Summary: On reading as a spiritual practice and how books may transform our lives.
I love books on books. And I think many of you will especially love this book, World of Wonders. That was how I felt the first time I walked through the doors of the Reuben McMillan Library in Youngstown. It’s how I felt the first time I visited a Borders store when we were house hunting in the city where I now live. And its how I felt the first time I read Lord of the Rings.
The author, Jeff Crosby, is writing about all this and more. He believes in reading as a spiritual practice, a means by which we position ourselves to receive the grace of God. And in this book, he writes about how we may cultivate this practice and the various genres and types of books we may read along the way. After each chapter he includes a short statement from another reader on the chapter topic. And then he offers a list of recommended readings on that topic or theme.
Part One of the book lays foundations. Crosby explores why we read and tells his personal story of how reading Calvin Miller’s The Singer transformed him as a reader. He then elaborates his ideas on reading as a spiritual discipline through a “liturgy of reading” consisting of a number of practices, including building a list of books to read (in which he generously recommends this blog as a resource!). Finally, Crosby discusses the reading of scripture as a discipline. I appreciated his challenge to those of us who read many books to not allow this to supplant our reading of scripture! The temptation is real.
Part Two considers “The Wide, Wide, Wonderful World of Reading.” Four chapters consider the genres of fiction, poetry, diverse voices, and memoirs. Quoting Christine Seifert, he argues that “Research suggests that reading literary fiction is an effective way to enhance the brain’s ability to keep an open mind while processing information, a necessary skill for effective decision-making.” Likewise, poetry enhances our power of paying attention as we slow down and ponder. Diverse voices broaden our perspective and help build bridges of understanding. Finally, reading memoir deepens our capacity for reflection. He offers the example of Carolyn Weber’s Surprised by Oxford, the account of her intellectual and spiritual conversion to Christianity.
In Part Three, Crosby explores reading as a spiritual practice through the seasons of life. He recounts reading with children, reading as they left home, and reading while caring for aging parents. Crosby discusses reading as part of dealing with grief and loss. He speaks of reading in seasons of doubt. Daniel Taylor’s The Myth of Certainty was an important book for him. Reading can also be an important adjunct through the liturgical year. Lastly, he returns to his theme of wonder in how books may be our companions through all the seasons of wonder in our lives.
World of Wonders is a great book for readers who always are looking for a book recommendation. In addition, Crosby gives words to what is often our inarticulate sense of the spiritual importance of our reading. And it is good for Christians who realize that they’d like to read more but wonder where to begin. Crosby’s stories of his own reading journey are not from elite literary circles but from daily life. One thinks “that could be me.” And indeed it could. Welcome to the world of wonders!
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
I began August by reviewing a book on godly play and ended with a book on the magic of knowing what we want–an interesting thematic arc! Along the way were mysteries from some of my favorite writers: Christie, Krueger, Innes, and Simenon. Then there were books on religious freedom, fairness, work hurts, and the hard issues the church needs to be talking about. Turning to more academic theology, I reviewed Kevin Vanhoozer’s marvelous Mere Christian Hermeneutics, a book by Teilhard de Chardin, and a study of the interaction of Christian and Islamic history, politics, and beliefs.
The month’s big book was Chernow’s Mark Twain, which I’m not sure I liked as much as other Chernow biographies. I enjoyed Tolkien’s rendering of three fourteenth century poems I’d not read. Gliff, by Ali Smith caught me by surprise–a dystopian work I found myself thinking about long after I put the book down. Finally, I reviewed a children’s book for those afraid of going to sleep.
The Reviews
Teaching Godly Play, Jerome W. Berryman. Church Publishing (ISBN: 9781606740484) 2009. An introduction to the Godly Play approach to the Christian formation of pre-adolescent children. Review
Tamarack County(Cork O’Connor, 13), William Kent Krueger. Atria Books (ISBN: 9781451645774) 2014. A judge’s wife is missing, a dog is beheaded, and Stephen is nearly killed and Cork must connect the dots. Review
Learning to Be Fair, Charles McNamara. Fortress Press (ISBN: 9781506495095) 2024. The ancient origins of the idea of equity in western moral philosophy and the historical development of the concept. Review
The Late Monsieur Gallet(Inspector Maigret, 3) Georges Simenon. Penguin Books (ISBN: 9780141393377) 2014 (first published in 1931). Gallet’s death seems that of an uninteresting failure until Maigret discovers that nothing about him is as it seems. Review
Swing Low, Volume 2: An Anthology of Black Christianity in the United States, General Editor, Walter R. Strickland II, Associate Editors, Justin D. Clark, Yana Jenay Conner, and Courtlandt K. Perkins. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514004227) 2024. An anthology of primary source writings on Black Christianity in America from the 1600’s to the present. Review
Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer, John D. Wilsey. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802881908) 2025. A conservative case, arguing the spirit of religion and liberty are mutually necessary and best defended by conservatism. Review
Peril at End House(Hercule Poirot, 8), Agatha Christie. William Morrow (ISBN: 9780063376014) 2024 (First published in 1932). “Nick” Buckley has several “accidents” which Poirot believes are attempts on her life by someone in her inner circle. Review
When Work Hurts, Meryl Herr. InterVarsity Press (ISBN: 9781514010242) 2025. Moving through workplace disappointments and finding healing and hope through Israel’s journey of exile and return. Review
What Happened at Hazelwood, Michael Innes. Penguin Books (ISBN: 9780140026504) 1968 (first published 1946). The master of Hazelwood Hall is murdered shortly after Australian relatives join a manor of people who hate him. Review
Why I Believe in God, Gerhard Lohfink, Linda M. Maloney, translator. Liturgical Press (ISBN: 9780814689974) 2025. A New Testament professor testifies to the reasons for his own faith in God in the form of a memoir. Review
The Phenomenon of Man, Teilhard de Chardin. Harper Perennial Modern Classics (ISBN: 9780061632655) 2008 (first published in 1957). A synthesis of evolutionary thought and teleology culminating in a collective consciousness or Omega Point. Review
If on a winter’s night a traveler, Italo Calvino. Mariner Books Classics (ISBN: 9780156439619) 1982 (first published in Italian in 1979). A reader purchases a book only to find most of it is missing and seeks the rest of the story. Review
The Real Conversation Jesus Wants Us to Have, Regina V. Cates, foreword by Paula Stone Williams. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802884107) 2025. A pastor imagines what Jesus would want to talk about with Christians in the present moment. Review
Mark Twain, Ron Chernow. Penguin Press (ISBN: 9780525561729) 2025. Beyond literary greatness, the complicated, brilliant, tragic, and sometimes eccentric life of one of America’s greatest writers. Review
Charlie Can’t Sleep!, Rachel Joy Welcher, illustrated by Breezy Brookshire. IVP Kids (ISBN: 9781514010013) 2025. A child’s bedtime fears prevent him from sleeping until his mom reminds him that God never sleeps and will care for him. Review
Mere Christian Hermeneutics, Kevin J. Vanhoozer. Zondervan Academic (ISBN: 9780310234388) 2024. Amid a variety of interpretations and reading cultures, articulates essential principles for reading scripture. Review
Gliff, Ali Smith. Pantheon (ISBN: 9780593701560) 2025. Two “Unverifiable” children meet up with a horse slated for rendering in a courageous attempt to find their way in a dystopian world. Review
Global Christianity and Islam, Wafik W. Wahba. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9780830851959) 2025. A study of the history, political relations, and beliefs of the two religions and how they’ve intersected. Review
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with Pearl and Sir Orfeo, Anonymous, translated by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien. William Morrow (ISBN: 9780358724209) 2021 (first published 1975). Tolkien’s translation of three 14th century poems, retaining rhyme, meter and alliterative schema. Review
The Magic of Knowing What You Want, Tracey Gee. Revell (ISBN: 9780800746223) 2025. A guide to identifying, clarifying, and embodying your desires, turning them into action. Review
Best Book of the Month
Gerhard Lohfink’s Why I Believe in God was my best book of August. This was his last book. He wrote not only of his belief in God as a scholar but as one who loved God. The book closes with these words: “But above all I look at Jesus. To him I hold fast. In him I will die.” One of the marks of a good book is it makes me want to buy other books by the author. And so I did with Lohfink!
Quote of the Month
Sing Low, Volume 2: An Anthology of Black Christianity in the United States is a wonderful collection of writings of Black Christians throughout the history of the United States. This quote, from William Pannell’s “My Friend, The Enemy” describes the challenge for our majority culture in moving beyond our aspirations to transcend racism:
“No, this man is a friend. He’s against the KKK, abhors violence, supports the Constitution and is for Negro voting rights. We read the same version, believe the same doctrines, probably have the same middle class tastes, but all he knows about me–or cares to know–is what he sees on the 6 o’clock news.… I wear a suit as good as his, yet he sees me looting a clothing store in Watts. He knows something of my temperament as its mirrored in the behavior of my sons, yet he identifies me with the muggings in Washington or Buffalo. To him, the cause of brotherhood, the disintegration of human relations–civil rights!–is my problem. Mine, because I created it and I perpetuate it.”
What I’m Reading
I’ve just begun R.F. Kuang’s new Katabasis. In it, a couple of graduate students descend into Hell, which so far looks a lot like academia! New Explorations in the Lost World of Genesis by John Walton with his son, J. Harvey Walton reflects the development and revision of Walton’s ideas fifteen years after he began the “Lost World” series. Janet Kellogg Ray is a Christian who is a science educator who explores the roots of the anti-science attitudes of American evangelicals around evolution, vaccines, and climate science. The book is provocatively titled, The God of Monkey Science, a pejorative someone applied to the work she does.
Then I have been reveling in the riches of Michael J. Gorman’s commentary, I Corinthians: A Theological, Pastoral, and Missional Commentary. Lastly, Year of Wonder by Clemency Burton-Hill is a kind of devotional for classical music lovers, with a daily selection of classical music with a brief, chatty commentary on the composer and the composition. I like that she includes a number of women and lesser known composers.
Today is Labor Day in the United States. I hope it will be a good chance to catch up on some reading. If not, the earlier sunsets and cooler nights of early autumn invite us to cozy up with a good book.
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. Thanks for stopping by.
Looking over the books I read this past month is a bit like looking at a wildflower planting in full bloom. There is such a wide variety represented, among which are a number of books to engage the mind and delight the heart. My reading ranged from American intellectual history to oral histories of early major league baseball players. I began the month with a marvelous history of Black Christianity in America and finished it with an exquisitely illustrated children’s book on the theme of caring for God’s creation.
My readings explored both a narrative of someone who remained a Christian while interviewing numerous skeptics and of a pastor who has come to doubt orthodox Christian beliefs. I read biographies of John Hancock and St. Teresa of Avila. Then I reviewed a couple of well-researched and written books on marriage and sexuality. While reading some longer books, I appreciated a concise commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians, a booklet on faith and science, and a novella by Graham Greene. So walk with me through this garden of reviews!
Kingdom through Covenant, Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum. Crossway (ISBN: 9781433553073) 2012, 2018. (My review is of the first edition, the link to the 2nd edition with revised and updated content.) A biblical-theological exploration of covenants, how they are related and unfold the reality of God’s kingdom. Review
1 & 2 Thessalonians: A Life in Letters, Johannes W. H. van der Bijl. Langham Global Library (ISBN: 9781786410962) 2025. A narrative commentary based on Acts and 1 and 2 Thessalonians, on the first half of Paul’s second missionary journey. Review
John Hancock, Willard Sterne Randall. Dutton (ISBN: 9780593472149) 2025. A biography going beyond the flourishing signature to the critical role Hancock played in the American Revolution. Review
Corridors of Power(Strangers and Brothers, 9), C. P. Snow. Open Road Media (ASIN: B0DCPBFBZT) 2024 (first published in 1964). An ambitious member of Parliament challenges Britain’s nuclear policy in the aftermath of the Suez crisis. Review
The Marriage You Want, Sheila Wray Gregoire and Dr. Keith Gregoire. Baker Books (ISBN: 9781540903761) 2025. Building a rich marriage partnership marked by balance, affection, responsibility, and emotional connection. Review
The Glory of Their Times, Lawrence S. Ritter. Harper Perennial (ISBN: 9780061994715) 2010 (first published in 1966). Oral histories by twenty-six former players from the early days of baseball, playing from the 1900’s to the 1940’s. Review
Sexuality and Sex Therapy, Second Edition, Mark A Yarhouse and Erica S. N. Tan. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514010976) 2025. A resource for Christian therapists, counselors, and the church affirming the blessing of our sexuality. Review
Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese. Vintage Books (ISBN: 9780375714368) 2010. Twins Marion and Shiva were born amidst tragedy involving their mother’s death and father’s flight. Review
Why I’m Still a Christian, Justin Brierly. Tyndale | Elevate (ISBN: 9781496466938) 2025. After two decades of interviews with atheists and skeptics, the author explains why he still follows Christ. Review
Black Coffee, (Hercule Poirot 7.5), Agatha Christie (stage play), Charles Osborne (novelization). William Morrow (ISBN: 9780061739323) 2004 (Stage play, 1930; Novelization, 1998). Poirot is too late to help Sir Claud, who has been fatally poisoned and his secret formula stolen by someone in his household. Review
Becoming the Pastor’s Wife, Beth Allison Barr. Brazos Press (ISBN: 9781587435898) 2025. Examines the connection between the decline of female ordination and the rise of the role of pastor’s wife. Review
The Divine Milieu, Teilhard de Chardin. Harper Perennial Modern Classics (ISBN: 9780060937256) 2001 (first published in 1957). How we grow into godlikeness in our active work and our passive diminishment, toward the uniting of all things in Christ. Review
Black Knight in Red Square, (Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov, 2), Stuart M. Kaminsky. Mysterious Press/Open Road Media (ISBN: 9781453269589) 2012 (first published in 1984). Rostnikov’s team races to stop a terrorist organization from causing mayhem at an international film festival. Review
True Conservatism, Anthony T. Kronman. Yale University Press (ISBN: 9780300277036) 2025. A call to a humane conservatism that embraces enlightenment ideals without enlightenment prejudices or oversimplification. Review
Doubting Faithfully, Keith Long. Independently published (ISBN: 9798553814663) 2020. A memoir by a pastor who came to doubt Christianity and how he has proceeded from there. Review
Loser Takes All, Graham Greene. Penguin Classics (ISBN: 9780140185423) 1993 (first published in 1955). On a honeymoon in Monte Carlo, Bertram’s gambling successes force a choice between love and money. Review
Paul, Apostle of Grace, Frank Thielman. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802876294) 2025. An introduction to the life and world of Paul based on Acts, his letters, and other sources including archaeology. Review
Does Science Make God Irrelevant? (TGC Hard Questions Series), Hans Madueme. Crossway (ISBN: 9781433597978) 2025. Proposes that science and faith may coexist as allies and that Christian assumptions make science possible. Review
The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila(Lives of Great Religious Books), Carlos Eire. Princeton University Press (ISBN: 9780691164939) 2019. An account both of St. Teresa’s life and of her autobiography recounting her encounters with the divine. Review
Abigail and the Waterfall, Sandra L. Richter, illustrated by Michael Corsini. IVP Kids (ISBN: 9781514008928) 2025. Abigail’s family hikes to a waterfall, sees the creatures that live there, and learns to care for their home. Review
Best Book of the Month
I chose Abraham Verghese’s Cutting for Stone, a book from 2010. I loved his more recent The Covenant of Water. This story involves tragedy, betrayal, and redemption, set in Haile Selassie’s Ethiopia. Verghese has a distinctive “voice” and an ability to evoke a sense of place.
Quote of the Month
After coming across him most of my adult life, I’m finally reading some Teilhard de Chardin. I came across this quote in The Divine Milieu:
“God, in all that is most living and incarnate in him, is not far away from us, altogether apart from the world we see, touch, hear, smell and taste about us. Rather, he awaits us every instant in our action, in the work of the moment. There is a sense in which he is at the tip of my pen, my spade, my brush, my needle – of my heart and my thought.”
What I’m Reading
Speaking of de Chardin, I’ve moved on to his The Phenomenon of Man, his effort to integrate evolution and Christian eschatology. I’ve just begun, but I sense I will find this less “orthodox” than The Divine Milieu. I’m also reading a new book by Meryl Herr, on When Work Hurts. Specifically, she discusses various workplace struggles and disappointments and how we might think Christianly about work and calling in light of them. I’m also reading a couple of mysteries: Agatha Christie’s Peril at End House (Poirot and Hastings!) and Michael Innes’ What Happened at Hazelwood.
Finally, my BIG reading project is Ron Chernow’s Mark Twain. I’m 400 pages into this 1000+ page work. I had not realized the grief Twain brought on himself and his finances in his various business ventures, something he would have better avoided. Nor had I realized how significant his part was in the publication of Grant’s autobiography. I expect I’ll be reviewing this book late in August.
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. Thanks for stopping by
I reviewed a number of books of note, both current and backlist during June. In addition to Bauckham’s magisterial work which I will discuss below, I reviewed several books of import in the church context. One was on safeguarding from abuse, a second was on a Christian conception of family, and a third discussed faith deconstruction. Then there was a wonderful, interdisciplinary collection on justice and rights, and a study of the working homeless through a study of five Atlanta families.
Turning to more literary works, I delighted in a collection of the prayers of mystics translated by Scott Cairns. At last, I read Roger Lundin’s now classic biography of Emily Dickinson. And I read one of the few Wallace Stegner works I’ve not read. Of course there are the usual mysteries and a recent edition of Tolkien’s writings on the rise and fall of Numenor. And so much more…
The Reviews
Walking Through Deconstruction, Ian Harber, foreword by Gavin Ortlund. InterVarsity Press (ISBN: 9781514008560) 2025. What it is, why it happens, the phases of deconstruction and walking with someone through this process. Review
How the World Made the West, Josephine Quinn. Random House (ISBN: 9780593729793) 2024. An argument that Western civilization reflects a 4000 year history of the mixing of global cultures. Review
There Is No Place for Us, Brian Goldstone. Crown (ISBN: 9780593237144) 2025. The plight of the working homeless through the experience of five Atlanta families. Review
Justice and Rights, Edited by Terence C. Halliday and K.K. Yeo. Langham Publishing (ISBN: 9781786410023) 2024. Nicholas Wolterstorff in an inter-disciplinary conversation on the salience of justice and rights in Christian scholarship. Review
The Spectator Bird, Wallace Stegner. Vintage (ISBN: 9780525431879) 2017 (first published in 1976). A postcard from a Countess leads a retired literary agent and his wife to revisit the time they’d spent with her. Review
Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, 2nd Edition, Richard Bauckham, foreword by Simon Gathercole. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802874313) 2017. Argues from both early church fathers and internal evidence that the gospels are based on eyewitness testimony. Review
The Saint-Fiacre Affair (Inspector Maigret, 14) Georges Simenon (translated by Shaun Whiteside). Penguin (9780141394756) 2015 (first published in 1932). [Publication link is to American edition currently in print] Maigret receives an anonymous note of a crime to take place in his home town, and though present, cannot prevent it. Review
Love’s Immensity, Scott Cairns. Paraclete Press (ISBN: 9781640605886) 2020 (first published in 2007). Reflections and prayers of mystics from St. Paul to Julian of Norwich translated and rendered in verse. Review
Skills for Safeguarding, Dr. Lisa Compton and Taylor Patterson. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514010730) 2024. A guide for religious organizations to prevent abuse, act appropriately when it occurs, and care for survivors. Review
The Little Book of Data, Justin Evans. HarperCollins Leadership (ISBN: 9781400248353) 2025. Stories of how people have used data to solve big problems and how that might apply in one’s own work. Review
Emily Dickinson and the Art of Belief, Revised Edition(Library of Religious Biography), Roger Lundin. Wm B. Eerdmans (ISBN: 9780802821270) 2004 (My review is based on the first edition, published in 1998). A biography of Dickinson focused on her life and faith drawing upon poetry and letters. Review
Households of Faith, Emily Hunter McGowin. InterVarsity Press (ISBN: 9781514000069) 2025. Instead of blueprints of the biblical family, casts a vision of families as apprentices in love together. Review
The Fall of Númenor, J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Brian Sibley, illustrated by Alan Lee. William Morrow (ISBN: 9780063280687) 2022. The collected writings of Tolkien on the Second Age of Middle Earth, covering the rise and fall of Númenor. Review
Passions of the Soul, Rowan Williams. Bloomsbury Continuum (ISBN: 9781399415682) 2024. An exploration of Eastern Christian writing on the passions that may be distorted into sin, paired with the Beatitudes. Review
Trickster’s Point(Cork O’Connor, 12), William Kent Krueger. Atria Books (ISBN: 9781451645712) 2013. When Jubal Little, candidate for governor is killed by an arrow while bowhunting with Cork, Cork becomes a murder suspect. Review
Footsteps of Faith, John D. Roth, editor. Herald Press (ISBN: 9781513815169) 2025. A 40-day devotional on what it means to live in Jesus’ footsteps, published for the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism. Review
In Praise of Good Bookstores, Jeff Deutsch. Princeton University Press (ISBN: 9780691207766) 2022. A tribute to bookstores, their importance, and what makes them great from a veteran bookseller. Review
Curtain, (Hercule Poirot, 44) Agatha Christie. William Morrow (ISBN: 9780062074096) 2011 (first published in 1975). In Poirot’s last case, he and Captain Hastings reunite at Styles to catch a murderer involved in but unsuspected in five murders. Review
The Problem and Promise of Freedom, Steven Félix-Jäger. Baker Academic (ISBN: 9781540968142) 2025. A critical and constructive theology of freedom, basing true freedom in covenantal relationship with God. Review
Honeybath’s Haven, Michael Innes. Penguin Books (ISBN: 9780140048858) 1979 (out of print). Little does artist Charles Honeybath think that yielding his place in a senior home will lead to an artist friend’s death. Review
Best Book of the Month
As I alluded to in my Introduction, Richard Bauckham’s Jesus and the Eyewitnesses. I thought this was an example of path-breaking scholarship. It was thorough, engaging other theories and objections. He makes the strong case that our canonical gospels either were written by an eyewitness to Jesus, or represent eyewitness testimony. That’s not absolute proof of the truth of these accounts but strengthens our confidence in their credibility.
Quote of the Month
Emily Hunter McGowin’s Households of Faith challenges the “blueprints” for biblical families propounded by many authors. She writes:
“With this book, I hope to speak a word to Christian families of all kinds that is neither a rigid, unattainable ideal nor an uncritical, feel-good placebo. I am not promoting a particular blueprint of family to which all Christians are expected to conform, nor am I trying to obliterate the notion of family as outmoded and useless. Instead, I am seeking a new paradigm for the family within the framework of the church and the kingdom of God, rooted in the Scriptures and the best of the church’s traditions, that I hope will be empowering and encouraging as we learn to live as households of faith today” (p. 10).
She goes on to propose that families are places where we are joint apprentices learning to love as followers of Jesus.
What I’m Reading
It seems that July is the month for reading up on sex and marriage. Having marked our 47th anniversary recently, you’d think we have this down. But the two books I’m reading right now are both worthwhile. The Marriage You Want by Sheila Wray Gregoire and Keith Gregoire makes the point that our teamwork in all of life is connected with the intimacies of the marriage bed. Sexuality and Sex Therapy is written for Christians who are engaged in helping couples with sexual issues. It provides solid information, which is much needed because of the bad counsel sometimes offered by Christians in this area.
On a different note, Why I’m Still a Christian by Justin Brierly reflects two decades of conversations with atheist and those of other faiths and gives his reasons for still believing in Christ through it all. I loved Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water and am finding myself totally engrossed in his earlier Cutting for Stone. Which is better? I can’t yet say. Finally, I try to read a baseball book every summer. This year, I’m reading The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence S. Ritter. The book consists of oral histories from some the greats from the early 1900’s. While the positions and rules haven’t changed much, so much else has!
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. Thanks for stopping by!
While spring time is the season of planting, this month of reading has been a veritable harvest of interesting books. One of these was Gabrielle Zevin’s, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, a sweet-sad love story set in a bookstore. It’s been a month of learning about the life of Jakob Hutter, an Anabaptist forebear, the art of Georges Roualt, the poetry of Luci Shaw, and the wonders of marine biology. Early in the month, I enjoyed a fine biography of theologian Markus Barth and a book on Christian discipleship by Luke Timothy Johnson. Finally, I finished the month with six reviews of children’s books, courtesy of IVP Kids. Believe me, these books are not just for kids, though I list them in a separate section below. With that, here are the reviews!
The Reviews
Tucker’s Last Stand(Blackford Oakes, 9), William F. Buckley, Jr. MysteriousPress.com/Open Road (ASIN: B0116EBXKY) 2015 (first published in 1990). Blackford Oakes teams up with mercenary Tucker Montana to block troops and arms flowing from North to South Vietnam. Review
An Incremental Life, Luci Shaw. Paraclete Press (ISBN: 9781640609792) 2025. Poems celebrating the daily moments offering glimpses of joy, growth, insight, and the quiet presence of God. Review
Imitating Christ: The Disputed Character of Christian Discipleship, Luke Timothy Johnson. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802883100) 2024. Contends our understanding of Christian discipleship has shifted in recent centuries from personal sanctification to social justice. Review
Markus Barth, Mark R. Lindsay. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514001622) 2024. The first biography of Markus Barth, drawn from access to his letters and papers, highlighting his theological legacy. Review
Judea under Greek and Roman Rule, David A deSilva. Oxford University Press (ISBN: 9780190263256) 2024. Covers the period from 334 BCE to 135 CE, Hellenizing reforms, revolts, Herods, and Roman domination. Review
The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk. Penguin Books (ISBN: 9780143127741) 2015. An account of the growing understanding of the effects of trauma on the brain and the body and promising treatments. Review
The Lawless Roads, Graham Greene. Open Road Media (ISBN: 9781504054263) 2018 (first published in 1939). Greene’s journey through Mexico to the states of Chiapas and Tabasco where Catholicism was most severely repressed. Review
Writing and Rewriting the Gospels, James W. Barker, foreword by Mark Goodacre. Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802874528) 2025. Drawing on ancient compositional practice, argues for for a “snowballing” process of gospel writing. Review
Until the Last One’s Found, Curt Parton. Wipf & Stock (ISBN: 9798385225439) 2024. An evangelical pastor argues that God will ultimately reconcile and restore all to himself through Christ. Review
Northwest Angle (Cork O’Connor, 11), William Kent Krueger. Atria Books (ISBN: 9781439153963) 2012. A family vacation is disrupted by a derecho, casting Jenny onto a remote island where she rescues an infant sought by killers. Review
Jakob Hutter: His Life and Letters (Classics of the Radical Reformation, 14), edited by Emmy Barth Maendel and Jonathan Seiling. Plough Publishing (ISBN: 9781636080901) 2024. Biography, letters by Hutter, chronicles of Hutterites, testimony, and Hutterite and government letters. Review
A Prophet in the Darkness, Wesley Vander Lugt, editor. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514011058) 2024. An exploration of the work of Georges Roualt and his identification of human suffering with Christ’s sufferings. Review
Third Girl(Hercule Poirot, 40), Agatha Christie. HarperCollins (ISBN: 9780062073761) 2010 (first published in 1966). A young girl disturbs Poirot’s breakfast claiming she may have murdered someone, then leaves, telling Poirot “You’re too old.” Review
The Last Romantic (Hansen Lectureship Series), Jeffrey W. Barbeau with contributions from Sarah Borden, Matthew Lundin, and Keith L. Johnson. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514010518) 2025. The influence of Romanticism on C.S. Lewis in terms of imagination, subjectivity, memory and identity, and the sacraments. Review
Abundance, Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. Avid Reader Press (ISBN: 9781668023488) 2025. A vision of an American future where we invent and build what’s needed and for government that enables rather than hobbles growth. Review
Reading the Margins, Michael J. Gilmour. Fortress Press (ISBN: 9781506469355) 2024. How reading literature may enhance empathy for those on the margins, illuminating the advocacy of scripture for them. Review
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin. Algonquin Books (ISBN: 9781616204518) 2014. A widowed bookseller’s life changes when a rare book disappears and an orphaned child is left in his care. Review
Knock at the Sky. Liz Charlotte Grant, foreword by Sarah Bessey. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802883759) 2025. After losing faith in biblical inerrancy, the author returns to Genesis with all her questions, seeking God in the story. Review
Gutta Percha Willie, George MacDonald. Rosetta Books (ASIN: B07KX64ZB3) 2018 (first published in 1873). The story of a young boy who gives himself to discover his own work within God’s work and how he finds his vocation. Review
Makers by Nature, Bruce Herman. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514009802) 2025. Letters to students, artists, and friends on calling, making, and process, with reproduced works by the author. Review
If the Ocean Has a Soul, Rachel G. Jordan. Tyndale Refresh (ISBN: 9798400505843) 2025. Meshes marine biology and biblical insights, exploring the integration of science and faith. Review
Kaylee Prays for the Children of the World, Helen Lee, illustrated by Shin Maeng. IVP Kid (ISBN: 9781514009161) 2025. Kaylee and her grandfather learn of needy children in the news and struggle for words to pray. Review
Not Finished Yet, Sharon Garlough Brown, illustrated by Jessica Linn Evans. IVP Kids (ISBN: 9781514007952) 2024. While “painting prayers” with Gran, Wren discovers she can honestly share all her feelings with God. Review
Zion Learns to See, Terence Lester and Zion Lester, illustrated by Subi Bosa. IVP Kids (ISBN: 781514006696) 2024. Zion goes to work with her father at the community center and learns how those experiencing homelessness matter to God. Review
Birth of the Chosen One, Terry Wildman, illustrated by Hannah and Holly Buchanan. IVP Kids (ISBN: 9781514007020) 2024. An account of the birth of Jesus based on the First Nations Version reflecting Native oral storytelling. Review
Penny Preaches, Amy Dixon and Rob Dixon, illustrated by Jennifer Davison. IVP Kids (ISBN: 9781514008584) 2024. A young girl loves the big ideas she hears in Sunday sermons, aspires to preach, but friends discourage her. Review
Best Book of the Month
Makers by Nature is a combination of a theology of artistic practice and the wisdom of a master artist on various challenges of artistic work. All of it is presented in the form of a series of warm letters to former students and friends. Each “chapter” is introduced with some of the artist’s work in full color reproductions. This book was a feast for my eyes and heart!
Quote of the Month
I deeply appreciated A Prophet in the Darkness on the work of Georges Roualt. Roualt’s deep empathy with human suffering intersected with his faith. This quote gives a flavor of that:
“Paul Klee says ‘Art does not reproduce the visible; rather it makes visible.’ This is what the art of Georges Roualt (1871-1958) has done; his images have penetrated deeply into the human dilemma to find meaning and offer hope, helping us to see light in the darkness, making visible the invisible.”
What I’m Reading
I’m just coming to the end of Richard Bauckham’s Jesus and the Eyewitnesses. Bauckham marshals extensive material to demonstrate that our four canonical gospels are based on eyewitness testimony rather than communal remembrances of the ministry of Jesus. Love’s Immensity by poet Scott Cairns translates the works of mystics throughout church history, a journey into loving contemplation of God. Skills for Safeguarding explores abuse within the church and other Christian contexts and the best practices to safeguard against abuse and to deal with it in a way that cares for survivors and properly deals with perpetrators. Every church and ministry needs to read and implement the practices in this book!
Justin Evans offers an entertaining and informative book on data and how the data revolution impacts us all in The Little Book of Data. It’s chilling how much data we give up about ourselves everyday, often without being aware of it. Finally, there never seems an end of Tolkien books! The Fall of Numenor covers the second age of Middle Earth, which preceded The Lord of the Rings.
If you’ve read this far, thanks! I hope your summer reading bears a rich harvest and hope these reviews help!
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.
This edition of The Month in Reviews for April 2025 includes 21 reviews–about as many as I can cram into a month. There were some long books including the biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer and a book on the next Jesus Quest. There were some short books as well including a book on Easter, one on reading by C.S. Lewis and Robin Wall Kimmerer’s newest. All were candidates for my best of the month. Between the long and the short were my usual collection of mysteries, novels, and books on theology. Some standouts included Mark Noll’s classic Turning Points, a recent book on recovering from purity culture, and a history of the bookstore in America. All in all, it’s a long list, so let’s get to it!
The Reviews
Habits of Hope, Todd C. Ream, Jerry Pattengale, and Christopher J. Devers, editors, foreword by Amos Yong. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514010709) 2024. Essays by educators on six key practices and how they may cultivate hope among faculty and students. Review
Religious Freedom in a Secular Age, Michael F. Bird, afterword Bruce Riley Ashford. Zondervan Reflective (ISBN: 9780310538882) 2022. Distinguishes types of secularism, opposes dismantling religious freedom, and proposes a new apologetic. Review
The Serviceberry,Robin Wall Kimmerer, illustrations by John Burgoyne. Scribner (ISBN: 9781668072240) 2024. A day of picking serviceberries leads to an extended reflection on natural abundance, reciprocity, and gratitude. Review
Easter(Fullness of Time Series), Wesley Hill. IVP Formatio (ISBN: 9781514000366) 2025. Explores the history and significance of Easter, not only as a day but as a season of celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Review
Finding God Along the Way, Christine Marie Eberle. Paraclete Press (ISBN: 9781640609891) 2025. An account of hiking with a group whose average age was 67 on the 300 mile Ignatian Camino. Review
Vermilion Drift(Cork O’Connor, 10) William Kent Krueger. Atria Books (ISBN: 9781439153871) 2011. The discovery of six bodies in an underground iron mine leads to facing uncomfortable truths about Cork’s father. Review
John of History, Baptist of Faith, James F. McGrath. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802883995) 2024. A historical-critical study of New Testament and Mandaean sources, developing a historical portrait of John. Review
Citizenship Without Illusions, David T. Koyzis. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514008621) 2024. How Christians may engage politically without giving idolatrous devotion to parties or ideologies. Review
How to Get Along with Anyone, John Eliot and Jim Guinn. Simon & Schuster (ISBN: 9781668033074) 2025. An approach to conflict resolution based on the five ways people respond to conflict. Review
Tending Tomorrow, Leah Reesor-Keller. Herald Press (ISBN: 9781513813356) 2024. Facing an uncertain ecological future by drawing on one’s faith and learning from creation, to re-vision how we may live. Review
Bring Back Your People, Aaron Scott. Broadleaf Books (ISBN: 9781506494555) 2025. A blunt discussion of how to reach out to those who have embraced Christian nationalism. Review
American Prometheus, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Vintage Books (ISBN: 9780375726262) 2006. A biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, focused on his leadership of the atomic bomb program and security clearance trial. Review
Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity. Mark A. Noll. Baker Academic (ISBN: 9781540964885) 2022 (the link and publication info is for the 4th edition of the book. My review and the cover image are of the 1997 first edition). Twelve decisive moments in Christian history along with twentieth century events that may be turning points. Review
Martyr!, Kaveh Akbar. Vintage Books (ISBN: 9780593685778) 2024. A young immigrant poet in recovery struggles to find meaning in a life after his mother’s plane was shot down and his father died. Review
Three Act Tragedy (Hercule Poirot, 11), Agatha Christie. William Morrow (9780063376045) 2006, (first published 1934). Two deaths after a drink, with most of the same guests present on both occasions, sets Poirot to investigating murder. Review
Recovering from Purity Culture, Camden Morgante. Baker Books (ISBN: 9781540904263) 2024. Exposes the myths and harms of purity culture and how to reclaim both healthy sexuality and faith. Review
The Reading Life, C. S. Lewis. Harper One (ISBN: 9780062849977) 2019. Essays and brief readings from his books, essay collections, and letters on the joys of reading. Review
The Bookshop, Evan Friss. Viking (ISBN: 9780593299920) 2024. A history of bookstores in America through the lens of fourteen bookstores or bookselling venues. Review
The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus, edited by James Crossley and Chris Keith. Wm. B. Eerdmans Co. (ISBN: 9780802882707) 2024. A prospectus for a new round of “historical Jesus” research: both foundations and research topics. Review
The Open House(Sir John Appleby, 26) Michael Innes. Penguin (ISBN: 0140036636) 1972 (out of print, link is to used copies available at ABE Books). When his car breaks down, Sir John Appleby walks up a drive. The mansion at the end is suddenly lit with its front door open. Review
John Henry Newman: A Life Sacrificed, Ida Friederike Görres. Ignatius Press (ISBN: 9781621646983) 2024. A study of Newman focused on the cost of his conversion to Catholicism and how it formed his character. Review
Best Book of the Month
Robin Wall Kimmerer’s The Serviceberry is a wonderfully concise lesson in ecology, the abundance our earth often produces, and the virtues of reciprocity and gratitude that calls forth. The illustrations and the typography makes this book a feast to both eyes and heart.
Quote of the Month
On Reading is a delightful collection of the essays, and shorter pieces C.S. Lewis wrote on reading. He makes this observation about why we read and why stories enthrall us:
“We want to see with other eyes, to imagine with other imaginations, to feel with other hearts, as well as with our own.”
What I’m Reading
The Lawless Roads is the first non-fiction work of Graham Greene’s that I’ve read. It his his account of traveling through Mexico to chronicle Catholic persecution under the Calles regime. I find myself wondering how he will survive at times. Markus Barth is a biography of the son of Karl Barth, a first-rate biblical scholar overshadowed by his more illustrious father. I’ve enjoyed learning of his passionate anti-semitism as well as his distinctive ideas on baptism and eucharist. I’ve finally gotten around to reading Until the Last One’s Found by Curt Parton, an argument for evangelical universal reconciliation and restoration. It is well-argued, although I have not so far been persuaded.
Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score is the sourcebook for many advocating trauma-informed therapy for those suffering from wartime and abusive PTSD. I’ve appreciated his stance as a learner from his patients and care for them. I’m also just starting out on a biography and collection of the writings of Jakob Hutter, after whom the Hutterites are named. He is one of our Anabaptist forebears and I’m eager to learn more of that history, often on the margins of most church history accounts.
I find reading more challenging to get during in this time of the year as I get my yard in shape, and tend our flower and vegetable beds. But I get to practice some of what Robin Wall Kimmerer writes of!
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.
