At the end of each year, I share a list of my favorite books to read during the calendar year. Usually there is a mix of theology, cultural analysis, biography and fiction. We hope some of this year’s favorite reads end up on your Christmas wish list or make good gift ideas.
Here are my tips for 2023.
#1. THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY
One of the best novels I’ve read in years, with memorable characters, a captivating narrative, and some unforgettable scenes, including a chilling conclusion that vividly depicts the biblical teachings on one’s heart as one follows one’s treasure. Duchess is one of the most vivid and memorable characters I have encountered in literature. This is a coming-of-age story in which your understanding of the meaning of the events in the book grows along with the protagonist.
#2. THE ESCAPE ARTIST
The man who broke out of Auschwitz to warn the world
by Jonathan Freedland
In a time like ours – when, despite the decades-long motto “Never forget,” many in the world, even in the West, seem determined not just to forget but to repeat the horrors of the past – we need books like this . Jonathan Freedland tells the incredible story of a man who escaped Auschwitz and shared the truth with the world, only to discover passivity and indifference in many cases. The story is true, which keeps Rudolf Vrba from becoming a one-dimensional hero. We see him in later life, with all his sins and missteps and the resentment that eats away at his relationships. A harrowing account of heroism that illuminates human frailty. I gave this book to my teenage daughter after reading it and she couldn’t put it down either.
#3. TIM KELLER
His spiritual and intellectual formation
by Collin Hansen
I lost a hero at the end of May when Tim Keller died of cancer [read my reflections]. Collin Hansen has done us all a great service by writing the first biographical treatment of Tim, which, true to form, focuses less on Keller himself and more on the influences that shaped the man he became, and the legacy he left behind. Collin takes us through the most important moments in Tim’s life, but always with an eye on the experiences, writers and thinkers who shaped Tim spiritually and intellectually. This is the only book on my list that I read twice this year.
#4. CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT
The strange and epic story of modern Romania
by Paul Kenyon
Within a century – from 1900 to 2000 – Romania went from celebrating a monarchy to sliding into a nationalist dictatorship, fighting in World War II on the side of Germany, before switching to the Allied side and finally deposing the monarch and establishing a communist regime that ended in a revolution that brought with it the birth pangs of freedom. From monarchy to fascism, the Axis powers, the Allies, communism to free markets. All in a century. Paul Kenyon gives us a riveting historical overview of the turbulent century that the country my wife comes from and which I once called home experienced. This book traces the arc of Romanian history, presenting the personal stories and testimonies of ordinary people. In this way it never becomes a dry historical recitation of facts, but rather allows the reader to feel the promise and danger of the moment. Read my full review.
#5. WHY WE ARE RESTLESS
by Benjamin and Jenna Silber Storey
Why We Are Restless, the highest-ranking book of philosophical reflection on my list this year, offers an in-depth look at four French thinkers – Montaigne, Pascal, Rousseau and Tocqueville – giving us the outlines of their thoughts and the nature and Ways their philosophies respond to communicate with each other and tell a story about their influence on today’s society. The Storeys manage to encapsulate elements of these thinkers in an admirably short page span. A deep and relevant book that I recommend to anyone who wants to delve deep into the history of some of the most influential men who ever lived. (Incidentally, the Storeys were there to interview me on an episode of Reconstructing Faith this season to talk about Pascal, who, by the way, took first place on this list in 2019.)
#6. PAX
War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age
by Tom Holland
Tom Holland is one of the best historians in the world and his latest book does not disappoint. In Pax he takes us through the ups and downs, twists and turns of the Caesars as they fought for power and prestige in the Roman Golden Age. Not to be missed is his account of the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and its consequences. A story at once strange and fascinating, Holland’s book takes us into a world that is at once grotesque (Nero’s brutal treatment of a man he wanted to turn into a woman) and glorious (the actions of Hadrian).
#7. The Lord’s Prayer, the Beatitudesby Gregory of Nyssa
The oldest book on my list this year is by Gregory of Nyssa. Longtime readers of my column may know that every year I take a commentary on the Sermon on the Mount with me on vacation and work through it during my morning devotions. This year I have chosen one of the Church Fathers, and Gregory’s treatment of both the Lord’s Prayer and the Beatitudes is notable as their application remains relevant today. I underlined entire paragraphs, nodded my head, felt a sense of conviction, and yet still puzzled over some of the interpretive moves and conclusions. Ultimately, I was inspired by this ancient author, whose passion for purity of heart remains palpable to today’s reader.
#8th. SILAS MARNER
by George Eliot
My daughter was assigned this George Eliot novel this year, and as someone who never made it to the end of Eliot’s masterpiece Middlemarch (don’t throw stones!), I was pretty sure I wouldn’t mind Silas Marner either . But when my daughter raved about it, I decided to read it myself so we could discuss it. Not only was I not disappointed, but I knew I had to include it in my top 10 list. Without giving anything away, I’ll just say. . . Great characters, the biblical themes of justice and past sins revealed, and the truth of Jesus saying what we value reveals our hearts – it’s all here. The other good thing about this book? For a classic it’s short! Less than 200 pages.
#9. Faithful disobedience
Writings on Church and State from a Chinese House Church Movement
by Wang Yi (and others)
Faithful disobedience [read my full review] is not the story of China’s tragic crackdown on Early Rain and other churches. It is a collection of essays, pastoral letters, and conference talks that will give you a glimpse into the theological perspective of this church and its pastor before the gavel fell. And this is the first time these resources are available in English. Some of the essays are academic. Others are pastoral or devotional in nature. Read the book to be informed and inspired.
#10. Surprised by doubt
by Josh Chatraw and Jack Carson
I hope this book finds wide reading. Pastoral in all the right ways, it gently introduces the reader to the treasures of the Christian faith while recognizing the constraints of a secular age that make it difficult to believe. Josh and Jack explore not only different ways to disengage from faith, but also the many ways to return to, and even deepen, faith through the experience of disillusionment and doubt. The book addresses intellectual questions and challenges, warns us against reactionary versions of Christianity, and helps us process the experiential side of the search for faithfulness in our world today.
AWARD
LAURUS
by Eugene Vodolazkin
I love novels that transport me directly into a world that is foreign to me – religiously, temporally, culturally – and Laurus achieves this by transporting the reader to 15th century Russia in a time of plague and pestilence. It is a remarkable book with thought-provoking images and scenes that lead to different interpretations. I’ve been thinking about some of the themes since I finished the book (here’s just one example).
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