Books

I started my review of what I read in June and realized something: I hadn’t read very much at all in comparison to normal months. June was a pretty travel heavy month, and something I’m realizing more and more is that I don’t have a ton of time to read when I’m on the road (despite my best efforts). At least nothing super-long.¹

I’ve got a growing pile of books that are sitting… waiting. They want me to read them. Some of them have deadlines attached, so I have to get them done (and will). Some of them I just want to read. So, if you’re a bit OCD about your reading (like me), how do you get caught up?

Focus on the ones that are most important. For me, that means the ones with deadlines have to be prioritized. Fortunately, those ones all look pretty great, especially a new one from B&H by Jackie Hill Perry. It also means not losing sight of the most important book of all, that being the Bible. If that one’s not being read, then who cares?

Finish books that have been in some state of reading for a long while. There are a few books that I’ve been reading on-and-off forever now. And for some reason, I just can’t get the things finished. Really good books, like Struck by Russ Ramsey, which I’ve started and stopped three times now.

Find the resolve to admit defeat. If all else fails, there’s this reality: if you fall behind, you’re probably not going to get caught up if you’re an aggressive reader. If you’re a one-book a month person, and you’re behind by one, you might be able to make it up. But when you’re six or seven behind, it’s okay to say, “I can’t do it.” Then go back to reading what you can.

On of the great things about reading books is re-reading books. Not every book is worth reading more than once of course.¹ But there are a lot that are worth reading over and over again. Here are five that I have read multiple times with joy:

The Hobbit + The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I’m already cheating because this is a set of four books. But at the same time, they’re really one story (especially if you factor in The Silmarillion). Not everyone loves these books, of course, but what I love about them is the fact that they’re a cohesive history of this fictional world. What Tolkien did as a world-builder is nothing short of amazing.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. I’ve read this book many times since it was first released back in 2000. Aside from the actual story itself, I love the way Chabon tells a story. There’s something really beautiful about the way he writes that I enjoy and that keeps drawing me back.

Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton. This is actually one of the only theological books I’ve felt like I needed to read more than once. This is a book that demands a lot of its readers, and is worth the investment.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Again, Gaiman is someone I read more for the way he tells stories than the stories themselves (though they are often excellent). Neverwhere was the first novel of his I read (and his first published following The Sandman), and its premise is fascinating: a journey through an underground world where everything that falls through the cracks in the real world goes (including people). For fiction lovers, it’s well worth your time.

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. I’m just going to let this speak for itself:

pic.twitter.com/8BpDNkezAi

— Calvin and Hobbes (@Calvinn_Hobbes) April 25, 2018

So those are a few of the books I’ve read and will continue to re-read. There are others that I didn’t include, but if you’re looking for a good book, these will serve you well.