February 12th, 2010
Since we used to do a monthly book list, the reading list is a much requested post. The two books on our list:
The Ragamuffin Gospel:
Brennan Manning wrote The Ragamuffin Gospel “for the bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt-out,” (anyone relate) the marginalized folks to whom Jesus ministered: the children, the ill, the tax collectors, the women. Manning understands better than most that behind our facades of order and self-assurance are inadequacies that can find healing only in Jesus. While the powerful and religious elite challenged him, Jesus embraced and healed and fed the needs of the ragamuffins. Jesus delivered love, healing, and, most of all, grace.
American Wife:
Read Curtis Sittenfield’s prep and loved it! This one is tracks the life of bookish, naïve Alice Lindgren and the trajectory that lands her in the White House as first lady. Supposedly based on Laura Bush.
November 23rd, 2009
Read Same Kind of Different as Me yesterday. Have now assigned it to all the interns. Cried so hard on the plane that nice seatmates inquiried as to emotional state. Have to rethink the positioning of elaney now. Read SKODASM in the meantime.
October 15th, 2009
We love Hollywood and we love good causes. When they are married together, we call it a match made in heaven. That’s why we support ET contributor Mark Steines (Reader Caca’s boss) and his new book See the Light: A Passage to Sierra Leone. The book photo documents the journey Mark and “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Patricia Heaton took to Sierra Leone, and all proceeds go directly back to Lighthouse Medical Missions. It’s not cheap ($64.95), but it is impactful. Purchase the book here.
September 2nd, 2009
Subtitle: “How to Make a Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, etc.”
The theme of August seemed to be: it’s time to move forward. Walter Henegar recommends Just Do Something, by Kevin DeYoung as a helpful guideline, and we have to say, it’s really a good read.
The gist of it basically explores how our generation spends so long tinkering around, exploring our purposes, relying on our parents that we become timid. We have a tendency (unlike our grandparents and parents) to be paralyzed by the 1,000,000s of options for life paths. Do we have more options? Sure. Has our indecision gotten a little out of control? Perhaps. Just Do Something explores practical ways to move forward and encourages us to stop looking for direction from writing in the clouds.
July 31st, 2009
We’ve never been shy about our love for the good old-fashion completely silly beach read. Chasing Harry Winston – we’re not above you. Hollywood Girls Club – sign us up. However, every now and then, we like to step it up to the notch between completely silly and AP Lit reading lists. This beach trip, here’s what we have in the hopper:
The Help, Kathryn Stockett
Set in Jackson, MS in 1962, aspiring writer Eugenia Sketter Phelan is home from college and putting together her first manuscript. She writes the stories of the “help” in the wealthy homes in a scathing book that upsets the traditional Southern balance of power.
Peachtree Road, Anne Rivers Siddons
Written in 1988, the novel is about Old Town Atlanta and is the story of “manipulative, destructive cousin Lucy Bondurant Chastain Venable” (perhaps a modern day Emma Bovary?).
(And Miranda’s Big Mistake and Shoe Addicts Anonymous 
).
Full report to come.
July 27th, 2009
Favorites are one of our favorite things. We have favorite names (Frances), movies (see facebook), holidays (Christmas), and of course, we have favorite books of all time. We read everything from Misery Loves Cabernet to Anna Karenina, but the favorite elaney book of all time is A Widow For One Year by John Irving. It’s a masterpiece. Share your favorite book with the other elaney girls and their beach reading lists!
