What I Read This Summer

(Jake) I thought it might be fun to start sharing some of my reading with you guys and a one line review or so. Plus, I figured you'd rather read that than see the pictures of Amanda's awesome pregnant-on-Halloween costume (not).

I'll start with this past summer (June-August), but first a word about C.S. Lewis.

Lewis is one of those authors I have a visceral reaction to just because so many people love him--especially evangelical Christians. I know, I know... how pretentious, right? However, I loved reading The Chronicles of Narnia as a kid, and I jumped into rereading them with Amanda. So, as an act of faith (repentance, maybe?), this summer became what might best be called "The Summer of C.S. Lewis."

The Chronicles of Narnia:

Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis

The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis

The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis

The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis

If you haven't read these, you should. These books are fun and fun is good.

Everything That Rises Must Converge - Flannery O'Connor

Excellent. O'Connor gets at the heart of southern hypocrisy. These short stories are somewhat morose and depressing, but always in a good, wholesome way--if you ask me.

A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking

Brilliant, accessible, humble, and often funny. Very good writing from a very brilliant dude. He's clearly one of the most strident worshipers of the Cosmos you'll ever find. If you ever thought reading theoretical physics could be fun, this is the book for you.

Lectures to My Students - C.H. Spurgeon

Perhaps the best and most helpful book I read this summer--although I stopped reading it when I realized it was in my fall curriculum. Spurgeon is a hero.

The Man Who Was Called Thursday: A Nightmare - G.K. Chesterton

Exhilarating. Chesterton is always a ton of fun. Read everything he's ever written.

Outgrowing the Ingrown Church - Jack Miller

Not ground-breaking by any stretch, but certainly helpful.

How to Read a Book - Mortimer Adler

Helpful. Very intuitive. Everyone should at least skim it once. It convinced me to mark up my books.

The Mortification of Sin - John Owen

Killer good, and a must read.

Shepherding a Child's Heart - Tedd Tripp

A helpful guide to getting at the root of your kid's behavior.

God the Redeemer - James Boice

Eh... Just read Calvin.

Sermons on Ephesians - John Calvin

Good, but not as helpful as I'd hoped. Probably because I rarely sat down and gave it the time I should have. Oh yeah, and never actually finished...

The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis

Overrated. But not without merit.

A Wrinkle in Time - Madeline L'Engle

Read this one as a kid and wanted to reread it. Kind of gross, actually--not nearly as fun as I remembered.

The Space Trilogy:

Out of the Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis

Perelandra - C.S. Lewis

That Hideous Strength - C.S. Lewis

Absolutely brilliant. Adult fiction that couldn't be farther removed from Narnia in terms of writing style and content. If you don't read anything else I read this summer, read That Hideous Strength. Very insightful. Lewis' strengths in fiction lie largely in integrating cultural commentary into the plot, and this book is masterful.

Defending the Faith - D.G. Hart

Biography of J. Gresham Machen, Princeton professor at the turn of the last century. Pretentious author, helpful content. Wasn't able to finish, but definitely intend to when things slow down. Probably not worth your time, though.