Books are a uniquely portable magic.1
Well, 2025 is on the downhill and I narrowly accomplished my bold mid-year reading goal! I must acknowledge there is a dark side to reading goals, at least for me, in which I can tend toward coverage and exposure (i.e., quickly getting through books) rather than absorption and reflection (i.e., true learning). With this in mind, I would like to reflect upon my favorite books from the past six months.
Favorite Fiction
The Sun Eater Series by Christopher Ruocchio
We live in stories, and in stories, we are subject to phenomena beyond the mechanisms of space and time. Fear and love, death and wrath and wisdom, these are as much part of our universe as light and gravity.2
I am cheating a little bit here, referencing six books in one (I’m currently reading the sixth). Yet, with each book, I conceded to this series’ meteoric rise to the top of my all-time favorite sci-fi stories (sorry Pierce Brown…). Admittedly, Ruocchio blends science fiction and fantasy throughout, which is one reason why I love it! He refuses to tell this story through a strictly materialistic frame. He also employs beautiful and gut-wrenching poetic prose which heightens his theological and philosophical themes. At times, it does seem as though the author is trying too hard… but he readily admits his own tendency towards “melodrama.” My least favorite aspect of this series is the cartoonish mass market cover artwork. It seems incongruent with overall tone of the series. *sigh* We can’t have it all, I guess…
The Brothers K by David James Duncan
Anyone too undisciplined, too self-righteous or too self-centered to live in the world as it is has a tendency to idealize a world which ought to be. But no matter what political or religious direction such idealists choose, their visions always share one telling characteristic: in their utopias, heavens or brave new worlds, their greatest personal weakness suddenly appears to be a strength.3
I read this one based on the recommendations of many trusted individuals in my life, and it did not disappoint! This family chronicle handles the complexities of family trauma, baseball, politics, religion, reconciliation, and healing. The characters are so compelling! It was like saying goodbye to dealy beloved friends upon finishing this novel. It is very much still worth reading 30 years after publication!
Favorite Non-Fiction
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakeuer
There were many, many fine reasons not to go, but attempting to climb Everest is an intrinsically irrational act—a triumph of desire over sensibility. Any person who would seriously consider it is almost by definition beyond the sway of reasoned argument.4
I love a good adventure story and this is no exception! This is a brutal and captivating firsthand account of a deadly Everest expedition in 1996. Krakeuer does a great job of piecing together events amidst his own personal blind spots. Moreover, he does this while providing commentary on the promises of commercialization and the irrational and irresponsible romanticism of well-resourced Walter Mittys.
Honorary Mention: How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell
Favorite Classic
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. I see how peoples are set against one another, and in silence, unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another.5
This is a heart-wrenching and discombobulating portrait of war and suffering. It helpfully challenges valorizing accounts of battle, showing the “disenchanting” effect that violence has on one’s perspective. Moreover, it resists the construction of clean and tidy narratives in such circumstances. Violence and death often dehumanize and destroy, creating dissonance and dislodging our sense of reality.
Honorary Mention: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
Favorite Theology
You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News by Kelly M. Kapic
Many of us fail to understand that our limitations are a gift from God, and therefore good. This produces in us the burden of trying to be something we are not and cannot be.6
Kapic writes a deeply theological and wonderfully accessible recalibration for a contemporary landscape that is hurried, overly busy, and continually preoccupied with the “hustle.” It is rooted in theological anthropology and an account of good human finitude. Additionally, I really appreciate Kapic’s writing style. This is the type of popular theology that I would aspire to write someday!
Honorary Mentions: Work Out Your Salvation: A Theology of Markets and Moral Formation by D. Glenn Butner Jr. and Households of Faith: Practicing Family in the Kingdom of God by Emily Hunter McGowin
What have you been reading this year?!
If you would like to interact more around the topic of reading and books, connect with me on goodreads! It remains a fun place to discuss books and gather new recommendations (for now…). Be forewarned, your to-be-read list will increase!
Thanks for joining me as I “think in public,” writing and reflecting as a matter of charitable discourse. I am beginning a PhD program this Fall 2025 and envision this space as a means of articulating inchoate thoughts and ideas, a way of processing out loud what I am reading, writing, and experiencing in life, ministry, and study. So, you are more than welcome to join me as I pursue enchanting theology and the “deeper magic” of our Christ-haunted cosmos.
Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.
Christopher Ruocchio, Empire of Silence.
David James Duncan, The Brothers K.
Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air.
Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front.
I thought about unsubscribing when you said that The Sun Eater had supplanted Red Rising. Deeply triggering.
Kapic on my nightstand right now - tried to listen on Audible but it’s deep, so I needed to go back to the book! Heard him speak a couple of years ago at CCEF and loved it!