Tom & Alissa

All the Sad Young Literary Men - Keith Gessen
I read this for a review (forthcoming, RELEVANT July/August issue), but I was wonderfully surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It’s the intertwined stories of three young men as they overthink college, then pursue their ambitions. It reminded me a lot of Jonathan Franzen, who is in fact quoted on the back cover. If you like slightly dark, sardonic literature with a hint of hope, this is a good one. [4/5]

Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling - Andy Crouch
Also for a RELEVANT review; I can’t recommend this book highly enough. As someone who grew up in the kind of Christian environment that delighted in being critical of culture, this was a great encouragement to move on and create culture - and not just art, but law, cities, and omelets. A must-read. I think it comes out in August. [5/5]

Shaking the World for Jesus: Media and Conservative Evangelical Culture - Heather Hendershot
A really great ethnographic/sociological look at evangelical culture (pre-2004) and media, by someone from the “outside”. It’s one of the main sources for my term paper. Everything in it was (sometimes painfully) familiar, and it was interesting to get a more academic take, especially on how certain emphases within evangelical culture can contribute to common psychological problems that pop up (especially eating disorders). It’s very gentle and very balanced, and I have to say, I agreed with pretty much everything she talked about. [4/5]

Keep the Aspidistra Flying - George Orwell
I started reading books for my Modern British Novel course in July; this was the first. I have always enjoyed Orwell’s books, but I hadn’t read this one, and it was great (though the main character is frustrating, on purpose). A gentle satire of socialism - or really, more of certain types of socialists. Very redemptive in the end. [4/5]

I was going to plow through a bunch of my other books for class this month, but now that I’m taking Moby Dick, I know what I’ll be reading. I’m also in the midst of Brideshead Revisted right now, as well as The Quotidian Mysteries. I kind of want a month off to read!