My 2014 Reading- A list and some reflections

Hello, new year! Hello, readers! I thought I’d share you with my list of books read in 2014 and offer some comments on a few select works. The list will be at the end because it’s long!

Best “Counterpoints” Type book

These are books that offer different views on a specific topic. Some examples I read this year include 5 Views of Biblical Inerrancy, Four Views on the Historical Adam, and Four Views on the Book of Revelation. I really enjoy this type of book because it allows you to get your feet wet on a number of different topics without reading a whole treatise on each.

The best book in this category I read last year was Understanding Spiritual Warfare: Four Views edited by Beilby and Eddy. I wrote a microview of the book here and can’t recommend it enough if you’re at all interested in the topic.

Best Fiction

I read a truly awesome assortment of fiction this year and so much of it was absolutely amazing. I particularly enjoyed the “Wheel of Time” books and everything by David Weber, my favorite author. Seriously, if you don’t read Weber, you should rectify that ASAP. However, the single best fiction book I read this year is glaringly obvious because I’m half convinced its the best piece of fiction I’ve ever read: Dune by Frank Herbert.

I think I definitely enjoyed other works as much or even more than I enjoyed Dune, but the unmistakable epic quality and the way the latter sticks with you makes it deserving of the praise put on its front cover: “Science Fiction’s Supreme Masterpiece.”

Best Overall Non-Fiction

There are plenty of contenders here, but I’d have to pick John Walton’s Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament. It was simply fascinating and provided tons of insight and background information for the Old Testament and how it relates to the ancient world. It was just amazing.

Fun Categories

Most Worth Staying Up All Night to Finish

I did it: I finished “The Wheel of Time,” all 14 books each about 800+ pages on average. Thus, as I drew near the end, the last book–A Memory of Light–did actually keep me up all night finishing it. When I did finish, I clutched it to my chest and just sat in bliss for a while.

Changed My View

I guess it depends how “changed my view” is taken, but John Owen’s trilogy on the Mortification of Sin really made me think about sin in my life and helped introduce new paradigms of thought into how to fight it. I reviewed and discussed Owen’s work here.

Most Uneven Book

The Poverty of Nations by Wayne Grudem and Barry Asmus was a very uneven book, in my opinion. The economics behind it seems solid to me–if based upon a perfect world–but the theological justification for various aspects of the economic theory was suspect. I reviewed the book here.

Favorite New Author Found

Brandon Sanderson. He finished up the Wheel of Time series and I had to read more of him. I then read the Mistborn Trilogy and was blown away. I’m so excited I discovered this author.

List of Books Read in 2014

1. 5 Views of Biblical Inerrancy
2. Robert Jordan, Fires of Heaven
3. Stephen Meyer, Darwin’s Doubt –finished 1/30/14
4. D.A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies – finished 1/5/14
5. Edward Feser The Last Superstition –finished 2/8/14
6. David Weber, Mission of Honor – finished 2/9/14
7. Winfried Corduan, In the Beginning God – Finished 1/15/14
8. Scott Murray, Law, Life, and the Living God– finished 1/5/14
9. Luther and Erasmus on Free Will
10. Divergent by Veronica Roth- Finished 2/11/14
11. Reading Genesis 1-2: An Evangelical Conversation – Finished 2/15/14
12. Genesis Unbound by John Sailhamer – Finished 2/16/14
13. On Divine Foreknowledge- by Luis de Molina/Alfred Freddoso finished 1/17/14
14. What’s Your Worldview by James N. Anderson – finished 2/20/14
15. Nature Red in Tooth and Claw by Michael J. Muray – Finished 2/23/14
16. A Visual Defense – Velarde- Finished 2/19/14
17. Faith Beyond Reason – C. Stephen Evans- Finished 1/1/14
18. Imaginative Apologetics edited by Andrew Davison- finished 3/7/14
19. Paradigms in Pilgrimage – by Stephen Godfrey and Christopher Smith- finished 3/9/14
20. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- finished 3/11/14
21. The Politics of Secularism in International Relations by Elizabeth Hurd – finished 3/11/14
22. Farside by Ben Bova 3/13/14
23. New Earth by Ben Bova 3/14/14
24. The Capture by Kathryn Lasky finished 3/20/14
25. Junia, A Woman, An Apostle by David Williams- Finished 3/13/14
26. The Ethics of Abortion by Christopher Kaczor- Finished 3/22/14
27. The Myth of Religious Violence by William Cavanaugh- Finished 3/23/14
28. Hollywood Worldviews by Brian Goadawa – Finished 3/25/14
29. The Open Secret: A New Vision for Natural Theology by Alister McGrath – Finished 3/28/14
30. Three Views on Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism ed. James Stamoolis- Finished 4/3/14
31. The Bible, Rocks, and Time by Davis A. Young and Ralph F. Stearley- Finished 4/6/14
32. Theology and Contemporary Critical Theory by Graham Ward – finished 4/9/14
33. Samson the Nazirite – comic by Luis Serrano et al. – Finished 4/9/14
34. How God Became Jesus –edited by Michael Bird – Finished 4/11/14
35. Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan – Finished 4/13/14
36. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin – Finished 4/14/14
37. 1984 by George Orwell – Finished 4/16/14
38. Genealogy and History in the Biblical World by Robert Wilson – Finished 4/20/14
39. The Lord’s Supper by John Stephenson – Finished 4/23/14
40. A Rising Thunder by David Weber – Finished 4/24/14
41. Leviathans of Jupiter by Ben Bova – Finished 4/28/14
42. Four Views on The Historical Adam– edited Barrett and Caneday – Finished 4/29/14
43. Genesis 1 Through the Ages – by Stanley Jaki – Finished 5/9/14
44. 3 Views on Creation and Evolution – edited Moreland and Reynolds – Finished 5/12/14
45. A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan – Finished 5/13/14
46. The New Atheist Novel by Arthur Bradley and Andrew Tate – Finished 5/15/2014
47. Man and Woman, One in Christ by Philip B. Payne – Finished 5/20/14
48. Crown of Slaves by Eric Flint and David Weber – Finished 5/23/14
49. Heresy: A History of Defending the Truth by Alister McGrath – Finished 5/26/2014
50. Evermore: Edgar Allan Poe + Mystery of the Universe by Harry Lee Poe- Finished 5/28/14
51. Chance and the Sovereignty of God by Vern Poythress – Finished 5/30/14
52. Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan – Finished 6/3/14
53. Junia: A Woman, an Apostle by David Williams – Finished 6/4/14
54. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins- Finished 6/6/14
55. To the Ends of the Earth by Haykin and Robinson– Finished 6/10/14
56. Winter’s Heart by Robert Jordan – Finished 6/12/14
57. Mass Effect: Revelation by Drew Karpyshyn – Finished 6/13/14
58. Scientific Mythologies by James Herrick – Finished 6/14/14
59. Pascal’s Wager by Jeff Jordan – Finished 6/16/14
60. The Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan – Finished 6/26/14
61. All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka – Finished 6/29/14
62. A Reformed Approach to Science and Scripture by Keith Mathison – Finished 6/30/14
63. The Poverty of Nations by Wayne Grudem and Barry Asmus – Finished 7/1/14
64. Holy War in the Bible edited Thomas, Evans, and Copan – Finished 7/3/14
65. Death Before the Fall by Ronald Osborn – Finished 7/6/14
66. Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan – Finished 7/12/14
67. The Evidential Force of Religious Experience by Caroline Franks Davis – Finished 7/14/14
68. The Gathering Storm by Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan – Finished 7/19/14
69. Migrations of the Holy by William Cavanaugh – Finished 7/21/14
70. What Every Christian Needs to Know about the Qur’an by James White – Finished 7/22/14
71. Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith ed. Hoffmeier and Magary – Finished 7/24/14
72. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer – Finished 7/27/14
73. The Towers of Midnight by Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan – Finished 7/29/14
74. Apologetics in the Roman Empire edited Edwards, Goodman, and Price – Finished 8/6/14
75. A Memory of Light by Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan – Finished 8/6/14
76. William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher – Finished 8/7/14
77. The Story of Christianity Volume 1 by Justo Gonzalez – Finished 8/9/14
78. Yukikaze by Chohei Kambayashi – Finished 8/11/14
79. Liberating Black Theology by Anthony Bradley – Finished 8/12/14
80. Ordained Women in the Early Church by Kevin Madigan + Carolyn Osiek–Finished 8/14/14
81. Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey – Finished 8/15/14
82. Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey – Finished 8/16/14
83. The Genesis of Science by James Hannam – Finished 8/19/14
84. Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey – Finished 8/21/14
85. The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey – Finished 8/25/14
86. In Search of Moral Knowledge by R. Scott Smith – Finished 8/25/14
87. Questioning the Bible by Jonathan Morrow – Finished 8/26/14
88. Star Wars: Crucible by Troy Denning – Finished 8/26/14
89. The Philosophical Challenge of Religious Diversity edited Quinn/Meeker – Finished 8/30/14
90. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien – Finished 8/31/14
91. Dune by Frank Herbert – Finished 9/1/14
92. Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert – Finished 9/3/14
93. A Case for Amillennialism by Kim Riddlebarger – Finished 9/6/14
94. Star Wars: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller – Finished 9/7/14
95. The Resurrection of God Incarnate by Richard Swinburne – Finished 9/7/14
96. Matilda by Roald Dahl – Finished 9/8/14
97. Star Trek: New Frontier- House of Cards by Peter David– Finished 9/9/14
98. Star Trek: New Frontier- Into the Void by Peter David – Finished 9/10/14
99. Star Trek: New Frontier- The Two-Front War by Peter David – Finished 9/11/14
100. Star Trek: New Frontier- End Game by Peter David – Finished 9/12/14
101. Torch of Freedom by David Weber and Eric Flint – Finished 9/19/14
102. The Stories We Tell by Mike Cosper – Finished 9/20/14
103. Dinotopia by James Gurney – Finished 9/20/14
104. Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs – Finished 9/22/14
105. The Creationists by Ronald Numbers – Finished 9/27/14
106. Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament by John Walton – Finished 9/27/14
107. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson – Finished 9/28/14
108. Discovering Biblical Equality edited Pierce and Groothuis – Finished 9/28/14
109. Christ Among the Dragons by James Emery White – Finished 9/28/14
110. Ancient Conquest Accounts by K. Lawson Younger, Jr. – Finished 10/5/14
111. Shadow of Saganami by David Weber – Finished 10/7/14
112. Encountering Religious Pluralism by Harold Netland – Finished 10/11/14
113. Children of Dune by Frank Herbert – Finished 10/12/14
114. Mere Creation edited by William Dembski – Finished 10/14/14
115. Foundations of Dialogue in Science and Religion by Alister McGrath–Finished 10/14/14
116. Reformation Thought: An Introduction by Alister McGrath – Finished 10/18/14
117. Experience of God and the Rationality of Theistic Belief by Jerome Gellman –10/19/14
118. Dinotopia: The World Beneath by James Gurney – Finished 10/19/14
119. The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson – Finished 10/20/14
120. The Intellectual Origins of the European Reformation by AlisterMcGrath Finished 10/21/14
121. Star Wars: Darth Plagueis by James Luceno – Finished 10/24/14
122. Dragonsong by Anne McAffrey – Finished 10/25/14
123. Companion to Reformation Theology edited David Whitford – Finished 10/28/14
124. Martin Luther’s Understanding of God’s Two Kingdoms William Wright Finished 10/31/14
125. Perspectives on an Evolving Creation edited Keith Miller – Finished 11/1/14
126. Storm from the Shadows by David Weber – Finished 11/2/14
127. Dragonsinger by Anne McAffrey – Finished 11/3/14
128. Star Trek: New Frontier- Martyr by Peter David – Finished 11/6/14
129. The Bible and Homosexual Behavior by Robert Gagnon – Finished 11/7/14
130. The New Mormon Challenge eds. Beckwith, Owen, and Mosser – Finished 11/8/14
131. 4 Views on the Book of Revelation eds. Pate and Gundry – Finished 11/11/14
132. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson – Finished 11/11/14
133. Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton – Finished 11/14/14
134. Dragondrums by Anne McAffrey – Finished 11/15/14
135. The Defense of the Faith by Cornelius Van Til – Finished 11/16/14
136. Christian Apologetics by Cornelius Van Til- Finished 11/18/14
137. Shadow of Freedom by David Weber – Finished 11/18/14
138. Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara by James Gurney – Finished 11/18/14
139. Naturalism Defeated? Edited by James Beilby – Finished 11/19/14
140. Understanding Spiritual Warfare: Four Views edited Beilby and Eddy – Finished 11/22/14
141. Eisenhorn: Xenos by Dan Abnett – Finished 11/23/14
142. Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers by John Owen – Finished 11/24/14
143. Of Temptation by John Owen – Finished 11/24/14
144. Indwelling Sin by John Owen – Finished 11/24/14
145. Eisenhorn: Malleus by Dan Abnett – Finished 11/28/14
146. Theology’s Epistemological Dilemma by Kevin Diller – Finished 11/29/14
147. Eisenhorn: Hereticus by Dan Abnett – Finished 11/30/14
148. Adam, the Fall, and Original Sin eds. Madueme and Reeves – Finished 12/2/14
149. God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert – Finished 12/4/14
150. Divine Foreknowledge: Four Views edited Beilby and Eddy – Finished 12/5/14
151. Star Trek: New Frontier – Fire on High by Peter David – Finished 12/6/14
152. Roman Catholic Theology and Practice by Gregg R. Allison – Finished 12/9/14
153. Divine Providence: The Molinist Account by Thomas Flint – Finished 12/9/14
154. 4 Views on Hell edited by Gundry and Crockett – Finished 12/9/14
155. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien – Finished 12/11/14
156. The Only Wise God by William Lane Craig – Finished 12/11/14
157. From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz – Finished 12/12/14
158. On the Cessation of the Charismata by Jon Mark Ruthven – Finished 12/12/14
159. Peril in Paradise by Mark Whorton – Finished 12/13/14
160. Scholastic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction by Edward Feser- Finished 12/15/14
161. Firebird by Kathy Tyers – Finished 12/15/14
162. Handel’s Messiah: Comfort for God’s People by Calvin Stapert – Finished 12/16/14
163. Fusion Fire by Kathy Tyers – Finished 12/18/14
164. Crown of Fire by Kathy Tyers – Finished 12/21/14
165. The Fathers of the Church by Hubertus Drobner – Finished 12/22/14
166. Mere Existentialism: A Primer by Max Mailikow – Finished 12/23/14
167. Molinism: The Contemporary Debate edited Ken Perszyk – Finished 12/23/14
168. Insurgent by Veronica Roth – Finished 12/25/14
169. As You Wish by Cary Ewers and Joe Layden – Finished 12/27/14
170. Matilda by Roald Dahl – Finished 12/28/14
171. Searching for an Adequate God edited Pinnock and Cobb – Finished 12/31/14