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Its the time of year when I get a short bout of severe depression. This isn't brought on by the dark evenings, much as I dislike them, nor by the colder weather; in fact it hasn't been that cold, not even, this year by Brexit or the Election. No, it happens when I read Andrew Wilson's blog account of the books he's read over the past year. I still cannot work out how he does it. Over 100 books and it's not just the number it's also the quality. I obviously can't be precise about this but it seems to me this may require reading something like 80 pages every day of the year! Can he give us some tips on reading please? Is he wired up to audio books during the night......
Anyway, I offer my booklist as something of an antidote. It will certainly not amaze you, but it may reassure you that not every teacher can achieve the near miraculous in the number of books read in one year!
So my much more modest contribution is as follows with the odd comment added here and there:
George Muller. Nancy Gorton
Diary and life of Andrew Bonar
The Angel Game. Carlos Zaphon
The Cross and the Lynching Tree. James Cone
Rules of Civility. Amor Towles. Fails to equal his wonderful book: A Gentleman in Moscow.
Homo Deus. Yuval Harari
A Vineyard in Andalusia. Maria Duenas
The Seamstress. Maria Duenas. My favourite non-Christian book of the year. I found this a stunning read.
Unlocking the Bible. David Pawson. An overview of every book in the Bible that will hold your interest and not kill you with boredom as many such books do.
Survivors. Kate Furnivall. She writes good books.
The Lost World of Genesis One. John H Walton
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Gail Honeyman. Read it.
The Gift of Being Yourself. David G Benner
Skyfaring. Mark Vanhoonacker. A pilot's lyrical view on flying commercial aircraft.
Heads You win. Jeffrey Archer. Holiday trite.
The Clockmaker's Daughter. Kate Moreton. Excellent story teller but wasn't so keen on this book.
Susie (Spurgeon). Ray Rhodes Jnr. A bit flowery , but some interesting new insights into the great preacher and his rather unconventional wife - not quite what I expected.
When All is Said. Anne Griffin
The Crucifixion. Fleming Rutledge. Read this for a second time in two years. Some parts are magnificent, but a second reading reveals some weaknesses. We certainly get the Cross, but I'm not sure we finally get the gospel.
The Lost World of Adam and Eve. John H Walton. My Christian read of the year. If you won't even consider an alternative suggestion to a 7 day x 24 hours young creation viewpoint then this book is not for you (or maybe it is!). I believe what the Bible says! But this book makes you think about what the Bible actually does say.
The Far Side of the Sun. Kate Furnivall
The Sealwoman's Gift. Sally Magnusson. Excellent
His Needs Her Needs. Willard Harley.
Under the Tuscan Sun. Frances Mayes.
The Girl with Blue Eyes. Thomas Hardy. Typical miserable Hardy, but I like his writings.
Napoleon's Last Island. Thomas Keneally
Dynasty. Tom Holland. A BIG book in all ways.
The Seige of Krishnapur. JG Farrell
Men and Women in Christ. Andrew Bartlett. Seems to be creating waves in some quarters. I'm going to a seminar with the author in March and will probably blog on the book after that.
Belgravia. Julian Fellowes
Breaking and Mending. Joanne Cannon. Mixed feelings about her attacks on Medical Training, I suspect she was bringing a lot of her own weaknesses to the situation.
Bonhoeffer. Eric Metaxas. A major biography.
I can't resist adding that I'm also reading Calvin's Institutes, but as I won't finish this until next year I can make 2 mentions of it and gain extra Reformed credibility!
Happy reading!