BARNES & NOBLE DAY: VOLUME 3!
Three times makes a tradition! In what has become one of the most anticipated days of the year, our First Pres staff recently embarked on our 3rd Annual Barnes & Noble Book Day! We are so blessed and thankful to work in a place that not only invests in our character and development, but encourages us to read, and read broadly. And we want to share that with you!
So get comfy, settle in with a nice cup of tea or coffee, and dive into our staff picks to build your To-Be-Read list!
Dr. Swanson had a prior commitment and was sadly unable to join us this year, but his current book selection is Peter Wohlleben’s The Hidden Life of Trees, examining the lessons we can learn from the way trees communicate and build supportive community.
Worship Director, Karen Roberts, picked up The Supper of the Lamb: part recipe book, part story, chef and priest, Robert Farrar Capon, walks readers through preparing a meal while musing on the Christian life. Charles Bell chose the acclaimed middle-America coming-of-age tale, Demon Copperhead by literary master Barbara Kingsolver. And Shirley Adams decided on the newest biography of renowned New-York-City-based artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Student Ministry staffer, Alex Boynton, is learning to seek God in the stillness with John Mark Comer’s new book, Into the Quiet. SHINE Elementary Coordinator, Danielle Rossi, is brushing up on her classics with Jane Austen’s Emma. And Rev. Alexa Holcomb, settles in with The Heart of Winter, a cozy love story of a marriage that’s been through it all.
Our resident Broadcaster, Hector Navas, braves a harrowing journey of faith against all odds in a plague-ridden medieval Europe, in Christopher Buehlman’s extraordinary Between Two Fires. Rev. Tanner Fox picked up an unlikely tale of intersecting lives in Jennifer Egan’s Pulitzer-Prize winning A Visit from the Goon Squad.
Next up, SHINE staffer, Kate Rockwood, examines the seemingly random nature of life with Is It God’s Will? Congregational Care Coordinator, Sidney Gillivray, learns how to hold onto God when you feel like giving up with Tired of Trying. And our Communications guru, Nick Cassidy, continues to push himself in mind and body with Training for the New Alpinism.
Director of Congregational Care, Stephen Mattingly, continues to invest in his compassion and understanding with Temple Grandin’s The Autistic Brain. And Missions Coordinator, Sarah Stanley, selects V.E. Schwab’s literary sensation, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, about a young woman cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets…until she encounters someone who remembers her.
Pastoral Resident, Ben Willsey, embarks on the mythical homeward quest behind one of this summer’s biggest blockbusters, with Homer’s The Odyssey.
Jonathan Wagner, College Ministry Director, chooses the inspiring account of one muslim’s life-altering encounter with Christianity, in Nabeel Qureshi’s Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus.
As for our health-minded staffers, Creative’s Administrative Assistant, Carla Shehane, dives into the wonders of neuroplasticity with The Brain’s Way of Healing. And Executive Assistant to the Senior Pastor, Ashley James, chooses a simple volume on Essential Herbs: Treat Yourself Naturally with Herbs and Homemade Remedies.
Our newest Student Ministry Assistant Director, Matt Pacheco, engages with one of the masters of prose by grabbing Ernest Hemingway’s seminal The Old Man and the Sea.
Last but not least, our Director of Small Groups, Lindsey Butler, chooses Be Ready When the Luck Happens, Ina Garten’s memoir about putting in the work so you’re prepared when your big break comes around.
Other Noteworthy Selects:
Ben Gardner → Coraline
Andrew Clark → Victorious
Jack Peebles → The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Alda Marcondes → Swan Song: Diana, My Sister
Lindsey Tannian → Peck & Peck
Paul Gibson → Floating Mountains
Levar Burton, legendary host of Reading Rainbow, once said: “If you’re a reader for life, then you can self-educate. You are — by definition — free. Because no one can imprison your mind, or your imagination.”
In this season as we collectively study the Fruit of the Spirit and think about what it means to lead A Fruitful Life, a big part of that is seeking wisdom. We hope this list inspires you — and maybe even your friends and family — to learn, grow, and draw nearer to Christ… and each other.
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For more excellent recommendations, check out our staff choices from last year’s Barnes & Noble day, as well as picks from our Senior Leadership here.
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"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” -Proverbs 9:10