The question of all questions for dog owners is this: does my dog really love me, or is this just instinctive submission to the pack leader? (Nonfiction)
All in Reading with Randy
“The Topeka School” by Ben Lerner
Every preacher must wrestle with the fragility of our families, the difficulty of defining healthy masculinity in our world, and the constant problem of how we can actually have meaningful conversations. (Fiction)
“Losing My Religion” by William Lobdell
You may be thinking that throwing over your faith because of some bad actors in the church is a really bad idea. But Lobdell raises such interesting questions that his book cannot be easily dismissed. (Nonfiction)
“The Sympathizer” by Viet Thanh Nquyen
It is a brilliantly conceived and executed novel that turns the camera lens and compels us to see events from a different angle. (Fiction)
Art Books by Eco, Perry, Schjeldahl, and Nelson
Fine art is an imposing climb when you’re just getting started. So let me suggest four books that might get you started. (Nonfiction)
“The Plague” by Albert Camus
As you are forming your own response to the situation we find ourselves in, there is no other book that presents the challenge in a more formidable way. (Fiction)
“Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson
Ministers should read this book simply because it’s a great novel, but it also offers training in the excavation of the soul. (Fiction)
“Behave” by Robert M. Sapolsky
The book is trying to answer a very basic question: in any particular moment, why do human beings behave badly or with deep goodness? (Nonfiction)
War Books by Kevin Powers, Phil Klay, and Ben Fountain
All three books contain some harrowing war scenes but the books are as much about the aftermath of war as the war itself. (Fiction)
“The Black Swan” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The most profound experiences in our ministry and lives will be tiger attacks – that is, things we could never see coming. (Nonfiction)
“The North Water” by Ian McGuire
The North Water by Ian McGuire is by no means a Moby Dick knockoff, but let's just say it partakes of the mood and spirit of that great novel. (Fiction)
Music Books by Anthony Tommasini, Vivien Schweitzer, and Philip Glass
For those of you who love classical music, or for those who are looking for a gateway to find out what it is about, let me suggest three books. (Nonfiction)
“Little Faith” by Nickolas Butler
The true-to-life paradox plays an important role in the novel: as Shiloh grows increasingly devoted to her Christianity, her relationship with her parents grows increasingly fraught. (Fiction)
“American Kingpin” by Nick Bilton
The story of the chase and capture is far more interesting than any piece of fiction is likely to be. (Nonfiction)
“The Abstinence Teacher” by Tom Perrotta
Perrotta is one of the more astute observers of modern American mores and the tensions that arise when neighbors’ ideas of right and wrong come into conflict. (Fiction)
“Tyrant” by Stephen Greenblatt
Don’t just read this book because you think you should like Shakespeare. Read it because we need it right now. Really. (Nonfiction)
“Oblivion” by David Foster Wallace
All of the stories are slightly weird, and all of them will make you shift uncomfortably in your chair and probably look a little differently at the people all around you. (Fiction)
“Say Nothing” by Patrick Radden Keefe
Anyone who knows the story of Northern Ireland already knows a great deal of what is going to happen, yet it reads like a well plotted murder mystery or historical fiction. (Nonfiction)
“Pattern Recognition” by William Gibson
You know who coined the term cyberspace? It was not a physicist, but a novelist. (Fiction)
“Why Does the World Exist?” by Jim Holt
In a world where traditional Christian cosmology is often depicted as a form of silly superstition, it seems as if other theories sometimes get a free pass. (Nonfiction)