Reading for 2012

Happy New Year everyone. I hope your holidays have been enjoyable and that you have found some refreshment in the midst of all the hustle and bustle. I have not been blogging at all and I'm missing the mental engagement it requires. Hopefully I can pick things up in 2013.

My first post for the year will relate to the reading I did for 2012. I managed to read 55 books this past year. Though it is not about the numbers, I find that I need to challenge myself in my reading or I will slack off. I am happy with the amount I read this year and am gearing up for another year with my nose buried in books.

My reading for the year was somewhat planned and purposeful. Below you will see the list of books I read and underneath the list appears three areas of focus for my reading in 2012: fiction, the atonement, and the Bible.

I wanted to increase my fiction reading mainly because I am an English teacher and this is probably the best thing I can do for my personal development in my vocation. I have some interesting plans for fiction reading in 2013. I do want to note for you that though many of the books below are highly recommended by me and others, personally I cannot recommend Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov. Lolita is a book that makes many "best novel" lists and I decided to read it. It is a dark book that revolves around pedophilia. It is not graphic in details, but in my estimation, it has very little redeeming value.

I think the other two foci of my reading need no explanation. The Bible and the atonement are as foundational to the Christian walk as any topics.

Let this list be an encouragement to you to keep reading in 2013.


Reading for 2012
1. Atonement by Ian McEwan
2. The Man Christ Jesus by Bruce Ware
3. That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis
4. Excellence by Andreas J. Kostenberger
5. Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy
6. Perelandra by C. S. Lewis
7. Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis
8. Inerrancy and the Gospels by Vern S. Poythress
9. The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy
10. Christ Crucified by James Durham
11. Julius Ceasar by William Shakespeare
12. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
13. Basic Christian by Roger Steer
14. Generous Justice by Timothy Keller
15. Gospel Centered Discipleship by Jonathan K. Dodson
16. Why Read Moby Dick by Nathaniel Philbrick
17. Christ Our Mediator by C. J. Mahaney
18. Charity and its Fruits by Jonathan Edwards
19. The Hole in Our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung
20. Freedom and Boundaries by Kevin DeYoung
21. What Is the Mission of the Church? by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert
22. Why We Love the Church by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck
23. Run to Win: Perseverance in the New Testament by Thomas R. Schreiner
24. Jonathan Edwards and Justification by Ed. Josh Moody
25. Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
26. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
27. Reasons for Faith by Scott Oliphint
28. The Doctrine of the Word of God by John Frame
29. Literature: A Student's Guide by Louis Markos
30. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
31. The Big Picture of the Bible by eds.Wayne Grudem, Thomas Schreiner, and C. John Collins
32. Gods Glory in Salvation Through Judgment by Jim Hamilton
33. Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler
34. The Atonement by R. W. Dale
35. Church Membership by Jonathan Leeman
36. No Innocent Affair by Edward F. Mrkvicka Jr.
37. The Atonement and the Modern Mind by James Denney
38. The Apostles' Doctrine of the Atonement by George Smeaton
39. Am I Called? by Dave Harvey
40. The Glory of the Atonement eds. Charles E. Hill and Frank A. James III
41. The Legacy of Sovereign Joy by John Piper
42. Understanding Scripture by eds. Wayne Grudem, C. John Collins, and Thomas R. Schreiner
43. The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
44. From the Resurrection to His Return: Living Faithfully in the Last Days by D. A. Carson
45. C. H. Spurgeon: The Prince of Preachers by Christian Timothy George
46. The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross by Leon Morris
47. The Battle Belongs to the Lord by K. Scott Oliphint
48. Revelation: The Spirit Speaks to the Churches by Jim M. Hamilton Jr.
49. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
50. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
51. How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
52. Salvation Accomplished by the Son by Robert A. Peterson
53. Affirming the Apostle's Creed by J. I. Packer
54. Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung
55. Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov

Fiction
1. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
2. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
3. The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
4. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
5. Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
6. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
7. Julius Ceasar by William Shakespeare
8. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
9. The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy
10. Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy
11. Atonement by Ian McEwan
12. Perelandra by C. S. Lewis
13. Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis
14. That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis
15. Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov

Bible Related
1. Inerrancy and the Gospels by Vern S. Poythress
2. The Doctrine of the Word of God by John Frame
3. The Big Picture of the Bible by eds.Wayne Grudem, Thomas Schreiner, and C. John Collins
4. Understanding Scripture by eds. Wayne Grudem, C. John Collins, and Thomas R. Schreiner
5. How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart

Atonement Related
1. Christ Crucified by James Durham
2. Christ Our Mediator by C. J. Mahaney
3. The Atonement by R. W. Dale
4. The Atonement and the Modern Mind by James Denney
5. The Apostles' Doctrine of the Atonement by George Smeaton
6. The Glory of the Atonement eds. Charles E. Hill and Frank A. James III
7. The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross by Leon Morris
8. Salvation Accomplished by the Son by Robert A. Peterson