Every month I share what books I finished last month and what I’m reading now. I also love to hear what others are reading. Share your own book recommendations in the comments or friend me on Goodreads!

I think I am using reading as a way to procrastinate on other projects. I finished several books in May — way more than I thought. Here are some of the highlights:

Finished in May

• Truth Speaks to Power by Walter Brueggemann. Yes, I did read my church’s book club book in time for the May meeting. He looks at several Old Testament narratives, including the stories of Moses and Pharaoh, Solomon, and Elisha, to show how traditional power structures are subverted in the texts. This book generated a good discussion at out meeting.
• Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. This was a re-read for me, but I listened to it in audiobook format this time. It has become a kind of comfort-read for me to nurture my creativity.
• Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle. After recently reading his second novel, Universal Harvester, which I loved, I decided to seek out and read his first novel about a troubled young man who makes his living as the creator of a mail-order role-playing game. It is every bit as strange and fascinating and original as Harvester.
• The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. I bought this book on a whim after coming across it in a bookshop while on vacation over Memorial Day weekend. I started reading it almost immediately and could not put it down. This is the kind of book you want to stay up all night to finish. It is weird and violent, but wildly original.
• Reading in Bed by Brian Doyle. My husband got me this for Christmas, and I finally read it. It is a wonderful collection of essays about the joys of reading and writing. This is the kind of book that makes you want to add another 20 books to the to-read pile.

What I’m Reading Now

• Not in God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence by Jonathan Sacks. The final book club read before we break for the summer. It’s a thought-provoking book (so far).
• The Dinner Party and Other Stories by Joshua Ferris. A collection of short stories from the author of Then We Came to the End.

That’s what I’ve been reading this past month. How about you?