All the Books I Read in 2025
1056. Letters of John Newton, John Newton. 1/4/25 * * * * (This book is so full of good stuff. One of the best things about this is that it is his thoughts and wisdom over time so that you get his biblical wisdom at different points in his life and applied to his readers’ lives. I plan to reread it. I imagine it would be good to reread every 5 or 10 years.)
1057. Holiness, J.C. Ryle. 1/8/25 * * * * * (This book is dynamite. The last chapter alone is one of the best sermons I’ve ever read--I think most chapters are sermons. The book title sounds like code for “legalism.” It is not, and it is well-worth your reading.)
1058. The Path to Power, Robert Caro. 1/10/25 * * * * (This is an amazing biography. It felt like current news. I wanted to tell the family at breakfast what was happening in Washington and realized that I wanted to tell them about 1941. It had history, culture, journalism, etc. This is amazing. The only downside is that it is 768 pages. It is hard to hold or carry. It usually reads quickly because the writing is so good. There are dense chapters though. I look forward to reading more in the series.)
1059. All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque. 1/14/25 * * * * (I loved this. It encapsulates what I understand war to be like for soldiers and what it does to them. It does it with an easy to read story. It’s like everything I’ve ever read on war boiled down to a simple story of one soldier in World War I. My regret is that it took so long to pick it up.)
1060. Where Do We Go From Here?, Leo Endel. 1/16/25 * * * (This is basically some notes and handouts on leading a small church to have a planning meeting. It is okay and probably helpful for someone without training on leading change or strategic thinking. It is 70 pages, so it is probably the right length for the audience.)
1061. 21 Days to Childlike Prayer, Jed Coppenger. 1/16/25 * * * * * (This is an amazing book on prayer. I don’t have enough good things to say about it. There are so many profound things in it--even about other biblical concepts. I was pretty content and growing in prayer before this, but it gives fresh energy and creativity to my prayers.)
1062. A Gathering of Old Men, Ernest J. Gaines. 1/16/25 * * * * (We read this for a Southern Literature class in college. It was really fun to revisit it. This is great, but I can’t understand the notes that I wrote in the margin.)
1063. Les Miserables, Victor Hugo, abridged by James K. Robinson. 1/25/25 * * * * * (I loved this abridged version. It makes me want to read the full version again since I read that in high school. Robinson describes this version as the story of one man instead of the longer version which is also a novel of ideas. Many great quotes and ideas in it. It is also engrossing.)
1064. The NIV: The Making of a Contemporary Translation, Kenneth L. Barker, ed. 1/29/25 * * * * (This is an excellent book on decisions that were made in translating the NIV. Chapters are more like journal articles explaining one decision or type of decision. I loved the depth. I expected it to be a history of the making of the NIV. It was much better. I learned things about translation, languages, and biblical studies that I’ve never heard before. I have more topics that I want to read and learn about.)
1065. Messi vs. Ronaldo, Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg. 1/29/25 * * * * (This is an excellent look behind the scenes at Messi and Ronaldo. It looks at them as more than just soccer players, examining their personal lives and businesses. I had no idea Messi was this kind of person. I liked it better than their first book, The Club.)
1066. Colossians and Philemon, N.T. Wright. 2/1/25 * * * * (This is in the TDNT series. It is an excellent little book. I enjoyed his writing style. This is from the 1980’s so it may not reflect changes to his view of justification. I didn’t see anything to be troubled by.)
1067. Moby Dick, Herman Melville, abridged by Maxwell Geisner. 2/10/25 * * * * * (I loved this. It was wonderful. It is difficult to read because of the language and nautical terms, but the plot and characters are fascinating and complicated. The kids enjoyed me telling them the latest events in the story each day. I plan to read the full version with some explanatory notes.)
1068. The King James Version Debate, D.A. Carson. 2/14/25 * * * (This is on textual criticism and the debates about new translations and manuscript families. It is good if you are interested in that. I learned a number of things that I didn’t know. I also enjoyed listening in to debates from the recent past before the internet--1970’s.)
1069. A Dream of Old Leaves, Bret Lott. 2/15/25 * * * * (I really enjoyed a number of the stories in this. Several connected with my life such as being up with a crying child in the night and bringing home a baby from the hospital. There are mature subjects in some stories. Lott’s stories about married people involve sex. He isn’t graphic with it in the way that thrillers often are, but it is present.)
1070. Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions that Changed the World in a Big Way, Roma Agrawal. 2/21/25 * (This started out well and then got steadily worse. Agrawal pivots halfway through the book to emphasize her views on gender and sex rather than the inventions that the book promises to be about. It was a weird worldview leap from the world of science to the world of values and meaning. Yet, Argrawal gives no roots for her views in the actual world.)
1071. 100 Proofs That Jesus is God, Curt Daniel. 2/25/25 * * (This is more a spreadsheet than a book. I find Daniel’s writing to be so combative that it is overwhelming. There could be a good place for an apologetic book on this topic, but he uses most pages to blast insults at those who don’t believe. I did find it useful to see more arguments throughout the bible on Jesus’ divinity, but I can’t recommend the book because of Daniel’s harshness.)
1072. A Good Old Age, Derek Prime. 2/27/25 * * * * * (This is a great devotional applying the Bible to old age with grace and joy. Prime wrote it in his 80’s as a retired pastor and widower. It is good for anyone, but especially those facing retirement or caring for older parents.)
1073. The Demon of Unrest, Erik Larsen. 3/7/25 * * * * (This is a great book on the months leading to the fall of Fort Sumter and the start of the Civil War. Larsen describes the mood especially of the pre-war South Carolina. It is excellent, and I ordered a Lincoln biography because I wanted to learn more specifics on Lincoln’s life.)
1074. The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien. 3/22/25 * * * * * (This is better each time I read it. I paid close attention to the places and maps.)
1075. Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised in Brief, Henry M. Robert III and others. 3/27/25 * * * * (This is an excellent and short-176 pages-overview of the rules for business meetings and conventions. It is really helpful and shows how having rules of order are a blessing to meetings because it keeps them organized and productive.)
1076. The Two Towers, J.R.R. Tolkien. 4/5/25 * * * * * (So wonderful.)
1077. The Return of the King, J.R.R. Tolkien. 4/15/25 * * * * * (This series is so incredible. I’m glad that I reread it. It grows with each reading.)
1076. The Horse God Built, Lawrence Scanlan. 4/24/25 * * (This was not what I expected or what the book description promised. It had about ⅓ about Secretariat and ⅔ about his groom. It was not a bad book, but the publisher should have been more clear about the topic.)
1077. The Lord of Psalm 23, David Gibson. 4/25/25 * * * * (The book is not incredibly profound but Psalm 23 is, so this book is worth reading just because it is worth reflecting deeply on Psalm 23. Gibson is a good guide to reading this.)
1078. The Soul-Winning Church, J.A. Medders and Doug Logan, Jr. 5/3/25 * * * * (This was an excellent book on creating a culture of evangelism in the church. All but the last chapters were very practical and helpful. I appreciated their emphasis on prayer and the culture that makes an evangelistic church.)
1079. A. Lincoln, Ronald C. White, Jr. 5/11/25 * * * * (White writes very vividly, and this mostly reads like a fast-paced novel. So much of this book happens near here. I really enjoyed it. My big takeaway was that Lincoln grew and changed as a person much differently than Lyndon Johnson who rarely seemed to grow or learn.)
1080. Strong On!, Pat Flynn. 5/13/25 * * * * (This is one of the best fitness books that I’ve read. It’s perfect for simple, kettlebell-based programming.)
1081. What Jesus Demands From the World, John Piper. 5/20/25 * * * (I enjoyed this after waiting years to read it. Piper reflects on the gospel commands and shows what they mean and how they apply to Christians. I learned a lot both from his explanation and from seeing how he reflects on the commands from this side of the cross. The method of reflection is really helpful. I don’t agree with every interpretation, but the book is helpful. There is nothing like it that is a Christian reflection on the commands of Jesus.)
1082. Chasing Vermeer, Blue Balliett. 5/21/25 * * (This was interesting but not satisfying. It promised to be a mystery but was just a jumbled series of confusion. The kids never figured anything out. They just stumbled through. I wonder if the author was making a point about the design of the universe because there are no coincidences in the book.)
1083. Steelheart, Brandon Sanderson. 5/25 * * * ( I read this on vacation and mostly enjoyed it. It was too suspenseful though, because I couldn’t put it down. I don’t enjoy that kind of urgent reading anymore. I want to reading something that I enjoy reading rather than “have-to” continue reading just to satisfy my suspense.)
1084. Foundation for Lifelong Learning, John Piper. 6/5/25 * * * (This felt like a book written as a guiding document for Bethlehem College and Seminary. It was fine, but the main sections that I benefited from were the section on observation of the good but broken creation and the section on expressing satisfaction in God through writing and speaking.)
1085. Exegetical Fallacies, D.A. Carson. 6/10/25 * * * (I reread this to remind myself of logical, word study, and preaching fallacies to avoid.)
1086. Leave it to Psmith, P.G. Wodehouse. 6/13/25 * * * * (This is so funny and delightful. If you want to read a funny and easy read, this fits. I liked this because I’m sometimes too familiar with the Jeeves and Wooster stories. This had me guessing, and Psmith is a funny, new-to-me character.)
1087. Covenant Foundations, Alec Motyer. 6/21/25 * * (It shouldn’t have been published. Motyer’s son took his notes and turned them into a book. The thought wasn’t clear enough. I had many questions as I read that I suspect he would have answered. I like Motyer’s work and found several clear and profound sections. Overall though, it wasn’t clear enough.)
1088. 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden, Carolyn J. Male. 7/1/25 * * * (I liked learning how she cares for and develops tomatoes. I’m not sure I follow her opinions on tomatoes, though. I did find a few varieties that I’d like to try and grow.)
1089. The Air We Breathe, Glen Scrivener. 7/3/25 * * * * (I picked this up off the free giveaway rack at the library because I had heard good things about the author and thought I remembered it winning awards. It’s so good! It’s kind of an apologetic book that explains how many of the values of the world come from Christianity--specifically the cross and resurrection. It would be great to give to anyone who lives or works in a highly secular environment and wants to hold on to the truth, goodness, and beauty of Christianity without becoming defensive and bitter. The focus of the book is evangelistic though, so you could give it to a thoughtful friend that you want to hear the gospel.)
1090. Walking Across Egypt, Clyde Edgerton. 7/8/25 * * * (Not as good as the first time I read it.)
1091. The Heirloom Tomato, Amy Goldman Fowler. 7/8/25
1092. Knowing Christ, Mark Jones. 7/18/25 * * * * (The section on the hypostatic union and incarnation is the best thing I’ve read on that. I’m sad it took me so long to read that book.)
1093. Ten Caesars, Barry Strauss. 7/21/25 * * *
1094. The Seven Culinary Wonders of the World, Jenny Linford. 7/26/25 * * *
1095. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell. 8/3/25 * * * *
1096. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy, abridged by Edmund Fuller. 8/17/25 * * * *
1097. Revenge of the Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell. 8/20/25 * * * *
1098. Gregor the Overlander, Suzanne Collins. 8/22/25 * * * * *
1099. The Art of Column Writing, Suzette Martinez Standring. 9/4/25 * * *
1100. Writing to Learn, William Zinsser. 9/14/25 * * * *
1101. Dangerous Calling, Paul David Tripp. * * * * *
1102. Means of Ascent, Robert Caro. * * * *
1103. The City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau. * * * * *
1104. An Inside Job, Daniel Silva. * * *
1105. Raising Kids in a Hyper-Sexualized World, Eliza Huie. * * * *
1106. Raising Kids in the Way of Grace, Robert W. Kelleman. * * * * *
1107. The People of Sparks, Jeanne DuPrau. * * * *
1108. The Youngest Science, Lewis Thomas. * * * *
1109. How to Be Better at (Almost) Everything, Pat Flynn. * * *
1110. Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke Vol. 1, J.C. Ryle. * * * * *
1111. Preaching for God’s Glory, Alistair Begg. * * * (This short book on preaching would be easy to give away, and is mostly useful because the quotes are not the usual sources used in the USA. He’s from Scotland and his sources are different and older.)
1112. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling. 11/30/25 * * * * * (This book gets better with each reread. I had so many questions answered by this reading.)
1113. Christmas Thoughts, J.C. Ryle. 12/10/25 * * * * (This is a great book to read for Christmas. I want to see Scripture and people the way Ryle does so I can explain and apply the Bible well like he does.)
1114. Evangelism, J. Mack Stiles. 12/15/25 * * * (Stiles describes what leads to a culture of evangelism. He is very clear about what and how evangelism works. This has all the pluses and minuses of a 9Marks book. There is biblical wisdom in the book, but I always leave a 9Marks book weighed down by how I don’t measure up.)