The Month in Reviews: September 2026
Introduction
In one month, I read a biography of one of the greats of Major League Baseball and one of the great American theologians. I read about a Protestant nun and of a missionary childhood. I read both an argument for Jesus and a guide to deconstructing/reconstructing faith. And I dug into great works of theology by Gerhard Lohfink and Tracey Rowland. On successive days I reviewed books on loving your neighbor and the Sermon on the Mount. On the fiction side, there are reviews from some of my favorite authors: Elizabeth Strout, William Kent Krueger, Terry Pratchett, Stuart Kaminsky, and Agatha Christie. I would also highlight a wonderful book on the art and craft of writing by Marilyn McEntyre, my most viewed review of the month. So, let’s get to the reviews…
The Reviews
Night of the Fireflies, Muriel Elmer. Independently published (ISBN: 9798196399244) 2026. A memoir of growing up as a Missionary Kid with her widowed mother in Zimbabwe, both painful and formative. Review
Murder on the Yellow Brick Road (Toby Peters, 2) Stuart Kaminski. Open Road Integrated Media (ISBN: 9781453238271), 2011 (first published in 1977). When a Munchkin is murdered on the “Wizard” set, Peters is hired to find the killer and protect Judy Garland. Review
Tell Me Everything, Elizabeth Strout. Random House (ISBN: 9780593446119) 2025. While Bob Burgess represents a murder suspect, he and those around him tell stories of their and other lives. Review
Love Your Neighbor, Katherine M. Douglass and Brittany M. Tausen, foreword by Dominique DuBois Gilliard. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802885234) 2026. The psychological pathways and spiritual practices informed by scripture that activate neighbor love. Review
Sermon on the Mount, Clarence Jordan. Wipf & Stock (ISBN: 9798385269792) 2026, first published 1970. A Bible commentary combining textual exposition, Southern storytelling, and challenging application. Review
The Light of Faith and Reason, Gerhard Lohfink, translated by Linda M. Maloney. Liturgical Press (ISBN: 9798400801143) 2026. The Enlightenment did not begin in the seventeenth century but in the Old Testament and deepened by Jesus. Review
The Labors of Hercules (Poirot, 26), Agatha Christie. Wm. Morrow Paperbacks (ISBN: 9780061746383) 2006, first published 1947. As Poirot approaches retirement, he solves twelve cases that parallel the “labors” of his namesake, Hercules. Review
Nolan: The Singular Life of an American Original, Tim Brown. Grand Central Publishing (ISBN: 9781538726549) 2026. A biography of Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan focusing on his career and the values that formed his approach to pitching and life. Review
The World Beyond Your Head, Matthew B. Crawford. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. (ISBN: 9780374535919) 2016. Argues that becoming an individual involves engaging with real physical environments and shared human practices. Review
Introducing Communio Theology, Tracey Rowland. Word on Fire Academic (ISBN: 9781685781637) 2025. An exploration of the Communio theological movement that arose following Vatican II and its relevance. Review
How to Be a Christian Influencer, Jacqulyne Horbrook. InterVarsity Press (ISBN: 9781514009925) 2026. Social media for Christians beginning with mission and authenticity and finishes with strategic excellence. Review
Doing Something New, Mitali Perkins, illustrated by Andrés Landazábal. IVP Kids (ISBN: 9781514013328) 2026. A prayer for children beginning something new, drawing upon the life of Jesus and the promises of the Beatitudes. Review
Eric (Discworld, 9) Terry Pratchett. HarperCollins (ISBN: 9780063375017) 2024, first published in 1990. A thirteen year-old demonologist tries to summon a demon to grant him three wishes. Instead, he gets Rincewind and the Luggage. Review
Beyond Deconstruction, James F. McGrath. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802884596) 2026. What may come after the deconstruction of faith: an expanded faith that works, explores, experiences, and connects. Review
Lightning Strike (Cork O’Connor, 18) William Kent Krueger. Atria Books (ISBN: 9781982128692) 2022. In this prequel, Cork as a twelve year old finds a body hanging in a tree but his father is not convinced it was suicide. Review
The Strain of Other Blood, Patricia Allen. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802883544) 2026. Ruth Elaine Younger: excluded because of race from Episcopal order in the US later returns to establish an order. Review
Reviewer’s Note 9/23/2026: This book has been withdrawn from publication by the publisher. The review, posted before this became known, remains for archival purposes
Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen. Penguin Classics (ISBN: 9780141439792) 2003, first published 1817. Catherine Moreland, in her first social season, avoids the attentions of one man and visits the family home of another. Review
What if Jesus is Right?, Douglas Groothuis and Lindsey Medenwalt. Tyndale | Elevate (ISBN: 9798400501487) 2026. Beyond the influence of Jesus, looks at what he actually said and what it would mean for us if it is true. Review
Jonathan Edwards: A Life, George M. Marsden. Yale University Press (ISBN: 9780300105964) 2004. A biography that features the thought, cultural and religious context, revivals, and ministry among Native Americans. Review
Start with a Word, Marilyn McEntyre. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802883162) 2026. A book on writing using the works of other writers and creative writing exercises that help writers find their own voices. Review
The Night of the Long Knives, Fritz Leiber. Open Road Media (ISBN: 9781504061438), 2020, first published in 1960. In post nuclear America, Ray is a survivor whose killer instincts are tested when he meets Alice and Pops. Review
Best Book of the Month
Far and away my choice of the best book for September is George M. Marsden’s Jonathan Edwards: A Life. Not only did it win a Bancroft Prize in history, but it is the most comprehensive biography of Edwards I’ve read. He not only explores the key events in Edwards life but also offers in depth summaries of Edwards writings. Furthermore, he discusses the religious and secular patronage that supported Edwards and eventually turned against him. It is not hagiography but rather an even-handed account of Edward’s strengths and weaknesses. We learn he is a slaveholder, among other things, and defended the institution. Yet Marsden also reveals Edwards’ theological vision and penetrating insights on the revivals in New England that still serve as a reference for many.
Quote of the Month
Because it is World Series season, I thought I’d share a quote from Nolan, a new biography on Nolan Ryan that summarizes why he is in the Hall of Fame:
“There was an athlete once, a pitcher, a ballplayer, who took the baseball every four or five days and set out to throw a no-hitter. Every time. To give up nothing. To give away nothing. To strike out everybody. To win every pitch, every inning, every game, until there were twenty-seven outs, and they turned out the lights and everybody went home. He threw harder than anybody else, and did that not for a year or five or ten, but for nearly three decades” (p. xvii).
What I’m Reading
Early Christian History by J. Warren Smith probably goes into as much depth as I’ve seen in any introductory text on the theological debates in the first several hundred years of church history. But he writes well–just a lot! I’ve finally dug into Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind. A key take away is that we make moral judgments intuitively, and then use reason to justify our intuitions. It helps explain our political divides and why we talk past each other. I’ve just begin an Advent devotional, Candles in the Dark by Lynneth Miller Renberg and Adam R. Renberg. Using readings from writers from the first twelve centuries of the church to complement scripture, they offer a fresh take on this season of waiting and preparation. Then there is always an Agatha Christie in the mix, in this case, Sad Cypress, a Poirot mystery. It seems in this case, she does an exceptional job in helping the reader identify deeply with the victim, and not so much with the accused. Finally, I’m just starting Jill Lepore’s The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State.
Well, I hope I’ve given you a few ideas for fall reading. If not, you can always say, as one friend commented, that “Bob reads so that I don’t have to!” Hopefully I help you answer the question of whether you want to read something and have a basic iea about books you have no interest in reading. If so, I’ve done my job!
The Month in Reviews is my monthly review summary going back to 2014! It’s a great way to browse what I’ve reviewed. The search box on this blog also works well if you are looking for a review of a particular book. So, thanks for stopping by and feel free to share this with others!