Karl's Reading List

Published by Tyndale Publishers. Accessed via the Bible App at: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/10819-the-one-year-chronological-bible Five years ago Elise and I spent a year reading a chronologically arranged NLT version of the Bible , occasionally using the NIVUK audiobook version narrated by David Suchet to give my narrating skills a rest. This year, we once again did the chronological plan, but this time around chose to listen to the entire thing rather than use our physical copy (which we have lent to my parents anyway). This is, I think, the first time since beginning this blog that I am re-reviewing a previously reviewed book. I have re-read some books, but so far only ones that I read before I was writing reviews. But, this is a good book to break that trend, both because it is the Bible(!) and because listening to a (mostly) different version in a (for me) different format means that there were some different things that jumped out this time around. I do remember point...

Published by The Crime Club by Collins: St James Place, London, 1959. I wasn't intending on reading another Agatha Christie book for a while, simply because of having read one so recently , but a friend lent me this one, telling me that it was their favourite, so I thought I better check it out. To say a particular Agatha Christie book is your favourite is quite high praise! After all, Christie wrote over 50 books, including such famous examples as Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, And Then There Were None , and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd . I enjoy Christie's books (there is a reason she is called the 'Queen of Crime Fiction'), and particularly like the way that she - within her chosen genre of crime fiction - could play with styles, from dark thrillers (like And Then There Were None ) to slightly lighter comical entries, like Partners in Crime .  Cat Among the Pigeons plays with style again, framing the book as a spy and espionage tale, but with the twi...

Published by Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2004. This is a great book, one that I first read as part of my theological training. Bartholomew and Goheen take the Bible as a whole and divide it into six "acts", namely: 1) God Establishes His Kingdom: Creation, 2) Rebellion in the Kingdom: Fall, 3) The King Chooses Israel: Redemption Initiated, 4) The Coming of the King: Redemption Accomplished, 5) Spreading the New of the King: The Mission of the Church, 6) The Return of the King: Redemption Completed. By dividing the Bible thusly, they are able to focus on the 'overarching' story of the Bible, something that is important because "If we allow the Bible to become fragmented, it is in danger of being absorbed into whatever other story is shaping our culture, and it will thus cease to shape our lives as it should."  (page 12) The Bible is really the story of God and how He connects with His chosen creation, and Drama of Scripture helps to remind us of t...

Published by Monarch Books: Oxford, UK & Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2009. This is the autobiography of Andrew White, a canon in the Church of England and someone who has worked for peace in both Israel/Palestine and Iraq. He is able to have influence in these areas by building relationships with key religious and political leaders from all sides of a conflict, and has been able to bring about various statements seeking peace and reconciliation from often opposing parties. I found this a challenging book to read, partially because of White's focus on peace even at the price of evangelism. It is an important role, and one that he has obviously been called to, but also one that not every individual would be able to achieve. The challenge of pastoring a church in Baghdad (which he did until 2014, after this book's release) is also highlighted, including the balance between security and sacrificial love. When White talks about a particular pastor of the church, and then explains th...

Published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.: Carol Stream, Illinois, 2007 (1996). Also: New International Version (Anglicised), Audio Edition, published by Biblica, Inc., 2013, narrated by David Suchet. Found online at https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/?recording=nivuk-suchet This may be the longest I have taken to read a book without leaving it for an extended period of time. At the start of the year Elise mentioned a desire to read the Bible chronologically using this version that she had purchased some time in the past. We desired to do this together, pacing ourselves by keeping roughly to the reading plan outlined within. As a Christian, I deeply value the Bible. I try to read at least a few verses most days (although realistically it is sometimes less often than this) and often I find that the different verses I read will either speak into whatever situation I am going through at the time, or come back to mind at a future time. I believe that God speaks through His ...

Published by Hodder & Stoughton: Great Britain, 2007. (1916). This is a classic spy novel, written during World War 1, and involving the on-going conflict greatly within its plot. At the time it was written it was a best seller, and was even read by some of the historical figures of the time, such as the Tsar of Russia! Given the very specific period of its origin, Greenmantle feels quite unique. The war is still somewhat a lark, not yet tarred with the same heaviness it would come to be. Gentlemen spies are able to travel the battlefields without too much problem, and even when difficulties arise are able to get out of them fairly easily. The plot itself centres around a mysterious figure, a possible Islamic prophet, who may be seeking to draw the Muslim world into the conflict on the side of Germany. Our heroes must try to discover the truth of these rumours, and undermine anything that would align such a significant chunk of the world with their enemies. I recommend ...

Published by Crossway Books: USA, 2004 (1985). This is the first book in The Cooper Kids Adventure Series , a series of young adult novels written by Christian author Frank Peretti. Peretti is a novelist who primarily writes in the supernatural, or even semi-horror genre, often incorporating Christian symbolism and always having some connection to the Christian Faith in his works. This is the first book of his that I have read that has been intended for younger audiences. The Cooper kids, Jay and Lila, work with their archaeologist father Dr Jake Cooper uncovering ancient artefacts with a biblical theme. In this story they discover a (wait for it) door in a strange cave system called 'the Dragon's throat.' They seek to learn more about the door, and debate opening it. But could it be a door to hell itself?! The novel, being intended for younger readers, is fairly simple, ending most chapters with a cliff-hanger and reading like a pseudo-Indiana Jones adventure (it...

Published by Monarch Books: Oxford, England, 2012. This is a collection of fifteen interviews conducted by the author (as part of her The Olive Tree radio series) with Jews and Arabs living in Israel and Palestine who each have come to faith in Jesus. We hear from teachers, pastors and business owners, each with their own reason for living in the region, but each bound by a love for Christ and for reconciliation between the two people groups. Many of the testimonies highlight the growth of Christianity within Israel and Palestine since the 1970s, and challenge the Western reader to not forget that we should not let our politics could what God is doing in an area. It is not easy to live for Christ in the face of such intense political and religious divides, and this book reminds us to pray for those living in these locations. A good "taster" book that might whet some readers' appetites to find out more about what God is doing in the Middle East. Completed 29 March ...