Dear fellow travelers,

It’s become a tradition here to post what books I read during the year.  This year’s total was 16, down from over 20 each of the last 3 years.  A big part of the lower total was my struggle to get through The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim (1883).  At over 900 dense pages, I still haven’t finished it even though I started in late 2023.  It’s a fascinating biography of Jesus by one of the preeminent scholars of Jewish culture and literature of his time, but not an easy read sometimes.  Maybe in 2025 I can “close the book” on that one.

So, what books did I finish reading this year?

Fiction books:
Eight Tales of Terror by Edgar Allan Poe
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

I re-read Tolkien’s books every few years and they were as good as ever.  The only problem is that Fellowship of the Ring is my favorite of the trilogy, especially the part from Weathertop to the bridge of Khazad-Dum, so the story peaks too soon for me, but the rest is great as well.

Poe I read because I was looking for something easy to read and found it on our bookshelves.  It has some familiar and unfamiliar stories.

A few history books:
The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson
Last Hope Island by Lynne Olson
A Holy Baptism of Fire and Blood by James P. Byrd
The Pirate Coast by Richard Zachs

I’ll read anything by Erik Larson, and since he released a new one, I had to read it.  The Demon of Unrest details the events before, during and after, the Battle of Fort Sumter and the start of the American Civil War.  I knew very little about it so I learned a lot.

Last year I read Byrd’s book about how the Bible was used during the American Revolutionary War.  This one is the same idea, but during the American Civil War (sensing a bit of theme here?).  Both books are very interesting and full of examples of misuse of the Bible, particularly individual verses taken out of context and turned into slogans.

A couple non-fiction:
Beyond Measure by James Vincent
Rescuing Socrates by Roosevelt Montas

Vincent’s book is an interesting history of measurement, including how many of our units were started.  One part I liked was why some countries use metric and others don’t.  Montas’ book is a defense of the use of the “Great Books” for education, for all students regardless of race or background.  He cycles through 4 authors – Plato, Augustine, Freud, and Gandhi – making a different case for each.

And one biography:
Darwin: Portrait of a Genius by Paul Johnson

The late Paul Johnson was one of my favorite historians and this one had been on my shelves for a few years.  Like with Larson, I’ll read anything by Johnson.  This was a brief and well-done biography covering Charles Darwin’s achievements, strengths and weaknesses (the part we don’t hear as much about).  Johnson is always opinionated and shares where he thinks Darwin’s theories are helpful and where they aren’t.

Plus several religious books:
In addition to regular Bible and study Bible reading, in 2024 I read:

The Reason for God by Tim Keller
3 books by Warren Wiersbe covering the “minor” prophets: Be Heroic (Haggai – Ezra), Be Amazed (Hosea – Malachi), and Be Concerned (Amos – Zephaniah).

I picked up Wiersbe’s entire “Be” series in 2021 as part of a digital subscription and am working through it over time.  A long time.  I like his overall approach, and the books are a great source of thoughtful stories and quotes.  I’ve covered 22 of the Bible’s 66 books so far!

In sum, 16 was less than usual for me in a year, but how many will I read in 2025?  Will I finally finish Edersheim, which I’m reading chunks of between other books?  Who knows…in the meantime, have you read any of these?  What books did you enjoy in 2024?

And speaking of reading, I want to thank all of you who take the time to read my blog. I set a new high in views in 2024, passing 2022 (2023 was slightly down).