Recommended Reading
For lack of substantive things to blog about, I have decided to post a list of my 20 essential books. These are the books that you must immediately buy, read, and enjoy. I will include a brief description, so enjoy. (In no particular order)
The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Simply the best piece of fiction ever conceived. If you don't have the time to commit to this rather lengthy work, simply read "The Grand Inquisitor." You know something's thought-provoking when I've heard atheists say that it is a great argument for atheism and Christians say that it is one of the best presentations of the gospel.
The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Life-changing, life-changing, life-changing. Bonhoeffer calls us away from the cheap, lazy, cross-less grace that popular Christianity is so quick to bestow and calls us to discipleship.
Poems, by John Donne. One of the books that I come back to over and over. Donne was a writer of style and subtance, coupled with enormous theological heft. The Holy Sonnets are one of the high-water marks of Christian literature.
Dogmatics in Outline, by Karl Barth. The title is demanding, but the book is a mercifully straightforward expression of everything that it is to be a Christian. He manages to write simply, beautifully, and with unrivaled depth.
Opened Ground, by Seamus Heaney. Seamus Heaney is the best living poet writing in English. His poems have a stroll-through-the-countryside pace with a sense of political urgency. "Mid-Term Break," "The Mossbawn: Sunlight," and "Post-Scriptum" are wonderful, moving, and smart.
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. Aldous Huxley was perhaps a bit curmudgeonly, even in his younger days, but his writing is brisk, subversive, and important. Every day more of his prophecies are fulfilled.
The Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning. Brennan Manning gets the gospel as only he can. It takes a man who spent half of his life as a priest and the other half as a drunk to begin to understand the love of Christ. The two most important books in my spiritual journey have been this and Bonhoeffer's Discipleship, and I think that the two must be taken in equal portions.
Christian Theology, by Alistair McGrath. The eminent professor of theology at Oxford swings for the fences with this invaluable reference work. If you want to understand the questions of theology, go here.
St. Francis of Assisi, by G.K. Chesterton. It's a toss-up to decide which Chesterton to include. Orthodoxy and the Everlasting Man are great, and also highly recommended, but St. Francis has proved to be an excellent companion on the road of faith.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke. By all accounts, a book I should hate. I hate fantasy, and I have no interest in reading 800+ pages for leisure. But I did, and I loved every minute of it. This is a book I feel very comfortable recommending.
Enduring Love, by Ian McEwan. Again, a toss-up to pick one McEwan book. I could have chosen Saturday, which is also excellent, or Atonement, which is perhaps a bit more polished, but I love the story of Enduring Love. It's weird, strange, dark, and disorienting, and it's McEwan at his most delicious.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography, by Eberhard Bethge. Ok, I admit, I haven't finished it yet. In fact, I'm not close, but it is over a thousand pages. That being said, Bonhoeffer is one of the truly challenging figures of the 20th centuries. You cannot read his life without examining yours.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers. Eggers's book chronicles the true story of how his mother and father died within a month of each other, and then, at nineteen, he was left to raise his 10-year-old brother. He dates, pursues a career, grieves, and plays frisbee, and does everything in a style that is disarming, funny, and affecting. A heartfelt, genuine book.
Collected Poems, by Patrick Kavanagh. I felt that I had one poetry spot left and it came down to T.S. Eliot or Kavanagh. I went with Kavanagh because I get him a little more. His poems are deeply spiritual, moving, and, above all, Irish.
The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway. A book that no one seems to no what to do with. Critics are mixed about this little novella, and grizzled Hemingway aficianados can't seem to stomach the sentimentality of this wee fairy tale. I have been haunted by it for five years, since the afternoon I read it at my grandmother's house.
Crime and Punishment, by Dostoevsky. The only repeat author on the list. I really struggled about whether to include this, but no book, excepting the Ragamuffin Gospel and the Cost of Discipleship, has changed my ideas so drastically. This book made me care about the poor.
Gödel, Escher, Bach, by Douglas Hofstadter. Yes, that was an umlaut. Hofstadter imbues science writing with all the joys of discovery. This book is challenging, but it is also tons of fun, and you wind up appreciating the length and width and depth of man in a new and unexpected way.
The Mismeasure of Man, by Stephen Jay Gould. The eminent scientist gives us a healthy reminder that science is rarely objective and can be used for good or evil. I read The Bell Curve first, which Gould responds to, and The Bell Curve reiterates the immediacy of everything that Gould writes about.
The Affluent Society, by John Kenneth Galbraith. JKG died just a few weeks ago, and his influence is hard to calculate. This book made me into a fiscal liberal, for better or for worse.
How to be Good, by Nick Hornby. Read Nick Hornby. He is funny, but always smart and challenging. How to be Good is my favorite, but don't forget Fever Pitch (which, by the way, has very little connection to the Jimmy Fallon movie of the same name), High Fidelity, or About a Boy. He is endearing and wise. The Washington Post once wrote: "He is a chronicler of the things that wrap themselves around our heart and will not let go." Wow.
The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Simply the best piece of fiction ever conceived. If you don't have the time to commit to this rather lengthy work, simply read "The Grand Inquisitor." You know something's thought-provoking when I've heard atheists say that it is a great argument for atheism and Christians say that it is one of the best presentations of the gospel.
The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Life-changing, life-changing, life-changing. Bonhoeffer calls us away from the cheap, lazy, cross-less grace that popular Christianity is so quick to bestow and calls us to discipleship.
Poems, by John Donne. One of the books that I come back to over and over. Donne was a writer of style and subtance, coupled with enormous theological heft. The Holy Sonnets are one of the high-water marks of Christian literature.
Dogmatics in Outline, by Karl Barth. The title is demanding, but the book is a mercifully straightforward expression of everything that it is to be a Christian. He manages to write simply, beautifully, and with unrivaled depth.
Opened Ground, by Seamus Heaney. Seamus Heaney is the best living poet writing in English. His poems have a stroll-through-the-countryside pace with a sense of political urgency. "Mid-Term Break," "The Mossbawn: Sunlight," and "Post-Scriptum" are wonderful, moving, and smart.
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. Aldous Huxley was perhaps a bit curmudgeonly, even in his younger days, but his writing is brisk, subversive, and important. Every day more of his prophecies are fulfilled.
The Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning. Brennan Manning gets the gospel as only he can. It takes a man who spent half of his life as a priest and the other half as a drunk to begin to understand the love of Christ. The two most important books in my spiritual journey have been this and Bonhoeffer's Discipleship, and I think that the two must be taken in equal portions.
Christian Theology, by Alistair McGrath. The eminent professor of theology at Oxford swings for the fences with this invaluable reference work. If you want to understand the questions of theology, go here.
St. Francis of Assisi, by G.K. Chesterton. It's a toss-up to decide which Chesterton to include. Orthodoxy and the Everlasting Man are great, and also highly recommended, but St. Francis has proved to be an excellent companion on the road of faith.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke. By all accounts, a book I should hate. I hate fantasy, and I have no interest in reading 800+ pages for leisure. But I did, and I loved every minute of it. This is a book I feel very comfortable recommending.
Enduring Love, by Ian McEwan. Again, a toss-up to pick one McEwan book. I could have chosen Saturday, which is also excellent, or Atonement, which is perhaps a bit more polished, but I love the story of Enduring Love. It's weird, strange, dark, and disorienting, and it's McEwan at his most delicious.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography, by Eberhard Bethge. Ok, I admit, I haven't finished it yet. In fact, I'm not close, but it is over a thousand pages. That being said, Bonhoeffer is one of the truly challenging figures of the 20th centuries. You cannot read his life without examining yours.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers. Eggers's book chronicles the true story of how his mother and father died within a month of each other, and then, at nineteen, he was left to raise his 10-year-old brother. He dates, pursues a career, grieves, and plays frisbee, and does everything in a style that is disarming, funny, and affecting. A heartfelt, genuine book.
Collected Poems, by Patrick Kavanagh. I felt that I had one poetry spot left and it came down to T.S. Eliot or Kavanagh. I went with Kavanagh because I get him a little more. His poems are deeply spiritual, moving, and, above all, Irish.
The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway. A book that no one seems to no what to do with. Critics are mixed about this little novella, and grizzled Hemingway aficianados can't seem to stomach the sentimentality of this wee fairy tale. I have been haunted by it for five years, since the afternoon I read it at my grandmother's house.
Crime and Punishment, by Dostoevsky. The only repeat author on the list. I really struggled about whether to include this, but no book, excepting the Ragamuffin Gospel and the Cost of Discipleship, has changed my ideas so drastically. This book made me care about the poor.
Gödel, Escher, Bach, by Douglas Hofstadter. Yes, that was an umlaut. Hofstadter imbues science writing with all the joys of discovery. This book is challenging, but it is also tons of fun, and you wind up appreciating the length and width and depth of man in a new and unexpected way.
The Mismeasure of Man, by Stephen Jay Gould. The eminent scientist gives us a healthy reminder that science is rarely objective and can be used for good or evil. I read The Bell Curve first, which Gould responds to, and The Bell Curve reiterates the immediacy of everything that Gould writes about.
The Affluent Society, by John Kenneth Galbraith. JKG died just a few weeks ago, and his influence is hard to calculate. This book made me into a fiscal liberal, for better or for worse.
How to be Good, by Nick Hornby. Read Nick Hornby. He is funny, but always smart and challenging. How to be Good is my favorite, but don't forget Fever Pitch (which, by the way, has very little connection to the Jimmy Fallon movie of the same name), High Fidelity, or About a Boy. He is endearing and wise. The Washington Post once wrote: "He is a chronicler of the things that wrap themselves around our heart and will not let go." Wow.
posted by Tim Dees at 11:20 PM
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