With the mercury rising and the humidity up, the beach begins to beckon. But because we don’t want to leave our Christian spirituality behind as we head for our summer vacations, clearly it’s time for another installment of “Binder’s Beach Books.”

For those of you who attended my Lenten series on Dante’s Divine Comedy, you’ll especially love my first suggestion: The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl. This period thriller is set in 19th Century New England during the time of the “Boston Brahmins” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and James Russell Lowell.

Longfellow is busy at work on the first American translation of Dante’s masterpiece when grisly murders begin to break-out across the city. When he and others from his inner circle notice that the slayings parallel punishments from the Inferno, the “Dante Club” sets out to crack the case.

While this novel starts out slow, it gathers momentum as the reader begins to live in the literary world that Pearl has so masterfully recreated. But this book is more than a clever “Who-done-it?”. It also explores racial and ethnic clashes following the Civil War, as well as conflicts between Harvard Unitarianism and Roman Catholicism, with main-stream Protestantism caught in between. As such, it provides background for the ongoing tensions between these groups today.

The publication of this novel in 2003 led to the reissuing of Longfellow’s groundbreaking translation of The Divine Comedy. Since we covered the first two canticles of this poem in my Lenten course (Inferno and Purgatorio), vacation might be a good time to reflect upon the joys of the Paradiso in either Longfellow’s edition or the translation by Dorothy Sayers, which remarkably preserves Dante’s rhyming scheme in English.

Moving over to non-fiction, let me recommend a recent volume by Michael and Jana Novak, Washington’s God. For decades, it has become the standard line for scholars to refer to the Father of our Country as a Deist in the mold of Jefferson and Paine. As Rector of the church where Washington once worshiped, I’ve spoken out against this view in addresses at Pohick and Mt. Vernon, as well as in television interviews.

But the Novaks have done an even greater service towards setting the historical record straight. Written for the layman, their volume provides compelling evidence that Washington’s Christian faith was not only present, but that it sustained him throughout the many challenges he faced during the birth of our nation. This is essential reading for all Americans - and especially for members of our congregation - as it reveals how our founding father translated his faith into deeds that would forever change the course of history.

Following my article on Taizé last month, many parishioners have wanted to hear more of Brother Roger’s story. To them and to all others who might be interested, let me suggest two books. Universal Heart (2nd ed.) by Kathryn Spink is a biography of Taizé’s founder, while Brother Roger of Taizé: Essential Writings contains some wonderful reflections for all Christians to ponder. Read these while listening to a CD of Taizé chant music (try “Joy on Earth” or “Songs of Taizé”) and I guarantee you will leave the beach transformed!

For teenagers jaded on religion, let them give Rob Lacey’s The Word on the Street a try. It’s an innovative paraphrase of the Bible - and here I emphasize the word paraphrase, as the back cover comes with a Purist Alert: “This is not THE Bible (capital B) . . . but it might just get you reaching for one.”

Lacey presents much of the Biblical story not in the poetic strains of the King James Version, but in today’s gritty, chopped-up English of the blogosphere. Here’s an example from Genesis 1: “First off, nothing . . . but God. No light, no time, no substance, no matter. Second off, God says the word and WHAP! Stuff everywhere!”

Even the formats are creative. The Psalms are presented as song lyrics (which they actually are), and the Epistles as emails. For grown-ups, the book includes a glossary of today’s “hip” terms so you can follow along as well.

Need some bedtime devotions to cap-off a full vacation day? Try Sticky Situations by Betsy Schmitt. It contains 365 real-world dilemmas for teens, each with five multiple choice responses to choose from - and the answers aren’t always clear. Each is keyed to a Bible verse if you need a cheat sheet.

Finally, if your family enjoyed the theatrical release of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe last year, remind your kids that C.S. Lewis published the original in book form. Better yet, six more volumes follow the original novel. With no new Harry Potter tome out this year, these should keep them going all summer long!

---

That’s it for this year’s suggestions. Everyone have a wonderful summertime, but don’t forget we have church all summer long for when you’re home - and there’s sure to be a church nearby for those times when you’re able (and I hope you are) to slip out of town for some much deserved R & R.