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Summer Reading
by Tom Goodman
May 21, 2014

Be sure to read an important announcement from Gene here.

For most of us, summertime is a great season to dive into reading.  My wife, Diane, will lead a ladies book club through some good ones (click here for more information on the books and the schedule).  But of course men want to find worthwhile reading, too!  So here's a suggested list for all of us.  I've divided it across the three summer months.

June

The ladies book club will study Lysa Terkeurst's Unglued.  It's about preventing your emotions from hijacking your decision-making.

I also recommend The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.  This brief book is presented as an imaginary correspondence between two demons.  Screwtape advises the inexperienced Wormwood on how to stifle a man's spiritual search and spiritual growth.  (Extra points if you already knew that the teacher in the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip was named Miss Wormwood.)

July

The ladies book club will study Mud and the Masterpiece by John Burke.  It's about learning to see others through the eyes of Jesus.  Men will like this one, too.

I also recommend Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.  The author of Seabiscuit tells the true story of Louis Zamperini, who was shot down over the Pacific in World War II, survived 47 days on a life raft, only to be captured by the Japanese and treated unmercifully.  My only complaint is the title:  He was, in fact, deeply broken.  It was only upon yielding to the healing power of Jesus that he began to mend.

August

The ladies book club will study Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.  I recommend it for all adult readers, and just ahead of the release of her fourth novel in the Fall.  Beautifully told, this is a story of generations, parental pain, reconciliation, and the God who oversees it all.

In addition, get a copy of 7 Men by Eric Metaxas.  As the title says, it's a biography of seven men you should know about.  I'll probably lead a study of the book in our Fall Hillcrest Institute.

Ecclesiastes 12:12 says, "There's no end to the publishing of books."  True, that.  The trick is to wade through all the choices to find the few worth your time.  I hope you'll find this list a helpful guide.

--Tom


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