1. Lewis on the Christian Life by Joe Rigney (2018)
I loved reading this book so much. Rigney does a masterful job at synthesizing Lewis's works to show the main ideas that fuel them all: I am here and now, God is here and now, God demands our all, every moment of life we're confronted with a Choice towards self/death/hell/emptiness or God/life/heaven/becoming truly human. This book makes me more appreciative of Lewis's brilliance in communicating great truth.
Quote: “Over time, the confusion of worldly, twisted pleasures with God’s design for pleasures builds up a crust around the soul that prevents us from knowing God….Rather than commit acts of high defiance, we drift almost passively and imperceptibly, away from God. As the crust around our souls builds up, we shy away from our spiritual duties. We grow reluctant to actually engage with God. Our sins become big enough to hinder prayer, but not large enough (so we think) to demand repentance. And so we drift and drift and drift.”
2. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (2016)
I checked this one out after being on one of Bill Gates 'best of' lists. It's a fascinating work of historical fiction, centered around Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, who is under house arrest in Moscow's Metropol Hotel in the early twentieth century. While most of the characters were interesting, the Count's civility and appreciation for the people/things around him were especially enjoyable to read.
Quote: “For his part, the Count had opted for the life of the purposefully unrushed. Not only was he disinclined to race toward some appointed hour - disdaining even to wear a watch - he took the greatest satisfaction when assuring a friend that a worldly matter could wait in favor of a leisurely lunch or stroll along the embankment. After all, did not wine improve with age? Was it not the passage of years that gave a piece of furniture its delightful patina? When all was said and done, the endeavors that most modern men saw as urgent (such as appointments with bankers and the catching of trains), probably could have waited, while those they deemed frivolous (such as cups of tea and friendly chats) had deserved their immediate attention.”
4. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Although I was a reader in high school while the first few books of this series were released, for some reason, I never did pick them up. Over the years, I had heard that they were well written books and that I should give them a chance, even if I wasn't into wizards and fantasy writing that much (I had only seen two of the movies and though they were just okay).
I finally took the plunge at the beginning of this year. I enjoyed the first book, but really had to push through to make it through books 2, 3, and the first part of book 4. During this difficult run, I remember feeling like there was too much Quidditch, that many of the characters seemed flat, and that the writing was a bit more childish. However, once the Triwizard tournament selection started in The Goblet of Fire, I was hooked until the end.
I did eventually come to love the world that Rowling created and see why there are so many hardcore fans out there. I think my favorite part of the whole series with the relationship between Harry and Dumbledore. Something about Dumbledore's calm strength and his love for Harry, though he often seemed distant, was endearing, especially in the face of Harry's fear, doubt, anger, and disappointment with life.
2. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (2016)
I checked this one out after being on one of Bill Gates 'best of' lists. It's a fascinating work of historical fiction, centered around Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, who is under house arrest in Moscow's Metropol Hotel in the early twentieth century. While most of the characters were interesting, the Count's civility and appreciation for the people/things around him were especially enjoyable to read. Quote: “For his part, the Count had opted for the life of the purposefully unrushed. Not only was he disinclined to race toward some appointed hour - disdaining even to wear a watch - he took the greatest satisfaction when assuring a friend that a worldly matter could wait in favor of a leisurely lunch or stroll along the embankment. After all, did not wine improve with age? Was it not the passage of years that gave a piece of furniture its delightful patina? When all was said and done, the endeavors that most modern men saw as urgent (such as appointments with bankers and the catching of trains), probably could have waited, while those they deemed frivolous (such as cups of tea and friendly chats) had deserved their immediate attention.”
3. Hellhound on his Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Hampton Sides (2010)
I think I read this book faster than any other, because it was so captivating. In one thread of the narrative, you are learning about prisoner #416J, Eric Galt, who we eventually come to know as James Earl Ray. We learn about his early life in and out of prison and his drifting all over the continent. In another thread, you are learning about Martin Luther King, Jr., his civil rights movement, and intimate snapshots of his personal life along the way. I realized that I didn't know much about this story, including that the hunt for James Earl Ray was one the largest manhunts in American history. A very educational and engaging read.
I think I read this book faster than any other, because it was so captivating. In one thread of the narrative, you are learning about prisoner #416J, Eric Galt, who we eventually come to know as James Earl Ray. We learn about his early life in and out of prison and his drifting all over the continent. In another thread, you are learning about Martin Luther King, Jr., his civil rights movement, and intimate snapshots of his personal life along the way. I realized that I didn't know much about this story, including that the hunt for James Earl Ray was one the largest manhunts in American history. A very educational and engaging read.
Quote: "For poverty is miserable. It is ugly, disorganized, rowdy, sick, uneducated, violent, afflicted with crime. Poverty demeans human dignity. The demanding tone, the inarticulateness, the implied violence deeply offended us. We didn’t want to see it on our sacred monumental grounds. We wanted it out of sight and out of mind."
4. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Although I was a reader in high school while the first few books of this series were released, for some reason, I never did pick them up. Over the years, I had heard that they were well written books and that I should give them a chance, even if I wasn't into wizards and fantasy writing that much (I had only seen two of the movies and though they were just okay).
I finally took the plunge at the beginning of this year. I enjoyed the first book, but really had to push through to make it through books 2, 3, and the first part of book 4. During this difficult run, I remember feeling like there was too much Quidditch, that many of the characters seemed flat, and that the writing was a bit more childish. However, once the Triwizard tournament selection started in The Goblet of Fire, I was hooked until the end.
I did eventually come to love the world that Rowling created and see why there are so many hardcore fans out there. I think my favorite part of the whole series with the relationship between Harry and Dumbledore. Something about Dumbledore's calm strength and his love for Harry, though he often seemed distant, was endearing, especially in the face of Harry's fear, doubt, anger, and disappointment with life.
5. To the Golden Shore by Courtney Anderson
I really enjoyed Judson's story and appreciate the many ways that if offered great perspective. Conditions of life were much more difficult in the early 19th century, and Judson willingly chose to endure more hardships and ended up experiencing a lot of additional suffering because of his dedication to bringing the gospel to Burma. This biography shows how so many revered him because of his lifelong efforts, both in Burma and the U.S., but it also revealed the broken man that he was, including his occasional doubt of the mission and how much of his motivation to become the first foreign US missionary stemmed from his ambition to be great in the eyes of others.
Quote: “There were two worlds, two lives, for each person: this one--brief, narrow, finite; and the hereafter-- eternal, limitless, infinite. Fame, to mean anything, should go with one into the next world, where one could enjoy it perpetually.”
Engaging, funny, and heart-warming stories about the work that Father Greg Boyle and HomeBoy Industries are doing with gang members in L.A.. It's beautiful to see Boyle and his ministry give dignity and love to so many in cycles of shame, poverty, violence, and brokenness.
7. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
A great book summarizing the important discoveries in science (cosmology, chemistry, biology, astronomy, physics, zoology, etc.) and the people involved. Bryson does a good job at not getting too much in the weeds, but also sharing enough detail so that most of the book stays very interesting and engaging.
I have three main take-aways from the book: 1) Our universe/world is an utterly fascinating place, 2) The fact that life (humans/animals/plants/etc.) exists and continues to exist is scientifically shown to be statistically improbable, 3) The history of scientific study reveals that while there have been smart people discovering amazing things, it's actually really hard to know what is true about our world and what we think we know today might completely change with time.
8. Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
An insightful and compelling book, but also one that is hard to read because of the countless and consistent examples of violence, injustice, and inequality directed against black people over the history of this country. Dr. Kendi shows that from slavery to Jim Crow to mass incarceration up through today, racial discrimination has always led to racial policies which has always led to ignorance and hate, not the other way around.
In his words, “Time and again, powerful and brilliant men and women have produced racist ideas in order to justify the racist policies of their era, in order to redirect the blame for their era’s racial disparities away from those policies and onto Black people.”
The challenge is to pursue antiracism, the belief that all racial groups truly are equal. However, since almost no one ever believes that they are being racist, it will take humility, courage, and a willingness to stand up to the backlash that often accompanies antiracist ideas.
I really enjoyed Judson's story and appreciate the many ways that if offered great perspective. Conditions of life were much more difficult in the early 19th century, and Judson willingly chose to endure more hardships and ended up experiencing a lot of additional suffering because of his dedication to bringing the gospel to Burma. This biography shows how so many revered him because of his lifelong efforts, both in Burma and the U.S., but it also revealed the broken man that he was, including his occasional doubt of the mission and how much of his motivation to become the first foreign US missionary stemmed from his ambition to be great in the eyes of others.
Quote: “There were two worlds, two lives, for each person: this one--brief, narrow, finite; and the hereafter-- eternal, limitless, infinite. Fame, to mean anything, should go with one into the next world, where one could enjoy it perpetually.”
6. Tattoos on the Heart by Father Greg Boyle (2010)
Engaging, funny, and heart-warming stories about the work that Father Greg Boyle and HomeBoy Industries are doing with gang members in L.A.. It's beautiful to see Boyle and his ministry give dignity and love to so many in cycles of shame, poverty, violence, and brokenness.
Quote: “No daylight to separate us...Only kinship. Inching ourselves closer to creating a community of kinship such that God might recognize it. Soon we imagine, with God, this circle of compassion. Then we imagine no one standing outside of that circle, moving ourselves closer to the margins so that the margins themselves will be erased. We stand there with those whose dignity has been denied. We locate ourselves with the poor and the powerless and the voiceless. At the edges, we join the easily despised and the readily left out. We stand with the demonized so that the demonizing will stop. We situate ourselves right next to the disposable so that the day will come when we stop throwing people away.”
7. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
A great book summarizing the important discoveries in science (cosmology, chemistry, biology, astronomy, physics, zoology, etc.) and the people involved. Bryson does a good job at not getting too much in the weeds, but also sharing enough detail so that most of the book stays very interesting and engaging.
I have three main take-aways from the book: 1) Our universe/world is an utterly fascinating place, 2) The fact that life (humans/animals/plants/etc.) exists and continues to exist is scientifically shown to be statistically improbable, 3) The history of scientific study reveals that while there have been smart people discovering amazing things, it's actually really hard to know what is true about our world and what we think we know today might completely change with time.
8. Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
An insightful and compelling book, but also one that is hard to read because of the countless and consistent examples of violence, injustice, and inequality directed against black people over the history of this country. Dr. Kendi shows that from slavery to Jim Crow to mass incarceration up through today, racial discrimination has always led to racial policies which has always led to ignorance and hate, not the other way around. In his words, “Time and again, powerful and brilliant men and women have produced racist ideas in order to justify the racist policies of their era, in order to redirect the blame for their era’s racial disparities away from those policies and onto Black people.”
The challenge is to pursue antiracism, the belief that all racial groups truly are equal. However, since almost no one ever believes that they are being racist, it will take humility, courage, and a willingness to stand up to the backlash that often accompanies antiracist ideas.
9. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
After struggling through some older English fiction over the last few years, I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable this book was. From the beginning, I was taken in by Bronte's style and I loved who she created Jane Eyre to be. I appreciated her humility, strength, and independence, traits shining brightly as they are constantly juxtaposed against other characters around her. I'm now looking forward to watching the movie from 2011.
Quote: “I can live alone, if self-respect, and circumstances require me so to do. I need not sell my soul to buy bliss. I have an inward treasure born with me, which can keep me alive if all extraneous delights should be withheld, or offered only at a price I cannot afford to give.”
10. On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior
Prior makes a great case that the way to become the type of person who acts more virtuously is to imagine what virtue looks like and that one of the best ways to do that is through reading great literature. She says that good books can help us vicariously practice virtue, which helps to cultivate our desires towards the good, virtuous life.
She takes 12 virtues (Cardinal: Temperance, Prudence, Justice, Courage; Theological: Faith, Hope, Love; Heavenly: Chastity, Diligence, Patience, Kindness, Humility) and pairs each one with a certain book (Ex. Temperance - The Great Gatsby), where she both elaborates on the meaning and history of the virtue, but shows how a book or a character in a book is teaching us about that particular virtue. I heartily agree with her thesis and I enjoyed her painting the picture of each virtue through the different stories presented. I had read some of the books she discussed and enjoyed remembering them again through the lens of a particular virtue. Other books I hadn't read and my interest was piqued to read them one day.
Honorable Mentions:
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
The Locust Effect by Gary Haugen
Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Seculosity by David Zahl
After struggling through some older English fiction over the last few years, I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable this book was. From the beginning, I was taken in by Bronte's style and I loved who she created Jane Eyre to be. I appreciated her humility, strength, and independence, traits shining brightly as they are constantly juxtaposed against other characters around her. I'm now looking forward to watching the movie from 2011.Quote: “I can live alone, if self-respect, and circumstances require me so to do. I need not sell my soul to buy bliss. I have an inward treasure born with me, which can keep me alive if all extraneous delights should be withheld, or offered only at a price I cannot afford to give.”
10. On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior
Prior makes a great case that the way to become the type of person who acts more virtuously is to imagine what virtue looks like and that one of the best ways to do that is through reading great literature. She says that good books can help us vicariously practice virtue, which helps to cultivate our desires towards the good, virtuous life. She takes 12 virtues (Cardinal: Temperance, Prudence, Justice, Courage; Theological: Faith, Hope, Love; Heavenly: Chastity, Diligence, Patience, Kindness, Humility) and pairs each one with a certain book (Ex. Temperance - The Great Gatsby), where she both elaborates on the meaning and history of the virtue, but shows how a book or a character in a book is teaching us about that particular virtue. I heartily agree with her thesis and I enjoyed her painting the picture of each virtue through the different stories presented. I had read some of the books she discussed and enjoyed remembering them again through the lens of a particular virtue. Other books I hadn't read and my interest was piqued to read them one day.
Honorable Mentions:
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
The Locust Effect by Gary Haugen
Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Seculosity by David Zahl
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