains and to look at things in new ways. Although the writing style felt somewhat pretentious, the exercises were pretty interesting. It was a fun, quick read.
Anyone Can Cake: Your Guide to Making and Decorating Perfect Layer Cakes by Whitney DePaoli
I've been using this book to try to learn how to decorate cakes! It's my favorite of the ones I've gotten out from the library, with clear step-by-step instructions and some really useful recipes. If you're wanting to learn how to make layer cakes and decorate them, this is the book for you!
Previously on What I've Been Reading:
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