As a pastor, I do a lot of reading. Some of it is even edifying! Several years ago, I started keeping a record of what I read, including quotes and stories. You never know when you’re going to need a good illustration for a sermon, right?

Last summer some time, I discovered that Allen does the same thing. He chronicles his readings. By the end of last year we were in a little competition.  It’s true that I tend to read MORE books, but the quality of books Allen reads is quite a bit higher, the length much longer. (Most of his tend to be in the areas of psychology, theology, ethics, that sort of thing.) That said, I still won last year! (82-68, I think.)  …not that we’re keeping score!  🙂

My goal this year is to read (or hear) 10 books a month. I know. That’s more than 2 books a week! I’m going to give it a shot, though.

So far, I’m doing well–It’s January 31st and I just finished book 11! Here are…

JANUARY’S BOOKS:

Buechner, Frederick. Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC.
Buechner, Frederick. The Wizard’s Tide.
(I’ve set myself a goal to read all of Buechner’s books this year.)

Davies, Pete. The Devil’s Flu.
(For book club at church…about the Hong Kong flu in 1997 and the 1918 flu, the search for the flu that killed 40 million people. I love books about epidemiology…I think it’s the mystery that hooks me.)

Grisham, John. A Painted House.
(Recommended by a friend, Russell Kemp. A nice departure from Grisham’s usual fare…about a 7 year old boy in 1950s Arkansas. Kind of nice.)

Lewis, C. S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Lewis, C. S. The Horse and His Boy.
(Books 2 and 3 of the Chronicles of Narnia. I read them in college. Decided to listen to them this time. Great fun…and I can complete books while I drive my car!  Did you know you can download “The Chronicles of Narnia” for 9.95 on iTunes? Readers include Kenneth Branagh, Lynn Redgrave, and Patrick Stewart!)

Paretsky, Sara. Bleeding Kansas.   (I LOVE the V. I. Warshawski books. Didn’t like this one much at all. More fiction than mystery. Somehow I never came to care about the characters.)

Roberts, Gillian. The Bluest Blood.
Roberts, Gillian. In the Dead of Summer.
Roberts, Gillian. The Mummer’s Curse.
(I just discovered the Amanda Pepper mystery series this Fall. Love it. Ms. Pepper teaches English in a so-so prep school in Philadelphia. Each mystery usually involves her teaching or her students in some way (or her ever-meddling mother, Bea, who lives in Florida). A classic piece of literature also features in each book. (Romeo and Juliet, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Jane Eyre.) Very fun books. Total escapism!)

Tvedten, Brother Benet. How to Be a Monastic and Not Leave Your Day Job: An Invitation To the Oblate Life. (As part of my devotional life, I try to read something on spirituality every day. Deeply interested in the way of Benedict, I often read books on Benedictine spirituality. If I lived closer to Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, Indiana, I probably would look into becoming an oblate. That vow of stability is a hard one!)

So that’s it for January. Tomorrow begins a new month…and a new list. Stay tuned!

Peace for your journey.