Stopping to Think

I like to read books, and people like to read Top 10 lists. In celebration of these two facts, here is my annual Top Books list for 2021. (previous lists: 2020 , 2019 , 2018 , 2015  ... yes, I missed a few years) Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self - I feel like a parody of myself for putting this book at the top of my list. Oh well, it's that important. Carl Trueman traces the modern conception of the self, beginning with Rousseau (a starting point he admits is mostly a function of having to start somewhere). He has a shorter and more popular-level version forthcoming . I will probably buy that to give to some folks, but if you want to contemplate how unusual our plastic understanding of personhood is, then pick up the original. The material is dense, but Trueman is an excellent writer, so reading through is an achievable task.  Hearers & Doers  - In this book, Kevin Vanhoozer gives pastors and church leaders a vision for building disciples fit for following Christ ...

Longtime readers of this blog-and virtually anyone who has any idea that this blog even exists-are most likely aware of my habit of posting a top 10 list of my favorite reads from the previous year. Anyone who knows me in real life also knows that I can be somewhat indecisive, and narrowing this year's list down to 10 seemed like more decisions than I wanted to deal with. So I'm pleading a special case for a special year, and giving a top 16 list.  Other differences from previous lists include my inclusion of re-reads (because I was hit so deeply by my re-reading of Till We Have Faces ), allowing multiples from the same author (the Carson books deserve it), and how I've written (I normally stack these books up in front of myself, but I'm in the process of moving, and so they're pretty well all packed up). 1. Till We Have Faces- CS Lewis I cannot communicate forcefully enough the impact of re-reading this book. I think the first time I read Till We Have Faces was 4...

It's been a busy year, a fact which becomes more vivid to me a I see precisely one post I've made since last year's Top 10. But I have managed to do a little reading, so I'll share some thoughts with you here. Reading is one of those things which I never have time to do, but which is vital for the life of my mind, my emotional stability, and at times my sanity. So I make time to read. I'm not a voluminous reader, but I try to be a dedicated plodder. If you, too, are strapped for time, I commend this method to you. This Top 10 list comes with caveats. Obviously it is limited to the books I finished in 2019, of which there were only 41. Second , I'm only allowing each author one Top 10 appearance. Third, I'm not counting in any of the books my wife reads to our family at night. Finally, if you're wondering why so few of my more biblical/theological reads crack the top ten: it's because so few are well written. 1. When Breath Becomes Air , P...

I like to read. I love to read. But very rarely am I happy with the amount of time I have to read. Many people are in the same boat, so it's always fun to give my suggestions based on the previous year's reading. I don't track what all I read in a year, given that I pick up and put down so many books. Sometimes I'm purposely dipping into a section of a longer book, or re-reading a section from an old favorite. And I start countless books and stop-either to begin again later, or to never pick them back up. This Top 10 list comes with caveats. Obviously it is limited to the books I finished in 2018, of which there were only 28. Second, I'm not including re-reads in the Top 10, otherwise The Great Divorce would likely be the top book. Also, I'm only allowing each author one Top 10 appearance, though Tim Chester and Sherman Alexie probably deserve to appear multiple times. And finally, I'm not counting in any of this the books my wife reads to our family...

End of year lists seem a popular thing to make. Movies, music, books, video games, sports moments, news stories, nothing seems left untouched by such lists. After reading a few of these, I decided it might be kind of fun to go over my top 10 reads from 2012. Keep in mind, these sort of lists are ridiculously subjective, but isn't that what makes it fun? Bear in mind, unlike many such lists, mine is not of books published in 2012, but of books I personally read this past year. 1. The Man Who Was Thursday - G.K. Chesterton This book tops my list for one reason-it was simply the most enjoyable read I have ever enjoyed enjoying; and I don't care if that's redundant. I was glued to the pages, which is an affect fiction generally does not have on me. Good story, a gripping style of writing. 2. Radical - David Platt I had put off reading this book. Not for any reason other than it was very popular, and I am rather leery of the popular. I have never highlighted and und...