Yesterday was the first day of winter in the northern hemisphere (and the first day of summer for my Australian readers!).
While I love reading outside in the evenings during summer, I also find the long, dark days of winter conducive to curling up with a book. This past weekend, I spent some time finishing up the books on my fall reading list so I could get started on my winter stack.
Here are the books that I read this fall:
You Are Not Your Own by Alan Noble
This book explores the underlying reason why modern life is so crushing—we’re taught that we’re responsible for creating our own identities and making our lives meaningful.
I don’t write inside books anymore, but if I did, this book would have had underlines, asterisks, and comments everywhere. There were just too many quotable lines, and I felt seen.
As someone interested in growth, one of the things that hit me hard was Noble’s discussion about our tendency to optimize ourselves. For example, we now have technology that measures the intimate details of our daily life: steps, sleep, heart rate, macros. These data constantly drive us to seek ways to improve ourselves.
This obsession with measuring and optimizing is just one of the ways in which life has become increasingly inhuman. We can always do better.
Ironically, even something like setting goals to read more books each year is an example of improvement. Mea culpa!
Don’t feel pressured to read any of these books because you want to improve your life. However, if you want to read something that will help you understand why you feel so weary and how to think biblically about the pressure to create your identity, I highly recommend this book.
Reappearing Church by Mark Sayers
I’ve been listening to a lot of podcast episodes with Mark Sayers and appreciate his thoughtful analysis of our cultural moment. If you’re interested in cultural exegesis, the most recent season of the Rebuilders podcast was excellent.
Sayers’ book is about renewal and revival and is written for a small group to read together. Given all the disruptions and uncertainties we’ve experienced the last two years, many of us find ourselves feeling discouraged and fearful about the future. But this book shows us that there’s reason for hope and what we can do to prepare our hearts for God to move.
Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson
I heard someone recommend this book on a podcast, and as a writer, it sounded like it would be a helpful read. Peterson explores creativity and the important categories to consider as we communicate to our readers and listeners.
Finding Holy in the Suburbs by Ashely Hales
If you live in the suburbs, it can seem like everyone has it together and life is good. But that’s simply not the case. Hales helps us look more deeply at what’s really going on in the suburbs and how the gospel shapes the way we live life in that context.
Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri (novel)
This is a compelling story about the realities and challenges that refugees face. Nayeri tells the story of how his family became refugees and masterfully weaves the stories of his homeland into his experience.
After “clearing the decks” of my fall list (except one), I put together the stack for my winter list.
The books in my winter pile are:
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson
The God of the Garden by Andrew Peterson
The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman
Chasing Contentment by Erik Raymond (left from my fall stack)
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (novel)
I’ll share more about these when I finish them. I’m also interested to know what you’re reading, so be sure to hit reply and share.
As Advent draws to a close, may the reality of the Incarnation bring you hope and joy.
In closing, I wanted to share one of my favorite Christmas hymns. The lyrics are so theologically rich and encouraging.
Shelley
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I just finished Cloud Cuckoo Land. It was amazing. (Fun fact: Back in 2007, I worked for the Doerrs as a nanny to their twin boys.) I'm excited to check out some more of the titles on your list. Do you ever write full book reviews of what you've read?