Here is my annual list of reading. It is composed of old as well as new books. I have annotated my thoughts about some of the more notable books.
FICTION
- Spies and Intrigues: The Oppenheim Secret Service Omnibus, E. Phillips Oppenheim 1936 Superb
- Clowns & Criminals: The Oppenheim Omnibus. E. Phillips Oppenheim, 1931. Entertaining mysteries.
- May There Be A Road, Louis L’Amour, 2013
- Gray Mountain, John Grisham, 2014
- Laurus, Eugene Vodolazkin 2015
- The Camp of the Saints, Jean Raspail, 1973. A prophetic parable – a dystopian vision of the collapse of Western Christian civilization in the face of unlimited immigration from Asia and Africa – the triumph of the have-nots over the demoralized guilt-ridden haves. “The slow, cancerous progress of compassion, which is only a misleading and lethal form of charity.” An anti-epic novel, a crusade in reverse. Brilliant in its prescience and thoroughly disturbing.
- In Our Time, Short Stories, Ernest Hemingway, 1925
- The Afghan, Frederick Forsyth, 2006
- The Morning Watch, James Agee, 1950
- Henry Esmond, W.M. Thackeray, 1852
- The Archer Files: Short Stories of Lew Archer, P.I., Ross MacDonald. Well written.
- Psmith in the City, P.G. Wodehouse, 1910
- The Deceiver, Frederick Forsyth, 1991
- The Fist of God, Frederick Forsyth, 1984
- Money in the Bank, P.G. Wodehouse, 1942
- The Kill List, Frederick Forsyth, 2013
- Lord of the Flies, William Golding, 1954. Classic story of human depravity.
- Istanbul Passage, Joseph Kanon, 2012.
- Plum Pie, P.G. Wodehouse, 1967.
- Therapy, A Novel, David Lodge, 1995.
- The Grove of Eagles, Winston Graham. Excellent novel of Elizabethan England by the author of the Poldark series.
- Wayward Heroes, Halldor Laxness, 1952, 2016. Icelandic saga.
NON-FICTION
- A Change of Heart: A Personal & Theological Memoir, Thomas C. Oden, 2014 The Conversion of a Liberal Social Activist
- Aging: The Fulfillment of Life, Henri Nouwen & Walter Gaffney, 1974
- The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East, Eugene Rogan, 2015
- The Indomitable Prophet: A Biographical Commentary on Jeremiah, R.E.O. White, 1992
- Aging and the Human Spirit, LeFevre, 1981
- The Gospel & Pluralism Today: Reassessing Lesslie Newbigin in the Twenty-First Century, ed. Scott W. Sunquist & Amos Yong, 2015
- Preaching? Simple Teaching on Simply Preaching 2013, Alec Motyer
- Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity, Nabeel Qureshi, 2014. Outstanding testimony.
- I Will! Nine Traits of the Outwardly Focused Christian, Thom S. Rainer, 2015
- The Comeback, It’s Not Too Late and You’re Never Too Far, Louie Giglio, 2015
- The Billion Dollar Spy, David E. Hoffman, 2015
- Easter Stories, Classic Tales for the Easter Season, 2015
- 1916, A Global History, Keith Jeffery, 2015
- If: Trading Your If Only Regrets for God’s What If Possibilities, Mark Batterson, 2015
- The Big Question: Why We Can’t Stop Talking About Science, Faith and God, Alister McGrath, 2015. Excellent. His journey from atheism to faith.
- The Skeletons in God’s Closet, Joshua Ryan Butler, 2014. A tour de force, a comprehensive exposition of revelation and the true meaning of hell, judgment and holy war in the Bible. Remarkably accessible. Well written. Original. Theologically sound. Superb. A must read.
- Dig Deep: 7 Truths to Finding Strength Within, J.C. Watts Jr. 2016. A great Christian Testament on motivation and success.
- The Imperfect Pastor, Zack Eswine, 2015. Excellent.
- Contentment, Richard O. Swenson, 2013
- The Unique and Universal Christ: Jesus in a Plural World, Michael Nazir-Ali, 2008
- The Radical Pursuit of Rest: Escaping the Productivity Trap, John Koesler, 2016
- The End of Your Life Book Club, Will Schwalbe, 2012
- John Wiclif: Patriot and Reformer, Life and writings, Rudolf Buddensieg, 1884
- A Treatise on the Lord’s Supper, E Bickersteth. Superb. A guide and companion to Holy Communion.
- The Secret Life of a Fool: One Man’s Raw Journey from Shame to Grace, Andrew Palau, 2012
- Scripture and the Authority of God: How to read the Bible today, N.T. Wright, 2011
- Connecting with Muslims: a guide to communicating effectively, Fouad Masri, 2014. Excellent.
- Ambassadors to Muslims: Building Bridges to the Gospel, Fouad Mari, 2011. Excellent
- The Anglican Evangelical Doctrine of Infant Baptism, John Stott & J. Alex Motyer, 2008. Superb Treatment.
- Good Faith: Being a Christian When Society Thinks You are Irrelevant and extreme, Dave Kinnaman & Gabe Lyons, 2016. Perceptive, balanced, challenging.
- The Great and Holy War: How World War I Became a Religious Crusade, Philip Jenkins, 2014
- Letters of Faith Through the Seasons. A Treasury of Great Christian Correspondence. 2 volumes. Ed. James M. Houston, 2006. Profound inspiration.
- Q’s Legacy. A Delightful Account of a Lifelong Affair with Books, Helene Hanff, 1984.
- The Saints’ Everlasting Rest (Abridged), Richard Baxter & Isaac Crewdson, 1829. A spiritual classic.
- The Man Nobody Knows, Bruce Barton, 1925. Classic bestseller of the life of Jesus as a man’s man of the ‘20’s.
- Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor, Clinton Romesha, 2016. Well written account of a military battle in Afghanistan that is superior to any novel. Informative and accurately descriptive of male character and modern warfare.
- A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society, Eugene H. Peterson, 2000. Sane sanctity. A spiritual classic. Essential reading.
- The Price of Prosperity: Why Rich Nations Fail and How to Renew Them, Todd G. Buchholz, 2016. Perceptive, comprehensive, stimulating and persuasive.
- The Diary of a Country Priest, George Bernanos, 1937.
- Aging Matters: Finding Your Calling for the Rest of Your Life, R. Paul Stevens, 2016. Good, thorough, helpful.
- Along the Way, the autobiography of James Weldon Johnson, 1933. A remarkable account of the life and times of the first black head of the NAACP and the race issue by a highly literate author. Enlightening and informative. Highly recommended.
- God Dreams: 12 Vision Templates for Finding and Focusing Your Church’s Future, Will Mancini & Warren Bird, 2016. A practical guide to vision casting and goal setting.
- A Journey From Poverty to Destiny, My Moments in Time, Reinhold Preik, 2016
- When Christians Retire, Finding New Purpose in Your Bonus Years, Dwight Hervey Small, 2000. Excellent, practical, realistic, inspirational.
- The Confederate Soldier’s Pocket Manual of Devotions, Charles Todd Quintard.
- Political Church, the local assembly as embassy of Christ’s rule, Jonathan Leeman, 2016
- Risky Faith, Becoming Brave Enough to Trust the God who is Bigger than your World, Susan Alexander Yates, 2016. Excellent, inspirational.
- The Awakening of Washington’s Church, J.B. Simmons, 2016. The inspiring story of the Falls Church under the leadership of John Yates.
- It’s Dangerous to Believe, Religious Freedom and its Enemies, Mary Eberstadt, 2016. Excellent, perceptive in analyzing the new McCarthyism and witch hunt.
- Smarter, Faster, Better. The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business, Charles Duhigg, 2016
- He Is Not Silent, Preaching in the Postmodern World, R. Albert Mohler, Jr. 2008. Excellent.
- Whatever the Cost. Facing your Fears, Dying to Your Dreams and Living Powerfully, David and Jason Benham, 2015. Inspiring story of twins sold out to the Lord.
- Intersections of Grace. Reflections of a Life of Faith, Susan Kerr, 2013. Thoughtful devotional.
- P.G.Wodehouse: A Biography, Frances Donaldson, 1982
- Kierkegaard Spiritual Writings, George Pattison, 2010
- Tales of a Grandfather, A History of Scotland, Walter Scottt, 1889
- Resurrecting the Idea of a Christian Scoiety, R.R. Reno, 2016. Analysis of American society today.
- The Great Good Thing. A Secular Jew Comes to Faith in Christ, Andrew Klavan, 2016. Searingly honest memoir.
- Kierkegaard: A Christian Ministry to Christians, Mark A. Tietjen, 2016. Helpful and much needed today.
- Making Sense of God. An Invitation to the Skeptical, Timothy Keller, 2016. Excellent.
- Kierkegaard: Outstanding Christian Thinker, Julia Watkin, 1997
- The Captive Mind, Czeslaw Milosz, 1981. Stalinism in Eastern Europe.
- Hidden Christmas. The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ, Timothy Keller, 2016. Excellent.
- Unapologetic: Why Despite Everything, Christianity Can Still Make Surprising Emotional Sense, Francis Spufford, 2012. Good on the problem of suffering.
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