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Bookin’
It’s Spirituality Book Discussion Group
- The Spirituality Book Discussion
Group (SBDG) meets on the first Thursday of
the month from October through May at 6:30 p.m.
at Bookin’ It. (If the first Thursday
is a holiday, the group meets on the second
Thursday).
- Members receive a 10% discount
on the selected books.
- Maryjude Hoeffel, Bookin’
It’s SBDG Coordinator, selects the titles
based on input from group members and her own
reading. Books chosen reflect ideas from many
wisdom traditions including Buddhism, Christianity,
Judaism, and others. In nearly all cases, selections
are softcover editions.
Click
for close up view
The Spirituality Discussion Group
Reading List for 2010-2011
Oct 7, 2010
An Altar in the World
by Barbara Brown Taylor |
Nov 4, 2010
Beyond Vengeance, Beyond Duality - A Call
for a Compassionate Revolution
by Sylvia Clute |
Dec 2, 2010
Writing in the Sand: Jesus and the Soul
of the Gospels
by
Thomas Moore
|
Jan 6, 2011
Radical Amazement: Contemplative Lessons from
Black Holes, Supernovas and Other Wonders
of the Universe
by Judy Cannato |
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Feb 3, 2011
Faith and Will: Weathering the
Storms in Our Spiritual Lives
by Julia Cameron
|
March 3,
2011
The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering
the Woman at the Heart of Christianity
by Cynthia Bourgeault |
April
7, 2011
The
Gift of Years: Growing Old Gracefully
by Joan Chittister
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May
5, 2011
Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless
Compassion
by Gregory Boyle
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An
Altar in the World
"In her critically
acclaimed "Leaving Church" ("a
beautiful, absorbing memoir"--"The Dallas
Morning News"), Barbara Brown Taylor wrote
about her experience leaving full-time ministry
to become a professor, a decision that stretched
the boundaries of her faith. Now, in her stunning
follow-up, "An Altar in the World,"
she shares how she learned to encounter God far
beyond the walls of the church.
Taylor reveals meaningful ways to discover
the sacred in the small things we do and see,
from simple practices such as walking, working,
and prayer. Something as ordinary as hanging clothes
on a clothesline becomes an act of meditation
if we pay attention to what we're doing and take
time to notice the sights, smells, and sounds
around us. Making eye contact with the cashier
at the grocery store becomes a moment of true
human connection. Allowing yourself to get lost
leads to new discoveries. As we incorporate these
practices into our daily lives, we begin to discover
altars everywhere we go, in nearly everything
we do. Through Taylor's expert guidance and delicate,
thought-provoking prose, we learn to live with
purpose, pay attention, slow down, and revere
the world we live in."
Beyond Vengeance
, Beyond Duality - A Call for a Compassionate
Revolution
"What courtroom veteran
and law professor Sylvia Clute saw on a daily
basis was all too often the miscarriage of justice.
.... The crisis in our legal system is merely
symptomatic of a rot found in each of our institutions.
It is rooted in a philosophy of dualism that pits
us against one another. It is rooted in a philosophy
that fails to recognize the oneness or unity of
all life.
Clute unfolds her argument for applying the philosophy
of non-duality to not only our criminal justice
system, but to all social relationships. She explores
the roots of dualist thinking in the religious
traditions of the world and offers the hope that
if individuals--and societies--can move beyond
dualistic thinking, we will create a society that
is truly just and authentically caring...."
Writing in
the Sand: Jesus and the Soul of the Gospels
"In his latest
book, "Writing in the Sand, " Thomas
Moore finds striking new meaning in the rich stories
and imagery of the Gospels, recasting Jesus not
as a teacher of morals and beliefs but as a spiritual
visionary with a radical vision for humanity.
This highly original take on the Gospels offers
a fresh, new way of imagining human life and society.
It presents Jesus not as the founder of a religion
but as a world reformer offering a spiritual path
to everyone, from every background. It offers
a personal spirituality fit for the twenty-first
century, where the individual bears responsibility
for meaning and for a creative, convivial way
of life...."Writing in the Sand" presents
the essence of Jesus' teachings and offers a way
of understanding them intelligently and devotedly
in the twenty-first century."
Radical Amazement:
Contemplative Lessons from Black Holes, Supernovas
and Other Wonders of the Universe
"Twentieth
century science completely revolutionized human
understanding of the world, rewriting the story
of the universe with exciting discoveries and
theories--the big bang, the relativity of space
and time, the accelerating expansion of the universe,
along with increasingly refined ideas of evolution
and the origin of life. Radical Amazement unifies
the worlds of science and religion, weaving profound
spiritual lessons from our new knowledge. Through
thoughtful and practical reflections, enhanced
by prayers and meditations, Judy Cannato reveals
the connectedness of all creation and invites
us to explore the harmony of science and spirituality."
Faith
and Will: Weathering the Storms in Our Spiritual
Lives
"Another classic
work from the world's foremost authority on creativity
and spirituality.
Julia Cameron is the author of the international
bestseller "The Artist's Way" and twenty-eight
other groundbreaking books that deftly trace the
intersection between art and faith, between creativity
and spirit. In this new offering, Cameron explores
one of the most vital questions spiritual seekers
encounter on the journey to enlightenment: Where
do I turn when my soul is urging me to keep growing
toward God but my mind and being, stubbornly,
will not follow? "Faith and Will" is
Julia Cameron's most inward-leaning book to date-a
heartbreakingly honest and insightful glimpse
into one woman's struggle to reconnect to her
faith and her realization that having faith, of
necessity, means relinquishing will. A wise and
passionate book, "Faith and Will" gently
guides readers through the process of learning
to let go and, in turn, learning to live."
The Meaning
of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the
Heart of Christianity
I have attended several retreats with Cynthia
Bourgeault and have been looking forward to this,
her latest book:
"Mary Magdalene is one of the most influential
symbols in the history of Christianity—yet,
if you look in the Bible, you’ll find only
a handful of verses that speak of her. How did
she become such a compelling saint in the face
of such paltry evidence? In her effort to answer
that question, Cynthia Bourgeault examines the
Bible, church tradition, art, legend, and newly
discovered texts to see what’s there. She
then applies her own reasoning and intuition,
informed by the wisdom of the ages-old Christian
contemplative tradition. What emerges is a radical
view of Mary Magdalene as Jesus’s most important
disciple, the one he considered to understand
his teaching best. That teaching was characterized
by a nondualistic approach to the world and by
a deep understanding of the value of the feminine.
Cynthia shows how an understanding of Mary Magdalene
can revitalize contemporary Christianity, how
Christians and others can, through her, find their
way to Jesus’s original teachings and apply
them to their modern lives."
The
Gift of Years: Growing Old Gracefully
"In "The Gift of Years", Benedictine
sister Chittister beautifully downplays regrets
and accents the rewards of a mature life. While
she acknowledges the pain of old age, she focuses
on the new beginnings that life can offer at this
stage and discusses the need to stay involved,
to put one's affairs in order, and to be open
to new relationships".
Tattoos
on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion
" ...As a pastor working in a neighborhood
with the highest concentration of murderous gang
activity in Los Angeles, Gregory Boyle created
an organization to provide jobs, job training,
and encouragement so that young people could work
together and learn the mutual respect that comes
from collaboration. "Tattoos on the Heart
"is a breathtaking series of parables distilled
from his twenty years in the barrio. Arranged
by theme and filled with sparkling humor and glowing
generosity, these essays offer a stirring look
at how full our lives could be if we could find
the joy in loving others and in being loved unconditionally...Inspired
by faith but applicable to anyone trying to be
good, these personal, unflinching stories are
full of surprising revelations and observations
of the community in which Boyle works and of the
many lives he has helped save...Erudite, down-to-earth,
and utterly heartening, these essays about universal
kinship and redemption are moving examples of
the power of unconditional love in difficult times
and the importance of fighting despair..."
If you have any questions or comments, please
call me at Bookin’ It, 320-632-1848 or toll-free:
1-800-809-1848, or e-mail me at book@integra.net
Maryjude
Summer 2007 This group took year
off
For more information
on the RTW Program that was the inspiration for
our own Reading the World Book Club and for a
list of the 2007 titles; go to the link shown.
http://www.readingtheworld.org/index.html
Summer 2008 Tales of Immigration
This summer we will be
reading three tales of immigration. They bring
us into the world of overriding hope, displacement,
disappointment, risk and reward. And we find that
not everyone who dreams of crossing borders to
a better life is dreaming of America.
June
18, 2008 Hope
and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami
($13.00, October 2006, 188 pages)
July 16, 2008 Across
a Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande ($13.00,
May 2007, 266 pages)
August 20, 2008 The
Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw
Mengestu ($14.00, Feb 2008, 228 pages)
  
Summer 2009 A
Wider World Book Club (3rd Wednesdays, 6:45
p.m.: 6/17, 7/15, 8/19; please call for location)
Explore other lives with us as we read about
the lives of a captive elephant and her keeper,
three Iranian sisters as they make a new life
in Ireland, and a breast cancer-survivor and her
fly-fishing mentors. All three of these beautifully-written
stories are light enough for summer reading ,
yet interesting enough to generate a rich evening
of discussion.
June - Hannah's
Dream
July - Pomegranate Soup
August - Time Is a River
See our staff picks page for reviews of these
three titles.
  
Summer 2010 Reading
the World Book Club (potential reading list;
subject to change/location to be announced)
June 16th 6:00 PM-
The Miracles of Santo Fico by D.L. Smith
July 21st 6:30 PM - Valeria's Last
Stand by Marc Fitton (Meeting at
the home of Susy Prosapio)
August 18th 6:00 Pm - A Guide to the Birds
of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson - meeting
cancelled
  
This year's selections
share two things; a sense of romance and a touch
of the farcical. They are light-hearted adventures
just right for summer escapes, but with enough
human drama to allow for ample discussion.
Great River Writers
- The Great River Writers (GRW)
have a new meeting schedule as of January 2010.
We meet on the first Monday of the month at
the Carnegie Library in Little Falls from 6:30
to 8:00 P.M. You can find us in the Lindbergh
Room at the north corner of the periodical section.
We encourage you to call Laura at Bookin' It
for an update if you are planning to attend
for the first time. Her number is 320-632-1848.
- No books are required for this
group, but members generally bring several original
poems or pages of prose to read aloud. Other
times, we may do wiritng exercises or share
information on submission opportunities.
- The GRW was formed over nine
years ago and many of the current members have
been continuously active in the group. The group
serves to bring new and practicing writers together
to support, encourage and critique their work.
New members are welcome.
- Great River Writers hosts an
Annual Anniversary Reading each year.
Group members share their work with an audience
at the Great River Arts Center. Prior performances
can be viewed periodically on our local access
channel TV6. The 2010 Reading will be held Saturday,
October 30th at 7:00 PM at the Arts Center in
LF.
- For more
information on The Great River Writers, call
Laura at 320-632-1848 or 800-809-1848 or . Click the
link below to review a January 2004 St Cloud
Times article about the Great Rivers Writers.
http://www.sctimes.com/archived/bookinit.html
Click
for close up view
Great
River Writers
Talking Volumes Book
Club
- Talking Volumes is a regional
book club created through a partnership with
The Loft Literary Center, The Minneapolis Star
Tribune, and Minnesota Public Radio.
- Bookin' It is a Talking Volumes
affiliate which means we stock the selected
books, and other books by the featured authors.
We offer these titles at a discount and make
available to you materials such as bookmarks
and reader's guides specifically designed for
the Talking Volumes events.
- You can share the Talking Volumes
experiences at free public events at The Loft
and at The Fitzgerald Theatre, by tuning into
MPR to hear discussions with the author, or
by going online at the Star Tribune Talking
Volumes. www.Startribune.com/talkingvolumes.
 Monica
Ali discussed her novels and her writing as
part of Talking Volumes on May 19, 2010 at the
Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Her third book,
"In the Kitchen," is a novel of contemporary
England as seen through the eyes of 42-year-old
Gabriel Lightfoot, executive chef at a big London
hotel restaurant. Published last year in hardcover,
it came out in paperback this spring and is
in stock now at Bookin' It.
 Talking
Volumes with Jonathan Franzen; Sep 21, 2010
7:00 pm Jonathan Franzen, National Book Award-winning
author of "The Corrections," whose
sprawling new family saga (Freedom) is set in
Minnesota, will be the first guest of the 11th
season of Talking Volumes.
Available in Hardback August 31st, taking orders
now.
 Author
Sherman Alexie was the featured author for the
September installment of the Talking Volumes
regional book club. Author Sherman Alexie was
the featured author for the September installment
of the Talking Volumes regional book club. Author
of "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time
Indian" and "Flight." Alexie
joined Kerri Miller on the stage of the Fitzgerald
Theater on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007. Copies
still available at Bookin' It. Diary of a Part-time
Indian garnered a National Book Award.
Your Book Club
- Are you already in an established
book club or have an idea for one but don't
know how to start? Let the friendly staff at
Bookin' It help. Here's what we can do for you:
- Any existing book group ordering
five books or more can qualify for our regular
10% book club discounts. Just call us and have
us check the availablity and price of your selection.
- You can post your book club notices
here at the store or on our website making it
easier for potential new members to find out
who you are and where and when you meet.
- You can come to us for recommendations
of well-written, highly discussable books. We
have many resources availalbe for book clubs
including ideas on how to begin a new club,
re-energize an existing club, and how to get
great discussion value from every book selected.
now to let us know how we can
be of service to your book club.
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