Books 2007

For the last several years, I’ve posted a list of books I’ve read at the end of the year. I have never categorized them the same way twice. Continuing on that trend, here are the books I read in 2007.

Ten Everyone Should Read
– W. Berry, What are People For? – Though provoking essays, whether you agree with Berry or not.
– S. Clarke, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell – Simply magical.
– S. Endo, Silence – A gripping and insightful novel set in 17th century Japan.
– Hauerwas & Willimon, Resident Aliens – Fascinating theology of church and culture by two modern theological giants.
– E. Jacobsen, Sidewalks in the Kingdom – A must-read intersection of theology and new urbanism.
– S. Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible – A children’s story Bible everyone should own, whether they have children or not.
– F. O’Connor, Wise Blood – I love O’Connor, this novel is a hauntingly beautiful look at truth.
– W. Percy, The Moviegoer – My introduction to Percy, I’ll surely be reading more.
– M. Robinson, Housekeeping – One of the best authors of the last two decades.
– J. Rowling, The Harry Potter series – Everyone should read these at least once (and yes, I’m counting 7 books as one.)

These are Pretty Good, If You Need Something to Read
– R. Adams, Watership Down – Rabbits can show you a lot about men.
– S. Beckett, Waiting for Godot – Open-ended play that’s worth reading once, if only to see the twentieth century’s philosophic influence on literature.
– R. Bell, Sex God – I liked Velvet Elvis better, but this has some interesting insights.
– C. Dickens, A Christmas Carol – Short, lovely and memorable: my third or fourth reading, but I was glad for it.
– N. French, A Red State of Mind – Fun reflections of a Southerner living in the North.
– J. Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany – Moving contemporary fiction about life, friendship, Vietnam, love…
– T. Keller, Ministries of Mercy – A very solid work on the subject.
– J. Krakauer, Into the Wild – A little over-the-top in its defense of the subject, but a fascinating look at one young man’s journey to find space in the world.
– C. Lewis, A Grief Observed – These thoughts on bereavement are helpful to understand that experience.
– P. Jenkins, The Next Christendom – An interesting look at Christianity in the Southern Hemisphere.
– N. Mazzarella, This Heavy Silence – A solid contemporary novel with good writing and depth.
– B. Myer, Walking With the Poor – Difficult but brilliant look at community development, particularly in the third world.
– S. Plath, The Bell Jar – It made me glad not to be a depressed woman in the 1950s…
– M. Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma – I loved this look at food in society.
– J. Salinger, Franny & Zooey – A classic, better than Catcher in the Rye.
– E. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful – Prophetic and worthwhile, though not a particularly easy read.
– R. Sider, Churches That Make a Difference – Dry in parts, but an interesting look at the way different churches approach mercy and community development.
– D. Sijie, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress – A sweet story set in China.
– U. Sinclair, The Jungle – A classic that deeply influenced the nation’s view of immigrants and meat.
– S. Vanauken, A Severe Mercy – Sad, a little dramatic, but still enchanting.
– O. Wilder, The Picture of Dorian Gray – Faustian, hedonistic, classic gothic fiction that I rather enjoyed.
– N. Wilson, Leepike Ridge – Fun and well done adventure story for young adults and grown-ups, too.
– J. Wyss, Swiss Family Robinson – A wonderful story for families to read together.
– E. Yates, Amos Fortune, Free Man – Classic juvenile fiction about a slave who is captured and earns his freedom in New England, based on a true story.

If You are Interested, These Weren’t Bad
– L. Ames, Your 3-Year-Old – I like reading these every year, they are a good plumb line for age-appropriate behavior.
– B. Bailey, Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline – Interesting thoughts on being a disciplined parent, from a secular perspective.
– F. Douglass, Escape from Slavery – An autobiographical account I am teaching in 19th century lit.
– B. Ehrman, Misquoting Jesus – A good overview of secular textual criticism for the curious.
– F. Gipson, Old Yeller – If dying dog books don’t depress you.
– K. Fowler, The Jane Austen Book Club – Easy read, good for those who love Austen or eclectic book clubs.
– N. Kirino, Out – Japanese fiction about women protecting one another. Dark, but interesting.
– S O’Dell, Streams to the River, River to the Sea – Not O’Dell’s best, but a solid historical fiction about the Lewis & Clark expedition from Sacajawea’s perspective.

Don’t Read These
– K. Cushman, The Ballad of Lucy Whipple – Depressing juvenile fiction with too much whining.
– T. Perrotta, The Abstinence Teacher – Lame, I felt like he wasn’t trying very hard to write something decent.