{"id":6671,"date":"2016-12-08T00:00:29","date_gmt":"2016-12-08T06:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.twocities.org\/?p=6671"},"modified":"2020-12-06T15:17:16","modified_gmt":"2020-12-06T21:17:16","slug":"books-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.twocities.org\/?p=6671","title":{"rendered":"BOOKS OF THE YEAR: 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reading is critical to what I do, but more importantly, who I am.\u00a0 My reading is divided into various categories: reading related to a writing project, reviews and\/or interviews with authors, and other miscellaneous books that are significant to be conversant on.\u00a0 There are many classics that I have on my list (yes, I keep many lists), so books coming off the presses today are scrutinized pretty closely.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I get older (58 now), I find myself rereading books which have made the biggest impact on me.\u00a0 This means that I am getting pickier with my new selections with each passing moment which is not a bad thing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Instead of giving a large list, let me mention seven books all published in 2016 which I found quite good.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The very best for the entire year was a three way tie with MAKING SENSE OF GOD by Tim Keller, SILENCE AND BEAUTY <\/em>by Mako Fujimura, and AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY: A LOVE STORY<\/em> by John Kaag.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

So here are my seven favorites in no particular order…<\/strong><\/p>\n

SAVING THE BIBLE FROM OURSELVES: LEARNING TO READ AND LIVE THE BIBLE WELL<\/em> by Glenn Paauw.<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Saving-Bible-Ourselves-Learning-Read\/dp\/0830851240\/ref=cm_rdp_product<\/a><\/p>\n

My interview with the author is here:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/12\/03\/saving-the-bible-from-ourselves\/<\/a><\/p>\n

AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY: A LOVE STORY<\/em> by John Kaag<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/American-Philosophy-Story-John-Kaag\/dp\/0374154481\/ref=cm_rdp_product<\/a><\/p>\n

John Kaag is a philosopher, but don\u2019t let that scare you away from his writing, at least not with this book.<\/strong><\/p>\n

American Philosophy: a Love Story<\/em> is remarkable twin tour of a long abandoned library and the human heart. Kaag is a candid diagnostician of his own interior life with all its complexities and contradictions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been reading some of Kaag\u2019s interlocutors for some time, especially Ralph Waldo Emerson. As a Christian, I disagree with much of what Emerson wrote, but he makes me wrestle with important issues in ways that make me a better Christian\u2026at least a better thinking Christian.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kaag is vulnerable about his own personal struggles and path to happiness. Like Emerson, I don\u2019t agree with Kaag\u2019s philosophy of life, but reading about his pilgrimage to greater sanity was fascinating and time well spent.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a brilliantly conceived and exceedingly satisfying read. If scholars like Kaag wrote more books like this one there would be a whole lot more interest in philosophy!<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think a wonderful movie could be made from this book\u2026at least a well-crafted documentary.<\/strong><\/p>\n

PURSUING HEALTH IN AN ANXIOUS AGE<\/em> by Bob Cutillo<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Pursuing-Health-Anxious-Gospel-Coalition\/dp\/1433551101<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Dr. Bob Cutillo has written a book that Andy Crouch describes this way: \u201cPerhaps once a year, if I am lucky, I encounter a book that addresses a supremely important topic and does so in a supremely helpful way. This is such a book\u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cutillo is a medical doctor. He serves in various capacities: as professor at a major university, teaching at an evangelical seminary, and providing compassionate care to those on the margins of society.<\/strong><\/p>\n

How should we understand health? Well, it depends on your frame of reference. If you believe that Jesus has conquered death, then you will answer that question very differently from those who don\u2019t.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cutillo is not just a \u201cscience guy,\u201d though he certainly has great competence there having earned his MD from Columbia University. Cutillo also loves great literature and philosophy. He brings in wonderful insights from wide-ranging readings of great books. This offers a real model of responsible and competent integration. I\u2019ve read other books that seek to integrate from various disciplines, but few pull it off as well as Cutillo.<\/strong><\/p>\n

MAKING SENSE OF GOD: AN INVITATION TO THE SKEPTICAL<\/em> by Timothy Keller<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Making-Sense-God-Invitation-Skeptical\/dp\/0525954155<\/a><\/p>\n

My review can be found here:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/24\/tim-kellers-newest\/<\/a><\/p>\n

DEEP WORK; RULES FOR FOCUSED WORK IN A DISTRACTED WORLD<\/em> by Cal Newport<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted\/dp\/1455586692<\/a><\/p>\n

Here is my interview with the author:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/04\/09\/cal-newport-focused-success-in-a-distracted-world\/<\/a><\/p>\n

MEDIEVAL WISDOM FOR MODERN CHRISTIANS<\/em> by Chris Armstrong<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Medieval-Wisdom-Modern-Christians-Authentic\/dp\/1587433788\/ref=cm_rdp_product<\/a><\/p>\n

My interview with the author is here:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/07\/16\/medieval-wisdom-for-modern-christians\/<\/a><\/p>\n

SILENCE AND BEAUTY: HIDDEN FAITH BORN OF SUFFERING<\/strong><\/em> by Makoto Fujimura<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Silence-Beauty-Hidden-Faith-Suffering\/dp\/0830844597\/ref=cm_rdp_product<\/a><\/p>\n

I am writing a book on how to trust God in the midst of suffering. Recent reads were Endo’s Silence<\/em> followed by Makoto Fujimura’s Silence and Beauty<\/em>. I made over 200 marginal notes in the pages of Endo’s Silence<\/em>. It is an extremely important work for Christians to digest deeply.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Usually a commentary on a great book may be helpful and illuminating, but hardly of the caliber of the classic. This book may break this regular rule.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fujimura’s reflections on Endo’s classic work are simply stunning. Silence and Beauty<\/em> is a wonderful companion to Endo’s Silence<\/em>. In fact, I would argue that Fujimura’s Silence and Beauty<\/em> is indispensable to reading Endo’s work. Silence and Beauty<\/em> takes you into the heart of Japanese culture and rituals. It helps you understand why Christianity is such a threat to its cultural ethos.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Silence and Beauty<\/em> is wonderfully conceived and full of compelling insights. Highly recommended.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reading is critical to what I do, but more importantly, who I am.\u00a0 My reading is divided into various categories: reading related to a writing project, reviews and\/or interviews with authors, and other miscellaneous books that are significant to be conversant on.\u00a0 There are many classics that I have on my list (yes, I keep […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-review","category-favorite-books-annual-list"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twocities.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twocities.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twocities.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twocities.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twocities.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6671"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.twocities.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7509,"href":"https:\/\/www.twocities.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6671\/revisions\/7509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twocities.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twocities.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twocities.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}