A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ
by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
reviewed by John Tintera

A haunting tale of post-apocalypse America, A Canticle for Leibowitz chronicles the struggles of a small community of monks living in the Western desert as they try to preserve a library of books salvaged from “the flame deluge.” While Miller offers a fatalistic view of our prospects for avoiding such a catastrophe, the mere writing—and reading—of this tale reminds us how high the stakes are in these games we call politics. Read more...

ANGLE OF REPOSE
by Wallace Stegner
reviewed by Margaret Gunness

I find this book to be an extraordinary piece of literature and art. Its language is rich and evocative, its characters real and accessible, its writing style powerful and creative. The novel is, for me, a lifetime favorite.

A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES
by John Kennedy Toole
reviewed by John Tintera

Sadly, first-time author John Kennedy Toole took his own life in 1969; he was only 32 years old. The poignancy of Toole’s story is deeper still when you consider that his novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, was not published during his lifetime. When it was finally published 11 years after his death, it won the Pulitzer Prize.

ENDURANCE: SHACKLETON'S INCREDIBLE VOYAGE
by Alfred Lansing
reviewed by Margaret Gunness

As I reflected on the book, one statement...came to me unbidden. I may misquote it, but in essence it says, “God is working on you in all things, so in all things respond as you would respond to God.”

LORD OF THE RINGS
by J.R.R. Tolkien
reviewed by John Tintera

While for many of Tolkien’s fans it probably would have been enough for him to invent his seamless, deeply humanistic fictional world, the plot of The Lord of the Rings is drawn from real-life experience.

SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE
by Kurt Vonnegut
reviewed by Michael Wilt

In his essay "Unstuck," Michael Wilt reflects on this masterpiece, 30 years after reading it for the first time.