.Reading Digest

The 30 Best Books I Read in 2010

Tony Reinke .Reading Digest, Books, spurgeon

Since much of my time was spent writing, I ended up reading fewer books in 2010. Oddly, I was separated from books because I was writing about them. And most of the books that I did find time to read were books on the topic of reading. This prohibited me from reading many of the new books released in 2010.

By God’s grace, I still managed to read a fair number of books this year and—thanks to your kind prodding—I was encouraged to recount the books I read and assemble my favorites into this list. So I scoured my shelves and heaped my favorites into a bloggable pile.

In effect this is a list of my 30 favorite books that I read in 2010 (besides Scripture, of course). Not all of these books have been read from cover-to-cover (and you will soon see why: several of the books are large reference works). But many of these I have read in their entirety (or close to it).

My list is pretty haphazard, as you have come to expect. Here’s my list, broken down categorically and in no particular order.

ON READING AND LITERATURE

Leland Ryken, Realms of Gold: The Classics in Christian Perspective (Wipf & Stock, 2003). In my research on reading I came to value Ryken’s books that equip Christians to benefit from classic literature. By far, this book is my favorite book on the topic. Ryken moves from classic to classic, drawing out edifying themes. In this book Ryken provides a clinic on how Christians should read fiction for the benefit of the soul.

Leland Ryken, editor, The Christian Imagination: The Practice of Faith in Literature and Writing (Shaw, 2002). This book is a compilation of the best Christian writing on the topics of literature. Any Christian interested in reading or writing literature should own this collection. If it’s been said, and if it’s worth reading, you will find it somewhere in here.

Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen, editors, William Shakespeare Complete Works (Macmillan, 2008). This 2,500-page mammoth published by the Royal Shakespeare Company was a sweet find. Shakespeare’s writings expose the limitations of my literacy skills, and I bought this book in the hopes that it would help guide me along. It has. The editor’s introductions are skillfully written and brief explanatory notes at the foot of each page “explain allusions and gloss obsolete and difficult words, confusing phraseology, occasional major textual cruces … bawdy innuendo, and technical terms (e.g. legal and military language).” Readers should be forewarned that the editors refuse to let any “bawdy innuendo” pass silently, and they are quick to suggest innuendo that I think is more a reflection of the editor’s imagination than of Shakespeare’s intention. But in general the introductions and the brief notes make the experience of reading Shakespeare less laborious and more delightful.

C.S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism (Cambridge, 1961). Readers often critique books, but this is one book that critiques readers. Only Lewis could write this, and he pulls it off brilliantly. I was left with a holy reverence for books that I didn’t have, or had lost over the years. Reading is a sacred act and we should handle books–at least the best of them–with great care and respect. Thank you, Mr. Lewis, for the reminder.

Jacques Ellul, The Humiliation of the Word (Eerdmans, 1985). Measured in influence, images tend to get more attention than the written word. This book celebrates the importance of language and revelation, and it cautions us about life in a culture that is dominated by visual communication. Of all the books on this list, I disagree with this one more frequently than any other. And yet of all the books on this list, few were more intellectually invigorating. Ellul is like that.

ON CHRISTIANS + CULTURE

James Davison Hunter, To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World (Oxford, 2010). This book is a thoughtful discussion about how the Church can and should seek to influence culture. It’s worth reading, because when Hunter is spot-on he is also vivid. I’ve posted examples of these excerpts on the blog. Here’s one. This book gets much respect, and it’s a well deserved respect.

Timothy Keller, Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just (Dutton, 2010). A careful biblical look at the Christian’s responsibility to care for those most vulnerable to injustice: widows, orphans, immigrants, minorities, and the poor. I counted 234 biblical references in this book. The book is well researched, biblical, provocative, and it gives me eyes to see the needs of the culturally vulnerable. It is too easy to neglect our most needy ‘neighbors.’ But Keller makes this neglect more difficult.

ON THEOLOGY

D. A. Carson, Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus (Crossway, 2010). One of the great living Bible scholars, writing about the pinnacle of our Savior’s work, with the goal of edifying a broad Christian audience … need I elaborate?

D. A. Carson, The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story (Baker, 2010). One day we will hold in our hands a full biblical theology of Scripture from Carson. But until then we can make due with this book that traces the major themes throughout Scripture. If you are looking for a book that will help you make sense of how the Bible fits together from Genesis to Revelation, while avoiding reductionism, this is the best book I’ve read. It is also offered as a discussion leader’s guide and as a DVD series (see the free materials here). In my opinion, this is the most important Christian book published in 2010.

Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics (Baker Academic, 2008). Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck was born on December 13, 1854. His birthday (Monday) is an annual reminder to me of God’s kindness in giving the church this theologian and his 4-volume systematic theology. Rarely does a day pass that I don’t reference this opus in my research. It is an incredible accomplishment; clear, precise, useful, and worth noting on this list. But if RD is too much, check out Our Reasonable Faith.

Athanasius, On the Incarnation (St. Vladimir, 1977). A ‘classic’ is a book that everyone talks about but nobody reads. I had not read Athanasius’ classic until a few months ago. I was surprised at the simplicity and clarity of writing. Although to say this is a book about the incarnation is limiting. Athanasius covers everything from the creation, fall, redemption, and restoration, simultaneously explaining the incarnation, life, substitutionary death, resurrection and return of our Savior. And of course the introduction by C. S. Lewis on old books is worth the price of the book (literally!). This is a classic that should be read.

J. Mark Beach, Piety’s Wisdom: A Summary of Calvin’s Institutes with Study Questions (RHB, 2010). A few excellent study guides for Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion have been published in the past couple of years. And some are still forthcoming (Douglas Wilson will eventually publish his excellent study guide). Beach’s summary oozes with pastoral sensitivities. For an audience that is frightened by the Everest-like size of Calvin’s work and the rock face of 16th century prose style, Beach is the experienced sherpa you want along for the climb. A brilliant book that can broadly benefit the church.

Eckhard J. Schnabel, Early Christian Mission (IVP Academic, 2004). I dipped into this 2-volume book a few times throughout the year and was impressed at its breadth and its detail. Schnabel has an encyclopedic mind and he traces the expansion of the church beginning with Jesus and the twelve disciples (vol 1) to Paul and the early church (vol 2). If you are interested in how God’s church has expanded in the NT, this 2,000-page work is a trove of biblical, historical, and archeological information relevant to biblical missiology. And he excels at applying early church history to contemporary topics in missiological discussions. If you want to learn about church planting and missions from a reliable Bible scholar, Schnabel is your man.

ON THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

Dave Harvey, Rescuing Ambition (Crossway, 2010). This is an outstanding book on taking risks and shooting big for God’s glory. “Risk always leads us to experience God in a deeper way. This is by design. Risk rescues us from misplaced security by anchoring us in the eternal” (180). The boost of motivation I experienced while reading this book was a key factor in my decision to write my own book. Dave’s message is very important, and especially for any Christian who dreams big for the glory of God. And it’s for any Christian who has never dreamt big. This is a horizon-expanding book.

Samuel Ward, Living Faith (Banner, 2008). A short 96-page booklet that is loaded with wisdom. Whenever I travel I keep this little book in my backpack. “It is sad to see a Christian pursuing joy in coarse and earthly pleasures when he has more noble and angelical delights, second only in degree and manner of enjoyment to heaven itself. Our faith takes us to the third heaven. We roll and tumble our souls in beds of roses, that is, our meditations of justification, sanctification, and salvation through Christ” (p. 30). This book makes a great gift, too.

ANTHOLOGIES

Charles J. Daudert, Off the Record with Martin Luther: An Original Translation of the Table Talks (Hansa-Hewlett, 2009). Off the Record is a handy collection of Luther’s off-cuff statements, freshly translated from German into English and collected into topics. The chapter on “Advice to Pastors” is very good (pp. 205–240). The publisher includes a download URL in the introduction for those readers who wish to read Luther’s most racy comments. I posted more details about this book on Justin Taylor’s blog this summer.

Danny E. Olinger, A Geerhardus Vos Anthology: Biblical and Theological Insights Alphabetically Arranged (P&R, 2005). This book is not new but very useful when I want to quickly find Vos’ punch line on just about any theological topic. This book is a collection of brilliant quotes, organized topically. If I ever meet Olinger, I will give him a bear hug, lift him from the ground, and spin him in a circle! It’s that good.

ON VOCATION

Tom Rath, StrengthsFinder 2.0 (Gallup, 2007). This book is built around an online test that gauges personal strengths. The test revealed my five personal strengths after completing a 20-minute multiple-choice test. This simple exercise was life-focusing (no hyperbole!). The results of this test have helped bring clarity to my daily priorities and direction to the long-term goals that I set. The test and the book also helped me discover personal weaknesses. By seeing these weaknesses I can better appreciate the co-laborers that God has placed in my life. The test, and the direction offered in the book, has been incredibly encouraging, humbling, and helpful.

COMMENTARIES

Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews (Eerdmans, 2010). For years I have benefited from Peter O’Brien’s commentaries on Colossians, Ephesians, and Philippians. In 2010 O’Brien gave us a commentary on Hebrews. I studied this commentary in my devotional times and was richly blessed by my deepening appreciation for the work of the Savior. This is a wonderful commentary.

Gary A. Stringer, editor, The Variorum Edition of the Poetry of John Donne, Volume 7, Part 1: The Holy Sonnets (Indiana Univ., 2005). Donne’s sonnets are brief but devotionally rewarding. To study the sonnets in greater detail I use this commentary. Just about every substantive comment ever published by a scholar on the sonnets has been collected into this “comprehensive digest.” Studying this commentary has made Donne’s sonnets come alive in striking depth, color, and detail. Commentaries like this one do more than provide information for the reader, they inform our interpretation, and they sharpen our ability to read other poetry.

Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull, The Lord of The Rings: A Reader’s Companion (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005). This is a paragraph-by-paragraph commentary of The Lord of the Rings. It is paginated to the retypeset 50th anniversary edition of LOTR. This commentary offers valuable background information that only the nerdiest Tolkien fans would ever discover without assistance. This beautifully designed commentary illuminates many details and helps me better appreciate the LOTR storyline.

BIOGRAPHY

Eberhard Bethge, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography (Fortress, 2000). A huge biography (1,050 pages) written with detail, clarity, and warmth, reflecting the close relationship the author enjoyed with Bonhoeffer. I have completed about 30-percent of this book so far, choosing to read it slowly on Sunday mornings between devotions and breakfast. Bonhoeffer was brilliant, and Bethge proves to have been a faithful and capable biographer. I look forward to waking early on Sundays to meet with Bethge.

Bruce Gordon, Calvin (Yale, 2009). This is another biography that is ‘in progress.’ Gordon has done a fine job bringing Calvin to life in this book. Here is what struck me from the beginning: Gordon applauds Calvin’s genius and his theological contributions without glossing his failures. This is an honest biography of a spiritual giant, which is evident from the book’s opening words: “John Calvin was the greatest Protestant reformer of the sixteenth century, brilliant, visionary and iconic. The superior force of his mind was evident in all that he did. He was also ruthless, and an outstanding hater.” I don’t think I could have put this book down if not for a writing deadline that slapped this book from my hands.

BOOKS ENJOYED WITH THE FAMILY

Stephen J. Nichols, The Church History ABCs: Augustine and 25 Other Heroes of the Faith (Crossway, 2010). Teach kids church history and make them laugh, too? This brilliant book raises the standard for Christian books written for little munchkins. No child is too young to be introduced to pillars of church history like Zacharias Ursinus.

Sally Lloyd-Jones, Jesus Storybook Bible, Deluxe Edition (Zonderkidz, 2009). The deluxe edition includes an audio CD of the entire book, which our kids have listened to many times while riding around in the car or listening at night before bed. This audio version has made a deep impact in the lives of our kids. We are on our third copy of the book (they get trashed from heavy use in our home).

Peter J. Leithart, Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life (Canon Press, 2003). The book is a collection of brief fantasy stories, that each illustrate a particular Proverb. Leithart is an imaginative writer and these short stories are loaded with allegorical biblical inferences. I know of nothing like it, and few books have gained more widespread appreciation from the kids. After dinner we read a chapter from this book as a family.

So that’s my list of 30 favorite reads from 2010.

Tell me, what were a few of your favorite books from the past year?

Retreat

Tony Reinke .Reading Digest, Writing

Starting today I’ll be enjoying a three-day writing/reading retreat. During the retreat I hope to edit a number of the chapters in my forthcoming book and enjoy reading a few favorite authors. Here’s what I’ll be working on over these days (from the bottom-up):

My manuscript. That stack of pages on the bottom is a version of my manuscript. I hope to edit the final nine chapters (6–15) this weekend. The manuscript is due in 50 days and at this stage, more than anything else, I am sharpening the prose style, smoothing out any lumpy-flow-issues, and taking time to address notes and questions from editors.

William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Lear in The RSC Shakespeare: The Complete Works (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008), pgs 2004–2073. Last week I received this newly edited version of Shakespeare’s works (1623 First Folio ed.) and I’m impressed with the clear and abundant footnotes and the penetrating introductions. I find this edition is far more helpful than other collections I own (ie Riverside). I was delighted to read portions of The Tempest last week. This weekend I’ll skip over to KL.

The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition (University Of Chicago, 2010). I will flip through the new manual to learn things I should have learned in English class but didn’t because I wasn’t paying attention. At this stage in my book writing I’ll need to invest time formatting all the knotty ends that have been largely neglected (footnotes).

John Newton, The Works of the Rev. John Newton: Vol. 1 (London, 1820). Apart from the letters in the New Testament, no other personal letters more consistently edify my soul than those from Newton’s hand. This weekend I plan to read and study three of his letters more closely, each from the first volume in his six-volume works. I plan to share these letters on the blog early next week.

Frans Bengtsson, The Long Ships (NYRB Classics, 2010). A recent re-release of two Viking tales originally published in Sweedish in 1941 and 1945, translated into English in 1954, combined into one novel, and then fell out of print and was forgotten for a while. The book is now back in print. TLS is an absorbing read and provides a sobering look into the savagery of the 10th century Viking world. I’ve rowed for 75 pages. 400 to go.

Wendell Berry, Life is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition (Counterpoint, 2000). Just arrived. The book opens with a line from King Lear: “Thy life’s a miracle. Speak yet again.” Berry is profound, although the reader knows what to expect: “…under various suasions of profession and personality, this legitimate faith in scientific methodology seems to veer off into a kind of religious faith in the power of science to know all things and solve all problems, whereupon the scientists may become an evangelist and go forth to save the world” (p. 19). Berry always makes the true Savior more beautiful in my eyes, and he tightens my clinch on the grace of God that I need to survive this mystery called life, although I don’t recall him ever mentioning Christ in a meaningful way. Often the great authors are marked by their influence that can slowly and subtly and permanently change your outlook on the world (eg Marilynne Robinson).

So that’s a bit about my weekend which has now officially begun at 5:30 AM on Saturday morning.

But first, personal devo’s.

The Winds of War

Tony Reinke .Reading Digest, Fiction, Reading

Sometimes I like to post excerpts from literature simply because I think they model great prose skill, like this excerpt from a historical novel set in WW2, The Winds of War by Herman Wouk. Wouk fought in the Pacific and his portrayals of the war have been acclaimed for their realism and accuracy. This quote is taken from near the end of The Winds of War, and takes place after the Pearl Harbor invasion (p. 884):

The darkness was merciful to Pearl Harbor. The smashed battleships were invisible. Overhead a clear starry black sky arched, with Orion setting in the west, and Venus sparkling in the east, high above a narrow streak of red. Only the faintest smell of smoke on the sea breeze hinted at the gigantic scene of disaster below. But the dawn brightened, light stole over the harbor, and soon the destruction and the shame were unveiled once more. At first the battleships were merely vague shapes, but even before all the stars were gone, one could see the Pacific Battle Force, a crazy dim double line of sunken hulks along Ford Island—and first in the line, the U.S.S. California.

Victor Henry turned his face from the hideous sight to the indigo arch of the sky, where Venus and the brightest stars still burned: Sirius, Capella, Procyon, the old navigation aids. The familiar religious awe came over him, the sense of a Presence above this pitiful little earth. He could almost picture God the Father looking down with sad wonder at this mischief. In a world so rich and lovely, could his children find nothing better to do than to dig iron from the ground and work it into vast grotesque engines for blowing each other up? Yet this madness was the way of the world. He has given all his working years to it. Now he was about to risk his very life at it. Why?

That is a picturesque and moving scene, one of many from Wouk’s writings. I look forward to reading his better-known War and Remembrance sometime in 2011 (DV), but after reading this article in The Paris Review I decided that my next historical fiction read would be The Long Ships by Frans Bengtsson, which I hope to begin this weekend.

Are you reading any good literature? Did you read a great book earlier this summer? If you have any great excerpts to share please post those in the comments for us all to enjoy.

Reading Digest #8 (Feb 28, 2010)

Tony Reinke .Reading Digest, Reading

Book writing is still at full-throttle pace for me, and it’s been that way for all of January and February. I have completed the rough drafts of the thickest theological chapters (1-6) and have now shifted my attention to writing the much more practical—and much less intense—chapters (7-14). And since the intensity of writing has dropped off a tad I’ve decided to intensify the reading. For this season I have decided to focus on theology.

Here’s my current list:

• Brooke Foss Westcott, The Victory of the Cross (Macmillan, 1888). I found this old gem on the bottom shelf in a dusty used book warehouse in DC. It’s a collection of sermons from a noted bible scholar and the Bishop of Durham, on the topic of the cross. I completed it the other day. The book fed my soul. I’ve quoted from it on the blog in the recent past and plan to post a couple other excerpts soon enough. You can read it online for free here.

• Kevin J. Vanhoozer, The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical-Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology (WJK, 2005). The book was written to encourage the church see the relevance of theology. Already I like what I read: “he who is tired of doctrine is tired of life, for doctrine is the stuff of life” (xiii). Nice. Also, he writes that theology is essential because it helps us (1) cope with life, (2) celebrate the activity of God, (3) communicate the works of God inside and outside the church, and to (4) criticize what is false. Vanhoozer’s goal in this book is to present theology as a drama, which seems fitting enough at first glance. Whether or not I’ll end up biting on the theo-drama approach I cannot say this early. But any book that emphasizes the seriousness of theology in the Christian life is worth reading. Alister McGrath says this book is “essential reading for all concerned with the nature and future of doctrine.” That’s me!

• Jürgen Moltmann, Theology of Hope (Fortress, 1993). Of all the branches of theology I think eschatology is the most underdeveloped. Not that there aren’t a lot of books that bicker about things like timelines, because those are plentiful. I mean books that seriously explain how eschatology informs the Christian life, how it protects us from worldly thinking, and how our future hope—not merely our past memory—shapes our theology and our priorities as Christians. I’ve only begun reading but I’ve eaten at café Tübingen before and they serve only lobster, a dish with hardly enough exegetical meat feed a man or to justify the time, the effort, or the price. Having read Moltmann in the past I cannot endorse the book or paste quotes from it on this here blog.

• John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion. I continue to plug away at the Institutes. Is there a better work of theology? Nope, not even my man Herman comes close to Calvin. My goal is to reread The Institutes cover-to-cover in 16 months. Right now I’m focused on 2.2.1–2.13.1 (or 1.255-475) where Calvin focuses in on free will, depravity, the law, and the mediator. Calvin is so relevant to our modern questions. Like what is the purpose behind the Lord sending earthquakes? Calvin has articulated the clearest and most careful answer to this question that I’ve read (see 1.17.1). Rich and relevant.

• Martin Luther, Off The Record With Martin Luther (Hansa-Hewlett, 2009). For fun I’ve been reading this new translation of Luther’s Table Talk. I’m tempted to quote my favorite excerpts but that would get me into trouble. This is a wonderful collection of colorful quotes from Luther’s free-tongued dinner conversations over meat, potatoes, and a mug.

So that’s what I am reading at the moment. How about yourself? I love hearing from you, and especially if what you are reading is less nerdy.

Quoteworthy

Tony Reinke .Reading Digest, spurgeon

For a bibliophile (me) reading an exceptional book is satisfying, if for no other reason than because outstanding books are so uncommon. But to finish one superb book and begin another in the same night—to go back-to-back—is quite a rush, quite a blessing, quite a rarity. Yet that’s what happened recently when I read the final page and closed the cover to The Killer Angels and picked up and began page 1 of Evening in the Palace of Reason.

For his historical novel of the battle at Gettysburg—The Killer Angels: A Novel of the Civil War (Modern Library, 2004)—Michael Shaara was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. This book left me with munition dust in my hair and dirt on my face and a cold downpouring thunderstorm washing over the final quieted battle scene. Shaara’s concluding words were the perfect capstone to his literary feat, a work filmmaker Ken Burns would later write, “changed my life.” It was very good.

Quoteworthy 1: In the final paragraph of The Killer Angels, the bloody closing day of battle has finished and all is quiet. Shaara writes—

The light rain went on falling on the hills above Gettysburg, but it was only the overture to the great storm to come. Out of the black night it came at last, cold and wild and flooded with lightning. The true rain came in a monster wind, and the storm broke in blackness over the hills and the bloody valley; the sky opened along the ridge and the vast water thundered down, drowning the fires, flooding the red creeks, washing the rocks and the grass and the white bones of the dead, cleansing the earth and soaking it thick and rich with water and wet again with clean cold rainwater, driving the blood deep into the earth, to grow again with the roots toward Heaven. It rained all that night. The next day was Saturday, the Fourth of July. [p. 330]

With the rain still falling in my imagination, I grabbed Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment (HarperCollins, 2005) by James R. Gains, the former managing editor of People, Life, and Time magazines. He sets the stage for a clash of worldviews: a Lutheran, theologically-minded musician (Bach) against one enraptured with the enlightenment (Frederick the Great) for a single meeting one evening in 1757 where “belief collided with the cold certainty of reason.” The story is masterfully retold.

Quoteworthy 2: For a little taste (or smell), here are a few of Gains’ words from an early chapter in Evening in the Palace of Reason—

For all its spires and watchtowers and red-roofed houses, its cobblestoned market square bordered by church, town hall, and castle, the residents of Eisenach would not have called their hometown charming. To get a sense of Eisenach as it was when Sebastian Bach was a boy, one must conjure up the scent of animal dung from the livestock that shared its streets and walkways, the putrid breeze that wafted from the fish market and slaughterhouse in the square, and, under those red-tiled roofs, a general atmosphere strongly redolent of life before plumbing. The homes of all but Eisenach’s wealthiest residents were small—close and hot in the summer, frigid and smoky in winter—and crowded. … What Eisenach had in great abundance, the solace and balm of its six thousand souls, was music. … [pp. 39–40]

Two excellent excerpts from two books written by masters who paint through their prose.

Reading Digest #7 (Sept. 3, 2009)

Tony Reinke .Reading Digest

For the past month I have not read much of anything. Hard to believe, I know. I’ve taken these summer weeks off to hang at the pool with my family rather than read intensely. The break has been invigorating (Ecc 12:12). But routines are good and this week I dive back into my reading routine.

Of all the reading schedules I’ve developed this one is the most eclectic. Over the next few weeks I will studying theology as usual, but also reading to better understand ancient myth, its cultural value, and whether there is value in Christians reading pagan myths (and what that might be). Apart from a few essays by C.S. Lewis on myth, this is largely a new field of reading for me. A couple of books on the art of reading and marking in books will be included in this round. Theologically, I’ve chosen several books and commentaries, most of which I will not be devouring slowly but scanning quickly to determine their relevance and importance.

I should note that over the months several blog readers have sent along gracious gift certificates to subsidize my reading habit (ie addiction). You support helps make this all this reading possible (ie enabled). From me to you: Thank you!

With that introduction, here is my next round of books:

MYTH AND MYTH MAKERS

The Tolkien Reader by J.R.R. Tolkien (Del Rey, 1962; 272 pgs). Specifically his chapter “On Fairy-Stories.” This book is the cheapest means to this essay.

An Experiment in Criticism by Lewis, C.S. (Cambridge, 1992; 151 pgs). Several important chapters on myth I need to read.

The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis by Alan Jacobs (HarperOne, 2008; 348 pgs).

Mythology by Edith Hamilton (Back Bay, 1998; 512 pgs).

The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland (Pantheon, 1981; 320 pgs).

Classic Myths to Read Aloud: Greek and Roman Myth by William F. Russell (Three Rivers, 1992; 272 pgs).

ON BOOKS AND READING

How to Read Slowly by James Sire (Shaw, 2000; 192 pgs). How can I resist a book with such a counter-cultural title?

Marginalia: Readers Writing in Books by H.J. Jackson (Yale University, 2002; 336 pgs). I write in my books and I’d like to learn about others who did this, too. Why’d they do it? How’d they do it?

THEOLOGY AND COMMENTARIES

The Nature and Destiny of Man: A Christian Interpretation + Human Nature by Reinhold Niebuhr (Westminster John Knox, 1996; 684 pgs). A classic theology I hear mentioned frequently, but have not read. I do intend to read this cover-to-cover.

A Biblical History of Israel by Iain W. Provan, V. Philips Long, Tremper Longman, and Philips V. Long (Westminster John Knox, 2003; 416 pgs). In preparation for a fall class with Longman on the biblical theology of the Old Testament (RTS-DC).

Plowshares & Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic by D. Brent Sandy (IVP, 2002; 228 pgs). A friend recommended this as a book on prophetic and apocalyptic imagery in the Bible. It does look very good.

Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament: Rediscovering the Roots of Our Faith by Christopher J. H. Wright (IVP Academic, 1994; 160 pgs). Always a topic of interest.

Psalms: Expositor’s Bible Commentary by Willem A. VanGemeren (Zondervan, 2008; 1024 pgs). Recently redone, this is a single-volume commentary on the entire book of Psalms that has received high marks. Doing nothing more with it than scanning it to become familiar with the work.

The First Epistle to the Corinthians [NIGTC] by Anthony C. Thiselton (Eerdmans, 2000; 1424 pgs). Deeply appreciate everything written by Thiselton. Scanning this commentary.

Second Epistle To The Corinthians [NIGTC] by Murray J. Harris (Eerdmans, 2005; 1000 pgs). Very thankful for the writings of Harris. Merely scanning this commentary.