The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

From Goodreads: In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

My Thoughts: I love time travel stories, but the main game here was not the time travel but the spy story/romance. The characters were interesting, important themes were explored, all packaged in a fun story. A five star read for me.

In the Midst of Much-Doing: Cultivating a Missional Spirituality by Charles R. Ringma

From Goodreads: How are we to sustain activism and compassion amidst the never-ending crises of the twenty-first century? While the concern for social justice is deeply biblical, cynicism, burnout, and despair are all too common side effects when action is divorced from contemplation. To effectively serve as the hands and feet of Jesus, the church must attend to the revitalization of its inner life through the spiritual practices which feed, support, and sustain the work of the kingdom. Rather than the fragmentation and dualism that have led denominations to choose between prayer and service, evangelization and justice, the church must integrate heart, mind, and body in order to fulfil its calling to transform the world from within. Drawing from Scripture and a wide range of Christian traditions – from the monastic to the evangelical – this book inspires its readers to integrate spiritual renewal and prophetic witness for the glory of God and the good of his creation.

My Thoughts: I have many, many highlights from this book and will have to spend more time with them. A lot of this book was relevant to my word for the year—Renewal. This was another five star read for me.

Lines of note:

“So much of contemporary life is about self-assertion, manipulation, and subtle forms of violence, and so little is about prayer, serving the poor, and caring for our wounded social and natural worlds. And our exploitative and pragmatic way of life – which always promises much, but often leaves us bereft and depleted – has eroded our sense of wonder and our appreciation for beauty and transcendence.”

“Sabbath spirituality is also important for missional practice. However, its core concept is not that we seek rest in order to do more work, but rather for the purpose of cultivating a new attentiveness towards God, self, and others so that we can worship, give thanks, and reflect.”

“Therefore, the dynamic in contemplative practices is not to work towards certain outcomes, but rather to cultivate a posture that has the following contours: relationship, waiting, attentiveness, and expectation.”

“The best form of resistance is not simply to harp criticisms, but to live an embodied alternative.” – good advice for the current moment

The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft

From Goodreads: Eight translators arrive at a house in a forest on the border of Belarus. It belongs to the world-renowned author Irena Rey, and they are there to translate her magnum opus, Gray Eminence. But within days of their arrival, Irena disappears without a trace.

The translators, who hail from eight different countries but share the same reverence for their beloved author, begin to investigate where she may have gone while proceeding with work on her masterpiece. They explore this ancient wooded refuge with its intoxicating slime molds and lichens, and study her exotic belongings and layered texts for clues. But doing so reveals secrets — and deceptions — of Irena Rey’s that they are utterly unprepared for. Forced to face their differences as they grow increasingly paranoid in this fever dream of isolation and obsession, soon the translators are tangled up in a web of rivalries and desire, threatening not only their work but the fate of their beloved author herself.

My Thoughts: I didn’t like the characters, their ridiculous worship of the Irena Ray, and the stupid things they did. The whole thing was weird. I am not a fan. 2-stars.

Black Duck: A Year at Yumburra by Bruce Pascoe with Lyn Harwood

From the Publisher: A personal reflection on life, Country and the consequences of Dark Emu through six seasons on Bruce Pascoe’s farm.

My Thoughts: This is a gentle, meandering recollection of a year of the author’s life. His love of country and community and deep knowledge of both were inspiring. I enjoyed this. 4-star read.

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

I put this book on my TBR list after reading Julie’s review.

From Goodreads: Annie Bot was created to be the perfect girlfriend for her human owner, Doug. Designed to satisfy his emotional and physical needs, she has dinner ready for him every night, wears the cute outfits he orders for her, and adjusts her libido to suit his moods. True, she’s not the greatest at keeping Doug’s place spotless, but she’s trying to please him. She’s trying hard.

My Thoughts: This was interesting; all the dynamics of an abusive relationship were explored within a human-machine “relationship.” Doug is awful, but he thinks he’s a good guy … or wants to be thought by others to be a good guy. I hope we never get to this stage where men get to live out their entitlement in a nearly realistic scenario. Although I can imagine that if the tech bros ever have the ability, this will be one of the first things they implement. A 4-star read for me.