Book Challenge Response

Over on Facebook I was nominated a couple of times to list a number of books that have stayed with me. The count ranged from ten to fifteen. I thought about it for a few seconds and promptly ignored them.

One of the main reasons is that I read a lot, but most of it isn’t books; they are blogs, newspaper articles, and magazines. Another reason is kind of related to the first: The “challenges” say don’t think too long about them. If I followed that rule, I’d only come up with three or four at most. A third reason is that simply thinking about books is so outside of any meaningful context that I find it difficult to come up with any titles.

So yes, I definitely broke the rule about not spending too much time thinking about books I’ve read in the past. And I’m redefining “stayed with me” to “had some kind of lasting impact on me, or changed the way I look at things.”

Goodreads is where I’ve been logging books I’ve read over the last couple of years, so that was one of the main places I decided to look for what I’ve read to determine what stands out in my mind (generally those that have earned at least four stars in my opinion).

The Books

So here they are in no particular order. (All links go to Goodreads.)

1. Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by Richards, E. Randolph
2. Healing the Gospel: A Radical Vision for Grace, Justice, and the Cross by Flood, Derek
3. Faitheist: How An Atheist Found Common Ground With The Religious by Stedman, Chris
4. Poet and Peasant: Literary-cultural Approach to the Parables in Luke by Bailey, Kenneth E.
5. Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians by Bailey, Kenneth E.
6. Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint by Bolz-Weber, Nadia
7. The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out by Manning, Brennan
8. Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine by Campbell, Joseph
9. Redefining Girly: How Parents Can Fight the Stereotyping and Sexualizing of Girlhood, from Birth to Tween by Wardy, Melissa Atkins
10. When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over by Zierman, Addie
11. The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind by Kaku, Michio
12. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Kristof, Nicholas D.
13. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Cain, Susan
14. Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible’s View of Women by Bessey, Sarah
15. A New Evangelical Manifesto: A Kingdom Vision for the Common Good by Gushee, David P.
16. We Are Our Brains: A Neurobiography of the Brain, from the Womb to Alzheimer's by Swaab, D.F.
17. Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth by Ehrman, Bart D.