I did not read as much in 2020 as I thought I would. In part, I’ll blame it on mental fatigue and in part on picking very long books! Here’s the best, and worst, books I read this year in various categories with one or two sentence reflections.

Best Fiction

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley. Pride/hubris leads to destruction. Loneliness turns people into monsters.

Random Walk, Rachel Lulich. Science is cool & fiction is cool. Science Fiction is smartly cool.

Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders. Not really sure why I liked this so much, but I did.

Theology

The Identity and Attributes of God, Terry Johnson. Wonderful depth and warmth in the treatment of God’s attributes, something often missing in theological discussions.

By Faith and Not By Sight: Paul and the Order of Salvation, Richard Gaffin. Second reading of this book in the past few years.

City of God, Augustine. Ok, technically not done with it, but I’ve read 700pgs and it’s an incredible example of early church apologetics, theology and exegesis.

Saving the Reformation: The Pastoral Theology of the Canons of Dordt, by Robert Godfrey. Another one I’m not done with quite yet, but really enjoying this bit of historical theology. Studying for an upcoming ACG.

History

The Half has Never Been Told, Edward E. Baptist. Heartbreaking expose on how America was built on the backs of slavery – America’s original sin.

Go Like Hell, AJ Baime. Car rivalries are great. Race car drivers are insane.

The Great Siege: Malta 1565, Ernle Bradford. Swashbuckling history and heroism at its finest.

Politics

Summer Meditations, Vaclav Havel. Thirty years dated, but so incredibly relevant. Incredible read.

Calvin’s Political Theology and the Public Engagement of the Church: Christ’s Two Kingdoms, Matthew J. Tuininga. Very helpful, if hard to read. Great discussion on Calvin’s inconsistencies in implementing his theology in Geneva, while helpful in casting a vision for the future.

Republocrat, Carl Trueman. Slightly dated (slightly before Trump era began) and incredibly insightful.

Politics After Christendom, David VanDrunen. A Biblical foundation for understanding the state.