Amazing Grace by Eric Metaxas - I've only just begun this one, but Metaxas (author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy) continues his masterful tradition of the biography in Amazing Grace, the story of famed British abolitionist, William Wilberforce. I have enjoyed Metaxas' rich writing and the insight into Wilberforce's life and am sure to enjoy the rest.
The Christian World of The Hobbit by Devin Brown - I want to finish reading this one before I go see the last Hobbit movie. I've enjoyed Brown's thoughts so far and the themes he distinguishes in The Hobbit, though I have been less than captivated by his writing style. It is somewhat dry and I find him quoting others so heavily that it is occasionally difficult to discern his own thoughts. Nevertheless, it's an interesting read for those who have read and enjoyed The Hobbit.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - I had wanted to read this one for quite a bit and finally bought the 60th Anniversary Edition with some Christmas money. What a startling, emotional, deep, and clever book this was. Set in a futuristic earth, books are banned and now firefighters start fires (to burn down houses with illegal books) instead of putting them out. Fahrenheit 451 (the degree at which the books burn) follows the story of one firefighter who discovers the reason that the government is so afraid of books and decides to stand against it.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville - Theologian R.C Sproul calls this the one novel that every Christian should consider reading. When our family when on vacation last autumn, I actually picked up a beautiful blue bound copy of it and now have embarked upon reading this American epic. I am so glad I did. Rife with theological undertones and allusions and rich with literary merit, I have been captivated by Moby Dick.
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt - I am a major children't lit lover and Schmidt is hands down my favourite children's novelist. His book, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy is one of the best books I've ever read, and The Wednesday Wars one of my all-time favourite children's novels. Okay for Now is a sort-of sequel to The Wednesday Wars, headlining a minor character from the prequel. Set in the sixties about a boy with an abusive father and a bully for one brother and a battered Vietnam vet for another brother and art for a dream, Okay for Now is a superb insight into the era, and the perspective is both funny and enlightening.
Institutes on the Christian Religion by John Calvin, translated by Henry Beveridge - Dad and I started this in September and are reading through it in a year. I can easily say that this is one of the most formative theological works that I have ever read. Calvin is a master wordsmith and a brilliant teacher. He is surprisingly readable (while a part of this may be due to Beveridge's excellent translation, Calvin himself is not an "above the head" writer). It's a lengthy book but worth it all.
What are you reading?