Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour in Hewett Centre, and our Library Team offers related reading lists based on the topic of the Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming service on “The Sacred Circle”, featuring Rev. Shawn Gauthier on Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 11 a.m. All are welcome in Hewett Centre after the Sunday service to check out some books, and to have coffee and conversation.
VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:
1. Threads – Poems from the Web of Life from the Canadian Unitarian Council, 2008, 821 CUC
Google AI Overview: “… It is a collection of poetry themed around the “web of life” and was part of a series of poetry chapbooks published by the CUC. The collection included contributions such as an early 1990s poem by Franci Louann.”
2. Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth by J. E. Lovelock, 1987, 113 LOV
From LibraryThing: “… puts forward his idea that life on earth functions as a single organism. Written for non-scientists, Gaia is a journey through time and space in search of evidence with which to support a new and radically different model of our planet. In contrast to conventional belief that living matter is passive in the face of threats to its existence, the book explores the hypothesis that the earth’s living matter air, ocean, and land surfaces forms a complex system that has the capacity to keep the Earth a fit place for life. Since Gaia was first published, many of Jim Lovelock’s predictions have come true and his theory has become a hotly argued topic in scientific circles. …”.
3. Sacred Nature: Restoring Our Ancient Bond with the Natural World by Karen Armstrong, 2023, 202 ARM
From LibraryThing: “A profound exploration of the spiritual power of nature–and an urgent call to reclaim that power in everyday life. Since the beginning of time, humankind has looked upon nature and seen the divine. In the writings of the great thinkers across religions, the natural world inspires everything from fear, to awe, to tranquil contemplation; God, or however one defined the sublime, was present in everything. … In this short but deeply powerful book, the best-selling historian of religion Karen Armstrong re-sacralizes nature for modern times.”
4. With Purpose and Principle: Essays About the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism edited by Edward A. Frost, 1998, 288 FRO
Published by Skinner House Books. From LibraryThing: “This invaluable book contains a short history of the Principles and Purposes followed by essays from present-day UU leaders including John Buehrens, Marilyn Sewell, Earl Holt and Barbara Merritt. World community and the interdependent web of all existence are some of the topics explored.”.
5. The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our Place in Nature by David Suzuki, 2007, 304.2 SUZ
From LibraryThing: “… The world is changing at a relentless pace. How can we slow down and act from a place of respect for all living things? … David Suzuki reflects on the increasingly radical changes in science and nature-from the climate crisis to peak oil and the rise in clean energy-and examines what they mean for humankind. He also reflects on what we have learned by listening to Indigenous leaders, whose knowledge of the natural world is profound, and whose peoples are on the frontlines of protecting land and water around the world. Drawing on his own experiences and those of others who have put their beliefs into action, The Sacred Balance combines science, philosophy, spirituality, and Indigenous knowledge to offer concrete suggestions for creating an ecologically sustainable future by rediscovering and addressing humanity’s basic needs.”
6. The Diversity of Life by Edward O. Wilson, 1992, 574.5 WIL
From LibraryThing: “… conducts us on a tour through time, traces the processes that create new species in bursts of adaptive radiation, and points out the cataclysmic events that have disrupted evolution and diminished global diversity over the past 600 million years. The five enormous natural blows to the planet (such as meteorite strikes and climatic changes) required 10 to 100 million years of evolutionary repair. The sixth great spasm of extinction on earth – caused this time entirely by humans – may be the one that breaks the crucible of life. Wilson identifies this crisis in countless ecosystems around the globe: coral reefs, grasslands, rain forests, and other natural habitats. Drawing on a variety of examples such as the decline of bird populations in the United States, the extinction of many species of freshwater fish in Africa and Asia, and the rapid disappearance of flora and fauna as the rain forests are cut down, he poignantly describes the death throes of the living worlds diversity – projected to decline as much as 20 percent by the year 2020. All evidence marshaled here resonates through Wilson’s tightly reasoned call for a spirit of stewardship over the world’s biological wealth. … Cutting through the tangle of environmental issues that often obscure the real concern, Wilson maintains that the era of confrontation between forces for the preservation of nature and those for economic development is over; he convincingly drives home the point that both aims can, and must, be integrated. …”.
7. The Seven Principles in Word and Worship by Ellen Brandenburg, 2007, 230.91 BRA
Published by Skinner House Books. LibraryThing Review by PJWetzel: “… It is a short compendium of seven very short essays which are all written by young UU ministers – young enough to have been ordained after the UU statement of Seven guiding Principles was adopted in its current form in 1985.
In the interest of full disclosure one of these essays is by my own minister, Rev. Paige Getty.
…
In addition to the essays, each of which explores the individual’s personal take on one of the Principles, there are six short ‘Prayers and Readings’ appropriate to the theme.
…
In a nutshell, this is an excellent resource for people new to UUism, because it can serve as both a handbook and a jumping off point for the personal spiritual seeking that UUism so favors.”
8. This Sacred Earth by Roger S. Gottlieb, 2004, 304.2
From LibraryThing: “Updated with nearly forty new selections to reflect the tremendous growth and transformation of scholarly, theological, and activist religious environmentalism, the second edition of This Sacred Earth is an unparalleled resource for the study of religion’s complex relationship to the environment.”.
9. Our Seven Principles in Story and Verse: A Collection for Children and Adults by Kenneth Collier, 1997
From Amazon: “Creative responses to the seven Principles, each one illustrated with a story, a poem and a brief essay. For all ages, for worship and individual reading.”
10. Flight of the Hummingbird: A Parable for the Environment by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, 2008, 333 YAH
Gift of Eva Allen. From LibraryThing: “… a hummingbird makes a valiant effort to put out a raging fire that threatens her forest home — trip after trip, her beak is filled each time with just a drop of water. Her efforts show her woodland companions that doing something — anything — is better than doing nothing at all. The hummingbird parable, which originates with the Quechuan people of South America, has become a talisman for environmentalists and activists worldwide committed to making meaningful change. This retelling, … is suitable for all ages of would-be activists. Although environmental responsibility often seems like an overwhelming task, The Flight of the Hummingbird shows how easy it is to start and how great the effect could be if everyone just did what they could.”.
11. Walden and Other Writings by Henry David Thoreau, 1993, 818.3 THO
From LibraryThing: “From July 4, 1845 to September 6, 1847, Henry David Thoreau lived alone in the cabin he built on the shores of Walden Pond, near Concord, Massachusetts. … framed as a narrative of the cycle of one year, beginning with summer. Thoreau uses the changes of the day, the seasons, and the year to symbolize the quiet revolution that is going on inside him. His specific observations of the natural life outside himself cause him to look inward and reflect upon the lives of quiet desperation most men lead; the erroneous economic thinking which leads them to accept their shackles; the liberating effects of nature and self-examination; and finally those “higher laws” which can only be glimpsed on those rare occasions when true living unites with true reflection. …”.