Tuesday, June 17, 2008

The Big 5: Books worth regular re-reading

Reformissionary has an interesting post: I remember sitting in Mark Dever's office and asking him what books have been most helpful to him personally, books that he would read more than once. He pointed to a little swiveling bookshelf with five (if I remember correctly) well worn books that he reads every year (I think). What big 5 books do you think are worth regularly rereading? Try to avoid devotional books, unless there is one that really knocked your socks off and you reread all the time. There will be a separate list for devotional books at some point. These books will likely be in the personal walk, Christian life, holiness kinds of categories. Don't list books of the Bible. If someone lists some of your big 5 books, please go ahead and list them again. This isn't about mentioning the books no one else has, but listing your big 5. After all, if one book is mentioned again and again that will add weight to that book. Go!

It is a thought provoking question, one that I have tried to answer in different ways before (see here and here). What makes this question different is the "re-reading" angle--what books would I (or have I) read more than once? Here are my five:

1) D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression
2) John Piper, When I Don't Desire God
3) Bryan Chapell, Holiness by Grace
4) John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress
5) C. S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

5 comments:

Brian Franklin said...

1. C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
2. John Piper, The Pleasures of God
3. Elizabeth Elliot, Through Gates of Splendor
4. Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment
5. C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair

Anonymous said...

I can come up with 3:
1. Richard John Neuhaus - Freedom For Ministry
2. C.S. Lewis - A Grief Observed
3. Dietrich Bonhoeffer - Life Together

Joshua Rieger said...

C.S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia
The Letters of Samuel Rutherford
C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
John Knox, The History of the Reformation in Scotland

nickg said...

I've already read your next post, so I feel a little weird with my #1, but it was honestly the first one that came to mind.

St. Augustine, The Confessions
C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
Holiness By Grace, Bryan Chapell
The Mark of the Christian, Francis Schaeffer

John said...

Sean,
Thanks for your time last week.

Here's my list:
1. The Lord of the Rings - Tolkien
2. Practicing the Presence of People - Mason
3. Under the Unpredictable Plant - Peterson
4. Dynamics of Spiritual Life - Lovelace
5. Mere Christianity (and assorted essays) - Lewis

jg