#and i can only take in audiobooks if its an autobiography if its fiction i wont take it in

[pilgrimbenham]

7 Book Suggestions for 2023

WIth every new year comes new goals and (failed) resolutions. I set out at the beginning of each year to intentionally select books that I desire to read. Sometimes I re-read a book I’ve read in years’ past that is worth revisiting every few years or so, but usually I have new list with each new year. My goal every year is to ambitiously read 52 books, and most of the time I get close but still don’t reach that mark. (Keep in mind I am also in seminary and have assigned reading each semester - usually 3-5 books minimum!).

If you are unsure where to start, or you aren’t an avid reader, I would dissuade you from aiming for a book a week! Instead, start where you are. In fact, here are 7 Book Reading Suggestions for 2023, including some suggested books (click on each title to go to the Amazon link)! Seven books is absolutely attainable, no matter how busy you are, and for most of us is at least a good primer to begin a year of avid reading!

A Biography

Biographies can be a great source of encouragement and perspective for us as believers. We see how others walked by faith, prayed, and made decisions. 

Some biographies worth reading include:

Spurgeon the Pastor: I read this in 2022 and it was one of the most simple and helpful biographies from the lens of pastoral ministry!

Bonhoeffer: I read this biography several years ago and am still encouraged by his boldness and focus on discipleship!

John G. Paton: After hearing some amazing things about Paton, I’m planning to read this autobiography of the pioneer missionary to Vanuatu this upcoming year! 

A Classic

Classics are helpful because they have stood the test of time and broaden our understanding of the world and get us out of our modern context. Christian classics are great, but so are some secular works, including:

Brave New World: Since this is on almost every “must-read classics” list, I plan to read this in 2023.

The Lord of the Rings: This goes without saying! As great as the movies are, there is nothing that compares with these novels.

The Pilgrim’s Progress: not only am I named after this classic allegory, but it is a must-read for every Christian! I recommend getting the audio book, so you can hear the opening poem in its unabridged glory. Bunyan was a skillful poet.

A Fictional Novel

I am a big fan of fiction audiobooks and am often listening to sci-fi or fantasy while I’m driving (I alternate by listening to podcasts!). Fiction helps give our minds a break from the mundane and stressful, and if well-written can help us learn more about the world and the people in it. I’m going to leave this category up to you to find a good fictional book.

A Book on Church History

One of the concerns I have with today’s church is her failure to know and understand what has happened through the ages, from Pentecost to today. I recommend:

In the Year of Our Lord: Sinclair Ferguson is one of my favorite pastor-writers, and certainly one of my favorite Scottish preachers! This book takes a chapter for each century and gives the bigger picture of what was happening, with lessons we can apply today.

2000 Years of Christ’s Power: this is something I’m beginning in 2023 and will take a few years to work through. It is massive (five volumes) and this work by Needham should be on every pastor’s bookshelf. 

A Devotional Book

Devotionals are books that help encourage us in our devotion to Christ. Often they are 30 days, but sometimes can cover the entire 365-day year! Here are some of my favorites:

The Five Solas of the Reformation: Of course I had to include the book that Dan Sardinas and I wrote in 2021! This is a helpful, 30-day guide through to understand we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to the Scriptures alone, to the glory of God alone!

Truth For Life: Alastair Begg’s annual devotional is packed with great truth and I’ve enjoyed working through it this past year!

New Morning Mercies: This simple, Gospel-centered devo may be Paul Tripp’s best book. There is always something convicting and yet encouraging.

A Book on Ecclesiology (the church)

This is important because as believers we must have a solid understanding of what the Bible means when it says “church”. I’m currently nearing completion of my latest book “Hail the King”, which is both a theological look at the kingdom of God, as well as a call to action for the body of Christ. It releases on Ash Wednesday, February 22, and I hope you have a chance to pick up a copy!

Any of the 9 Marks Building Healthy Churches Books: These short books, on a variety of topics, are incredibly helpful to gain an understanding of what comprises a healthy church. Start with “Church Membership”, which we give to all our new members at our church.

A Book about God's Attributes

As believers, this part of our bookshelves should be the most worn and well-trodden. When January 1 opens every year, I always make it my aim to complete my first book that year reading a book about God’s attributes. Some great options include:

Knowing God: J.I. Packer’s summary of God’s attributes is powerful!

The Attributes of God: A.W. Pink’s classic is worth a re-read every few years! I also recommend his “The Sovereignty of God”, which I read this past January.

The Holiness of God: an instant classic by R.C. Sproul!

I also encourage you to download “Goodreads” (a phone app) to help track your progress. Your friends can leave notes of encouragement for you, and you can also review the books you’ve read! May this new year be the best year of reading yet!

Honorable mentions: 

-A Book about Christian living

-A Book written by a Puritan

-A Book written this past year

-A Book you’ve read before

-A Book you disagree with theologically, to help sharpen your argument

[the-ice-sculpture]

March 2021 Books I Read

*assume all the book are aimed at an adult audience unless specified otherwise in the description

Thanks a Lot, Mr. Kibblewhite: My Story by Roger Daltrey ★★★☆☆ 🎧 Non-fiction autobiography of the frontman of The Who. 368 pages. A more down-to-earth rock autobiography than the usual, with reflections on the era, his life, and some of the more controversial things that happened. The audiobook was narrated by the author really well, but coming at it from the angle of someone just interested in the era as a whole, it didn’t give me what I wanted from it (though, admittedly, that’s not really a fault of the book) and I didn’t find it as gripping as others I’ve read. Still done well though and it sparked some ideas, which was the main point.

The Flower Girls by Alice Clark-Platts ★★★★☆ (3.5*) 🎧 Thriller. 339 pages. The main character, along with her older sister, was involved in the murder of a toddler when they were young children. It has interesting themes that question the justice system (particularly regarding underaged offenders), morality, whether ‘evil’ exists, and the lack of integrity in tabloid journalism. Another where the audiobook was narrated really well. It’s dark, obviously, but it doesn’t go into too much explicit detail about what happened. Has good use of multi-POV. It gets fairly tense though a little predictable, but I liked that this one had more going on with what it discusses than your standard thriller. Ending could’ve been more satisfying but it still wasn’t a bad ending.

On Power: My Journey Through the Corridors of Power and How You Can Get More Power by Gene Simmons  ★★☆☆☆ 🎧 Non-fiction autobiography/business management/self-help. 163 pages. I wanted to get an insight into the marketing strategies of KISS (since they’ve always been way more of a brand than a band) for music history research purposes, but that’s not what this book is. It’s exactly what the title says it is (I’m not sure why that surprised me either). Mostly common sense rather than anything concrete. It can be very, uh, boomer-ish, though it does raise a valid point with how if people want to make a good difference in the world then they’ll need money and power to do it on a large scale. Did it give an insight into certain philosophies? Yes. The world of music? Not so much. Not directly anyway.

The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan (The Black Iron Legacy #1)  ★★★★☆ (3.5*s) 📖 Fantasy. 512 pages. This deserves more attention (it only has a couple of thousand ratings on GR). It’s a bit dark, but I wouldn’t call it grimdark. There’s a small cast of characters: a man turning to stone, a thief occasionally involuntarily slammed by visions, a ghoul who eats people, an investigator, and a scholar who are all linked together due to a heist gone wrong.  There's really just two main POVs and a few other minor ones so keeping track of characters isn’t too much work. It’s all set in the same city so the worldbuilding isn’t too daunting. The writing style is great – it reads very vividly and smoothly, and it has a unique vibe compared to other fantasy stories. The world isn’t that technologically far behind ours, and there are a lot of humanoid monsters very much present. It can be a bit gory and has definite horror influences (think men made of wax, eldritch worm creatures, body parts in jars etc), but it’s not to the extent that it'd bother the average reader. The balancing of action and character was well done and it’s the most original new fantasies I’ve read in a while.

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter ★★★★★ (4.5*s) 📖 Thriller/horror. 548 pages. I don’t want to say too much because it’s better going into it partially blind, but I will say this: it’s very graphic and a fair amount of reviewers say it gave them nightmares. A lot of the content is dark and massively fucked up, and that’s either going to entice people or put them off. Plot: involves the family of a missing young woman and a theme of ‘is it better to know what happened or remain ignorant?’. I was fairly meh for around the first 25% of this book. Then there was an ‘oh shit’ moment. Followed by several more ‘oh shit!‘ moments at increasing volume. Then the last 75% was ridiculously gripping. Amazingly tense, very fast to read writing style (might’ve helped with not inspecting potential plot holes too closely though), great character development, and it makes you fear for the characters and feel for them.

The Last Family in England by Matt Haig ★★★☆☆ (2.5*s) 🎧 Contemporary fiction. 352 pages. A suburban domestic drama from the perspective of a dog. Labradors have a pact that they should protect their human families at all costs. They believe whenever a family falls apart it’s either because the dog didn’t do its job or because the family didn’t have a dog. But other dog breeds world over have abandoned the pact in favour of hedonism. It’s quirky and charming, even funny in places with how seriously the main character (well, dog) takes himself, but I found all the family drama slightly tedious and most of the characters not very likable. It also wasn’t the light-hearted read I was wanting/expecting it to be.

[hipmamajenn]

I likely won’t make my goal of reading 100 books in 2018, but I got close. For a year with a divorce, a move, car accident and more, I’m okay with my results. Haters may say, “Yes well some are picture books,” but I didn’t just skim them or give them a quick five-minute read, I critically read and analyzed them and that was a triumph for me this year. So now, in no particular order are my favorite reads of 2018:

Quote from “The Awakening”

  1.) The Awakening by Kate Chopin – This was a revisit for me. I read the story originally when I was a young adult. With the encouragement of my daughter, I reread it and found that it relates even more to me now than it ever has.

  2.) The Nest by Kenneth Oppel –  I experienced this as an audiobook and was blown away not only by the narration but by the surreal story which is at once elegant and effusive. A modern-day fairy tale with masterful execution.

3.)The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut – It was a joy to read this early work by Kurt Vonnegut. It was made even better by reading it with a great friend who would meet “virtually” for book discussions. This one definitely needs combing through.

4) Brief Interviews with Hideous Men & A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace – I have written extensively about these on previous blog posts.

      5) Photographic: Life of Graciela Iturbide by Isabel Quintero – One of the best graphic novels of 2018, the gorgeous exposition on Photographer Graciela Iturbide is not simply an autobiography about her, it dives into the how and why of her life, artistic and philosophical choices. Author Isabel Quintero uses very few words to tell the story but they are carefully chosen and artfully constructed.

Page sample from the book “Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide”

6) What It Is by Lynda Barry – A stunning book about the creative life. Barry shares her strife with doubt and writer’s block as well as the glorious moments her ideas and work flowed freely. She discusses that its normal to write about the bad things, most people do when they start. The most common things to write about are our doubts, fears, disappointments, regrets, etc. The last third of the book is a series of writing prompts, inspirations, ideas, and tools. Her work is a patchwork of handwritten letters, cut-out words and images, drawings and written text. You can get lost in the shapes, colors, and words. This would make a great gift for any creative person and a great tool for anyone who wants to write but doesn’t know how to get started.

7) The Immoralists by Chloe Benjamin – Moving, original and thrilling- this book is full of magic, fortune telling, sex, relationships and a sprinkle of religious and familial conflicts and questions. If a mentalist told you your death date would you believe it? Even if you tried not to believe it would the deep subconscious thought take control of your actions? Could it become true because of the repeated thought in your mind?

    8) Jelly, Garbage & Toys by Vik Muniz –This interactive picture book features artist Vik Muniz speaking to the reader of the book. He introduces you to his studio and tells the story of his relationship with art, which is a fascinating one. He is perhaps best known for pushing the limits of what is considered art. He created a reproduction of a famous photograph of Jackson Pollock splattering paint but he used chocolate as his medium. He reproduced the Mona Lisa with peanut butter and jelly and he made a piece called Medusa Marinara out of you guessed it, spaghetti and sauce. This book will compel even the most persnickety reader, at least visually. For any readers inclined to be interested in art, it is likely to encourage bouts of creativity and for the daring teachers and parents out there, maybe offer for your kids to play with their food.

9) Out of Nothing by David Blandy – This graphic novel encompasses 13.84 billion years and argues that all great changes and developments of storytelling came from someone mixing two unlikely things together. The book begins by introducing us to a human chimera whose ghost-like behavior allows her to inhabit the time and space of great thinkers and creators over this massive span of time. The books also consider scientific discovery and innovation via the mixing concept. From the Big Bang to the Manhattan Project, genetic mutations and the development of the internet. Teens and adults who enjoy a bit of brain poking with their graphic novel reads will certainly enjoy the experience of Out of Nothing.

10) Blankets by Craig Thompson – This was another revisit for me that felt like a brand new read because I read it with an internet friend and great analyzer of books. The story is a slice of life on a young man from his boyhood until his adulthood. It combines family, religion, first love and finding yourself in a beautiful balance of images and words.

New & Old, Picture Books, Short Fiction, Graphic Novels & Essay Collections. My 10 Favorite of 2018 I likely won't make my goal of reading 100 books in 2018, but I got close. For a year with a divorce, a move, car accident and more, I'm okay with my results.

[symphonyinsea]

Ten questions tag

Thanks @dxmedstudent for tagging me. It’s my first tag ever, so cheers :)

1) If you could ban one thing from the world, What do you choose?

In an age of existential angst, it has to be nuclear weapons.

2) If you could bring one thing into existence which doesn’t exist (or no longer exists). What would it be?

Teleport machines. Most of my family either lives in the US or India (and other places), and I live in a different city from the rest of my immediate family. The ability for teleportation would allow us to have a lot more contact, so that I could be closer with my grandparents and cousins rather than seeing them once every few years.

2) What flavours do you particularly enjoy? Anything you really detest?

My favourite food is chicken, but as a pure flavour I’d have to pick paprika. It makes meat dishes sparkle. I don’t like lady’s fingers (okra).

4) What’s your least favourite colour and why? Is there a texture you can’t stand?

It’s a colour I call ‘snot green’, roughly colour code E2F0D6. It makes me feel vaguely nauseous. This is interesting because my favourite colour is green, but the more vibrant shades. I’m not sure why I dislike the paler version so much.

I used to be really bothered by the texture of my wooly school cardigans in primary school.

5) Share a song you’ve discovered recently that you enjoy listening to.

‘Nobody Else Will Be There’, by The National. It’s from their new album, ‘Sleep Well Beast’. It’s so intimate. 

6) Share a fact that you’ve learned and are quite chuffed with.

I’m on a psychiatry placement at the moment, so all my facts are psych-related.  I learned that some people take 40 valiums in a night for fun. I learned about ‘gang-stalking’ and its online community. I learned that delusional posh people present differently to delusional poor people.

As for something I’m pretty chuffed with, the guy I like is coming to my birthday party on the weekend. We’ve not seen each other for a while, so I guess I’ll see how that goes.

7) Tell me about something you’ve discovered and enjoyed recently, and what you like about it. It can be a book, TV series, anime, video game, etc.

I’ve just finished reading ‘Requiem For A Dream’ by Hubert Selby Jr. It’s better known for the Darren Aronofsky film, but I’ve not seen that yet. The book is about addiction, and the style makes it a very visceral reading experience. Because the author doesn’t use punctuation for dialogue etc., you’re forced to get inside the heads of the characters and learn their thinking style, and you end up really hoping for them to achieve their dreams, and feeling for them as it all unravels. There is also some pretty horrific stuff in it, when you stop and think about it. It was written before AIDS was a thing which does date it slightly, but I wasn’t too bothered by that. I thought it was fitting for psychiatry.

8) What’s your favourite mythical creature? And if you were a mythical creature, what would you be?

I don’t know a lot about mythical creatures - most of my knowledge comes from Harry Potter - but if I picked one I’d go for a Kelpie.

I would be a hippogriff. Take that as you will.

9) Share a favourite quote that means something personal to you.

‘Happiness only real when shared’. It’s from the film ‘Into the Wild’ - the main character writes it in a book just before he dies, after isolating himself in the wilderness. It speaks to me because I also have a tendency to slip too far into independence. Then I end up neglecting friendships to the point where I have nobody I can turn to for help if I need it. I’m better at avoiding that now, but the quote reminds me not to go too far down that road.

10) Share an app that makes your life better. Could be a game, something that organises your life, whatever you choose.

I’m not really an app person, but I do use Audible to listen to audiobooks. I generally listen while I walk/take the bus to the hospital, and sometimes when I’m getting ready in the morning. It means I can read books even when I don’t have time to sit down with a physical one.

My 10 questions:

1. Where would you most like to spend a month of your life?

2. Which author would you pick to write your autobiography?

3. Which fictional world would you most like to live in?

4. What circumstances could drive you to kill someone?

5. Do you believe in God?

6. What would you change about your culture, if you could?

7. Who do you spend the most time thinking about?

8. What is your personal kind of crazy?

9. Do you have a ‘passion project’ just now, and if so what is it?

10. What year would you have liked to be born, and why?

I don’t really have many followers, so I’ll tag people I can think of off the top of my head: @discalced-diapason @stormycastles @baawri @captainvatican @i-cee-u @coffeeandendorphins @inqilabi @semirahrose @wetsammywinchester @dulquers