One of my greatest thrills in life is going to the library with no expectations and finding great books to read.

Call me a nerd.  I can take it.

The past few months I’ve been mired in Taylor Branch’s masterful trilogy on America in the King Years. It was startling to realize how little I had been taught about the Civil Rights Movement growing up.  If you never have, then please read these books.

In between those installments, I was catching up on the more “theological” stuff on my shelf: Themes of the OT, Understanding Jewish Culture, N.T. Wright, Dallas Willard, etc.

Now, I take a break from all that.  It’s time for a little lighter reading. Yesterday I went to the Library and picked up these books:

The Wal-Mart Effect : How the World’s Most Powerful Company Really Works–and How It’s Transforming the American Economy by Charles Fishman.  I have a love/hate relationship with Wal-Mart.  This book, so far, strikes me as a balanced assessment of the beast that is Wal-Mart.

Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids by Maia Szalavitz .  I am completely ignorant about the contents of this book.   It is apparently a look at the “tough-love” approach to teen boot camps and what-not.  Looks promising.

An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography by Paul Rusesabagina.  I am really looking forward to read this, although I disagree with the title.  Rusesabagina is no ordinary man.  He is a hero and everyone should read his story.  It humbles me to think that people live through the emotional equivalent of Hurricane Katrina every day in Africa.

That should last me a week or so.  What are you reading right now?