What I read in June

June-2016-reads

I read pretty aggressively, regularly making my way through over 100 books a year. With that many books in a year, it’s pretty easy to get into a rut when you read that much, always gravitating to the same stuff every time you go to grab a book. Maybe you’re like me; you’re reading regularly, but are in need of some ideas for what to try next.

Throughout 2016, I’ve been sharing what I’m reading each month. I do this because I can’t review everything I read in detail, and because I hope there’s something on the list that you might like to try. In June, my reading was actually a little lighter than normal due to conferences and some travel. And when all was said and done, I managed to read eight books. Here’s what I read:

  1. Rediscovering Holiness by J.I. Packer
  2. Grayson, Vol 1: Agents of Spyral by Tom King, Tim Seeley, and Mikel Janin
  3. The Imperfect Pastor: Discovering Joy in Our Limitations through a Daily Apprenticeship with Jesus by Zack Eswine
  4. Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church by Thom S. Rainer
  5. The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards
  6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
  7. Star Wars: Kanan, Vol. 2: First Blood by Greg Weisman and Pepe Larraz
  8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Wizard-y stuff and whatnot

The Harry Potter series is one that I never really got into during the initial release. When I read the first one last year, it was only to preview it for if my daughter decided she wanted to read it eventually. Nevertheless, I was intrigued enough to keep reading them on my own. These two volumes are fast-paced enough, although there are several times where I had to remember to read it from a child’s perspective as I found my suspension of disbelief stretched to the breaking point a number of times. Positively, I can definitely see a growing maturity in the writing as the books progress. However, I can also see the author starting to believe her own press as a stronger editorial hand might have helped a touch. I hear that gets more pronounced in later volumes…

Superheroes and Star Wars

Grayson offers an intriguing new take on a character with a long history. It was great to see the creators trying to do something new with a character with so much history—Dick Grayson, aka Robin—in the name of good storytelling. However, the inclusion of a number of PG-13 sexual elements were a distraction from an otherwise compelling read. Even so, it’ll be interesting to see how the story progresses. Kanan, Vol. 2 wraps up the prequel series to the Star Wars: Rebels cartoon and does so with an enjoyable story telling how the cartoon’s lead secret Jedi character became a smart alecky smuggler. If you like the show, as my kids and I do, you’ll enjoy this.

Imperfect pastors, leading change, and the surest evidence of religious affection

The Christian life and ministry-focused books I read this month were heavy. Rediscovering Holiness is a punch in the gut that I am still processing (despite having read it before). Thom Rainer offers sound wisdom on leading change in his easy-to-read book. Zack Eswine wrote a book that shouldn’t have taken me as long as it did to read, but left me convicted and appropriately challenged (look for a review in the near-ish future). And Religious Affections, spends so much time describing the “maybe, but maybe not” evidences of genuine love for the Lord that you might miss Edwards’ admonitions regarding the surest evidence: love for others.

Have a suggestion for a book for me or someone else to read or want to share what you’ve read? Connect with me on Twitter or Facebook and let me know!

Here’s a look at what I read in:

2 thoughts on “What I read in June”

  1. Pingback: What I read in December

  2. Pingback: What I read in October

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