Top reading from 2023
This is my list of my favorite reading in 2023; what are your favorites? Because I prefer to read books in book format, they tend not to be in Logos.
- The Lost Art of Scripture: Rescuing the Sacred Texts: Armstrong, Karen: 9780451494863: Amazon.com: Books is a great reminder of how the Bible should not be treated just like any other book.
- Reading the Wife/Sister Narratives in Genesis: A Textlinguistic and Type-Scene Analysis by Kang, Hwagu, Averbeck, Richard E.. Religion & Spirituality Amazon.com. I love pattern matching but such dissection doesn't appeal to everyone
- The God Who Sees: Immigrants, the Bible, and the Journey to Belong Faithlife Ebooks This is a reread to put current politics into Christian perspective.
- Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings (Cycle A/B/C): Kreeft, Peter: 9781943243976: Amazon.com: Books a new Peter Kreeft work that is his typical done-well but nothing amazing. It "ties" with Ponder: Contemplative Bible Study for Year A/B/C by Leonard-Fleckman, Mahri (amazon.com) for devotional reading
- The Many Faces of Christ: The Thousand-Year Story of the Survival and Influence of the Lost Gospels Faithlife Ebooks - not new but a fascinating study of how the Bible was actually used that contrasts strongly to our simplified/falsified version of how we got the Bible
I was going to stop at five but my list is so vanilla many forumites wouldn't believe me. So the best of the year and likely the least read by other forumites is an oldie I just got around to:
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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My top reading from 2023 has not been in Logos either. One was a Kindle book, and two were Audible. In fact, they were the only three books I read all the way through in 2023. (Sadly my reading volume has plummeted in the past decade or so from nearly a book a week to what you see here; too many distractions.) None of them was biblical or theological in nature, though the last one is very interesting and relevant for much of what Christians are interested in regarding the current Israel/Palestine conflict. I highly recommend it!
Ways of Being: Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search for a Planetary Intelligence by James Bridle - Absolutely fascinating: about how the "more-than-human world" (plants, animals, even slime molds) can sense things (e.g., a plant that "hears" insects chewing its leaves) and solve problems. It has some relevance to artificial intelligence, which is why I picked it out to read, given the speedy trajectory humanity seems to be on towards a general AI that might rival our own intelligence.
Becoming by Michelle Obama - her memoir, read by her in Audible
Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore - riveting history of the most holy and most contested city in the world, going back roughly 4000 years.
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Rosie Perera said:
Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore - riveting history of the most holy and most contested city in the world, going back roughly 4000 years.
Thanks for the rec, looks very interesting. I see both my libraries have it in ebook and audio formats, so no spending money [:P]
Your link seems to be malformed, so here it is again for anyone else interested: https://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-Biography-Simon-Sebag-Montefiore-ebook/dp/B004LROX8S
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At long last, I read CS Lewis's 'A Space Trilogy' earlier in the year (not in Logos, but electronically). I've just started 'Out of the Silent Planet' again because I'm sure I missed most of the underlying significance, having only read the trilogy as a story the first time. I'm not very good with hidden meanings in any case, but I'm going to try.
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I read a number of interesting (and several boring) books this year. These were probably the most enjoyable:
- A Marginal Jew, volume 1. I picked up three of these as FBotM extras and finally got around to reading vol. 1 this year. It's very nice and thorough. If you're interested in Jesus studies and already got some of the volumes, the rest of the set is on sale right now.
- Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision by N.T. Wright. The clearest work I've read so far on the "New Perspective"--which still isn't 100% clear to me.
- The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism. I love a good theological history, and this covers what is certainly one of the more interesting ones in modern times.
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How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler
Living by the Book Howard G. Hendricks
Public Speaking for Success by Dale Carnegie
NIV NT (in a week)
Reasonable Faith 3rd Edition William Lane Craig
Searching the Scriptures Chuck Swindoll
Great Lives David Chuck Swindoll
And a bunch of other audiobooks!
DAL
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Yasmin Stephen said:
Your link seems to be malformed, so here it is again for anyone else interested: https://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-Biography-Simon-Sebag-Montefiore-ebook/dp/B004LROX8S
Thanks. Comes from deleting all the extraneous stuff to get to the simple shortest necessary URL, which is always my habit, but I goofed and deleted an extra slash. Fixed it.
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Rosie Perera said:Yasmin Stephen said:
Your link seems to be malformed, so here it is again for anyone else interested: https://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-Biography-Simon-Sebag-Montefiore-ebook/dp/B004LROX8S
Thanks. Comes from deleting all the extraneous stuff to get to the simple shortest necessary URL, which is always my habit, but I goofed and deleted an extra slash. Fixed it.
Thanks Rosie, it looks like a good read.
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Some interesting reads people, nice to see what others are enjoying! My top 5 reads for 2023:
- Dominion by Tom Holland. I walked away from this book with a much greater appreciation for just how 'Christian' our world is, even the most hardcore atheist, because we have been so moldered and shaped by Christianity over the last 2000 years. Read via Audible, not available on Logos.
- The Screwtape Letters by C.S.Lewis. My 5th reading I think. Lewis has a habit for reminding me of truths I keep forgetting, or pointing out the obvious that I somehow keep missing. I read this physically, its only accessible on Logos via a large and quite expensive bundle.
I'm Australian, so the I tend to read books by Australian authors. You've probably heard of the first one, but other two are relatively unknown outside my local context.
- Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible's Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture by Christopher Watkin. I've decided to purchase my own physical copy of this book, it's just so good. Working through the bible, Watkin keeps asking the question 'So what?' about our faith, and answers by showing how what we believe connects in with the world around us. Love it. Read via Audible, is also available on Logos.
- Leading Better Bible Studies (2nd ed) by Karen & Rod Morris. This is the gold standard resource on how to lead bible studies in my neck of the woods. Highlights include the content on group dynamics and the integration of adult education principles. I read this physically, not available on Logos.
- Ministry Under the Microscope by Allan Chapple. With only a year ish left at college, life and ministry outside of college is starting to loom pretty large. This book is about the 'What, Why, and How of Christian Ministry' and it addresses these questions clearly, and is lazer focused on Christ and his gospel. I read this physically, not available on Logos.
DAL said:How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler
I love this book DAL, learned a lot from it.
Current MDiv student at Trinity Theological College - Perth, Western Australia
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Mal Walker said:
I loved this book too. Read it back in 1996. I still chuckle at the logical humor in the title. I wondered, "How can I even read this book if I don't yet know how to read a book?" [:D]
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Hi there the How to read a book by Mortimer is not on logos is it
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MJ. Smith said:
what are your favorites?
This year's favorites, I don't recommend for your normal Logosian, married to a favorite doctrine/truth (vs the Text):
Paula Fredriksen's volumes. I guess I've about read them all, and some twice (on one right now)
Robert's Price's 'textual' volumes. Price is out beyond Ehrman (they even debate). But he's quite openly speculative, always choosing the contrary. So, he's good for what the alternatives might be. I especially like his 'PreNicene New Testament.'
"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.
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I feel this is my top reading in 2023. It has lots of information and many details. Good for those who have special interest and time.
Gold package, and original language material and ancient text material, SIL and UBS books, discourse Hebrew OT and Greek NT. PC with Windows 11
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Lukas said:
Hi there the How to read a book by Mortimer is not on logos is it
No. Martha (MJ) didn't say our top reading of 2023 had to be from Logos, and in fact she listed several that are not available in Logos. None of mine were from Logos.
I don't tend to use Logos to read through entire books. The books I have in Logos are more for research purposes. Though I do have tons of "read-through" type books, they don't tend to be the ones I'm in the mood for, and I also tend to prefer the reading experience in the Kindle app over the Logos app on my mobile devices. Force of habit maybe.
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DMB said:
I especially like his 'PreNicene New Testament.'
I enjoyed this as well ... I haven't explored his other works but will put a couple on my to-read stack.
Vote at The Pre-Nicene New Testament: Fifty-four Formative Texts by Robert M. Price | Logos
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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My favorite for 2023 is "The Last Man" by Thomas Goodman, my pastor. It's a historical fiction novel, his first. It's about the 1927 Santa Claus bank robbery in Cisco, Texas, and the aftermath. I read it too fast the first time. Had to re-read it again, and re-read it a third time. It's a page turner! At the end, the author talks about fiction vs truth in the book. Fabulous book, if you are interested in some historical fiction.
Bob
"A novel as compelling as the incredible true story it's based on." James Wade, two-time Spur Award-winning author of Beasts of the Earth.
When Santa Claus enters a Texas bank just before Christmas in 1927, no one expects him to pull a gun.
The fake white beard hides his identity from his neighbors while he and three others take everything. But their easy heist goes sideways fast when armed lawmen and citizens assemble to claim a new reward for dead bank robbers.
Taking hostages, the gang forces a path through a frenzied and bloody shootout, setting the whole Lone Star state on their trail.
One bandit dies in the getaway. One is executed in the electric chair. One swings from a rope in a mob lynching. The last man finds a life he always hoped for … if only he can keep it.
Closely based on a true story, The Last Man is a gritty Prohibition-era crime novel filled with flawed characters and second chances.0 -
I always read a lot of books in a year's time. I do reading in three ways: research hunts, rabbit trails and cover to cover. Logos only helps with the first two ways becuase I do not like the cover to cover reading experience in Logos. I like a e-ink or a hard copy book. But Logos does help with encyclopedic requests.
Reading is fun for me. I do a monthly fiction book club and a historical nonfiction book club every 3 months. My favorite fiction book was The Covenant of Water. My favorite nonfiction was The Wager by David Grann Each of these books tugged at my heart.
Mortimer Alder's book on reading is great. I read it back in 2022. I have a whole file of notes on it for review.
In Logos Christian Origins and the Question of God Series (4 vols.) was one of my favorites. It took me a long time June 3 to October 2. In my 3 month March to May Bible study we studied the "saints and scoundrels" of the Bible using Saints and Scoundrels in the Story of Jesus by Nancy Guthrie. It was a fund study.
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Rosie Perera said:Yasmin Stephen said:
Your link seems to be malformed, so here it is again for anyone else interested: https://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-Biography-Simon-Sebag-Montefiore-ebook/dp/B004LROX8S
Thanks. Comes from deleting all the extraneous stuff to get to the simple shortest necessary URL, which is always my habit, but I goofed and deleted an extra slash. Fixed it.
On sale today.
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Michael Kinch said:Rosie Perera said:Yasmin Stephen said:
Your link seems to be malformed, so here it is again for anyone else interested: https://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-Biography-Simon-Sebag-Montefiore-ebook/dp/B004LROX8S
Thanks. Comes from deleting all the extraneous stuff to get to the simple shortest necessary URL, which is always my habit, but I goofed and deleted an extra slash. Fixed it.
On sale today.
Great catch, and thanks! I'm so determined to cut back on my book spending this year, I never bothered to add it to my eReaderIQ list. My own $1.99 copy is loads better than a no-spend library copy [:D]
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Old Light on New Worship: Musical Instruments and the Worship of God, a Theological, Historical and Psychological Study by John Price.
He makes a strong case for non instrumental music in worship. And he’s not a member of the church of Christ!
DAL
Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/Old-Light-New-Worship-Psychological/dp/1881095010
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Rosie Perera said:
Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore - riveting history of the most holy and most contested city in the world, going back roughly 4000 years.
I stumbled across The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017, which may be an interesting companion read to the Montefiore book. It's $1.99 today at Amazon US.
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I am trying to imagine reading all that. Sure wish I could! I pulled it up to drool over.Veli Voipio said:I feel this is my top reading in 2023. It has lots of information and many details. Good for those who have special interest and time.
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