Here are the 7 books I read in January. A few great books to start the year. Happy reading!

(I must always clarify that I read many books with which I disagree. I learn the most by reading things that do not represent my position.)

Four Quartets: A Poem by TS Eliot

In a span of a month, I heard a handful of bookish people mention their love of Four Quartets. It sat on my Amazon wish list for years. The recent repeated references lead me to click “purchase.”

Through four linked poems, Eliot brings spiritual and philosophical themes to the surface through symbolic allusions and literary references. I probably read the book at least three times through reading and rereading sections. Those who love poetry will find poetry at its best. Those who don’t like poetry can at least finish the slim book quickly.

Letters From the Mountain by Ben Palpant

This is an early candidate for my list of favorite books for the year. Palpant shares a career in writing through a series of letters to his daughter. He riffs on the creative process and slings wisdom on page after page. The book is modeled after Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet. Palpant has written a few books. I look forward to digging into them as well. Sometime this year I will read A Small Cup of Light.

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by SC Gwynne

This is an early candidate for my book of the year. I know, it’s early. The book tells two stories. It gives a history of the rise and fall of the Comanches but it also provides the story of Quanah Parker. Cynthia Ann Parker was a pioneer woman kidnapped by Comanches as a nine-year-old girl. Her son, Quanah, became the last chief of the Comanches. The book contains a thousand subplots. This should be required reading for all Texans. Read it with a Texas map in hand.

Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale by Frederick Buechner

This is a beautifully written book. The prose is thoughtful and delightful. This might be Buechner at his finest. Would I recommend it? Not likely. It gives phrases and paragraphs of brilliant writing but it doesn’t add noteworthy reflection on the Easter story nor the gospels which herald it.

From the Model T to Mars by Bill Sherman

This book was a gift from my good friends at Truett Seminary. Sherman inscribed it, “Jeff, Surely hope this epistle will be a plus for you.” I’ll treasure it. Sherman traces his 66 year pastoral ministry as he led churches in Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. He spent 30 years pastoring Woodmont Baptist Church in Nashville. It is winsome. It is never pretentious. It is always helpful.

Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation by Collin Hansen

My interest in this book is found in the subtitle: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation. This is not a soup to nuts biography on Keller. Rather, it is an investigation into the people and events which influenced his thinking and theological development. I was never a big consumer of Keller‘s sermons, articles, or books. But this is the type of book I devour. Essentially, it is a book about books.

The Nightrider Chronicles by Jack Peebles

A faithful reader of my book log noticed that I had read some books on post civil war Texas outlaws. They loaned me this book which tells the tale of a few post civil war Louisiana outlaws. Boy, was this a fun read! It traces outlaws along the Natchez Trace as they plundered, terrorized, and murdered victims. Written as a page turner, but written from oral histories and archival documents. Plenty of footnotes and sources. I’d love to own it, but I’m struggling to track down a copy.