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Book Reviews

Favorite Books of the Year

If you are looking for ideas to give to a reader on your gift list, here are my favorite books of the year. I’ve read around ninety books as I write this (it might not get to 100 by the end of the year, but it will be close). So the pool of choices is fairly broad, though of course there are thousands (millions?) unread. Still, I like these and think you might too.

So here goes, my favorites of the year:

The grand prize winner, my absolute favorite book of the year, is A Pilgrimage to Eternity by Timothy Egan. …

Book Reviews, Generosity, Leadership,

Wealth, Temptation, and Job

This story of Job has always fascinated and often confused me. It’s fascinating because it’s impressively rich in wisdom about why God allows evil in the world. It’s confusing because the logic in the dialogue is sometimes hard to follow — are you arguing for God’s goodness or not, Job? It’s also confusing because his buddies offer insane advice followed by what seems like sound advice.

But then that’s life, isn’t it? Life is … well, it’s messy, to use a word often found here at Junkyard Wisdom. And the story of Job is certainly messy.

As one who writes …

Book Reviews, Salvaged,

Books to Read or Give This Season

It’s that time of year when my annual list of favorite books is chosen. I do this in part as a suggested reading list, and in part as a gift guide. The year isn’t over of course, but I’ve read over 80 thus far and think the pool of candidates is deep enough to choose a few. Normally I’m at 100 books by now, but I think the stay at home orders minimized driving time, which shortened the number of completed audiobooks.

Anyway, here are my favorites and why:

If you want a daily devotional, the collection of writings by …

Book Reviews, PathLight,

PathLight and Becoming Brave

I’m going to be interviewing my friend Brenda Salter McNeil in an online forum on October 30. It’s completely free, and I’d love for you to join. Here’s a bit of background about how this came about and why Brenda is my guest.

Most of the readers of this blog know that I’m a co-founder of PathLight International, and I currently serve as board chair for the organization. PathLight provides educational opportunities for at-risk youth in Belize.

Every year I organize what we call PathLight Conversations. This is typically a luncheon with a fascinating guest speaker, like Bob Goff or …

Book Reviews, Junkyard Management, Leadership,

Junkyard Saints

I’m currently reading Jon Meacham’s new book, His Truth is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope. This post isn’t about the book itself — though from what I’ve read I highly recommend it. Instead, I was struck by something Meacham says in the opening pages about sainthood.

“Generations of believers have held that some human lives are in such harmony with the ideals of God that they should be singled out. One need not embrace Catholic practice and doctrine to benefit from the contemplation of men and women who, in the words of an old hymn, …

Book Reviews, Leadership,

Becoming Brave

My friend Brenda Salter-McNeil has a new book being released so I asked her to give us a sneak preview. Trust me when I say you will want to read this one. Brenda writes with passion and transparency while always keeping truth at the center of her message.

Sometimes her words are challenging. They push me to see things through her heart and to understand life from the perspective of an African-American woman. That has not always been comfortable for me, but it has always been a way to grow and learn. And, ultimately, to better understand how to love …

Book Reviews,

Books Worth Reading

The first half of 2020 has come and gone, and it was certainly a half-year to remember. Common themes of the first half include Covid-19, the economy, Black Lives Matter, and the US Election.

My reading reflected some of these themes. Okay, so I didn’t read scientific journals about the Coronavirus. I wouldn’t have understood them if I had. Still, I read a lot of timely books. Overall my reading pace slowed to 44 books in the first six months, probably because of not commuting (thus fewer audiobooks).

Here are a few of my favorites so far. These books are …

Book Reviews, Junkyard Wisdom Book, So you think you're a writer?,

Looking for a good book to read?

To everyone sheltering in place, thank you. It’s clearly working and it has saved lives. As one wag said, our parents/grandparents were called to war to defeat facism and save the world, whereas we are called to stay home and sit on a couch; we can do this! 😂

So to do your duty you’ve watched all the Netflix shows, gone through the backlog of chores, organized the kitchen and garage, spent way too much time shopping online, and perfected the Zoom call. You’ve probably also read a fair number of books. Actually, you might need more books to read!…