I begin this brief note with the admission that my reading has been limited this first part of the year. Usually winter provides more time for reading and so my book totals are normally quite high during the months when temperatures are cold and snow is on the ground. But not so much this year -- there have been too many Vital Signs of responsibilities, sermon preparations, quick trips to Kansas and northwest Iowa, and so on. Nevertheless, however busy the schedule, I will always make some time for reading and so I now submit my 2024 list to date.
The most important among the group was a re-reading of Charles Dickens’ hefty novel, David Copperfield. And, no surprise, I still recommend it with a four-star rating. However, the only other four-star reads in these 10 weeks was a manuscript copy of Christy Anne Collins’ riveting account of her pro-life career. The tentative title of her book is From Prison Ministry to Prison. It was excellent and I will certainly let you know when it is published. And then there was this short but very enlightening and inspiring story of Tony McFadden, Redeemed: My Journey After Abortion.
And the others? Well, there was a re-read of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; a re-read of C.S. Forester’s The African Queen; and a re-read of David Karsner’s Silver Dollar: The Story of the Tabors which has had particular interest for Coloradans like myself. There were also a few “pure pleasure” reads as well: It’s Your Turn, Mr. Moto by John P. Marquand, Fear Is the Key by Alistair MacLean, A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh, and the highest quality of this lot, The Romantic Prince by Raphael Sabatini.
And finally, the most unusual book in my recent reading was a book by Nebraska’s former Attorney General, Don Stenberg. It is a book using a Screwtape Letters format. And although the formula is somewhat overused, and Mr. Stenberg’s writing isn’t exceptional, and the ending is heterodox (bizarre might be a better word), I still rate it three stars and recommend it for the important information he imparts, the calls to action he makes, and the moral courage he displays in seeking to make a difference for Christ in a darkened culture. That book? Eavesdropping on Lucifer.
