2022 Reading Q4 Review & 2023 Reading Plan

2022 is now complete, and it is time for a review of my reading in the fourth quarter and to turn the page to the reading plan for 2023. Earlier installments in this series can be found HERE. My hope is to inspire and encourage some of you to a more disciplined and diligent practice of reading.

I planned to read 100 books in 2022 spread across six categories: theology, philosophy, history, classics, biographies, and books I regularly re-read. I completed 37 books in the first quarter, 31 in the second, 32 in the third, and 27 in the fourth, finishing with a total of 127. My reading in the fourth quarter included 8 volumes of theology, 5 biographies, and 10 re-reads. My final totals in each category were 29 theology, 12 philosophy, 10 history, 11 classics, 19 biographies, and 28 re-reads.

Here are three books I read in the fourth quarter I particularly enjoyed or found profitable.

First, The Everlasting Man by G. K. Chesterton. It is no secret that Chesterton is probably my favorite author of all-time, and I am almost always reading something by him throughout the year. Everlasting Man is not one that I have re-read yearly, but it likely will become so after this year’s read-through. The argument is stimulating, the prose delightful, and the encouragement to faith and wonder at the work of God in human history is truly a blessing. Chesterton argues that Christianity is the “true myth.” This work was a key influence in C. S. Lewis’s conversion, and I have been blessed every time I read it.

Second, John Knox: Stalwart Courage by Douglas Wilson. This is a very accessible and practical treatment of Knox’s life and the virtues God’s grace wrought and manifested in this Reformed father. It would be especially appropriate for young men looking for role models of manly piety and courage.

Third, God and Generals by Jeff Shaara. I’m not sure how I never read this particular novel— and as a novel I categorized it as an elective, not history or biography—since I have known about it for many years. I do not read a great deal of historical fiction—though I do enjoy fiction that is historical—but I greatly enjoyed this volume and look forward to reading others in the series.

The 2023 Reading Plan

2022’s reading plan was a success, the most successful that I have developed so far, and I feel encouraged to continue to set goals in specific categories and genres. I have decided to base my reading goals in 2023 on quarterly, rather than annual, totals with an ambition of reading 120 works for the entire year. Every three months I plan to read the English Bible once-through in a different translation, starting with the Geneva Bible. (I read the Psalms and certain parts of Scripture more frequently, but this refers to my general plan of reading.) I also plan to read 4 volumes in each of the designated categories: theology, philosophy, history, biography, classics, and re-reads, leaving 5 electives. --JME

2022 Reading Q3 Review

The third quarter of 2022 has come and gone, and time seems to be moving at the speed of playback on my Audible app. You can find occasional posts on reading archived HERE as well as my first and second quarter reviews (Q1, Q2). As a brief reminder, I offer these posts in hopes of encouraging some to adopt a more disciplined approach to reading and help readers find books they may enjoy. If you think instead these reviews are merely putting on airs, I will not be offended if you skip this post.

This year I set goals to read 100 books in six categories: theology, philosophy, history, classics, biographies, and regular re-reads. I only log books that I read in their entirety, not just portions, even if I complete most of the book. I completed 37 books in the first quarter of 2022 and 31 in the second quarter. In the third quarter I completed 32 books, bringing the total to 100 titles in the first nine months of the year. The third quarter reading included seven works of theology, one on philosophy, two on history, five classics, five biographies, six re-reads, and six miscellaneous titles that did not fit into one of the planned categories.

I completed my goal for total volumes read for the year in the first nine months. I expected I would read more than 100 titles—I usually do—but this is significantly ahead of pace. Most of the goals for each of the planned categories have also been completed. I have finished 21 of 24 books in theology, 12 of 12 in philosophy, 10 of 12 in history, 10 of 12 classics, 14 of 12 biographies, and 18 of 18 re-reads. The goal for the last category will need to be increased next year. Every year the total number of books I re-read increases both in number and as a percentage of my total volume of reading.

Here are three books I read in the third quarter I particularly enjoyed or found profitable.

First, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. This was not the first time I read Bradbury’s classic dystopian novel, but I enjoyed it more this time than ever before. Though Bradbury had a very confused relationship to faith, he regularly weaves Christian imagery into his stories and novels in profoundly thought-provoking ways. Motifs of death and resurrection, judgment and life, regeneration, and transformation by truth are powerful themes that pervade the novel. It is both entertaining and enlightening and well-worth more than a casual perusal.

Second, A Christian Manifesto by Francis Schaeffer is a brief treatise outlining important features of a Christian approach to cultural awareness and influence. Schaeffer was prophetic in his insight and call for biblical fidelity in an age of compromise. His work is as valuable— dare we say even more relevant?—than when it was originally penned.

Third, Three Felonies a Day by Harvey Silverglate describes abuses by the DOJ and federal prosecutors which have become endemic in our American justice system. The book is written by a liberal attorney who participated directly in many of the cases described. There appears to be a significant bias toward including instances of Republican malfeasance more often than Democrats, and the author admits that some of the persons targeted unjustly likely were guilty of various improprieties or crimes even if their prosecution was tainted in some ways. The data cited is much too anecdotal, relying far too heavily on cases in which the author was personally involved. But the overall thesis is compelling and troubling, and both Republicans and Democrats share the blame. The book demonstrates how easily federal prosecutors can find reasons to indict, coerce, and manipulate the justice system against their targets and suggests how often this may be done. It is a sobering reminder of the need for a biblical system of justice and of the dangers of our executive branch and its agencies if they are allowed to operate unchecked. --JME

2022 Reading Q2 Review

I have written occasional posts on my reading (HERE) and am posting quarterly summaries this year as last year  (2021: Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4). My hope is that this will encourage some to adopt a more disciplined plan of reading or help others find books they may enjoy. I only log books that I read in their entirety (not just selections from, even if I complete most of the book). This year I set goals to read a specific number of books in six categories: theology, philosophy, history, classics, biographies, and re-reads. The last category includes books I re-read yearly, others I re-read every few years, and others that I do not re-read often but only occasionally for a specific purpose. It does not include every book I have read before and re-read for some reason this year.

I finished 31 books in the second quarter of 2022, six fewer than in the first quarter of the year. This included nine books of theology, five of philosophy, four on history, two classics, three biographies, and four re-reads. The remaining seven volumes were miscellaneous reads which did not fit into any of the six targeted categories. So far in 2022 I have read 14 works of theology, 11 of philosophy, 8 of history, 5 classics, 9 biographies, and 12 re-reads. I am ahead of the planned pace both for every category except classics—I planned to read twelve this year.

Here are three books I read in the second quarter, all short works in this case, that deserve special mention.

First, Christendom and the Nations by James B. Jordan is a work of Christian political philosophy. Jordan discusses how the Bible teaches us to think about nation, State, borders, treaties, and foreign policy. He also discusses the United Nations. The essays were written before the fall of the Soviet Union and have only been lightly edited since, but the content was still relevant, thought-provoking, and helpful in working out a Christian view of nations.

Second, Josef Pieper’s In Tune with the World is a short but dense philosophical monograph by one of my favorite modern philosophers. Pieper discusses the concept of festivity, its necessary components and context, and whether true festivals are possible apart from faith in and worship of God. Pieper is always thought-provoking, but his material requires careful reading and contemplation.

Third, Gashmu Saith It by Doug Wilson is a very brief but powerful, practical introduction to transformational ministry in a local church community and beyond. I wish every member of my congregation could read it. Wilson may be viewed as Lord Voldemort in many parts of Reformedom, but his insights on this topic are very helpful, tested, and have proven fruitful over time. There are good ideas here to learn and incorporate in local ministry and witness.

--JME

The Most Wonderful Book

My philosophy of reading has been largely informed and shaped by C. S. Lewis, Mortimer Adler, and J. R. R. Tolkien. I read books, primarily, in order to find the books I want to re-read regularly for the rest of my life. The most significant books are re-read every year. These include Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Lewis’s Ransom and Narnia series as well as The Great Divorce, Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, Chesterton’s Orthodoxy, and several others. Other books are re-read every few years, including Homer, Dickens, Melville, and Defoe. Everything else I read is part of the search for great books or to complete a reading assignment or simply because something caught my interest or was recommended. The most wonderful books, those that are truly “great,” are the ones that continue to teach, challenge, and delight no matter how many times they are read. In fact, they are the ones that give more the more often they are re-read. Several readings are required to be able to recognize the real lessons they are designed to teach. These are the books I want to dominate my reading life and my mind at unoccupied moments. But of all the books I have read and read again each year, none can compare to the wonder and profit of the Holy Bible.

I have read the Bible more times, by far, than any other book. Once a year is not nearly enough. The Scriptures both deserve and demand far more extensive and intensive reading if one desires to read them well. A professor once told me, “You cannot know what a [Bible] text means until you know what it says.” I have found this to be true. And reading it once, or even a few times, is no guarantee one knows what it says. The Lord’s thoughts and ways are high above us (Isa. 55:8-9), beyond the limited grasp of our creaturely comprehension, so the Bible must be read, re-read, and meditated upon, constantly, over many years, if one hopes to gain its true and greatest benefit. Even then, those who make the most progress in learning and understanding the Bible will admit they are but beginners when they come to the end of their life in this present world.

Perhaps this post is inadequate and cliche. What else is a preacher going to say? Of course I love the Bible. But I really do. It fires my soul, comforts my heart, stretches my mind, and orders my life beyond any other book, teacher, or experience ever has or can. I look forward to journeying with Frodo every year, to visiting Narnia with the friends of that land, to trekking with Christian, to being awed by the noumenal with Dr. Ransom, and to walking gingerly on hard grass with sore feet, longing to belong to that land and to share and enjoy the firm reality of its glory. But it is the Bible that best prepares me to love and appreciate all of these stories, and many more. More than that, it is God’s written Word, the Bible, that teaches me the true myth, the one to which all other true stories point, and that assures me that my own story is connected to theirs. –JME

2022 Reading Q1 Review

I did not post my 2022 reading plan as I did last year, but as in previous years I am logging the books I finish (not just read part or most of) with specific goals in terms of total volumes and distribution in specific categories. Since I posted quarterly reviews of my reading last year (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) in hope of encouraging others to think more carefully about what and how they read, I decided to do the same this year. I will not be posting a full list of the volumes read, but I will give an overall sense of the reading and highlight a few titles.

I completed 37 books in the first quarter of 2022. This included five works of theology, six works of philosophy, four books of history, three classics, six biographies, and seven re-reads. My goals for these categories for the year are: 24 works of theology; 12 works each of philosophy, history, classics, and biography; and 18 re-reads. This means I am slightly behind (by one) on works of theology, significantly ahead in philosophy and biography, ahead by one in history, and slightly ahead in re-reads. As I mentioned last year, one of the challenges of this method of recording is distinguishing theology from philosophy, philosophy from history, and history from biography as these so often overlap that the same volume could be put in more than one category. I simply pick the best fit and record it once.

Here are three highlights from the first quarter that deserve special mention.

First, The Light Behind the Sun by Doug Wilson. This is a collection of essays on C. S. Lewis, several of which were previously published, by a man who clearly loves Lewis and has read and thought carefully about him for many years. I had read some of the essays before, but they were still enjoyable the second time, and the work as a whole was enlightening and a very pleasant read. I gave it away as soon as I finished it, but I plan to order another copy.

Second, Aristotle for Everybody by Mortimer Adler. This was originally written for children, but it is a solid introduction to Aristotle’s thought for adult laymen hoping to profit from the Philosopher. One must be careful of these kinds of introductions as they too often misrepresent or slant the presentation of a thinker whose work would be better understood simply by reading the original source. But Aristotle can be difficult, and Adler is careful and respectful in his presentation. If you have not read much of Aristotle’s work but would like to do so, this can be helpful in getting oriented to his thought.

Third, Endurance by Alfred Lansing. This is a classic piece of history about an expedition to Antarctica at the beginning of the 20th century. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. It is well-written, historically detailed, and highly engaging. What Shackleton and his crew endured is remarkable, both for its hardships and for the endurance they exercised in the midst of it. Many fans of 20th century history and expeditionary adventures will have already read this, but I never did until January. I am glad I did and am happy to recommend it to those who are interested in the genre.

 --JME

2021 Reading: Q4 & Final Summary

As I write this, there are still more than four and half hours left in 2021 in the time zone where I am sitting, and two hours more than that at my usual residence, so it is entirely possible at least one more volume will be added to my 2021 Reading Log before the new year commences. But I am content to draft the fourth quarter review and yearly summary now. It is entirely possible I will have more to say next year about the volume that remains incomplete at the moment, but it is unnecessary to say anymore about it here.

I previously posted reviews of my reading in the first quarter, second quarter, and third quarter of the year, as well as a description of my plan for reading in 2021 and the way in which I have recorded the books I read. The plan for 2022 has already been written, but its description will be posted in a separate note.

I completed 36 books during the fourth quarter after finishing 25 titles in quarter one, 21 in quarter two, and 33 in quarter three. The total volumes finished for 2021 stands at 115. While I expected a drop-off in my total volumes read in the fourth quarter, the opposite occurred. My reading pace increased during the second half of the year, a trend that I hope bodes well for 2022 when I anticipate several new challenges to my regular reading.

 

Quarter 1	Quarter 2	Quarter 3	Quarter 4
Jan: 7	Apr: 8	July: 10	Oct: 12
Feb: 6	May: 7	Aug: 14	Nov: 6
Mar: 12	June: 6	Sep: 9	Dec: 18
Total: 25	Total: 21	Total: 33	Total: 36
Total for 2021: 115

 

My fourth quarter reading included ten works of theology (8 in December alone), one volume of philosophy, four classics, one work on current events, and three biographies. I finished the year with 32 works of theology, 4 of philosophy, 4 of history, 18 classics, 4 on current events, 1 on ministry, 9 biographies, 8 on personal development, and 17 which I re-read yearly. None of the volumes are listed in multiple categories which creates one of the challenges in logging reading as I have in 2021. Many volumes could fit under multiple headings--the distinction between theology and philosophy or current events and ministry are not always easy to identify. I decided to list each volume once under the most representative category.

 

Category	2021 Goal	2021 Actual
Theology	12	32
Philosophy	12	4
History	12	4
Classics	12	18
Current Events	8	4
Ministry	4	1
Biography	4	9
Personal Development	4	8
Re-reads	18	17

 

I am content with the distribution of my reading in 2021. My only disappointment is in the area of philosophy and history; however, several of the works I categorized as Theology could also be placed under Philosophy, and I more than doubled the number of Biographies I originally planned to read, all of which could also fit under the heading of History. I realized early in the year that Current Events and Ministry are not useful categories for much of my regular reading. Some attention to each of these areas is necessary, but my soul (to say nothing of my work) is better served by feeding on Theology, History, Philosophy, and Classics. I continue to urge and encourage those who wish to read more and more profitably to adopt a strategy and plan for reading. My specific plan is adjusted every year, but I have found that simply having a plan and recording my yearly reading for the last several years has been immensely helpful.

 

Here are three highlights from the fourth quarter that deserve special mention.

First, Neil Postman’s The Disappearance of Childhood is the third book by the philosopher of technology I have read, and while Technopoly remains my favorite, this one also gave me a lot to think about. Postman is writing as a secularist, yet his insights are profound. There are a number of ideas in this volume worth developing, and I expect I will revisit it at some point in the near future. Postman postulates that popularization of the written word largely created what we think of as childhood and that the pervasiveness of digital media is causing childhood to disappear. His thesis is fascinating, compelling, and useful.

Second, Iain Murray’s The Puritan Hope has been on my shelf for a couple of years, but I never got around to reading it. I only regret waiting so long to do so. It is certainly one of my favorites of this year. A work of historical theology, Murray discusses the eschatological optimism of the Puritans. While disagreeing among themselves on certain points of exegesis and expectations for the future, the volume manifests the consistent hopefulness and confidence our Puritan fathers had in the power of Christ and the outworking of gospel ministry.

Third, C. H. Spurgeon’s John Ploughman’s Talk was witty, winsome, and wise. I laughed out loud repeatedly while reading it and sent many excerpts to elders, deacons, and friends. Spurgeon steps into the character of John Ploughman, a plain-spoken Christian with a gift for discernment and description. Though I would quibble with a couple of minor jabs he takes at Presbyterians, the work is thoroughly delightful, entertaining, and useful. I highly recommend it.

As I look back over the master list of books I read in 2021, I see many that I enjoyed and profited from that have gone unmentioned in these reviews. Some are not ones I would recommend to a general audience, being more specific in their target readers or content. Others were enjoyable or helpful for more personal reasons. But I am thankful for (almost) all of them. Those I profited from the most will probably be reread in the next few years, and those that are not might not have been worth reading at all. Every year the list of books I reread grows and the number of new volumes I read diminishes. This is by design. I am reading today to find the handful of books I want to reread in my final days. But life is only a vapor, and it is more likely that I will continue to reread books without realizing that I am doing so during my final days. I cannot know how many volumes I have left to read in my life, so I aspire to choose wisely and to spend what minutes and hours I have left reading the books that have been my best teachers and have most inspired me. I hope in some way these brief reflections will help and inspire you as well in pursuing a more disciplined and satisfying reading life. --JME