You go into a bookstore and you see that Stieg Larsson’s latest book has just hit the shelves.  This excites you, except that you haven’t read the other two books about The Girl Who Did Other Fascinating Things, and this latest work is part of a trilogy.

This girl who may or may not kick a literal hornet’s nest will have to wait for very practical reasons.  First of all you haven’t read about the girl who happens to be inked with a dragon or the girl with pyromania.  More importantly, you’re broke or at least cheap, and Hornet Kicker is still full price.  Normal suspense authors might chide you to buy their book even if you are broke.  I doubt Larsson would; he’s a Swede, and above all else, Swedes are practical (and frugal, and speaking for myself here – handsome).

My personal library has reaped the benefits of a summer phenomenon known as the Garage Sale.  Where else can you pick up 10-15 hours of fictional delight for a quarter?  There is a trick to garage-saling for books.  You look for specifics.  Both of Larsson’s previous books are on my shopping list this summer.  It is a kind of mini-adventure.  The trick is a simple; best-sellers hit yard sale tables 2-3 years after publication.  Whatever shining, hard-bound story you ogled at Borders two years ago, now becomes the prize.

While I cannot tell you if any of the books by Stieg Larsson are worth the read, this summer I have read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen using my stingy garage sale technique.  This is a great summer read, which needs no review.  It cost me one dime and one nickel – cheap even by garage sale standards.  Feeding the addiction to great stories has never been so enjoyable.  By the end of this weekend you could even turn off your cable TV service – for the summer, not forever; because Parenthood has restored your faith in TV as a medium of good storytelling.

Now get out there and buy cheap books.

Donald Miller has written a book about writing a movie about a book he wrote.  And it is great.  A Million Miles in a Thousand Years takes on the meaninglessness of life.  I’m not sure the book triumphs over life, but it will inspire you to give living a shot.  Miller is honest as usual:

“I wrote a memoir a several years ago that sold a lot of copies.  I got a big head about it for a while and thought I was an amazing writer or something, but I’ve written books since that haven’t sold, so I am increasingly insecure again and things are back to normal.”

Even if you aren’t a reader, order one to display in your library; it has a very sexy dust jacket.  If you choose to read it, you might find yourself challenged to take risks and to live a more worthwhile story.

order surprised by hope here

Surprised by Hope – Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection and the Mission of the Church – N.T. Wright

What we believe about life after death shapes what we do with the life we’re allotted before death.  N.T. Wright, one of the world’s most recognized biblical scholars, takes his readers on a journey of hope.  Not only does Wright deftly contend for the historical resurrection of Jesus, but he demonstrates that Jesus’ message and the hope of the early church was also resurrection.

Bishop Wright asserts that it is God’s intention to restore his good creation, under Christ, in the fullness of time.  While much of modern Christianity teaches a rescuing from a fallen creation, this belief undermines the biblical narrative of God’s revelation of himself through Israel and redemption of humanity through Jesus.

As for judgment: Wright says it is good news indeed; an end to tyranny, oppression and violence.  The day of the Lord will bring to light what each person has built from their lives.  (I Cor. 3:10-17) In his writing about judgment, he poses a necessary question: “What would happen if we were to take seriously our stated belief that Jesus Christ is already the Lord of the world and that, at his name, one day every knee would bow?”

For most of us we’re simply concerned with life after death.  This book forces one to consider “life after life after death.”  Using 2 Corinthians and C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce, as templates, Wright suggests that believers should expect a more solid, more real life after life.  This hope is meant to infect our present state, the practical conclusion of Surprised By Hope.  The mission of the church is then summed up: “Precisely because the resurrection has happened as an event within our own world, its implications and effects are to be felt within our own world, here and now.

If you make space for one book of theology this year, make it Surprised By Hope.  You’ll be grateful and hopeful!