What books are you reading?

[BartholomewB]

Jacob Jervell, Luke and the People of God. A collection of essays on Luke-Acts by an NT scholar who was also a Lutheran pastor. He always takes care to explain his meaning in plain language that can be easily understood by a non-academic general reader like me.

Even though I don’t agree with everything he says, it’s still very illuminating. When I’ve finished this one I intend to go on and reread another collection of his essays broadly on the same subject, The Unknown Paul. Both books are available to read online at Internet Archive:

Luke and the people of God; a new look at Luke-Acts : Jervell, Jacob : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

207 pages ; 23 cm

archive.org

The unknown Paul : essays on Luke-Acts and early Christian history : Jervell, Jacob : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

190 pages ; 22 cm

archive.org

 

[Dino246]

Paul's letters...

and very slowly, Killing Lions by John Eldredge and his son Sam Eldredge.

 

[GWH]

Revolution, by Eric Metaxas.

It is a detailed account of the American Revolutionary War, which has some interesting tidbits.
For example, the way the author tells it, George Washington started the French and Indian War
by leading a surprise attack against the French called the Battle of Jumonville Glen.

Also, Samuel Adams is credited with being so important in the 1760s leading up to the Revolution
that many considered him to be the "Father of America" as much as Washington.

Third, there was a stately elm in Boston's Hanover Square that became a rallying point for the protesters
that was dubbed the "Liberty Tree".

Fourth, a British statesman named William Pitt advocated giving Americans full rights as Englishmen instead of
taxing them as "bastards".

Finally, Benjamin Franklin had lived in London since 1756 as a loyal subject, but began warning Parliament about
how its actions were perceived in American in 1763.

TBC?...

 

[tablet123]

He always takes care to explain his meaning in plain language that can be easily understood by a non-academic general reader like me.

That is something that many people do they do not communicate it as simple as possible.

They make you not really understand what they are saying or not completely.

Using jargon that is ridiculous and going about it in a hard way and go about in a round about way to get to the point.

Genius is simplicity.

Maybe they do not know how to communicate it effectively being handicapped in that endeavor.

Maybe they think by their hard communication that they are coming across as more intelligent, more meaningful, and maybe they do it out of arrogance that they are wise.

But it actually is worse for simplicity is the best way.

 

[OMC]

I only read commentaries. However, accuracy depends on perspective. To get the fullest accuracy, I combine commentaries from different traditions.
Historical-critical: Jerome Commentary, Anchor Yale Bible
Evangelical scholarly: NICOT/NICNT, NIGTC, WBC
Pastoral/devotional: Wiersbe, Matthew Henry
Jewish context: N.T. Wright’s For Everyone series Edersheim's Life and times of Jesus the Messiah (recommended for first‑century background)
This triangulation prevents theological bias from dominating my interpretation.

I also read books on biblical archeology, Sciences, and mathematics,
Zondervan Handbook of Biblical Archaeology — A book‑by‑book guide linking archaeological finds to biblical texts.
Unearthing the Bible by Titus Kennedy — 101 discoveries that illuminate biblical events.
Archaeology and the People of the Bible — Evidence for historical existence of biblical figures.
The Bible Unearthed by Finkelstein & Silberman — A major scholarly work on Israel’s origins.
Excavating the Evidence for Jesus — Archaeology of the Gospels and early Christian world.
The Essential Archaeological Guide to Bible Lands — A practical reference for sites across the Near East.
Exploring the Universe through the Dual Lens of Scripture and Science — A 2026 academic volume on cosmology and theology.
Justice for Genesis — Scientific exploration of Genesis.
Faith or Science: Do We Have to Choose One? — A balanced discussion of origins and Christian belief.
Return of the God Hypothesis by Stephen Meyer — A major work arguing for a theistic explanation of cosmic fine‑tuning.
Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins — A comprehensive textbook integrating cosmology, geology, biology, and biblical studies.
The Genesis Creation Account and Its Reverberations in the New Testament — Scholarly essays connecting Genesis to NT theology.
Redeeming Mathematics by Vern Poythress — A theological philosophy of mathematics grounded in the nature of God.
Biblical Mathematics: Keys to Scripture Numerics by Ed F. Vallowe — A classic numerics study.
Interpreting Biblical Numbers (2027 release) — A scholarly guide to the rhetorical and literary use of numbers in Scripture.
The Genesis Factor / Bible Codes works by Yacov Rambsel — Explorations of numerical patterns and codes in Scripture.

 

[Lanolin]

I read a lot so it would be a very long post to tell you about all the books I am reading.

The one I am reading at the moment I am in the middle of is called How to make a dress.

It's a sort of fashion memoir by Jenny Packham, who is a British designer. She has designed dresses for many women and even Royalty have worn them.

Now there are no biblical references in this book that I've come across, but I'm always reminded of Proverbs 31 virtuous lady who spins her cloth and buys purple and scarlet to clothe her family with. Also it has good photo inserts of the type of dresses she makes, and her inspiration for them.

 

[Lanolin]

It is also, like the proverb or verse in the Bible about writing down your vision.
She literally has visions of what the dress will be. She will be inspired by anything she sees while in the process of designing. For anyone who's an artist, this type of creativity will be familiar, esp when you get into 'the zone' as it is.

The zone, is like when you are so inspired that visions and words just come to you, and you end up doing whatever the vision shows you. She could stay up all night and day creating a dress when she's inspired.

 

[Lanolin]

This is the cover of the book I am reading atm
There are different covers according to what country they are published in

 

[Lanolin]

The other book that I have on the go, and sadly I don't get to it too much these days as I am actually quite busy is a devotional. You can write on each page, it has scriptures and reflections on it. I am sort of 1/4 way through it, so up to day 25.



When you find a really good devotional, you'll stick with it. Some don't have pages where you can write in, but I like the ones that do.
You can get ones that are just for women, or you can read general ones. A famous one is My utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, and still relevant for today.

 

[Lanolin]

Bible archaeology books are fascinating. I had several I bought and donated for the church library, but I haven't been able to get to them as of yet..ones with beautiful photos of the Holy Land and the sites where events happened in the Bible.

Maybe I will get to them after finishing the other books (have a loooong list) from the Public Library. People don't seem to borrow the bigger coffee table size books as they are heavy, but I love looking at them. I mean you could get Bible encyclopedias if they still have them in print, but sadly, most people just go online and don't read books anymore.

You can take your time to read a book, and enjoy it. Online it's a rush to get through them.

 

[Lanolin]

Always reading the Holy Bible, King James Version.
I have actually tabbed my copy with stickers of each books on the pages. You can get the stickers from the Manna bookstores. Just makes it easier to find the books you need. Or you can buy an expensive Bible that already has the pages indented for you, like the Collins dictionaries do for each letter of the alphabet.
I just find those types of Bibles helpful, as well as the red letter versions that have the words of Christ in red.

 

[Lanolin]

Also one more plug for giraffes on the cover of this book



Ok I couldn't resist. I also had bought this book for my cousins children one christmas. Always seems to be the Noah's Ark story on the covers instead of the Nativity. I think publishers just feel children will mostly be attracted to all the animals that got on the ark. Note the giraffes. You will not find a cover depicting Noah's ark without a pair of giraffes.

 

[Ninjazone]

The life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It's free from plusnothing.com , they even mail it to you free. It's like question everything is one of the greatest statements because if something is held as concrete truth yet no understanding or reasoning is being it, it's like a form of blindness