It's funny what you think about while lying awake late at night. With a milestone birthday staring me in the face, I guess I've been thinking more about my mortality. It's not that I've become morose, but I have been contemplating what I want to accomplish in whatever years I have remaining in possession of a sound mind. So late Saturday night, I began thinking about how many books I could read in the next 20 to 30 years (Lord willing), given that I'll read an average of 10 books a year (it makes for easy math). That's only 200 to 300 more books! That was a sobering thought, and I was immediately convinced that I should be more purposeful in my book selection.
At church Sunday, a friend recommended that I check out Challies.com as a helpful resource. Tim Challies conducts an online book club, "Reading the Classics Together." (They are now beginning C. S. Lewis' Mere Christianity for those who might be interested.) I was so excited when I went to the blog and found today's entry titled, "10 Tips to Read More and Read Better." One tip is to develop a personalized reading list consisting of books from several different categories - great idea! Now I'm asking for your help. Please leave your suggestions of favorite or "must read" books according to the following types: theology, biography, history, church history, fiction, and non-fiction (no science fiction please...it won't happen). Those of you who are rather shy about leaving comments, you may do it anonymously if you prefer. Thanks for your help!
Being closer to not having a sound mind than you, I found this a staggering post. I was happy to see that reading old books is encouraged. You know I read the LOTR triology every year. I LOVE doing this. I notice something new every single time. LOTR is not necessarily my suggestion. I will have to give this some thought.
ReplyDeletegrannyof9
Theology
ReplyDelete- The Religious Affections (Jonathan Edwards)
- The City of God (Augustan)
Biography
- Jonathan Edwards; a life (George Marsden)
- John Adams (David McCullough)
History
- Undaunted Courage (Stephen Ambrose)
- 1776 (David McCullough)
Church History
- The Spirit of Early Christianity (Robert Wilkens)
- The Christian tradition (multiple volumes by Jaroslav Pelikan)
Fiction
- The Canterbury Tales (Geoffrey Chaucer
- The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
Non-Fiction
- The God that Failed (various)
- The Road to Serfdom (F. A. Hayek)
Ok... I'm thinking about this, and trying to think of books you've not yet read...
ReplyDeletebiography,
I liked Undaunted Courage, too. Any Stephen Ambrose is pretty good.
fiction--
1. George MacDonald (any- the old guy, mind you, like At the Back of the North Wind)
2. The Young Unicorns, Madeleine L'Engle (a children's book but well worth it-- any of the Austin Family series is great...Dragons in the Water is a good mystery too)
3. If you're into mysteries, try Dorothy Sayers' Strong Poison, then Have His Carcase, Gaudy Night and Busman's Holiday. I LOVE her!!
4. Wives & Daughters, Elizabeth Gaskell
non-fiction
1. Girl Meets God (Lauren Winner), also Mudhouse Sabbath by the same
2. A Severe Mercy (Sheldon Vanauken, whom CS Lewis led to Christ). This book changed me as a person.
3. Walking on Water, Madeleine L'Engle
I'll keep thinking about the other categories.
Here's my books to add to your already great list.
ReplyDeleteFiction
Any Jane Austin books
A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens (starts slow but keep going)
David Copperfield by Dickens (I stayed up until 1 am to find out what happened next)
A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute (a wonderful story about endurance, love, economics, and waiting for the right thing)
Crime and Punishment
Across Five Aprils - excellent book on the Civil War from the perspective of a young boy in Illinois.
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch - a story based on the real Mr. Bowditch. It is a great story of someone who determined to get an education and make something of himself even though he was stuck in what looked like a dead end apprenticeship. In one part, he teaches himself to read Latin so that he will be able to read Isaac Newton's books!
Treasure Island - best adventure book ever written
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
I haven't read this yet, but I just read a book review for Brideshead Revisited who says that the redemption of God's grace is central to the story.
Just for fun:
Ghost Map - can't remember who it is by but it is a great true story of the two men (a doctor and a minister) that used a map to change the world's thinking about cholera. Their insistence that it was a water bourne disease led the way to our sanitation systems of today.
The Lord Peter Whimsey stories by Sayers (the Nine Tailors is one of my favorites)
The Brother Cadfael stories by Peters - he's a Benedictian monk that solves murder mysteries plus the author brings in the intrigues of the day between King Stephen of England and Queen Maud who was trying to grab the throne of England.
The Amelia Peabody mysteries by Peters. The first 7 or 8 are probably the best.
Here is a condensed list for you to think about.
ReplyDeleteTheology
"Systematic Theology" by Wayne Grudem
"The Justification Reader" By Thomas Oden
"Bitesize Theology" - Peter Jeffery
Biography
"That Man Barnhouse" - A Biography on Donald Grey Barnhouse written by his wife
"Handbook of Evangelical Theologians" - Edited by Walter Elwell
"The Hidden Smile of God" - John Piper
Church History
"Guarding the Holy Fire - The Evangelicalism of John Stott, J.I. Packer and Alister McGrath"
"Reforming Fundamentalism" - George Marsden
"Evangelicalism Divided" - Ian Murray
I'm not really a fiction reader but "The Pigrims Progress" is a definite.
Hope this helps,
Jeff R
Theology:
ReplyDeleteGod's Passion for His Glory – John Piper, with the text of The End for Which God Created the World by Jonathan Edwards (one of the most formative books for my thinking)
Deserted by God? - Sinclair Ferguson (or anything by Ferguson)
Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament – D. A. Carson, ed. Not exactly for a straight read-through, but one of the absolute best resources for Bible study in my opinion
The Weight of Glory -C. S. Lewis
The Bondage of the Will – Martin Luther
The Pleasures of God – John Piper
How Long, O Lord? - D. A. Carson (Carson is one of my current favorite authors)
In My Place, Condemned He Stood – Carson and Dever (has a fantastic bibliography on the atonement for further reading)
Biography/History/Church History – it is really easier to just toss them all together : )
The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century – Roland Bainton
The Souls of Black Folk – W.E.B. Du Bois (one of the foremost intellectuals and leaders of the black community in the late 19th and early 20th century. The Souls of Black Folk challenges some of the ideas promoted by Booker T. Washington.)
A History of the American People – Paul Johnson
On the Origins of War and the Preservation of Peace – Donald Kagan (part history, part philosophical analysis)
Communism: a History – Richard Pipes
Fair Sunshine: Character Studies of the Scottish Covenanters – Jock Purves
The Hundred Years War – Desmond Seward
Longitude: the True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time – Dava Sobel (a really fascinating read; I think you would really enjoy this book)
An Ordinary Man – Paul Rusesabagina (the autobiography of Paul from Hotel Rwanda)
Philosphy – you didn't think I would let you get away without it, did you?
The Prince – Niccolo Machiavelli
The Repubic – Plato (yes)
Rhetoric – Aristotle
The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis
Amusing Ourselves to Death – Neil Postman
The Anti-Federalist Papers and the Constitutional Convention Debates – Ralph Ketcham (a metaphorical everybody knows about the Federalist Papers, but who knows the thinking of the opposition? Here it is.)
Tree and Leaf – J.R.R. Tolkien (you knew it was coming. T&L is a collection of less well-known writings by Tolkien including an essay, a short story and two poems)
Fiction
I Capture the Castle – Dodie Smith
Anything by Wendell Berry, as you now know
The Odyssey – Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald (the best translation by far)
The Hunt for Red October – Tom Clancy
Waiting for Godot – Samuel Beckett (not gonna lie, you'll probably hate it, but it is a rather important piece)
Till We Have Faces – C.S. Lewis
A Swiftly Tilting Planet – Madeleine L'Engle (it is sci-fi, but not fantastical, so you might be able to get into it more than Tolkien)
The Bourne Identity – Robert Ludlum
Leave It to Psmith – P.G. Wodehouse
Well, that ought to last you awhile. : )
Ashlea - this is amusing. For the top half of your recommendations I feel like you looked at my book case (or rather, more frightening, certain shelves) and for the bottom half, my wish list.
ReplyDeleteThe only author I haven't heard of is Dodie Smith.
Good recommendation with the Fitzgerald translation. Oh, and I laughed when I saw Beckett listed :)
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ReplyDeleteBen, I'm glad that you have good taste in books, as evidenced by your agreement with my list. And I suppose you might be forgiven for your ignorance of Dodie Smith, for her name is less well-known than her books. She is the author of the One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I incited laughter. It does seem to be my lot and purpose, so I'm happy to be living a fulfilled life.
I'd recommend anyting Mark Twain. Tom Sawyer is classic and rather amusing, and any of his essays are generally good. I'd especially recommend Life on the Missippi, it's kind of autobiographical. Anything he writes though is witty and enjoyable to read (at least that I've ventured to so far).
ReplyDelete