Author’s Note: With Spring Break just around the corner, the Bagpipe investigated the leisure reading of Covenant’s English professors—both out of curiosity and to uncover whether it is possible for an English professor to have a favorite book of all time. In the event that students have the chance to pick up a book over break or are simply looking for something good to read, here are the hottest takes from the bookworms who brought you CHOW I and Intro to Lit.
Dr. Gwen Macallister:
Favorite Genre: Realism, detective fiction, metafiction, magical realism, and graphic novels.
Favorite Book of All Time: It's exceedingly difficult to pick my "favorite book of all time," but I am going to go with Denise Levertov's volume of poems “Breathing the Water.” I heard Levertov read her poetry when I was in high school, and I bought a copy of ‘Breathing the Water” afterward, which she signed. I took this volume home and fell in love with her poems that call readers to attend to the loveliness of this world in all of its quotidian beauty. I was particularly moved by her poems of Christian faith. Reading this book led me toward my calling as an English professor, as I eventually wrote my dissertation on Levertov's incarnational poetics.
Currently Reading: “Half of a Yellow Sun” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This is a powerful historical novel about the Biafran War in Nigeria told through the perspective of several different characters who vary in race and class.
Dr. Cliff Foreman:
Favorite Genre: History, classics.
Why? People have been enjoying novels for three hundred years. People see life as a story. As for history, I like to know what happened in places in the past.
Favorite Book of All Time: “The Scarlet Letter.” It's the book I know the most about. I've read it over 30 times and still enjoy it. I identify with its author. It is historical fiction, so it bridges my interests.
Currently Reading: “Enriching Our Vision of Reality: Theology and the Natural Sciences in Dialogue” by Alister McGrath and “Les Misèrables” by Victor Hugo.
Dr. Robert Barham:
Favorite Genre: I tend toward personal essays, memoirs, creative nonfiction, and detective fiction.
Why? Detective fiction is great because often it gives you a tried-and-true formula and creatively departs from that same formula.
Favorite Book of All Time: Maybe Frederick Buechner's “Telling the Truth” because it considers the gospel through the lens of three literary genres—and because it has Buechner's wonderful voice.
Currently Reading: Chigozie Obioma's “An Orchestra of Minorities.” It's a Nigerian love story written according to Igbo cosmology.
Dr. Bill Tate:
Favorite Genre: For lighter reading, I relax most often with fantasy or science fiction, sometimes with mysteries.
Why? In my reading of both of these genres, there is something “escapist” (in the sense that Tolkien develops in “On Fairy Stories”). My favorite authors in these categories tend to be those who recognize that moral choice is difficult but balance the difficulty with some confidence in or hope for moral clarity.
Favorite Book of All Time: I have favorite books in several genres: in philosophy, Hans-Georg Gadamer's “Truth and Method” has been really important to me, for example. My favorite theological work is probably Herman Bavinck's “Reformed Dogmatics.” In fantasy, I've returned again and again to the Narnia Chronicles and to “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.”
Currently Reading: “The Book of Night with Moon” by Diane Duane. The book is set in a fictional universe (a version of ours) with wizards of various worlds and species. “The Lone One” (sort of the Satan figure in Duane's derivative, syncretic universalist "theology") is trying to persuade new species to choose death (entropy) by promising them power, and a team of cat wizards have to intervene (yes, I know, but it's fun, and even intriguing, if you just accept the premise—and I'm not even a cat-lover). Not too serious, but somewhat morally aware (in a broadly good-vs.-evil way) and entertaining.
Prof. Sarah Huffines:
Favorite Genre: None! I am omnivorous in my reading. Historically, I really love non-fiction, but I’ll read anything that’s good.
Influential Book in Your Life: “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” by Annie Dillard. It’s non-fiction nature writing, so if anyone’s interested in any kind of nature writing or essays, I would usually point them to Annie Dillard.
Recently Read: “Educated” by Tara Westover. It’s a memoir about a young woman’s experience growing up in a very fundamentalist Mormon household that kind of lives off-the-grid and then the role that going to college plays in her life and how that opens up so much for her but then also forces her to reckon with her family. It wasn’t the best thing I ever read, but I enjoyed it just fine.
Favorite Series: I’ve really enjoyed reading the Harry Potter series to my kids. It’s been a real pleasure to read with them, things like “How to Train Your Dragon” and books like that.