There are two parts. First, I chart books I've read. I comment and rate briefly. Those books have changed, moved, or inspired me deeply. Some are just repeat references that help me along the way. Second, is a looking-for or read-again-carefully list. As I find new books, I'll update.
Read and Rated Books
It will take a good while to finish this ever growing treasure trove of great books.
| Book | Author | Rating + Note |
|---|---|---|
| Lord of the Rings | JRR Tolkien | 10/10 . Best of the best. I read the hard covers every few years. Normal hobbits do great things |
| Chronicles of Narnia | CS Lewis | 9/10 . Read to our kids |
| Wheel of Time | Robert Jordan | 6/10 . Complex. Epic. Early and last books are the better reads |
| Foundation Series | Isaac Asimov | 7/10 . Superb plot. Great ideas |
| How Should We Then Live | Francis A. Schaeffer | 8/10 . Tracing art to intellectual thought. I fell in love with art because of this book. He challenged me to think deeply and to care about the world |
| The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant | Stephen Donaldson | 7/10 . Epic fantasy. The connection between people and the land is beautiful |
| The Stormlight Archive | Brandon Sanderson | 8/10 . He creates a fascinating other world. Great writing |
| A Game of Thrones | George RR Martin | 6/10 . The books are far better than the show |
| Dune | Frank Herbert | 7/10 . He creates such a vivid other world with major cultural commentary on the drug culture of the day |
| The Kingkiller Chronicle | Patrick Rothfuss | 6/10 . Masterful writing. |
| Lord of the Flies | William Golding | 7/10 . The power of the mob, of the group, of the abuse of power. Great social commentary |
| The Singer Trilogy | Calvin Miller | 9/10 . Word magic to my soul. |
| Celebration of Discipline | Richard Foster | 7/10 . Spiritual connection exercises that can work if given a chance |
| The Screwtape Letters | CS Lewis | 8/10 |
| Long Walk to Freedom | Nelson Mandela | 7/10 . His autobiography. A powerfully resilient, courageous, and surprising humble human being |
| Things Fall Apart | Chinua Achebe | 6/10 An African giant |
| Spiritual Leadership | J. Oswald Sanders | 8/10 Ancient leadership |
| Proficient Motorcycling | Donald Hough | 5/10 Comprehensive preparation for two wheelers |
| Sheet Music | Dr. Kevin Leman | 7/10 |
| Planet Urth | Jennifer and Christopher Martucci | 6/10 |
| Pilgrim's Progress | John Bunyan | 8/10 |
| The Forgotten Series | M.R. Forbes | 6/10 |
| The Eyedulan Series | Mark Brandon Powell | 6/10 |
| The Dragon Guard Series | Jada Fisher | 6/10 |
Hunting for these books and authors
- On the Incarnation (Athanasius)
- Confessions (Augustine)
- The Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Various)
- The Rule of St Benedict (Benedict)
- The Divine Comedy (Dante Alighieri)
- The Cloud of Unknowing (Anonymous)
- Revelations of Divine Love (Julian o Norwich)
- The Imitation of Christ (Thomas à Kempis)
- The Philokalia (Various)
- Institutes of the Christian Religion (John Calvin)
- The Interior Castle (Teresa of Avila)
- Dark Night of the Soul (John of the Cross)
- Pensées (Blaise Pascal)
- Pilgrim's Progress (John Bunyan)
- The Practice of the Presence of God (Brother Lawrence)
- A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life (William Law)
- The Way of a Pilgrim (Unknown Author)
- The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
- Orthodoxy (GK Chesterton)
- The Poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins (Gerard Hopkins)
- The Cost of Discipleship (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
- A Testament of Devotion (Thomas Kelly)
- The Seven Storey Mountain (Thomas Merton)
- Mere Christianity (CS Lewis)
- The Return of the Prodigal Son (Henri Nouwen)
- Julian of Norwich, 1400s, Catholic, "Revelations of Divine Love"
- Thomas a Kempis, Catholic, 1400s, "The Imitation of Christ"
- Lancelot Andrews, Anglican, 1600s, "Private Devotions"
- Francois Fenelon, Catholic, 1700s, "Christian Perfection"
- Renovation of the Heart (Dallas Willard)
- Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Donald Whitney)
- The Spirit of the Disciplines (Dallas Willard)
- Honor and Shame (Roland Muller)
- African Friends and Money Matters (David Maranz)
- Relationships - Overcoming friction in Christian Service (T. Wierda)
- Intercessory Prayer (Le Sourd)
- Le Peuple Tchadien (Jean Chapelle)
- Honourably Wounded (M. Foyle)
- Ordering your Private World (Mac Donald)
- Rough Edges (Rhena Taylor)
- Sahéliens et Sahariens du Tchad (Le Rouvreur Literature)