At the start of the year I create two distinct goals for my reading list, one is a number of books to read and the second a group of books I will prioritize reading. I set a goal that is attainable but not easily, and since I am a competitive person it pushes me to continue to read throughout the year. I also select books I am very excited to read, I intentionally space these out so that through the year I have at least one book I want to read which can be motivating when I am halfway through a book I am not enjoying but should finish. While I try to read a variety of books each year, there are four categories from which I read at least one book in the year.
- History (I studied history and recognize a need for me to continue to read in this area)
- Fiction (storytelling is an essential part of life and reading novels helps me grow as a storyteller and story hearer)
- Science (I enjoy reading about science and especially the overlap between science and faith, this is an underappreciated field by most Christians and needs to be recovered)
- The Bible (I like to understand what scholars say about the Bible, particularly since it so impacts my life & work)
This year when I looked at the books I had queued I had a difficult time deciding on which books I wanted to write about, but I was able to narrow it down to these six. I have also included several books I hope to have time to read, but I recognize that my reading list is not always dictated by what I most hope to read on January 1. Some of the books listed today might well end up on next year’s list.
History: A History of Religious ideas: volume 1 by Mircea Eliade
I’m sure this book will be far more academic than many want to read, but I have not spent much time thinking about how religious concepts developed and I am curious to see the broad narrative of the topic. Considering Eliade’s career I have high hopes for this book, but I do understand that some of these ideas might be quite dated.
One more history book I hope to read: The First Thousand Years: a Global History of Christianity by Robert Louis Wilken
Novel: On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Yes, I realize this is a classic I should have picked up years ago, I simply haven’t. It comes Kerouac comes highly recommended and has had a profound impact on people I know and trust, so here I am giving it a chance.
Another novel I hope to read: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Science: The Sacred Chain by Jim Stump
Just released, I am looking forward to this book on the philosophy of science by the host of Biologos’ The Language of God podcast. I have heard some interviews he has done and understand the basic premise of his argument but I would like to see how he defends his ideas about how science and faith interact.
Another science book I hope to read: The Invisible Universe by Matthew Bothwell
Bible: Women and the Gender Gender of God by Amy Peeler
Yes, this is more of a Biblical theology and a book specifically on hermeneutics or the text (which is what I normally include here), but I am spending some time in reading on the relationship women have with the Bible this year and so I thought this would be a good starting point.
Another book I would also like to read: Flood and Fury by Matthew Lynch
Additional Books: Why is There Suffering by Bethany N. Sollereder
This book is one I am leery of, I like the premise of a choose your own path book about theology but that concept also presents its own problems. Still I have high hopes for this as a book to help people walk through the ideas of suffering and how choices impact how we understand what it means to suffer.
Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self by Manoush Zomorodi
The truth is, like Why is There Suffering I am taking a bit of a flyer on this one. I am not convinced this book has great suggestions for maximizing creativity but it might have some good suggestions so I am going to give it a try. And truthfully I picked it up for less than $3 on Kindle so that helps my decision to read it.
As always this is my planned list and subject to change. Please let me know what books you are reading and which ones I should add to my list.
Squinting in the Light 
Leave a comment