I finished 5 books in June for a total of 35 so far this year. That’s behind my goal, but I set a reading goal just to have a target. As long as I am reading and reading good books, I don’t worry about it.
I also made some good progress on my outrageous Summer Reading Goal by making it 340 pages into LONESOME DOVE. Between you and me, I had hoped to finish the thing by the end of the month, but, I fell short…by 518 pages!
I started Chernow’s massive biography (does he write anything else?) on Grant and I was immediately drawn in, but my progress is the proverbial drop in the bucket.
Here is a quick tour of what I did finish this month.
Let me begin by telling you how much and why I love Jeffrey Overstreet’s book, THROUGH A SCREEN DARKLY. You know how when you read a book you enjoy so much, you start slowing down as you get to the end because you don’t want the experience to be over? I’ve only ever done that with novels. Until this book. I seriously did not want Overstreet’s “cinematic memoir” to end. It is just too good.
Overstreet is a writer, film critic, and college professor and he writes with a love for God and for art that shows up on every page. I have always loved movies and I think about them deeply and, honestly, have often been made fun of by others for doing that. With this book, I felt seen. I felt less like an odd ball and more like there were others like me. There are people who take movies seriously as art and Overstreet is speaking to us as one of us.
At the same time, he is writing to anyone who enjoys movies. He writes from a Christian worldview, but I think anyone can learn to think about and enjoy films on a deeper level by reading this book. Oh, and my “To Be Viewed” list grew A LOT as I read. Excellent subject matter for my series on Films Christians Should Watch.
Wild Bill: The True Story of the American Frontier’s First Gunfighter by Tom Clavin is engaging and fun. Clavin is an excellent writer and he brings deep research and investigation to his writing in ways that build your fascination with the subject matter. I knew about Wild Bill, but I did not KNOW Wild Bill and now I feel like I do. Clavin portrays the gunslinger as a product of his times in many ways and sets straight many of the legends/myths that surround him. But that doesn’t make him any less exciting or less imposing as a fixture of the Old West. The truth is, in many ways, better than the fiction.
I struggled with The Practice of Piety. In fact, I almost set it aside multiple times, but it’s a thin enough volume that I thought I should power through it and I did. I don’t think the book itself is “bad” I just found it a bit tedious and heavy handed. I know what you’re thinking, “What do you expect from a Puritan writer?!” But I have often found books from Puritans to be filled with joy. Maybe I am not reading this at the right time in my life. I’m going to keep it on my shelf. I may visit it again someday.
If you are a leader in any capacity and in any context, or if you want to be, the The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier should be on your TBR pile. Preferably somewhere near the top. Stanier’s rule for writing is to make his books as short as possible while still being helpful and he delivers here. Every page is packed. Not a paragraph is wasted. Even if you’ve been coaching for years, you’ll get something, probably A LOT of things that will make you more effective. The members of your team will be grateful to you for reading and applying what you learn here.
I love Henri Nouwen’s books and Spiritual Formation is no exception. But this one does need to be read carefully. By that I mean, his Catholic theology is far more prevalent here than in some of his other writing, and there were points where he crossed into universalism. There are things in this book that can be received as is, some that can be redeemed, but there are also things I believe must be rejected. So, while I can recommend it, I recommend it with caution.
Currently Reading
Here are some books I am currently reading that will hopefully find their way into July 2025’s Reading Roundup.
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. The fact that McMurtry can fascinate me for five pages about a wooden sign is astonishing. Readers of this book know what I am talking about here.
A Burning in My Bones by Winn Collier. This is the biography of Eugene Peterson. I am already fully engaged with this one.
The Healing Path by Dan Allender. Allender and Crabb are two of my favorite writers about the soul.
Ancient Wisdom for the Care of Souls by Coleman M. Ford and Shawn J. Whilhite. I am getting so much out of this book on classical pastoral ministry.
To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink. This one is for work. I must admit I am getting a little sick of business books. I try to read at least one a month so I can keep developing in my professional life, but I may put these aside for a while. Maybe until the end of the year.
Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde, who is one of my favorite writers. I will quite literally buy all of his books in hardcover and read them ASAP.
Grant by Ron Chernow. Wow. This thing is HUGE and already fascinating.
The Christian Faith by Michael Horton is my next systematic theology book. This one will be on my currently reading list for quite some time.
Joseph McBee 