I’ve finally finished compiling my reading list for 2018. I absolutely devoured books this year thanks to Audible and a long work commute. I guess that may have something to do with the fact that 2 years into the Trump administration, the new is still “all Trump all the time” and I’ve gotten so sick of politics that I want to inject something worthwhile into my mental hard drive even if I know I won’t retain most of it! Actually, my strategy is to give the audio book a first listen and if I really like it, then pick up a hard copy for my library. I’ve also found the clips and notes feature on Audible to be really helpful when I want to go back and remember where I’ve heard something.
Also, check out my 2017 Reading List.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley – Neil Postman’s introduction to Amusing Ourselves to Death contrasts George Orwell’s vision of a future where the state controls through force and fear to Huxley’s vision where the masses are controlled not through force, but through acquiescence to our own vices. In this future, we’re conditioned from birth through a system designed to keep us preoccupied with all forms of sensual and experiential pleasures so that we don’t think, we just do. As I was reading this and considering the culture in which we live, the parallels are everywhere. Like Postman’s and Bradbury’s books, I think these should be required reading (and discussion!) for everyone.
Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury – Picked this up after reading The Book Thief. Yes, this is a dystopian book, but as a science fiction (prophetic?) work, it’s really remarkable what Bradbury envisioned in 1953 as far as technology is concerned. I would consider him a real pioneer of sci-fi, even though he’s probably not thought of that as much. But what a book! It reads like a roller coaster and covers a ton of ground as far as cultural insight is concerned. The dialogue with Captain Beatty is like drinking from a fire-hose (of water).
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak – I had this book sitting on the shelf for many months after Laree read and recommended it to me. Since WWII isn’t really one of those time periods that I particularly like for story settings, I kept putting it off. I know this is a massive bestseller, but it took me a little while to really get into it, but once I did, the character development and story telling is superb. This is quite an emotional story yet Zusak handles the reader delicately and kindly. You’ll likely find here a story that touches you at many levels and leaves you thinking long after the book is over (like any really good book ought to do). Interestingly enough, reading this book made me think of re-reading Farenheit 451 and then set me off on a brief dystopian literature phase that will probably carry me into 2019.
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman – Prophetic. Relevant. Insightful. Scary. Must read. Every bit as impactful as the day it was written. If only Postman were alive today to give us his insights around social media and video content. This is a book we should read, re-read and re-read again, maybe every year.
Christians in the Age of Outrage by Ed Stetzer – Ed has written a wonderfully balanced, impactful and whimsical work on Christianity and culture. He deals honestly with the Church’s history of cultural engagement and its many failures in this area particularly as it concerns American contemporary culture. But in a way reminiscent of Frances Schaeffer, his love for people and for the Church is evident throughout the book. I found it enormously insightful, practical, convicting and challenging.
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury – Kind of a mashup between the Twilight Zone and West World.
Surf Movie Tonite!: Surf Movie Poster Art, 1957-2004 by Matt Warshaw – Definitely a guilty pleasure! Love surfing and love to hate surfing movies? This one’s for you!
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow – Before reading this, I didn’t know anything about John D Rockefeller or Standard Oil. Of course I knew the name, mostly because of Rockefeller Center in New York, but that was about it. This is a really fascinating history of not just JDR, but of American Industrialism which which he’s synonymous. While his persona didn’t absolutely grip me like some of the subjects of Walter Isaacson’s biographies, Chernow is a masterful biographer and really brings the Rockefeller family with all their controversies and impact to life. This is a long read, but highly recommended on a couple levels: for those who are interested in business history, particularly the rise of American Industrialism; for a fascinating study of organized philanthropy; for an equally fascinating study of the interplay between faith and business.
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson – I picked up this first book of the Wingfeather Saga to read to one of my kids and I got totally sucked in! This first book got off to a little bit of a slow start and lost my youngest son (a casualty of the internet conditioned attention span), but once it picked up I couldn’t put it down. Andrew is among my favorite recording artists (check out this awesome song!) and I had no idea that he was also a writer, but with his gift for lyrics it doesn’t surprise me at all.
North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson – Book #2 of the Wingfeather Saga.
The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson – Book #3 of the Wingfeather Saga.
The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson – The satisfying, albeit sad and violent, finale to the Wingfeather Saga. I absolutely couldn’t put this series down!
Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son’s Journey to God. A Broken Mother’s Search for Hope by Christopher Yuan and his mother Angela. I heard Christopher speak at a conference earlier in the year. His journey is quite an incredible testimony of God’s grace and a mother’s persevering love. Read the book and if you every get the opportunity to hear Christopher speak, make the effort to do so.
The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World by Rosaria Butterfield. A fantastic and convicting book about Christian community and Rosario’s experiences. I loved this book and want to make changes in my own life to incorporate some of her lessons.
The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Alone, 1932-1940 by William Manchester – Oh, man. What can I say. Reading these masterpieces is like having a baby.
The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965 by William Manchester and Paul Reid
Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov – Final book in the main Foundation series. This chronicles Golan Trevize, Dr. Pelorat and Bliss as Trevize continues his search for Earth. This book is a bit different from the previous stories in the series and while I really wanted to follow Trevize’s journey to it’s conclusion, it’s definitely not my favorite. On the positive side, the story is fast-paced, the characters are well developed and there’s a sustainable tension throughout the story as to whether Trevize will find earth and if he does what will he find. But I thought the book took a decidedly sexualized turn which didn’t really seem to fit the other novels and some of the philosophical debates, especially between Trevize and Bliss really seemed to be a little overkill. I did think that the novel does a good job setting the stage for the Robot novels to follow and anyone who’s gotten this far definitely needs to finish the series. Just wasn’t one of my favorites.
Foundation’s Edge by Isaac Asimov – Ok, so I got really into reading a lot of heady biographies and behavioral science books in 2017, and found myself needing to introduce some variety and get myself out of the box, so to speak. I’ve always had an appreciation for science fiction but never actually read that much. I did a little research into the best sci-fi books of all time and Asimov’s Foundation series was pretty much on all the lists. After reading through the initial trilogy, I confess I stand in awe. Foundations Edge is #4. Can’t wait to move on to Foundation and Earth…
Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating by Charles Spence – Good, interesting, fascinating study of what affects taste along with some cool insight into some of the finest restaurants in the world. It did seem to wander a little toward the end, but if you’re a foodie like me, it’s well worth storing up lots of interesting culinary factoids for future reference.
The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory by John Seabrook – One of those books I couldn’t put down, it was so much fun. Like listening in to a really juicy gossip conversation! Swedish masterminds behind most of hit radio’s hits… who knew?
The Once and Future King by T.H. White – This collection was actually all 5 of White’s books: The Sword in the Stone, The Witch in the Wood, The Ill Made Knight, The Candle in the Wind and The Book of Merlyn. Halfway into the Sword in the Stone I wasn’t sure I wanted to hang with the series, but I persevered and am glad I did. It took me a while to really get into White’s style and anachronistic prose, but I began to appreciate it as I went along and ultimately ‘got it.’ But it took me a little while. These reminded me a bit of the Harry Potter series in that it matures and gets darker as the story goes along and has a lot of really insightful commentary about culture and power and politics.
Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson – What an interesting dude! Like all Isaacson’s subjects, I feel like I really got to know him, but something about old Ben kept me from feeling the same emotional connection that I did with, say, Steve Jobs or Einstein. Still, a great read.
Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson – After reading all of Isaacson’s other books, I couldn’t wait to start on the story of Leonardo. This one has a different flow to it than some of the more chronological biographies, but I found it a fascinating study. While it wasn’t my favorite of his canon, I actually read it twice, so go figure…
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card – I saw the movie a few years ago so I had some familiarity with the story, but after I kept seeing it show up on various lists of “top science fiction books” I figured I should give it a listen. And I was not disappointed! I listened to the 20th Anniversary Edition and the interview with the author at the end was a real treat.
The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle – First of all, 45 hours of audio for 1 credit… c’mon, how can I turn that one down? I’ve read a couple of the stories, seen the movies, watched the Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman remakes so I guess I was a fan. But now, whoa man! These are just awesome. I only wish that Audible had a better indexing of the stories using the app.
The ESV Study Bible – One of the best ways I’ve found to go through the whole Bible is with an organized reading plan. This year, I’ve used the ESV Study Bible One Year Reading Plan on the YouVersion app. I’ve used this one a couple times in the past and like the way it breaks up daily readings into sections each day of Psalms/Wisdom literature, Law/History, Prophets, New Testament.
