beautiful library

Reading

As you can probably tell, I haven’t kept up on this page in quite a while. Yes, I’m still reading books, but I’ve slowed down due to other priorities. I’ll leave this here rather than hiding or deleting it, since I may want to revisit the notion of keeping track of my reading someday. Also, some people surfing in may get some book ideas here.

2015

Bible Reading/Torah Cycle:

Books

  1. Man’s Quest for God by Abraham Joshua Heschel.
  2. Pirke Avot: A Modern Commentary on Jewish Ethics edited and translated by Leonard Kravitz and Kerry M. Olitzky.
  3. Cyborg by Martin Caidin.
  4. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.
  5. The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian by Robert E. Howard.
  6. Loving God When You Don’t Love The Church by Chris Jackson.
  7. The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia, Kindle Edition, by Ursula K. LeGuin.
  8. Paul within Judaism: Restoring the First-Century Context to the Apostle Kindle Edition, by Mark D. Nanos (Author, Editor), Magnus Zetterholm (Editor).
  9. Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It by Marc Goodman.
  10. The Tapping Solution: A Revolutionary System for Stress-Free Living by Nick Ortner.
  11. Yeshua Matters by Jacob Fronczak.
  12. The Tapping Solution for Pain Relief: A Step-by-Step Guide to Reducing and Eliminating Chronic Pain by Nick Ortner.
  13. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink.
  14. Robot Uprisings edited by Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams.
  15. Old Mars edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.
  16. Spring Chicken: Stay Young Forever (or Die Trying) by Bill Gifford.
  17. Becoming a Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett with Glen Cordoza.
  18. Tales of Time and Space by Allen Steele.
  19. Fiction Writer’s Workshop (2nd ed) by Josip Novakovich.
  20. How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card.
  21. Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training (3rd ed) by Mark Rippetoe.
  22. Beyond 5/3/1: Simple Training for Extraordinary Results (Kindle Edition) by Jim Wendler.
  23. New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus: Insights from His Jewish Context by David Bivin.
  24. 11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King.

Wish List

Books that I want to (or should) read or re-read, listed in no particular order. If I read one, it pops off this list. If I discover new books I want/need/should read, they’ll pop on the list:

2014

Bible Reading/Torah Cycle:

Books:

  1. Gifts of the Spirit by Boaz Michael, Editor.
  2. A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
  3. Children of Dune by Frank Herbert.
  4. The Irony of Galatians: Paul’s Letter in First-Century Context by Mark Nanos.
  5. Smith Wigglesworth: Apostle Of Faith by Stanley Howard Frodsham.
  6. Smart Exercise: Burning Fat, Getting Fit by Covert Bailey.
  7. The Fall of Fortresses: A Personal Account of the Most Daring, and Deadly, American Air Battles of World War II by Elmer Bendiner .
  8. The Gods of Mars (Kindle edition) by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
  9. Mishnah and the Words of Jesus (Kindle edition) by Roy B. Blizzard.
  10. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.
  11. The Jewish Background to the Lord’s Prayer by Brad Young.
  12. Warlord of Mars (Kindle edition) by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
  13. The Israeli Solution: A One-State Plan for Peace in the Middle East by Caroline Glick.
  14. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.
  15. The Prophets by Abraham Joshua Heschel.
  16. Thuvia, Maid of Mars (kindle edition) by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
  17. The Formation of Christianity in Antioch: A Social-Scientific Approach to the Separation between Judaism and Christianity by Magnus Zetterholm.
  18. Remembrance and Repentance: The Call to Remember and Memorialize the Holocaust by Daniel Hennessy.
  19. God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships by Matthew Vines.
  20. Elementary Principles: Six Foundational Principles of Ancient Jewish Christianity by D. Thomas Lancaster.
  21. The Chessmen of Mars (kindle edition) by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
  22. The Rebbe’s Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch by Sue Fishkoff.
  23. Divine Messiah (kindle edition) by Derek Leman.
  24. Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, Sugar — Your Brain’s Silent Killers by David Perlmutter (wife recommended).
  25. The Parables: Jewish Tradition and Christian Interpretation by Brad Young.
  26. GRAY HAIR AND BLACK IRON: Secrets of Successful Strength Training for Older Lifters by Brooks D. Kubik.
  27. The Mastermind of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
  28. The New Arthritis Cure by Bruce Fife (wife recommended).
  29. Oil Pulling Therapy by Bruce Fife (wife recommended).
  30. Red Nails (kindle edition) by Robert E. Howard.
  31. Rebecca’s Children: Judaism and Christianity in the Roman World by Alan F. Segal.
  32. Israel After Calamity: The Book of Lamentations by Jacob Neusner.
  33. Nightfall by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg.
  34. Artscroll Tanach Series: Megillas Eichah (Lamentations) translated and compiled by Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz.
  35. One Law for All: From the Mosaic Texts to the Work of the Holy Spirit by J.K. McKee as recommended by Pete Rambo.
  36. Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History by Joseph Telushkin.
  37. America: Imagine a World without Her by Dinesh D’Souza.
  38. A Fighting Man of Mars (Kindle Edition) by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
  39. Jude: Faith and the Destructive Influence of Heresy by Rabbi Joshua Brumbach.
  40. What About Tithing? by Toby Janicki.
  41. Stop Alzheimer’s Now!: How to Prevent & Reverse Dementia, Parkinson’s, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis & Other Neurodegenerative Disorders by Bruce Fife (wife recommended).
  42. Justice and Mercy: Commentary on the Liturgy of the New Year and the Day of Atonement by Max Arzt.
  43. Swords of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
  44. The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents by Ronald Kessler.
  45. Jews, Judaism & Genesis by Rabbi Moshe Avigdor Amiel.
  46. The Dinosaur Four by Geoff Jones.
  47. Synthetic Men of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
  48. God vs. Gay?: The Religious Case for Equality by Jay Michaelson.
  49. First Steps in Messianic Jewish Prayer by Aaron Eby.
  50. The Sabbath for Man, a Study of the Origin, Obligation, History, Advantages and Present State by Rev. Wilbur F. Crafts.
  51. Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff.

Articles and Papers:

2013

Bible Reading/Torah Cycle:

Books:

  1. Who Wrote the Bible? by Richard Elliott Friedman.
  2. The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun.
  3. The Divine Arsonist: A Tale of Awakening by Jacob Nordby.
  4. The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge by Carlos Castaneda.
  5. Introduction to Messianic Judaism: Its Ecclesial Context and Biblical Foundations by David Rudolph and Joel Willitts.
  6. The Sabbath Breaker by D. Thomas Lancaster.
  7. Paul on Trial: The Book of Acts as a Defense of Christianity by John W. Mauck.
  8. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.
  9. Mystical Christianity: A Psychological Commentary on the Gospel of John by John A. Sanford.
  10. The Holy Epistle to the Galatians by D. Thomas Lancaster.
  11. The Garments of Torah: Essays in Biblical Hermeneutics by Michael Fishbane.
  12. Man Plus by Frederik Pohl.
  13. The Everlasting Jew, selected writings of Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein, published by Vine of David.
  14. The Pursuit of God (Kindle Edition) by A.W. Tozer.
  15. The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited (Kindle Edition) by Scot McKnight.
  16. Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.
  17. Genesis and the Big Bang: The Discovery Of Harmony Between Modern Science And The Bible by Gerald L. Schroeder.
  18. The Hidden Face of God: How Science Reveals the Ultimate Truth by Gerald L. Schroeder.
  19. Invitation to the Septuagint by Karen H. Jobes and Moisés Silva.
  20. The Lone Ranger Rides by Fran Stricker.
  21. 40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law by Thomas Schreiner.
  22. Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle by Dan Senor and Saul Singer.
  23. Seeing God: Ten Life-Changing Lessons of the Kabbalah by Rabbi David Aaron.
  24. The Jewish Approach to God: A Brief Introduction for Christians by Rabbi Neil Gillman.
  25. The Stranger by Albert Camus.
  26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
  27. Dune by Frank Herbert.
  28. Tent of David: Healing the Vision of the Messianic Gentile by Boaz Michael.
  29. The Mystery of Romans: The Jewish Context of Paul’s Letters by Mark Nanos.
  30. Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert.
  31. The Didache: Text, Translation, Analysis, and Commentary by Aaron Milavec.
  32. Daniels Prophecy of the 70 Weeks by Alva J. McClain.
  33. The Four Responsibilities of a Disciple by Darren N. Huckey.
  34. Life of Pi by Yann Martel.

Articles and Papers:

Bible Studies:

15 thoughts on “Reading”

  1. I recommend Dune and The Stranger. They are both profound (though I don’t share Camus’ worldview, of course). I downloaded the PDF’s you recommended. Don’t forget Return of the Kosher Pig by R’ Itzak Shapira. It might give you help in your witness, especially to your Orthodox friends. Your wife might also benefit, if Yeshua’s divinity is a major obstacle for her. I’m still praying for you both. L’Shanah Tovah tikateivu! Love, Dave

  3. As an English teacher, I read alot of books, for reasons of building curriculum as well as pleasure, and get paid [somewhat] for it.

    I’d recommend putting ‘1984’ toward the top of your list. I taught it last year, along with ‘Night’ by Wiesel and ‘Macbeth’ by you-know-who as a study in totalitarianism. Fascinating but emotionally rigorous. We had “Mystery Pie Monday” to cheer ourselves up, aligned our reading with Scripture and prayed often to stay on an even keel, so to speak. To wrap-up the thematic study, I had a guest speaker who served in Congress come in and address the issues of governmental surveillance. Fascinating and sobering, both.

    I recently read ‘A Passage To India’ by E.M. Forster and absolutely loved it about 100 pages in. A great story of the British Raj and its stiff-upper-lipped attitudinal superiority over the native population as well as the reactionary view of Indians, both Muslim and Hindu, to British imperialism, all operating at multiple levels with a great “who-done-it?” plot in the second half and the exotic nature of India operating as a metaphor of mystery throughout all. Forster has a way of painting word pictures that I enjoy very much.

    I just finished ‘The Death Of Ivan Ilyich’ by Tolstoy… a brutally depressing novella (which I’m pairing with Hemingway’s Old Man And The Sea at the 12th grade level as a study of inner human struggle) which is, as I understand it, either a pseudo-memoir of Tolstoy’s own spiritual awakening or a precursor to it. As I understand it, without deeply researching, after writing critically of the mainstream Christianity, it seems that Tolstoy may have been what we refer to as “born again” through study of just the teachings of Jesus, and as a member of mainstream Russian Orthodox Christianity, was deemed a threat and/or insane by the church and was summarily excommunicated as a result. I’m still piecing that story together…

    I’m currently reading ‘Silas Marner,’ which I’ve never read, to pair with ‘Robinson Crusoe’ at the 9th-10th grade level as a study in human transformation and survival. ‘Crusoe,’ however, is written at a much lower reading level than ‘Marner,’ which is a work of much denser intellectuality by George Eliot. I’m really enjoying ‘Marner.’ It’s “Dickensian” in the sense that the protagonist is “Scrooge-esque” and a positive transformation takes place due to a child’s appearance on the scene.

    As for theology, I’m re-reading Seeing God by Rabbi Aaron while also reading “Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus,” by Lois Tverberg, which I find very refreshing and satisfying in a “reaffirmational way” as a Gentile believer who walks not in the dust of the Church Fathers so much as Yeshua’s. Lois has a very good way of putting things that is very digestible and good for the soul. Also re-studying through Torah Club # 2 this year.

    Shana tovah! to you and yours and thanks for the opportunity to think about what I’ve been reading… Are you a member of “Goodreads?” on the Internet? You can list your books-read and get recommendations and all sorts of stuff there… I’ve found it very informative in a number of ways… ~ Dan

  4. And toda raba! for the incredible list of your own reading! I’m bookmarking this ‘Meditation’ (along with quite a few others) to build my own wish list…

  5. Thanks, Dan. The list is in no particular order, I just needed someplace to store it so it wouldn’t leak out my memory again.

    Your mention of Silas Marner brought back some unpleasant memories of my 11th grade English class. I don’t remember a single word from that book, but I remember I hated reading it. 😉

  6. ‘Silas Marner’ is a bit lugubrious… a word Jack Kerouac uses 4x in one paragraph in ‘On The Road’… apologies for inspiring the little episode of school-related post-traumatic-stress. 🙂

  9. The Gospel According to Moses – What my Jewish friends taught me about Jesus – Dickson
    God in Search of Man – Heschel
    Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes – Bailey

    I hope you’re enjoying Nanos’ book as much as I did.

    Shalom

  11. I’m awed and inspired by your reading list. Several I have read, several I own and have not gotten to, but most I’ve not even heard of and I’m very intrigued.
    I also really appreciate how you’ve got your book list arranged here. Very neat and tidy, and easy to update. I like it!

  12. Thanks. I used to think I read a lot until I compiled this list. My Pastor said one year he read 100 books (not the norm, but he is an avid reader).

    Not all the books I read are of a “religious” nature. Sometimes I read just for giggles.

  13. It’s important to read “for giggles” sometimes too. Trust me, you do read a lot. Someone might read more, but I think that is a very rare find.

Comments are closed.

"When you awake in the morning, learn something to inspire you and mediate upon it, then plunge forward full of light with which to illuminate the darkness." -Rabbi Tzvi Freeman

%d bloggers like this: