It’s hard for me to believe it, but we’re almost at the end of 2021. At one time, I thought I would write these reading roundups more regularly. Alas, I had other priorities. Here’s a list of favorites, with occasional annotations.
- Eye of the Needle by Ken Follet
- Advent by Fleming Rutledge
- On the Road with Saint Augustine by James K.A. Smith
- Reckless graphic novels by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips — Some of the page-turning-est crime fiction I’ve ever read, in comic book form!
- C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy — I punted on these for years, but picked them up at the recommendation of a friend. I’d say it’s been foundational for me in recovering an “enchanted” sense of faith and life. Additionally, the sociological vision and machinations of the third book’s evilly banal organization, “N.I.C.E.”, are eerily prescient.
- Why Liberalism Failed by Patrick Deneen
- Paul and the Power of Grace by John Barclay
- Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen: Who Killed Jimmy Olsen by Matt Fraction — Probably the most you’ll ever laugh reading a Superman comic.
- The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
- Wonder Woman: Dead Earth by Daniel Warren Johnson
- Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren
- Hunting Magic Eels by Richard Beck — Another book that’s heavily influenced my appreciation for the mysterious/“enchanted” aspects of faith.
- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
- Uprooted by Gracy Olmstead
- Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
- The Symposium by Plato — This was the first book our newly founded “great books” club read together. A bunch of philospher’s drunken reflections on Eros, what’s not to love?
- The Decadent Society by Ross Douthat
- Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
- Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, translated by Stephen Mitchell — The second entry for our book club.
- Hounded by Kevin Hearne — This was a re-read. Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles are great fun.
- Lectio Divina — Enzo Bianchi
- Beowulf translated by J.R.R. Tolkien — I had our book club read Maria Dahvana Headley’s translation of Beowulf for our third entry. Since I had devoured her translation late last year after receiving it for Christmas, I chose to read Tolkien’s translation on my own, and put it in conversation with Headley’s.
- Acedia and its Discontents by R.J. Snell
- Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
- Building the Benedict Option by Leah Libresco Sargeant
- The World Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry — A collection of Berry’s essays curated by Paul Kingsnorth.
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley — Our book club’s fourth entry. More of a page-turner than I expected.
- Piranesi by Susannah Clarke — Maybe my favorite book on this list? Captivating, entrancing, and original.
- Reading the Times by Jeffrey Bilbro — Made me want to never read the news again. Alas, I’m only human. That said, his thoughts on Kairos vs Chronos time got my wheels spinning. I hope to write something about that as it pertains to technology.
- Margin by Richard Swenson
- Magic: A History by Chris Gosden
It’s been a couple of years since the last time I published a “cool stuff from 20**” blog. It’s actually been some time since I’ve blogged in any shape or form, now that I think of it.
2017 was an eventful year. Marriage, career growth, therapy. All exciting and good, yet heavy and significant. Hence the silence. I have missed writing quite bit. At one time, I thought it would be my bread and butter. And I do write every day still, if writing software counts. But I’d like to start dabbling in English alongside Ruby again.
Reading’s been a constant through this time. I think this post will mostly focus on books I enjoyed reading this past year. Listed in roughly chronological order.
Here and Now: Living in the Spirit - Henri Nouwen
Henri Nouwen’s words are like medicine for the soul. I’ve read a few of his books, but Here and Now remains an excellent introduction to his work, in my opinion. Short, digestible sections make for material that’s comprehensible and perfect for pondering. Nouwen’s applies the life and words of Christ to the reader in a gracious and profound way.
Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
I could have sworn that I read this late 2016, but my Goodreads account says otherwise. A fantastic memoir that’s both epic in scope and intimate in its revelations. Springsteen goes beyond giving the reader a simple narrative of his musical career, meditating deeply on families, fatherhood, and masculinity.
Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
I’m just going to give the whole series its own entry. Although I’m still working through the third novel in the initial trilogy (The Hero of Ages), Sanderson’s fantasy writing is some of the most original and engaging I’ve ever read. His action scenes are quick, descriptive, and gripping. Any of fan of Tolkien, Jordan, Martin, Rothfuss, etc. etc. ought to give Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn books a shot.
The Mindful Twenty-Something - Holly B. Rogers
I know, I know. The title. I know. Damn millennials should just toughen the f*** up. I know.
But something marriage has been teaching me is that the one of the most important things a man (or woman) can do is swallow their damned pride, admit that they are not okay, and pursue health and wholeness for the sake of those they love. I came to grips with the fact that I have an anxiety problem after much prompting from Jenoa, and, after receiving a proper diagnosis, pursued therapy. Part of this has been exploring the currently trendy practice of mindfulness meditation. I commend this book to you in large part because of how it demystifies mindfulness and gives practical instruction for implementing it.
Silence - Shusako Endo
I received this as a gift last Christmas and finally came around to reading it this December. If you’ve seen the Scorsese film, then you’ll be familiar with the plot; the adaptation is remarkably faithful. Yet, Endo’s words are still worth reading for their own sake. The notion that God’s presence can be most deeply felt in his apparent absence, that he speaks loudest in silence, that grace is still present in even the most barren spiritual wilderness, points to a theology of the cross through and through. Even if you’re not a believer, the historical novel’s narrative of tenacity through suffering is moving and worth experiencing.
That’s all I have for now. There are a number of possible entries that I’ll probably kick myself later for not including. I hope to share with you more frequently this coming year.