Best Reads of 2024

Each year I keep a list of the books I read all the way through, typically with brief notes, as a way of tracking my thoughts and a way to look back on each year and see some of what influenced me. So, in this post I have drawn from that list some of the best books I read this year with slightly edited versions of the notes I jotted down after reading them.

I selected a Top 11 from the books I read this year. These 11 aren’t listed in a particular order, and they made this list for various reasons ranging from sheer enjoyment to level of impact on me. Following the Top 11 are some more books I enjoyed reading this year (in no particular order) as well as some disappointing ones.

I realized that in this list are two series in which a hard-nosed detective is also a deeply committed Baptist, shaped by those principles, one in 19th century England (the Barker & Llewellyn series) and the other in 20th century America (the Swagger series).

Top 11 (couldn’t get it down to 10!)

  1. Nights Under a Tin Roof: Recollections of a Southern Boyhood, James A Autry – I saw this book on my parents’ shelf through the years, so, after my mom died this year, I read it. It is very good, and I see why it was one of my mom’s favorites. Her writings, “pieces”, as Autry calls them, are in this same vein as they reflect on life growing up in rural Mississippi. I also read Autry’s follow up, Life After Mississippi, which was also good, though not as good as the first one. He is right to say, “important things come without background music, that life is largely a matter of paying attention.”
  2. Recollections of a Long Life, Theodore Cuyler- I was on a run of reading books from Cuyler after reading and publishing a new edition of his wonderful book for pastors. This one is particularly fascinating! Cuyler met and interacted with the leading poets, pastors, and statemen of his time as he travelled the world. It really is amazing the breadth of his interaction. Much wisdom here to be gleaned and he writes so beautifully. (see another of his books listed below)
  3. The Art of Divine Contentment, Thomas Watson- Excellent! Important truths stated well. I decided I’ll plan to read all his books on Christian living.
  4. Reading Backwards: Figural Christology and the Fourfold Gospel Witness, Richard B Hays- a great read. Very stimulating. I think he is spot on hermeneutically, that we should learn to read the Bible like the Gospel writers did. It is sad then to see where he went in his most recent book.
  5. Clash of Visions: Populism and Elitism in New Testament Theology, Robert Yarbrough- This was a second read, this time with a class. Yarbrough does an excellent job of demonstrating the 2 different approaches within biblical studies, essentially the believing approach and the unbelieving approach. Powerful. A must read for anyone engaging in academic study of the Bible.
  6. The Watchdog: How the Truman Committee Battled Corruption and Helped Win World War Two, Steve Drummond- Really well done. I have some idea of how challenging it is to amass a lot of data and then weave that into a compelling story. Many books of history don’t do that well, but Drummond did that very well here. Engaging and fun to read, while also informative, careful, and balanced.  A fascinating bit of history that I did not know. A good example of the old adage that the best preparation for tomorrow’s work is to do today’s work exceptionally well.
  7. The Lessons of Tragedy: Statecraft and World Order, Hal Brands & Charles Edel- Great book on the value of history and our need to learn from it or be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. The first part of the book which recounts the Greeks and makes this point about history is the strongest (the intro is amazing). The latter part when he applies this to early Europe, WWI, between war period, WWII. Is also very good. The portion of 16-17th century Europe made clear reasons why I do not favor any sort of return to a wedding of church and government. The point about “tragedy” is to recognize how easy it is for things to fall apart and thus not to get lazy, overconfident, or presumptuous.
  1. Valcour: The 1776 Campaign That Saved the Cause of Liberty, Jack Kelly- This was a great book. I have read quite a bit about the Revolutionary War but did not know Valcour! So that was fun, but it also was well written. Great lessons on leadership and beyond.
  2. Patton’s Prayer: A True Story of Courage, Faith, and Victory in World War II, Alex Kershaw- An excellent book. Superbly written. He provides a compelling portrait of the complexities of Patton- vain, ambitious, religious, caring, etc. The contradictions are allowed to stand, and surely we are all contradictions in various ways. Reading Kershaw it makes perfect sense that I have heard people who loved Patton deeply and others who hated him. It makes perfect sense. From the New York Times obituary cited in the book: “Long before the war ended, Patton was a legend. Spectacular, swaggering, pistol-packing, deeply religious and violently profane, easily moved to anger because he was a fighting man, easily moved to tears, because underneath all his mannered irascibility he had a kind heart, he was a strange combination of fire and ice.”
  3. Front Sight: Three Swagger Novellas, Stephen Hunter- I really enjoyed this one. I like Hunter’s writing and these characters, just sometimes the story turns to more depravity than I care to read. Thankfully that was not the case here. Hunter is also smart in is writing, including pieces which connect across the three generations of characters, making off hand comments to connect back to other stories. I realize how much I enjoy such things. He’s also just a good writer, with twists and turns in the story. I like that his characters are typically noble, fighting for the down and out.
  4. Leadership and Emotional Sabotage: Resisting the Anxiety That Will Wreck Your Family, Destroy Your Church, and Ruin the World, Joe Rigney- This was so good that I bought a copy for all my adult sons.

Theology/Christian Living

  1.  God’s Light on Dark Clouds, Theodore Cuyler (New York: Baker & Taylor, 1882) – An excellent devotional aimed particularly at those in the midst of hard times. He alludes to his loss of a child and at the end of the book a paragraph from the local paper is included which told about the death of his 21 year old daughter. His care and commiseration are clear as is his confidence in God and His word. He gives straightforward counsel, dealing frankly with death in ways that I think would make some people today wary. He also writes beautifully. (Link is to Banner reprint).
  2. Newly Enlisted: A Series of Talks with Young Converts, Theodore Cuyler (American Tract Society, 1888)- Another compelling book by Cuyler.
  3. Amaze them with God: Winning the Next Generation for Christ, Kevin DeYoung- This is actually a little booklet (a chapter excerpted from a previous book, but it is excellent. The answer to reaching younger people is not gimmicks or style but being people who are genuinely caught up with God and laying out the truths of the greatness of God to them. Give them something big enough to believe in and show them what it looks like.
  4. More Precious Than Gold: Psalm 19– this is a brief little book going line by line through Psalm 119 and providing other Scriptures or quotes from Christian writers that go along with each line. Very nice.
  5. The Bible of Superhuman Origin, H E Watters- I loved seeing a book by this title from a former Union University president. He boldly asserts confidence in the Bible and demonstrates the integration of the Bible with various disciplines.
  6. The Appearing of God Our Savior: A Theology of 1-2 Timtohy, Titus, Claire Smith- I read this in an advance reader copy in order to supply an endorsement. It is very well done.
  7. Shepherds for Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda, Megan Basham- I expected to largely agree with this but perhaps to find her too snarky, fearing she might be over the top and too geared toward one liners and zingers. I came away impressed. I have felt the pressure she describes to soft pedal the Bible’s teaching on homosexuality, for example, and have been chided. I don’t get the pressure to soft pedal hard things in order to win an audience. My church upbringing challenged that sort of thinking from the beginning. I was taught to expect to be the odd man out, to expect the ridicule of the world and to beware of courting its favor.
  8. How the Church Fathers Read the Bible: A Short Introduction, Gerald Bray- I re-read this with my Readings in Theology class. It is interesting that I mark many different things this time through than I did the first time. A very helpful introduction to the Church Fathers and hermeneutics.
  9. Epitaphs for Eager Preachers, J. D. Grey- A humorous discussion of 10 bad approaches to ministry. Not much theology but some good advice. The most interesting to me was his stories from time at Union or interaction with people from there like his president J J Hurt. Though it had been several decades since his student days, the influence of his Union professors still was prominent in the thinking of this man who was one of the leading preachers of his day.

Leadership/Education

  1. A Sanctifying Context: A Vision for Christian Higher Education, Stephen Lennox- Excellent! I didn’t know the author and it came from a small denominational press which I hadn’t seen before, but I got it because it was recommended. And it was great. His thesis is bold- the purpose of Christian higher education is sanctification. This is above education. Education is a step to this higher goal and everything else the school does (student life, athletics, classroom, etc.) is for this end. I am persuaded. A lot of good advice for each of these areas. Strong on the importance of a robust chapel program, one that knows the purpose of chapel is worship and resists those, even well-intended, who want to move chapel away from this specific purpose to something broader. Strong on the importance of the theological faculty. He says they must be “privileged”, that is put in the center and looked to for formation.  
  2. The Five Temptations of a CEO, Anniversary Edition: A Leadership Fable, Patrick Lencioni- I like the format of a fable. Makes it very engaging. Also very insightful. I would have liked a better ending to the fable, but very helpful material on leadership.
  3. Lessons in Leadership: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks- At first I was a bit put off by the book with his take on the Scriptures. However, I began to appreciate it. I still have my obvious disagreements, but engaging the Jewish reading of the Pentateuch was stimulating. There is much in the example of Moses to speak to leadership especially of the people of God. In the end I really liked it and am considering getting Sacks’s books on each of the 5 books of Moses.
  4. On Power, Robert Caro- A brief, fascinating audio (2 hrs approx.) from Pulitzer prize winning author of large book on Robert Moses and massive series on Lyndon Johnson. He didn’t write these, he says, because he was interested in these men, but rather because he wanted to investigate political power, how it was gathered and wielded.
  5. Becoming Great Universities: Small Steps for Sustained Excellence, Richard Light & Allison Jegla-  Some basic concepts, decent ideas, but over all pretty dull.
  6. Warrior Politics: Why Leadership Demands a Pagan Ethos, Robert Kaplan- This book isn’t as provocative as the subtitle may suggest. First, many today read “pagan” as “perverse”, but the author uses it in its technical sense of “Greco-Roman.” And the Christian ethic he critiques is of a certain sort. He eventually acknowledges this. In the end, he primarily objects to those who abstract a certain personal morality and uncritically apply that to international relations. The best Christian thinking on this subject has agreed. Towards the end of the book he identifies this largely with the media which has the luxury of being moralistic and calling for simplistic responses to humanitarian crises with a utopian idea that the US should be able to resolve satisfactorily every problem. He instead says any country must consider its own self-interests, that these are complex issues where the most moral outcome is cloudy, and that political, military, and economic power is limited in what it can achieve. On all these points I agree. In his opening he makes a great argument for knowing history since he is calling for a renewed awareness of ancient history.

History/Biography

  1. The Black Hand: The Epic War Between a Brilliant Detective and the Deadliest Secret Society in American History, Stephen Talty- Very interesting. I was not aware of this story though it is historically important. Insightful on the anti-Italian bias, with lessons for similar racial prejudice towards others today. Shows that this has been around and not just tied to skin color (though the darker skin tone of Italians is mentioned). Interesting on the evolution of police forces, on immigration questions, etc. Also, a compelling portrait of honesty, courage, and perseverance in Joseph Petrosino. He could have been a lead character in a Louis L’Amour story.
  2. The Secret Agent: In Search of America’s Greatest World War II Spy, Stephen Talty- fascinating. I did not know about Eric Erickson and his spy work to help destroy Germany’s synthetic oil production. I knew just a bit about Germany’s shortage of oil and dependency on outside sources. It is really interesting that Erickson said the weakness in German leaders which allowed him to “get in” was their vanity.
  3. Getting out of Saigon: How a 27-Year-Old Banker Saved 113 Vietnamese Civilians, Ralph White- I have read some about the government efforts to evacuate US personnel from Viet Nam but had not thought about what international businesses faced with their employees (and dependents). This is an amazing story and Ralph White tells it well. One specific thing that stood out to me was the poise of this 27 year old man. In a day when we continue to push back the expectation of maturity and responsibility, it is striking to read of Chase Manhattan Bank entrusting their Saigon branch to a young man. Furthermore, it was compelling to read of how this responsibility weighed on him leading him to stand up to high-ranking government personnel (including rebuking the US ambassador to his face!), to risk job, freedom, and life to circumvent government bureaucracy, interact with hostile forces, and design a way to rescue people who were considered expendable by others.
  4. The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency, Chris Whipple- Very interesting, view from inside the administrations with many lessons for leadership. Obvious leftward bias, but I drew many specific lessons for myself at this time.
  5. The Last Outlaws: The Desperate Final Days of the Dalton Gang, Tom Clavin- pretty dull. The least of Clavin’s books that I have read.
  6. War on the Border: Villa, Pershing, the Texas Rangers, and an American Invasion, Jeff Guinn- Fascinating history, information. Not super in its telling. Seemed to ramble and his overall aim was not clear to me. Of course he wanted to tell the story, but to what end. There is always an end. He pointed out the mistreatment of Mexicans and Texicans, critiqued heavy-handed, jingoistic Americans, but mostly with an even hand. He did make connections to today, even the fact that people were building walls at the border then and wanting to build even more! The info was fascinating though. I knew of course about the war with Mexico, but did not realize we were so close to another war with them after the Civil War, up to and beyond WWI! I had heard of Pancho Villa as a villain but did not know more about him. I had not heard about Zappata and he made me wonder if the Lee Van Cleef movie, Sabata, was supposed to refer to him.
  7. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann- I wasn’t as taken with this book as others seemed to have been. Fine but not great. I pushed myself to finish it. A decent story but didn’t stand out.
  8. 1217: The Battles that Saved England, Catherine Hanley- well written and engaging. Some history I was unaware of. I have read a book on William Marshall the great knight who appears here, but I did not catch the full weight of the nobles under King John offering the crown to a French claimant to the throne due to how bad John was. I knew they forced him to sign Magna Carta and that he then reneged as soon as he could. The framing of this civil war which, with the death of John and the accession of his son, Henry, became more like a war against an invading armywas fascinating. Good lessons: John’s greatest contribution to the war was dying (so nobles could rally around a potentially better king in his son), the value of just holding on as several did like the man holding Dover castle. There seemed to be no hope for him but because he just held on, he bought time for his side, eventually leading to victory.
  9. 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed: Revised and Updated (Turning Points in Ancient History, 1), Eric Cline- Very interesting. He argues that the Late Bronze Age had a globalized economy similar to the modern world, with extensive trade from Greece to Persia to Egypt. Various parts were then deeply dependent on one another so that when a series of disasters hit, the whole civilization collapsed. The fact of collapse is agreed upon. What is debated is the cause. Cline says none of the single things pointed to as cause is sufficient in itself (the sea peoples conquering lands, earthquakes, drought, famines, internal rebellions). He argues it was a “systems collapse”, i.e., due to the confluence of several different events and due to the mutual dependence of the different countries, the collapse came. Very intriguing. This would all be coming to a head during the time of the Judges based on traditional dating. I’d like to think more about how these ideas would inform our reading of the OT. I appreciated that the author took the OT seriously. He did not regard it as inspired or necessarily accurate, but he took it seriously as ancient literary evidence.
  1. Ascent to Power: How Truman Emerged from Roosevelt’s Shadow and Remade the World, David Roll- very interesting due to the time and people involved. Roll makes a strong case that this was a very consequential time period- from Roosevelt’s last year until Truman won his own election. That is all very interesting. The downside is that Roll’s partisanship is clear but unacknowledged. I also didn’t trust his assessment of people. He considered comments of Truman’s as evidence of insecurity when it seemed to me as likely to be self-deprecation.  There were many other instances. He has researched this, of course, but given the evidence he shared with the reader, his “read” on various actions weren’t convincing.
  2. Civilization: The West and the Rest, Niall Ferguson- Fascinating. I had not read him before. He is willing to push back on commonly accepted things and to affirm things that are often thought of as scandalous (like the benefits of empire).
  3. Throne of Grace: A Mountain Man, an Epic Adventure, and the Bloody Conquest of the American West, Bob Drury & Tom Clavin- a bit of a disappointment. Their others by these authors have been so good but this one wandered, seeming like Jedidiah Smith was a pretext for writing about all the other mountain men. And despite the title, Smith’s faith is only lightly dealt with. It seemed that the authors didn’t really know what to do with his faith. They relate some good stories, but they can be found elsewhere already in print. In the latter part they began to focus more on Smith, and I enjoyed the entries from Smith’s diaries. There is still a place for a more aware and appreciative assessment of the man in light of his journals.
  4. Remembering Louis L’Amour, Reese Hawkins and Meredith Hawkins Wallin- A fun read because it centers on the authors’ interaction with L’Amour. It would be better if they didn’t always simply transcribe conversations but summarized and tightened them up. Perhaps this is why the book hasn’t been given greater promotion. But I enjoyed reading about their trips together researching for books L’Amour would write. I really liked the story about Grassy Cove, TN where L’Amour would bring the Sacketts. I also enjoyed learning more about Jamestown, ND, the effort to get the Congressional medal for L’Amour, and naming of an elementary school for him the year after he died. I had never heard of the school before.

Fiction

  1. The Shepherd of the Hills, Harold Bell Wright- my mom gave me her copy last month and told me this was her favorite book and asked me to read it. I had just started the book before she died. I enjoyed it a lot and could see why she loved it. Much of what she loved and longed for is here- simple country life and the truths of God revealed in the beauty of nature, the woods and hills.
  2. My Glorious Brothers, Howard Fast- This book was recommended to me years ago by a student who read it in homeschool. It tells the story of the Maccabees as a first-person narration by Simon, the last living of the sons of Matthias. I seriously doubt its historical accuracy in various places, but I was captured by the story of a man and his 5 sons resisting tyranny. Their speech sounds OT, hence Jewish to me, in its cadence and forms. But, their discussion of freedom etc. sounds like the modern West. I doubt the Jewish people of this time really thought in those terms. He has them several times say, as a Jewish proverb, “Resistance to tyrants is the greatest service to God” (or something like that) which sounds more like T Jefferson or B Franklin. In fact the whole thing sounds like a set up for the American Revolution. What is shocking, is to read that Fast was a communist and that at least one reviewer at the time (late 1940s) saw this a thinly veiled exaltation of Soviet communism against American aggression! Yet, I enjoyed the story, despite the anachronisms, because it sounded like a paean to political freedom!
  3. The Mark of Zorro, Johnston McCulley- the original story that started it all! I really enjoyed it. Originally published in serials in 1919. I enjoy many of the classics from this era. Interestingly Zorro’s mask here covers all his face including his mouth. Also he gathers other young caballeros to work with him and they call themselves the Avengers! He also identifies himself at the end of the book. Clearly it was intended as a one off. Popularity led the author to continue the series.
  4. The Further Adventures of Zorro, Johnston McCulley- fun one again, though more farfetched. These things aren’t supposed to be reasonable, really, but the regular capture, escape, capture, escape of Zorro did get a little old, but that is probably the result of the book originally being released in serials with a cliffhanger at the end of each episode.
  5.  Zorro Rides Again, Johnston McCulley- This one was better than the second one. Dragging out the waiting for the marriage is a bit much, but the story itself works very well. Interestingly it is the armed young men of standing who keep in check a would-be tyrannical government.
  6. The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel, Anthony Horowitz- I have enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes stories since I was a kid, so I was delighted to find a sanctioned continuation. It isn’t the same, but the author did his homework and clearly seeks ot stay with the tradition.
  7. Moriarty, Anthony Horowitz- I did not think this one was as good as AH’s first. I thought Anthony Jones was really Sherlock Holmes. I thought perhaps Moriarity was about. The story was intriguing and carried me along. Then, right at the end there was a complete shock with a dramatic twist that I in no way saw coming. That made it very intriguing.
  8. Enemies Among Us: A Nick Reagan Thriller, Jeffrey S. Stephens- I read a review copy. Good fun. Clearly aimed at conservative audiences and working along lines of interest to us. Good drama and action. Basically clean. Sadly, though it is clearly marketed to conservatives, there seems to be no problem with the hero being sexually active with his girlfriend. This isn’t described, but the fact that it is seen as normal was disappointing.
  9. The Siberia Job, Josh Haven- Fascinating story. The author says it is fiction based largely on fact. Indeed, he says, the craziest parts of the story are true. It deals with an American and a Czech trying to make money by speculating in shares of Russian business just after the Soviet Union fell apart. I can’t imagine taking the risks these men did for any money. Interesting to see how things went and another aspect of what many people go through (the lives of the Russians)
  10.  The High Graders, Louis L’Amour- A fun one. I was happy to find one on audio I had not read. Regular themes but not cookie cutter. The end moves into the current day reflecting back which was new to me in a LL book and fun.
  11. Passin’ Through, Louis L’Amour- another fun one. Many common themes, but unique aspects. Fun to hear a Sackett reference and to him having to leave all of a sudden because a relative was in trouble. Also includes some great lines like, “doubt rode my shoulders like an evil thing.”
  12. The Cherokee Trail, Louis L’Amour- I finally found another L’Amour novel in audio that I hadn’t listened to yet! This was a good one. My hunch (not checked) is that this is a later one. It has all the regular themes and many familiar motifs, but the woman is the lead character and even does more of her own rescuing, though the place of the man is still there.
  13. The Confessor, Daniel Silva- AnotherGabriel Allon story. Good one, intrigue, action, twists and turns. I also read The Kill Artist, the first of the Gabriel Allon series but I didn’t like it. Too much sensuality and moral confusion. I later tried A Death in Cornwall, a more recent installment of the series, but put it down for similar reasons.
  14. Point of Impact, (Bob Lee Swagger), Stephen Hunter- fun read, enough different from the movie that I didn’t realize this was the basis of the movie until well into it. Hunter is an amazing writer.
  15. The Shadow of War: A Novel of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Jeff Shaara- informative, well written. Not as much of a page turner. But, I am interested in the subject so it was interesting to read this attempt to put a human face on it. Shaara tries to give a human glimpse of an American leader (Bobby Kennedy), a Russian leader (Khrushchev), and a regular American (Russo; who apparently is a portrayal of his father). Gave a much more sympathetic portrayal of Khrushchev which makes more sense than I realized. I didn’t realize that this incident and his backing down cost him his role as leader.
  16. Empire Of Lies, Andrew Klavan- My first introduction to Klavan. Very interesting story, well written. He doesn’t mind being politically incorrect. A good thriller.
  17. Over My Dead Body ,Rex Stout – one of the Nero Wolfe stories. I got it because our adopted grandmother loves the series. I like older novels, and this one was written in 1940. Gives a nice picture of culture at the time. Decent story, but I prefer Sapper and much prefer Buchan. It was striking that when it appears that Wolfe had a child out of wedlock, Archie, his assistant is ready to resign from working for a man with such a scandal. What a different day.
  1. Some Danger Involved, Will Thomas– This is the first of the Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn novels which apparently has become quite a series. This one was published in 2004. I had never heard of them until I saw them mentioned in an Intellectual Takeout post on books men should read. Enjoyable. Not at the level of Buchan or L’Amour but enjoyable. Great when I just want a fun listen. Sort of a what if Sherlock Holmes instead of being a drug addicted narcissist was a robust Scottish Baptist who attended Spurgeon’s church? That sounds fun! Cyrus Barker is the “private inquiry agent” (not detective) and Thomas Llewelyn is his Welsh assistant, who, like John Watson in the Holmes series, narrates the stories. I enjoyed this so much, that I listened to the first 7 in the series and am currently listening to book 8. Here are the others, with a brief note which I read this year:

To Kingdom Come, This time they infiltrate a group of Irish terrorists.

The Limehouse Text, This time they interact with a Chinese mystery and the Triad. Spurgeon is regularly mentioned, but the stories are never preachy.

The Hellfire Conspiracy, A good bit darker, dealing with satanic meetings and a serial killer who kidnapped young girls, “outraged” them, and cut off a trophy.

The Black Hand, Dealing with the Mafia. Not as dark as the previous one.

Fatal Enquiry, Dealing with international intrigue and Barker’s nemesis, with more info on his time growing up in China.  Spurgeon even makes a hospital visit to Barker in this one.

Anatomy of Evil, They take on and solve the Jack the Ripper murders. Striking here how true to historical details the author is. The last two stories, though, also show that the author doesn’t completely stay true to the outlook of a “Spurgeon Baptist.” Disappointing, but the stories are still fun.

  1. Solo, Jack Higgins- A good read, nicely paced. I was drawn in. A classic 1980’s adventure story- highly trained assassin who is also a world famous concert pianist who accidentally crosses  a rock-solid American military man who is now determined to hunt him down. I feared it was going to be overly sensual, but it wasn’t.
  2. Damascus Station, Thomas McCloskey- Fine but not as great as I heard. I saw high praise for it in First Things, but it was just fair to me, with more sensuality than I expected.
  3. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle- One of my elementary teachers read this to us. I came back across references to it, so decided to read it again and see what it was about and why it had been controversial. I think those who decried it as New Age or the like must have been seriously deprived of imagination and quite narrow in outlook. The characters who seem to portray themselves as witches explicitly say this is a persona they play at to keep away snoopers, and they are directly identified later as angels. They are majestic beings of light, at the sight of whom, in their real personas, one of the children bows in worship. But these beings eschew worship saying there is only One to be worshipped. They speak freely of God and often quote scripture, making clear which God they must be referring to. This is an explicitly Christian book. There is clear good and evil, and in the end evil is defeated not by hate but by love. The ending does strike me as simplistic, but it does faithfully portray a Christian understanding. I appreciate its clear distaste for totalitarianism.

Disappointing

  1. The Power and the Glory, Graham Greene- I tried this one because a friend thought I’d like it. I didn’t at all like the previous Greene book I read, but my friend said I’d probably like this one because it is about a priest persevering under persecution. I see what Greene was doing and appreciate the idea, but I really don’t like his style. I find his manner of writing distracting and even annoying at times.
  2. Godric, Frederick Buechner- I finally read Buechner, who had been warmly commended to me. I must say, I am not quite taken. He writes well, but this isn’t my kind of book. I appreciate the lampooning of pretention to spirituality, but he does it in such a way as to go into more discussion of sin than I find helpful. I’m sure it isn’t his purpose, but it almost glorifies sin or at least makes it seem not so bad. There are redeeming points in the book of course, but overall I am disappointed.
  3. A Fall of Moondust, Arthur C. Clarke- underwhelming. It was fine as a story but not riveting. Perhaps it is unfair given that I am reading it 63 years after publication. The hype caused me to expect more.
  4. Riders of the Purple Sage, Zane Grey – a fine story, but marred. Pales in comparison to Louis L’Amour, and this was apparently Grey’s bestselling book. The story is less cohesive than L’Amour and overdone. L’Amour has strong women characters, but Grey’s in this story are weak, flighty, and hysterical. The dialogue, in general, is overwrought.
  5. No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy: The Life of General James Mattis, Jim Proser- Mattis is fascinating, but this book is mediocre in its writing. Prone to hagiography. The best lines are quotes from Mattis himself. Some good information, some slogging. If you read Mattis’s own book on leadership, you can give this one a pass.
  6. Cane Ridge: America’s Pentecost, Paul K Conkin- The author taught at Vanderbilt, but he doesn’t seem to get some of the theological things he discusses. It just isn’t well-written. I had to push through to finish it.

John Brown of Haddington on Frequent Communion

Kudos to Gregory Soderberg for this new edition of this important essay by John Brown of Haddington! I have for years said this piece deserved republication for a new audience. You can see an earlier blog post here. At the time of that post, WorldCat only showed 3 copies of the booklet in the US. I am pleased it will now be accessible to all.

Prof. Soderberg references that post in his discussion of the new book. I encourage you to get and read this little book, It is thoughtful and helpful. I remain convinced, as I have argued elsewhere (a brief piece, a book chapter), that the practice of weekly communion is beneficial to individual believers and to churches.

So, take up and read!

Pastoring in Hiroshima

One of the great things about reading history is that you stumble upon powerful examples. I am currently reading David Roll’s Ascent to Power: How Truman Emerged from Roosevelt’s Shadow and Remade the World.

After describing the events leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima and the devastating effects of the atomic bomb, Roll related accounts of people who survived the event. One of those was a Methodist pastor. This is a powerful example of pastoral ministry in the midst of unimaginable chaos and suffering.

“Somewhere in the park that night, Kiyoshi Tanimoto, pastor of the Hiroshima Methodist Church and a 1940 graduate of Emory University in Atlanta, was preaching the lesson of Psalm 90 to the burned, maimed, and dying. Their lives, in the sight of the Lord, would last no longer than ‘a watch in the night,’ he quoted. ‘They quickly pass and fly away.’ Though their time on earth had been ‘consumed by the wrath of God,’ Tanimoto asked the survivors to pray to the Almighty, as Moses had, that ‘the beauty of the Lord will rest upon us.’” (p. 186)

Recognizing and Responding to the Messiah

"Recognizing and Responding to the Messiah" is now available from Union University Press.

This Spring Union University Press released its latest book, Recognizing and Responding to the Messiah: Sermons on the Gospel of Mark, edited by Justin Wainscott and myself. For quite a few years, chapel services at Union have included a series through a book of the Bible. We call this our WORD series. This book contains the sermons preached through the Gospel of Mark in the Spring of 2023. The title comes from my contention in the first sermon that Mark’s Gospel seeks to cause us to ask to primary questions: Who is this Jesus? And, what will you do with Him? My fellow contributors include Matthew Albanese, Frank Anderson, Joe Ball, Michael Garrett, Brad Green, Robert Lane, Hal Poe, & Reginald Taylor.

We hope the book will help anyone reading the gospel of Mark, as well as serving as a resource for others who are planning to preach through this gospel. Each sermon takes a larger section of text and shows the personality and approach of each preacher.

Enemies Among Us, A Thriller

Recently I read a prepublication review copy of Jeffrey S. Stephens’ thriller, Enemies Among Us: A Nick Reagan Thriller. This is the second of his Nick Reagan books, though I have not read the first one. Regan is a CIA operative seeking to thwart terrorists who stumbles upon widespread corruption at high levels in the government.

The book is a fun read with fast-paced action and intrigue. It is clearly aimed at a more conservative audience, as this sort of thriller tends to do. Even the name of the hero, Reagan, seems to be a nod in that direction. All of this makes it a novel well suited for me. It is also relatively clean, which is not always the case for the genre. It is sad though, that while the book is clearly marketed to conservatives, there seems to be no problem with the hero being sexually active with his girlfriend. This is an example of what several people have noted about a divide between conservatives, with a significant number not thinking traditional, biblical morality being among the things which ought to be conserved.

A Peculiar People

May be an image of 3 people and text that says 'Touchsto +++ ne January February 2024 $8.95 A Journal of Mere Christianity Married with Children -Allan C. Carlson Authority, Love & Devotion -R. R. Reno Your Holy House -Thomas Howard Child's Play -Anthony Esolen Sarah'sChd Child Patrick Henry Reardon Loss ofa Vital Skill Daniel Witt A Father's Example David Mills M. Hutchens The Death ofa Daughter Keith Lowery Who's Mom? Kathleen Curran Sweeney Killing Innocents James Kushiner Kathie Johnson Ken Myers Mary Elizabeth Podles Ray Van Neste'

The latest issue of Touchstone Magazine contains my review of David Lyle Jeffrey’s excellent book, We Were a Peculiar People Once: Confessions of an Old-Time Baptist. Part memoir, part prophetic critique, this book is uproariously funny as well as insightful and devastating. You can read the review, and I hope you read the book. In short, Jeffrey rightfully reminds us that the church’s task is not to be cool but to be different. Despite good intentions, we do not make progress in reaching the world by trying to show how cool we are or how much we are just like them. Jesus told us clearly, “Do not be like them” (Matt 6:8). But it seems, too often we cannot bear the scorn of the world.

Best Reads of 2023

Each year I keep a list of the books I read all the way through, typically with brief notes, as a way of tracking my thoughts and a way to look back on each year and see some of what influenced me. So, in this post I have drawn from that list some of the best books I read this year with slightly edited versions of the notes I jotted down after reading them. These are only books that I read all the way through and do not involve commentaries and reference works I’ve used. You can see my assessment of new Bible reference works from the past year in my annual article for Preaching Magazine which should be out in the next issue.

I selected a Top 10 from the books I read this year. These 10 aren’t listed in a particular order, and they made this list for various reasons ranging from sheer enjoyment to level to impact on me. Following the Top 10 are some more books I enjoyed reading this year (in no particular order) as well as some disappointing ones.

Top 10

  1. The Private Devotions of Lancelot Andrews, trans John Henry Newman- I deeply enjoyed this old, little book. Andrews was a lead translator for the King James Bible and he compiled these devotions for his personal use.
  2. Into His Presence: Praying with the Puritans, Tim Chester- a really wonderful collection of prayers. I found it immensely helpful.
  3. We Were a Peculiar People Once: Confessions of an Old-Time Baptist, David Lyle Jeffrey- My review of this book is in the January issue of Touchstone Magazine. Jeffrey is a master story-teller and humorist which can be seen in the stories he tells from his childhood among Canadian Baptists. He is also sound theological critic, as seen in the points he begins making as the book moves along. This is a book you don’t want to miss.
  4. The Godly Man’s Picture: Drawn with a Scripture Pencil, Thomas Watson- Excellent. I read this over most of the year. slowly to digest it. Watson is wonderful with his words, making rich points with well-chosen words. Much here also for the fearful soul.
  5. The Path to Home, Edgar Guest- Guest has long been one of my favorite poets, and this  wonderful collection of poems illustrates why. He revels in and celebrates family life, the joy of children, and everyday blessings.
  6. Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy, Henry Kissinger- excellent. Great history, some I had not known at all (Lee in Singapore. leader in Germany, etc). Excellent reflections throughout, especially on education in the conclusion.
  7. The Wisdom of the Bullfrog: Leadership Made Simple (But Not Easy), William McRaven- I have enjoyed every one of McRaven’s books, and this was no exception. He writes well, has great stories, and this is one of the best leadership books I’ve read.
  8. The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink, William Inboden- Great history, told well. I’m a Regan fan, and I really enjoyed this book.
  9. The Dark Tower: And Other Stories, C S Lewis- I did not remember hearing about this book before. It is fascinating to hear about some of these papers being saved from the fire literally! I was quite taken by the title story and lamented not having the rest of it. The beginnings of the current fascination with multiverses can be seen here. But what Lewis does with this is fascinating. The incomplete take on Menelaus and Helen after the sack of Troy was also quite compelling. Earthy, challenging as typical Lewis. The discussion about how the war was started (was going to happen anyway, Helen’s abduction was just an opportunity) and what to do with a Helen whose lost her beauty (hide the truth so that the people don’t get unhappy) was instructive in political science.
  10. Three Noirs & a Blanc (For the Love of Friends, Book 1), R. Kelvin Moore- I read a pre-pub copy and really enjoyed it. I didn’t know what to expect but I was drawn into the friendship of the four guys, and the love of the broader circle. I kept fearing a dark turn was coming that would ruin everything- which says something about what I’ve come to expect in novel.  Thankfully that did not come and it was a beautiful portrait of friends, people who each had come through deep sorrow, but trusted the Lord and helped one another.

Theology/Bible/Christian Living

  1. The Pastor and the Modern World: Reformed Ministry and Secular Culture, William Edgar, Kent Hughes, & Alfred Poirer- 3 great lectures on pastoral ministry. All three are helpful, though my favorite was Poirer’s. He examines Gregory of Nazianzus and his call for the care of souls. Resonated deeply.
  2. Letters to Heaven: Reaching Beyond the Great Divide, Calvin Miller- Miller was very creative and that shows in this book. Some are touching examples of faithful pastoral ministry. Others- and sometimes both of these things occur in the same letter- come across as pretentious.
  3. A Time to Build: 40 Days in Nehemiah, Eric Smith- An excellent devotional study, very accessible, engagingly written, good challenging and comforting truths. I also enjoyed Eric’s Consider Jesus: Christmas in Hebrews. Eric’s ministry in writing these devotionals which are made available for free through his church is wonderful and is spreading to a wide audience.
  4. The Heart in Pilgrimage: A Treasury of Classic Devotionals on the Christian Life, ed. Leland Ryken- It was slow starting, but it grew on me. Some entries were better than others, but I appreciate getting samples from some key, historic devotional writings.
  5. The Recovery of Family Life, Elton and Pauline Trueblood- Published in 1953, this is a clarion call that is much needed today. Some references are outdated, and many will say many of its ideas are outdated, but they need consideration. Particularly the comments about fatherhood, intentional training of children, the need of children for direction and authority (instead of letting them “choose their own way”) is very good.
  6. The Genesis of Gender: A Christian Theory, Abigail Favale- Good strong critique of the gender paradigm. I liked hearing how her Catholic faith eventually pushed her away from radical feminism. I have points of disagreement, but overall I am very glad for her book.
  7. Letter of Consolation, Pierre Viret- Very good! Viret was a Swiss evangelist and Reformer, known as “the smile of the Reformation (1511-1571). A man who has seen and known persecution writes his flock encouraging them on persevering under persecution. Relevant. powerful.  
  8. Persuading Shipwrecked Men: The Rhetorical Strategies of 1 Timothy 1, Lyn Kidson- very detailed, a whole lot of data, but fundamentally unpersuasive. (my review can be found in Southwestern Journal of Theology)
  9. Still By Choice , Ruth Pitter- Pitter was C S Lewis’s love-interest for a while. He greatly respected her poetry and solicited her feedback. I didn’t enjoy most of the poems, though I did like “Angels.”

Leadership/Education

  1. To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision, Admiral James Stavridis- I like books that tell history and then draw leadership lessons from that. This one seems too self aware, careful to be more pc. Still, good points are made about leadership. Good things to learn, especially along the lines of balancing daring and caution.
  2. Four Critical Years Effects of College on Beliefs, Attitudes, and Knowledge, Alexander W. Astin- Dr Agee recommended this book to me and it contained helpful information from a secular, scientific study on what is and is not beneficial in college, and how important these 4 years are. You can skip to the last chapter which summarizes the important points.
  3. Faithful Learning: A Vision for Theologically Integrated Education, Jacob Shatzer- A helpful summary of key doctrines with an eye to how they should shape our approach to teaching each discipline in a college curriculum if we are going to truly integrate faith and learning.
  4. The Transformation Factor: Leading Your Company for Good, for God, and for Growth, J Frank Harrison III- I like Harrison’s story.

History/Biography

  1. Prisoners of the Castle: An Epic Story of Survival and Escape from Colditz, the Nazis’ Fortress Prison, Ben Macintyre- great story, well told. He does have an interest in diving into sexuality particularly homosexuality. Not graphic just more interest than I’d ask for. But overall this is fascinating story which I had not heard about before. Examples of perseverance and ingenuity among the prisoners. I don’t know if this would be the same today. Also the general respect for human rights on both sides is something I think has been lost.
  2. The Polar Bear Expedition: The Heroes of America’s Forgotten Invasion of Russia, 1918-1919, James Carl Nelson- I was fascinated to read about this invasion of Russia, and of how this has even recently been referenced by Russian political leaders (i.e., they have not forgotten this even though we have).
  3. Lightning Down: A World War II Story of Survival, Tom Clavin- Engaging story, part paean to the P-38, which was fun, and part (mostly) tale of survival. I realize I’ve read a few of these now especially in WWII, in both Asian and European theaters. In fact some details in this one have come up in other ones (like Audrey Hepburn). The story wanders a bit chasing stories of other people. But the epilogue is especially moving when Moser (main character) finds out the French farmers who helped him were not executed as he thought. The tales of Buchenwald were terrible and even made me think about putting the book aside. These things don’t usually affect me this much, but they did here. The children disappearing, and then a sadistic guard smiling when asked their whereabouts and saying they’re still with us, pointing to the ash falling from the crematorium. The sadism of the guards is appalling, but sadly, I think can see in our culture the potential of people behaving this way. When it said that Moser, postwar, working as a repairman without people knowing what all he’d been through, would often have to leave a home when he smelled bacon frying because that is what the camp with the crematorium smelled like, that hit me. I am struck again by how so many men who had suffered and accomplished so much, simply went back to work once they were home, and went to work in very simple, non-glamorous jobs, jobs many today think are beneath them even though they’ve not done half of what these men did.
  4. Stories in His Own Hand: The Everyday Wisdom of Ronald Reagan, ed. Kiron Skinner, Annelise Anderson, and Martin Anderson- enjoyable read.
  5. The Waters Between Us: A Boy, a Father, Outdoor Misadventures, and the Healing Power of Nature, Michael Tougias- I love a memoir of fathers and sons, and I love stories about growing up enjoying the outdoors. People talking about the freedom children had to roam the woods, forests, rivers, etc. in a previous day make me sad for what we have lost. This had all that. It also lacked morals and had anti-human environmental ideas in one place. So, I’d have to be careful about recommending it, but I did enjoy it. Very good on this man realizing later how hard his dad worked and all he did to make life good for his family. Also powerful portrait of love and service in his parents caring for their daughter after her debilitating accident. Sad to see the husband be willing to let them take the responsibility, and with their blessings, annul the marriage and move on.
  1. Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills, Charles Henderson- A good read. Some profanity and gory, but good account of Carlos Hathcock, regular Arkansas boy who became a legendary Marine sniper. I liked his down to earth nature and hard work. It was sad though to see that his work seemed to be his life. Still much about drive and determination.
  2. Savage Will: The Daring Escape of Americans Trapped Behind Nazi Lines, Timothy M Gay- I stumbled across this book and saw it was about a WWII incident I had not heard of. It is fascinating story and really amazing more hasn’t been made of it. The author tells the story well. Not the level of McIntyre, etc. but good. Nurses and medics in flight up the Italian peninsula to staff a battlefield hospital were blown off course by a bad storm and ended up crash landing in Albania which was held by the Germans. It took 2 months for them to make their way to safety without being discovered by the Germans. It is amazing what all they went through and yet persevered and when they got home they didn’t make a big deal of it.
  3.  The Lost Airman: A True Story of Escape from Nazi-Occupied France, Seth Meyerowitz- a great story and even better that it was unearthed by a grandson about his grandfather! Opening shows classic WWII selflessness when one gunner is injured and downplays it so others will keep going and when eventually he ends his life so his buddy won’t die by continuing to try to save him. On the other hand we also see failure in the pilots who jump before their crew gets out thus endangering more of them. The bravery and perseverance of the French resistance is strong and compelling. Great story all the way around.
  4. Lost in Shangri-La, Mitchell Zuckoff- a fascinating account of tragedy, courage, and encounter with a relatively unknown people group in New Guinea in the closing days of WWII
  5. Those Turbulent Sons of Freedom: Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys and the American Revolution, Christopher Wren- I knew of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys but I did not know that they were also fighting for independence from New York or that they flirted with switching to the British side in return for the opportunity to be their own province. Very interesting and well written
  6. Jefferson’s War: America’s First War on Terror 1801-1805, Joseph Wheelan- a bit slow at times, but very interesting history. I knew that the Barbary war had taken place but few facts. It was interesting to see how this issue led to developments in thinking about the role of the federal government, military use, trade, etc. Also striking to see so early the US get into the trade of trying to overthrow a foreign government and the trouble that ensued, and us ending up leaving those allies stranded when we didn’t need them anymore.
  7. Game Changer: Our Fifty-Year Mission to Secure America’s Energy Independence, Harold Hamm- I would not normally have picked up this book, but a friend asked me to look it over. I found the argument strongly compelling. It is well written too. Hamm makes a great point about his oil company working hard to be environmentally friendly because it is good business and not because of some government mandates, and that using our oil helps the US and is cleaner than what is used elsewhere. Devastating critique of government intervention and the emptiness of trying to shut down oil now. He says make the best us of what we have and with that seek innovation rather than making a fideist pledge to other sources before they are ready. Much good here.
  8. Mountain Man: John Colter, the Lewis & Clark Expedition, and the Call of the American West, David Weston Marshall- fascinating account of the adventures and experiences of Coulter. A good overview of the West at this time, the Indian tribes and their lives, the animals which were threats, etc. The stories provide examples of grit, courage and perseverance.
  9. The Masculinity Manifesto: How a Man Establishes Influence, Credibility and Authority, Ryan Michler- a lot of good material. Overdone sometimes on masculinity, but he does emphasize service, humility, etc.
  10. The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language, Melvyn Bragg- fascinating. I love how he writes. It sparkles. I can tell he’s playing with the words as he writes and I think he’s even using allusions I’m not catching. Wonderful. I do find myself more in sympathy with those who want to preserve proper English, knowing there will be changes, but wanting to push against those who toss away any effort for standardization. I do wish he used proper notes though so you could see the sources of quotes, etc.

Fiction

  1. Collusion: A Novel (Mayberry and Garrett Book 1), Newt Gingrich & Pete Earley- I really enjoyed this one! It is an action, intrigue, espionage story. Standard Russians trying an evil plot with a former special ops guy with a bad rap on him saving the day. Well done with story, pacing, etc. Plus it had no sensuality. Some language. People of faith portrayed positively with mentions of Jesus and even a lady being Southern Baptist which was interesting.  The second book in the series, Shakedown: A Novel, was fun but had some more suggestive material.
  2. Duplicity: A Novel (The Major Brooke Grant Series Book 1), Newt Gingrich & Peter Early- Fair, over the top too often, less believable than the other series. Brooke Grant particularly is over the top. Fun at times, but I didn’t continue the series.
  3. The Russian: A Novel (Rob Tacoma, 1), Ben Coes- A decent thriller, but disappointing compared to others I’ve read. More language and sensuality than I expected. Not the worst in this genre, but I’d heard it was more clean.  Then, just not real well written, given to cliché more, style and grammar on the lower end. Also, these kinds of stories have swagger, but it was over done in this one. I didn’t pursue others in the series.
  4. The Man from the Broken Hills(Talon and Chantry), Louis L’Amour- a fun story with classic LL themes. Did seem to have more profanity and more times where the main character seemed slow on the uptake, when the point was telegraphed so I was waiting for him to realize the obvious.
  5. North to the Rails(Talon and Chantry), Louis L’Amour- fun one. Interesting that this time LL takes a man opposed to killing or carrying a gun. He acknowledges the honor in the thought, but makes the point that in some situations, esp where law is not in charge such things are a necessity. Hero is Tom Chantry. His father, who was killed, was Borden Chantry.
  6. Over on the Dry Side, Louis L’Amour- a Chantry novel. Owen Chantry is the hero, and his brother Clive was murdered. Clive is the scholarly one. So, LL brings together his interest in academic minded people out west with his fighting man hero. Fun story. Well done. I’d like to know how Owen and Clive are related to the Borden/Tom line.
  1. Crossfire Trail, Louis L’Amour- good story, straight forward, almost formulaic L’Amour, but I enjoy those.
  2. Brionne, Louis L’Amour- a good one! Crossfire trail was subpar for LL, this one was back on track. It did jump a bit at the end, or I just missed a thing or two. It could have used some smoothing and wrapping up a bit more, but he didn’t’ edit. Still, I really enjoyed this one.
  3. Conagher, Louis L’Amour- another good one. Makes the point that settling and making something of the land is what really matters. I find this often in Westerns. It seems the authors wanted to make clear that though the stories center on fighting men, the real progress is found when men and women settle down and make something of a place. Honorable fighting simply defends this.
  4. The Trail to Seven Pines, Louis L’Amour- one of his Hopalong Cassidy novels. Enjoyable, though I can see why he didn’t like the HC novels included in his list of works, and even denied authorship. I’m glad we have them, but they aren’t up to his other Westerns. The flashy guns and attire of Hoppy cuts across the grain of what he talked about elsewhere. But in these novels that’s what he had to work with. Still, the straightforward good guy standing for principle, protecting the weak, calling for courage, plus good natured humor makes this a fine book.
  5. The Lonesome Gods, Louis L’Amour- a fun read. Another of his really long ones. Probably only The Walking Drum is as long. Good typical themes (courage, education, respect, perseverance). He often has strong women characters, but Miss Nesselrode is the strongest one in any of his work I’ve read. Her dressing down of Don Isidro is amazing! He also often comments on old gods of people who used to live in a location, but he develops that more here. An odd spiritualism. The Alfredo character (one who has a thyroid issue leading to enormous size) was also unique and very interesting. So, this story covers the common themes I like in LA, while also standing out with several unique characteristics.
  6. The Man from Skibbereen, Louis L’Amour- another fun one. Has standard themes but more original. Main character is just over from Ireland and acclimates to the West. He is a fighter more than a shooter, so the standard boxing aspects are there. More about the Civil War with the bad guys being former Confederates bent on getting revenge on Sherman.
  7. The Shadow Riders, Louis L’Amour- Fun read
  8. To Tame a Land, Louis L’Amour- LL on his game. Standard themes, with a young boy orphaned and needing to grow up fast in the West. Independence, character, strength, family, and the danger of unrestrained violence are all strong themes here.
  9. Night Over the Solomons, Louis L’Amour- Collected short stories featuring heroes who are soldiers of fortune, pilots working in the Pacific, Asia, or South America. Fine, but not as good as the Westerns eventually were.
  10.  The Louis L’Amour Companion, Robert Weinberg- I read this slowly over a few years, reading different entries. It is a fun collection of various pieces- articles by and interviews with LL, articles about his work that were previously published elsewhere, lists of LL books by decade with a brief description.
  11. Oakseeds: Stories From the Land (Outdoor Tennessee Series), Gary W. Cook- I like books like this, stories rooted in love for the land, especially when, like this one, the land is my own state. For that reason I enjoyed it even when it started slow. Part 2 is actually a short story that is quite good about a young man’s love of his small hometown, but encountering his need to move away from college, not abandoning his hometown but taking its lessons with him into the broader world. Part 3 moves to essays, and here Cook could just about be Wendell Berry. The first essay was deeply moving and the others were great.
  12.  HMS Ulysses, Alistair MacLean-I didn’t think the story telling was great in this one though it is celebrated. The flow was complex making it hard to follow in places, when chapters would jump back and forth chronologically. Technical nautical jargon didn’t help. The strength of the book is its portrayal of dogged perseverance against all odds and willing sacrifice for one another. I have read and seen enough to know that the sort of bravery described here has been related in historical WWII events as well. It left me wondering if US or UK would have such people on her boats today. The men resented their conditions but did not seem to view it as beneath them which seems to be the big thing today. The conditions to start with are almost unimaginable today. Then throw in the sub-freezing temps, storms at sea, pitiful provision, lack of sleep, strain of attack, etc. This story should stiffen some spines.
  13. The Last Place God Made, Jack Higgins- Essentially a Buchan thriller devoid of the moral compass, ideals, and education. As such it shows what was lost culturally from Buchan to Higgins. People of faith are portrayed poorly, though they are not mocked. Compared to today the portrayal isn’t bad, and at least they are portrayed and granted that they have “their own way” of thinking about things- though that’s obviously not “our way.”
  14. Innocent Blood, P D James- Took me a bit to get into it but very good. Christianity plays a big part- the need for forgiveness, for love. Also, subtle critiques of humanistic views of life. But in the end still holds loose to morals, at least the main character does. Perhaps we are supposed to see that that doesn’t work well for her. Disturbing in parts, describing the crime against the child.
  15. The Mistletoe Murder: And Other Stories, P. D. James- The intro and preface were great, but the stories were just average. It may be that short stories weren’t her thing.
  16. The Sabbatical: A Novel, Michael O’Brien- Fascinating with its interest in history of ideas, philosophy, etc. It does seem like the story was not finished.
  17. Once an Eagle, Anton Myrer- Way too long, but insightful. Not sure it is up to all the praise it is given, but it is terribly insightful. The author is very perceptive about the way we think, feel, behave and lays that out powerfully in many ways. I like the hero, which is the key point for drawing me in. I like Damon a lot and see why he is described as a portrait of the ultimate officer. People who whine about him being too perfect- well they just whine. Since it was put back into print by the Army, I was surprised at how critical it is of war and of how commercial interests have too often shaped military and political objectives. It is very realistic about the horrors and terribleness of war. There is no rah rah here, but it does hold up nobility, courage, sacrifice, and honor. The critical take on Viet Nam was as surprising as I think it is accurate. I did not like Mrs. Damon, really not much at all. But there is a good message there in the end as well with them finding that it is worth preserving marriage even if it has been tattered. Much here about leadership even amidst the flood of profanity.
  18. Wide Awake, (Book 3 in Devin Gray series) Steven Konkoly- a fun listen like Konkoly’s others. Fast paced action. Among the contemporary action novels, Konkoly is one of my favorites.
  19. Hot Springs: A Novel (Earl Swagger), Stephen Hunter- a really well written story. The development drew me in and made me want to know how the wrinkles would be resolved. It was rougher in language and sensuality than I expected, though. There were quite a few good turns of phrase
  20. The Bullet Garden: An Earl Swagger Novel (4), Stephen Hunter- fun. He writes engaging stories with interesting turns. I can’t get into when he tries to be humorous, particularly with the Basil character. But Swagger and Leets are good. Swagger isn’t as dark here. The book isn’t as dark as the first one. Still there is the odd interest in homosexuality which seems unnecessary. But I come back for leathery Swagger finding a way. I’ve seen complaints that it isn’t realistic but that is genre confusion- this is supposed to work in the real world (not fantasy) but of course the hero is smarter, sharper, stronger, better shot, etc. than everybody. That’s the way it works. Then, yes it defies reality for a Marine sergeant from the Pacific to be chosen for this task in Europe. I was a bit disappointed at first, but it is a fun story. And I like how he pulls in historical figures even if it is far fetched. So Swagger meets Bradley, Eisenhower, even apparently George Orwell and Tolkien. Fun. Some good lines too.
  21. Basil’s War: A WWII Spy Thriller, Stephen Hunter- As noted above, I don[t think Hunter does humor well, but I tried this one on Basil anyway. I put it away but came back. Basil is an anti-hero, the sort I don’t care for- careless about morals or ideals. The story has an interesting idea, tying espionage to an ancient Christian manuscript as the code, but he goes out of his way to describe the Christian author as a hypocrite.
  22. Odin(Alex Mason Book 1), David Archer & Blake Banner- not great but some fun action and intrigue and clean
  23. Orphan X (Orphan X, 1), Gregg Hurwitz- sort of Jason Bourne becomes the Equalizer (original Equalizer). Fairly clean. Fun, not as good as Konkoly
  24. The Nowhere Man: An Orphan X Novel (Orphan X, 2), Gregg Hurwitz- Good concept, but not what I hoped. Similar to the previous novel in the series. Great concept. Could be more, btu I don’t’ plan to continue the series.
  25. Ember’s End (The Green Ember Series: Book 4), S. D. Smith- good, but didn’t catch me like the earlier ones did
  26. The Saint Steps In, Leslie Charteris- Published in 1942. A decent read, but not all I had hoped. The Bulldog Drummond stories are much better I think despite the fact that the Saint stories got TV and movie treatments (and I really liked the old Roger Moore series). This was a bit flat and smug, with little charm to the story itself.
  27. Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution, R F Kuang- A fascinating premise- a historical fantasy set in 19th century Oxford where the industrial revolution is made possible by the use of silver, particularly the power unleashed by engraving words of similar meanings in different languages on silver. This sets up some very interesting discussions about the work of learning languages, semantic differences, the importance of language, etc. And the first roughly two thirds of the story is pretty entertaining. Then the last third becomes very preachy with the Marxist ideas, which had been obvious before, come center stage in an anit-capitalist rant.
  28. Bilbo’s Last Song, J R R Tolkien- nice, very brief. Nicely illustrated.
  29. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson- Tammie read it to us once again, which is always fun. It hit me this time that part of the humor id how insightful the author is about people- the control freak lady who usually leads the pageant, the main lady being offended when it’s insinuated that she couldn’t do it, the dad being frustrated that all this is interrupting everyday life (like dinner!), etc.

Disappointments

  1. The Bible Is Not Enough: Imagination and Making Peace in the Modern World, Scot McKnight- This is largely a pacifist argument applied to culture. He is after our lust for war (helpfully critiquing both political parties in this regard) and he has his sights set on Christian nationalism. Along the way he argues against seeing the Bible as a set norm and says we must imaginatively improvise from the text to make application today. Therein lies the problem.
  2. Nobody’s Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament, Sandra Glahn- Not a strong academic work
  3. The Cuckoo’s Calling, Robert Galbraith- I finished and thought, So what? There was some interesting cultural critique along the way but the story was underwhelming.
  4. Christ In The Seasons of Ministry, John Killinger- Promising but disappointing. Some decent points but marred by being too self-referential. Any book like this would be self-referential to some degree but in this he seems to assume everyone else’s experience is the same as his, and it missed me. There was also an odd mysticism.
  5. Adventures in the Art of Living, Wilfred Peterson- some good, thoughtful points, combined with a mash up of various self-help, pan-religionist ideas.
  6. 36 Righteous Men, Stephen Pressfield- I thought Pressfield was a Christian (didn’t confirm) so I did not expect the flood of profanity and other perspectives. This is an odd story, though interesting with its Jewish and biblical themes, that is themes playing off biblical ideas but not biblical in their worldview.