A Meander Through My Reading Habits

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I recently got a question in the comments here about my reading habits, and thought it might be fun to take a meander through my library, pointing out objects of interest as I go. File this one under autobiographical fragments.

I liked books as a kid, but simply read in pursuit of my interests. Those interests were shaped by the reading our family did together, which is where I found my love for Lewis. Dad started reading Narnia to us when I was about five. The only jag I recall was somewhere near the junior high years, and it was a science fiction jag — that is where I got my Heinlein in. I also remember reading Aku Aku by Thor Heyerdahl when I was in 6th grade. I was in high school when I first got into Tolkien, egged on by my mother. Around the same time, I also stumbled across Up From Liberalism by William Buckley, and my course of political education began there.

When I was in the Navy, I think I read a lot of fiction. I wasn’t building a library because submarines and barracks aren’t conducive to it, but I would pick out whatever seemed interesting from the common shelves. I was buying some books to keep — A.W. Tozer and J.I. Packer were there, I recall.

I got out of the Navy in 1975 and started in on my philosophy work at the University of Idaho. In addition to school reading, I remember discovering Chesterton’s Orthodoxy, which was for me a lifeline of sanity. When I was done with school, I also had by that point become, as it happened, the pastor of a small Jesus people-like outfit, and was not in a position to get away for any real seminary training. I did manage to get one set of summer classes at Regent in Vancouver, where I had a class on the atonement by Leon Morris, and a course on the book of Acts taught by John Stott.

But I was more or less done with schoolwork, and had a bunch of pastoral responsibilities, and so I decided I would have to do the OJT stuff simply by reading.

I pursued topics in clusters. I needed biblical studies (F.F. Bruce), I needed theology (Calvin), I needed eschatology (a bunch of guys), and so on. At the beginning of all this, I remember reading an interview with Kenneth Kantzer who was editor of Christianity Today, and it came out that he read a couple books a week. I could no more do that than fly to the moon, but I could do what I could. I started keeping a log of books that I completed in 1979, so I could track my progress. What I don’t have is a log of all the half finished books. They are scattered all over tarnation.

There have obviously been a lot of twists and turns, and changes of regime, and so on, but I have pretty much settled into the following pattern.

I have a set of books that I just read on Sunday morning, in preparation for preaching. I find that these help me get into a preaching frame of mind. Some of these books I replace with others when I am done, but some of them I simply start over at the beginning again. As an example of the former (from my current list), there would be God’s Wisdom in Proverbs by Dan Phillips and A Puritan Theology by Beeke and Jones. An example of the latter would be The Pilgrim’s Progress, The Sidney Psalter and Matthew Henry’s A Method for Prayer. Somewhere in the lineup, I always have something there by Thomas Watson, C.S. Lewis, Chesterton, and Jonathan Edwards. When I get into the back stretch of one of the “one time” books, I just finish it off and replace it with another.

I have another set of books for my daily reading. There is a core of four books, and then a handful of peripheral books. The core books fall into the following categories: 1. The book I am currently reading, 2. a book of poetry, 3. a book of fiction, and 4. a bucket book. Shall I explain? I want always to be reading a book that interests me, some poetry, some fiction, and a book that at my age I ought to have read by now, and that not having read makes me a bad person. Currently, these four are The End of Sacrifice by Stroumsa, The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats, The Pickwick Papers, and Boswell’s Life of Johnson. I read ten pages of each a day, with the exception of the poetry. There are also a handful of other books that I nibble at daily. I also read a couple of pages from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. I am in the H’s, and I hear the plot picks up quite a bit in the J’s.

Most mornings Nancy and I read together with our coffee. We are currently reading Watson’s Mischief of Sin and Richmond Lattimore’s transation of the New Testament.

I do my Bible reading on my iPad, using the reading plan feature on Logos Bible Software. That reading is usually the first reading I do in the day.

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Tom Brainerd
9 years ago

Would it be fair to ask for number of completions by year?

Ryan
Ryan
9 years ago

Tom,

I just looked at his goodreads page, and under “stats” it looks like about 50-60 books per year. Here is a link. https://www.goodreads.com/review/stats/1258773-douglas-wilson

I would also recommend Wilson’s book “Wordsmithy,” as he gives some tips on reading there as well.

Roy
Roy
9 years ago

I offer sincere thanks for the post. Much like the usual Saturday posts on the building project, they provide some personal context. Also, I am in the process of determining my reading habit(s) in the most edifying and productive manner.

Christian
Christian
9 years ago

Thanks for the encouragement. The Pickwick Papers was a fun one. Hope you are enjoying it.

Chris Smith
Chris Smith
9 years ago

I’d be interested to see your book logs from 1979 onward. Or if you don’t want to share that, I’d be curious what your list of category 4 books looks like, both completed and yet to be read. What other books of quotations, phrases, illustrations, etc. have you read/would you recommend. Maybe some or all of this info is published on your blog or elsewhere. I’ll check Wordsmithy as one commenter recommends. Thanks this is fruitful for considering purposeful reading.

Chris Smith
Chris Smith
9 years ago

Two more questions:

1. Do you have a system for “roasting what you catch”? Your own book summary in back of book? Highlighting, underlining, or blogging insights, quotes, illustrations, etc.?

2. Do you do some of your “reading” via audio books? Do you regularly listen to sermons? Lectures? Podcasts?

Dan Phillips
9 years ago

Thanks for the kind mention, Doug. I’m so happy to hear that the book’s being of use to you, as your writing is helpful to me. In case anyone’s interested and if you don’t mind my saying, it’s actually 40% off at the WTS bookstore, at present (http://bit.ly/LgXthU).

Ryan
Ryan
9 years ago

Here’s a little more help for those looking for recommendations from Wilson and others, 1. In The Case for Classical Christian Education, Wilson lists 25 books that are foundational for Christian education, and then 25 books (besides the Bible) that he would want it he were stranded on an island (Chapter 27). 2. As already mentioned, in Wordsmithy, Wilson lists recommended books after each chapter. Though many recommendations have to do with writing, chapter 2 is specifically devoted to reading. 3. You can check Wilson’s goodreads account for books that he has rated and commented on. 4. Here are a… Read more »

Jim Lee
9 years ago

Wow that is helpful. I was wondering how you manage to read over a thousand books from gleaming your Goodreads account. Thanks for sharing.

j.k.
j.k.
9 years ago

This is wonderful. I think discussions of habits are useful for to reasons. They help convince us our own habits aren’t obsessive or anemic or the challenge us. I would love to hear your writing habits unless you’ve posted them before.