Six books I want to read this summer

Summer vacation is already here for some of us, and nearly upon us for others. Although my summer probably isn’t going to allow for as much time reading as I might like (this year is looking to be actually a lot busier than in years past), I’ve still got a few books I’m hoping to sit down and enjoy. This list is not comprehensive, as I like to leave space for surprises, and there are some books I’m looking for that I haven’t decided on yet. I’m planning to read at least one or two on the Reformation and a biography of Martin Luther, for example. (I just haven’t decided which books yet.) Anyway, with all that said, here are a few on my summer reading list:

The Complete Father Brown Stories by G.K. Chesterton (Penguin Classics). I’ve been wanting to read these stories for ages, and a couple months ago, I finally bought a copy. I can’t wait to dig into these stories of a Catholic priest who is also an amateur detective.

Habits of Our Holiness by Philip Nation (Moody). This new book on the spiritual disciplines “connects [them] to all of life” by showing how they have their “greatest power when practiced in community and on mission.”

Who Moved My Pulpit? by Thom S. Rainer (B&H). This is a book about change within the church—specifically about the difficulty of navigating changing methodologies and approaches to doing ministry as a church. Rainer’s previous books on church membership have been extremely helpful, and I’m hopeful I’ll learn more than a few things from this one (even if it’s just the right questions to ask about why we do things the way we do).

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (Bloomsbury). I know the Harry Potter books still raise a few eyebrows within some Christian circles. I read the first book last year and enjoyed it well enough. It didn’t make me think, “Oh sweet goodness, this is the best story ever!” But it was a well-told and pleasant read. I’ve heard this one, the second book in the series, is one of the strongest, but we’ll see.

DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke (DC Comics). This is an older book, a collected edition of a series Cooke produced from 2003-2004. It’s a love-letter of sorts to an earlier era of comics, going on a journey from the waning years of the golden age of superheroes to the beginning of their revitalization in the 1960s. I’ve read it before, but it’s one I’ve wanted to go back to for some time. So I am!

How to Be an Atheist: Why Many Skeptics Aren’t Skeptical Enough by Mitch Stokes (Crossway). This is a book that’s been on my to-read list for quite a while, so I’m eager to get a chance to finally crack it open. The idea of offering a “more complete skepticism that questions the assumptions of Christians and non-Christians” intrigues me. I’ll keep you posted.

So those are a few of the books I hope to read this summer. Maybe one of these will be helpful for you, too!