This autumn we would like to share some good reads we discovered over the past few months. These selections represent a wide array of topics we think will interest you. Some selections will be great for personal reading, others for family time. Most of all, we think they will broaden your understanding of God’s creation and His work in it because they have had that result in our lives. Please leave us your favorite reads in the comment section.
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Calvin Coolidge, The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge, authorized, expanded, and annotated edition, ed. Amity Shlaes and Matthew Denhart (New York: Skyhorse Gateway Editions, 2021), 287 pages.
In my limited experience, Calvin Coolidge seems to be one of the more underrated Presidents of the United States. I tend to think his presidency of 1923–1929 is overlooked for several reasons. First, he was elevated to the presidency without election by the sudden death of President Warren G. Harding. Secondly, his brand of Republican politics was neither fully in line with the Republican Party of the nineteenth century nor the party that emerged from World War II as cold warriors. Lastly, he was an extremely humble and unassuming man who shied away from the spotlight. However, I have found his commitment to limiting the actions of all governments, and especially the federal government, very sensible and carefully articulated.
Recently I took some time to listen to the audio version of Coolidge’s autobiography to gain a better understanding of the man and his political philosophy. I found his writing to be engaging, informative, and thoughtful. In addition to giving the biographical details of his life, Coolidge reflected on the nature of American society, federalism, and politics in general. While I do not always agree with Coolidge’s point of view, I was impressed with this prudence and careful thinking regarding statecraft and American history. This new edition of Coolidge’s autobiography provides excellent and helpful annotations from respected Coolidge scholars Amity Shlaes and Matthew Denhart, both of whom are leaders of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. This new edition also includes afterwards from Coolidge’s descendants about their famous forefather and his wife, Grace, along with the text of some of Coolidge’s most famous speeches. This read is great for lovers of biography and students of the Republican Party and American political history.
—Recommended by Phillip T. Morgan
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Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (London: Penguin Classics, 2001), 576 pages.
This year, I have worked my way through Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales of Sherlock Holmes. I first read The Hound of the Baskervilles and A Study in Scarlet as a teenager. Before I read the books, I knew who the main characters were and how they stereotypically acted because of the many television adaptations available. For me, the problem with reading Doyle is that the stories are so well known. What has surprised me most on this reading is the vivid world that Doyle painted. The cases that Holmes solved deal with real life issues like financial security, marital fidelity, honesty, and familial responsibility. Solving these cases is a practice of ethics. Revisiting The Adventures and The Memoirs has helped me better understand the limitations of the rationalistic worldview that Doyle presents. If for no other reason, reading Doyle has exposed me to iconic characters in literature.
—Recommended by Sarah Lytle
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Matthew Y. Emerson and R. Lucas Stamps, 40 Questions About the Trinity (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2025), 296 pages.
I was delighted to receive a copy of Matthew Emerson and Luke Stamps’s newest book, 40 Questions About the Trinity. I really enjoy the format of the “40 Questions” series and have even used one of them as a textbook for a course I teach at Welch College. I suspect I will be looking for opportunities to do the same with this volume. Unsurprisingly, Emerson and Stamps do an excellent job posing and answering the most pertinent questions on the doctrine of the Trinity. However, I was surprised by how adeptly and accessibly they addressed their topic without sacrificing theological depth. They do not shy away from technical language like ad intra, ad extra, and perichoresis. They simply define the terms and explain them in a way that the average pastor, layperson, or college student could understand.
I also appreciated the methodology of the book. Emerson and Stamps begin by exploring the doctrine of the Trinity broadly but then focus on the doctrine of the Trinity in Scripture, in history, and in doctrinal formulation. Most striking to me is their devotional and doxological exploration of the doctrine of the Trinity. From the outset of the work, they contend that the doctrine of the Trinity is central to the Christian faith because the God of the Bible is triune. Because of this truth, reflection on the doctrine of the Trinity is not merely an academic endeavor but can (and should) result in deeper love for, praise of, and devotion to the triune God. Emerson and Stamps consistently remind the reader of these truths.
—Recommended by Jesse Owens
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John A. Farrell, Richard Nixon: The Life (New York: Vintage, 2017), 784 pages.
As a child of the 1980s and 1990s, who was raised talking about conservative politics, few Republican politicians in my experience came in for more consistent trenchant critique than Richard Nixon. However, about a decade ago, I slowly began to suspect that there was more to the story. To be fair to the commentators and conversation partners who were so harsh in their assessment, Nixon’s disgraced resignation was still fresh in their living memories—and much of their criticism was undoubtedly deserved. But British conservative historian Paul Johnson’s generally positive assessment of Nixon in A History of the American People and Modern Times piqued my curiosity.
John Farrell’s biography of Nixon is one of the most well-respected one-volume assessments of this controversial figure. Farrell is an excellent writer, who empathetically explores Nixon’s personality, character, and political leadership. He praises Nixon’s adept political sensibilities and significant successes as a congressman and senator from California but also provides nuanced criticism of the former President’s growing hubris and poor decision-making during his time as chief executive of the land. For me, Farrell’s balanced approach was very informative and useful for working through my own assessment of Nixon as a man and a politician.
—Recommended by Phillip T. Morgan
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David G. Firth, Including the Stranger: Foreigners in the Former Prophets (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2019), 240 pages.
The Old Testament books known as the Former Prophets are home to some of the most prominent narratives in Scripture, such as David’s victory over Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. However, the Former Prophets have also served as ammunition for opponents of Christianity, such as Richard Dawkins, who argue that these passages portray the God of the Bible as a “capriciously malevolent bully” (6). In his book Including the Stranger: Foreigners in the Former Prophets, David Firth has produced a fascinating and insightful reading of the Former Prophets from an ethical and theological perspective (8).
From Joshua and Judges to the Books of Samuel, and the Books of Kings, Firth traces how believing foreigners find inclusion in the people of God and unbelieving Israelites are cut off from the people of God. In the book of Joshua, Rahab and Achan serve as contrasting parallels, seeing that the former is “the quintessential outsider who has somehow become an insider” while the latter “is the quintessential insider” who becomes an outsider by his rebellion (24). In many ways, Firth sees Achan as the prototype in the Former Prophets of Israelites who become like Canaanites, such as Saul in 1 Samuel and Gehazi in 2 Kings. In the end, Firth helps readers to see that God is not “a petty ethnic cleanser” in the Former Prophets, but One Who has always defined His people not primarily “on the basis of ethnicity but rather on the basis of faith” (184).
—Recommended by Daniel D. Mann
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Hannah Glasse,The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy (Bedford, MA: Applewood, 2018), 325 pages.
Hannah Glasse’s The Art of Cookery was first published in 1747 by Cottom and Steward in London, England. This very English cooking manual was of particular interest to me because it became a household essential in America in the late eighteenth century. Families like the Washingtons and the Jeffersons used Glasse’s recipes and passed those recipes down to their children and grandchildren. Glasse collected traditional recipes that, in her opinion, every cook should know. More significantly, she taught her readers the right way to prepare those dishes. Her book is a valuable resource because it teaches families how to shop at the town market and how to choose good produce and meat, as well as how to cook those items. Glasse gives modern readers an idea of what eighteenth-century hearth cooking actually looked like. Preparing the family table took time and effort. The Art of Cookery is written for the amateur cook, but even the amateur in Glasse’s day had a base-level knowledge of measurements, fire-starting, butchering, shopping, and canning.
—Recommended by Sarah Lytle
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Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness (New York: Penguin, 2024), 400 pages.
With more than 10,000 reviews on Amazon, this book has prompted an enormous amount of conversation since its release—and for good reason. In it, Jonathan Haidt examines the mental illness epidemic that has arisen among boys and girls especially from Gen Z. The lack of sufficient play with friends outside combined with the lack of proper boundaries with the screen inside has produced profound psychological effects on our children and young adults. For example, studies demonstrate causation, not just correlation, between social media usage and ailments like anxiety and depression. Haidt recommends four rules for addressing our woes: (1) no smartphones before age fourteen; (2) no social media before age sixteen; (3) no smartphones, smartwatches, etc. in high schools; and (4) more unsupervised time outside. Because Haidt is not coming from a conservative Christian viewpoint, Christians will not agree with everything he says (e.g., remarks about evolution and pornography). These sections notwithstanding, conscientious Christians will find much with which to agree.
—Recommended by Matthew Steven Bracey
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Collin Hansen, Sklyer R. Flowers, and Ivan Mesa, eds., The Gospel after Christendom: An Introduction to Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2025), 224 pages.
I remarked to a close friend the other day that the next ten years will probably tell whether “cultural apologetics” as an enterprise will rise or fall. More work needs to be done at a technical level regarding this discipline, and I think the work of apologist Paul Gould has been helpful. Similarly, The Gospel after Christendom does a wonderful job as a primer for this apologetic approach and certainly encourages deeper thinking about pursuing cultural apologetics well and biblically. As with any multi-contributor work, not all chapters are equally valuable to any given reader. Even so, the book is organized well, helpfully leading the reader through foundational concepts for cultural apologetics. I especially found Joshua Chatraw’s chapter on retrieval to be helpful, as well as Alan Noble’s chapter on avoiding the twin errors of accommodation and condemnation. For those that want to start thinking and engaging more helpfully in cultural apologetics, this book would be a wonderful starting point.
—Recommended by Christopher Talbot
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Glenn McCarty, The Song of the Stone Tiger (Indian Trail, NC: Bandersnatch, 2025), 296 pages.
I do not know if I have previously recommended a fictional book on this platform. That point is not to suggest I do not read fiction; it is simply to say that most of my recommendations come out of my reading for research. Recently, I took part in assessing some fictional works for book awards and came across this wonderful book. In the spirit of the Narnia series, but with an Appalachian twist, The Song of the Stone Tiger may be one of the more hopeful and earnest books I have read in quite some time. The book does not shy away from real themes of grief and despair. Even so, the book constantly comes back to a rising theme of hope and resilience amid hardship, with a strong emphasis on family. I was worried that the book would be too derivative of other novels in which a child enters a fantasy world, and yet Glenn McCarty makes this book his own. I found it to be surprisingly stirring and uplifting.
—Recommended by Christopher Talbot
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Dorothy Sayers, Whose Body? in Four Complete Lord Peter Wimsey Novels: Whose Body? / Clouds of Witness / Murder Must Advertise / Gaudy Night (New York: Avenel, 1982): 1–106 pages of 736.
In the same night, a self-made financier inexplicably disappears from his own home, and a cadaver is found in an architect’s bathtub wearing only a pince-nez. The quick-witted fop Lord Peter Wimsey, with a recent hobby-interest in unsolved murders, begins meddling in boorish Inspector Sugg’s investigations. At first convinced the two instances are unrelated, Wimsey eventually uncovers the disturbing scientific mind that ties the two events together.
I love Dorothy Sayers’s mysteries for the smart, entertaining dialogue and the subtle cultural critiques embedded in each novel. Besides providing an excellent “whodunit,” Sayers elevates the genre with the maturation and development of hobby-detective Lord Peter and by her astute observations of the fallacious outworkings of modern intellectual theories.
—Recommended by Rebekah Zúñiga
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Andrew J. Schmutzer and David M. Howard, The Psalms: Language of All Seasons of the Soul (Chicago, IL: Moody, 2013), 288 pages.
The Psalms have long been a vast treasury of truth for God’s people in every season of life, and the volume edited by Andrew Schmutzer and David Howard provides a series of essays that explore the Psalms from theological, literary, and canonical perspectives. This work is divided into five parts. The first part focuses on scholarly research on the Psalms with an eye towards studies in the past, present, and future. The second part considers psalms of praise, examining Psalm 46, 74, 89, and 91 and how these psalms provide a framework for expressing praise. The third part covers psalms of lament, and how believers are to sorrow over sin, express personal or corporate lament, and how lament psalms move believers from pain to praise. In chapter seven, Michael Travers offers a helpful essay on confessing sin from Psalm 51 and 32. After comparing and contrasting these psalms of David, he writes that “Psalm 51 is the journey, Psalm 32 the destination” as it relates to confession of sin (125). In part four, the book of Psalms is considered from a canonical perspective. This insightful section demonstrates how Psalms 1–2 serve as an introduction to the entire Psalter, supplying keynote themes that will emerge in ensuing Psalms. Finally, the fifth part of the book highlights communicating psalms to a contemporary audience today. Although some sections are tedious and technical, this volume proves to be eminently useful for anyone who is preaching or teaching through the Psalms, as well as for individuals who want to explore and “celebrate the enormous impact the Psalter has had and continues to have in Christian faith” (15).
—Recommended by Daniel D. Mann
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Abigail Shrier, Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up (New York: Sentinel, 2024), 320 pages.
I could not put this book down. In her latest book, Abigail Shrier attempts to understand why Gen Z is receiving the most mental health support of any generation yet continues to struggle so deeply with depression and anxiety. Shrier first tackles the concept of iatrogenesis: a harmful, unintentional consequence that arises from treatment. Even an intervention as seemingly benign as talk therapy can have iatrogenic effects. If the risk of receiving treatment outweighs the risk of these effects, the intervention can be recommended. However, there may be occasions where the intervention is not recommended because it may cause more harm than good. Shrier then goes on to detail the many spheres of childhood that have been heavily influenced or completely overtaken by a therapeutic treatment model; many children are receiving unnecessary therapeutic interventions (often from people without professional training in therapy, such as teachers in schools), and the research seems to show this generation is worse off because of it.
Shrier dives into social-emotional learning in schools, gentle parenting philosophy, and theories about childhood trauma to reveal that, in our zeal to guard children’s mental health, we have inadvertently wrecked it. The final portion of her book, entitled “Maybe There’s Nothing Wrong with Our Kids,” reminds readers of the common-sense wisdom parents have often brought to childrearing in the past and encourages parents to get rid of obvious, actual mental-health impediments (namely, smartphones) rather than trying to guard our children from all the common adversities and disappointments of day-to-day life. I highly recommend the book to parents, teachers, and anyone working with young people. I believe you will be surprised to find (as I was) how your own interactions with children have been influenced by therapeutic concepts and receive encouragement that when we resist providing children with an emotional bubble, they develop resilience and competence.
—Recommended by Rebekah Zúñiga
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J. R. R. Tolkien, Appendices to The Lord of the Rings (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2004), 125 pages.
As I have mentioned previously, my wife and I have been working our way through the Middle Earth canon. I read the appendices to The Lord of the Rings about ten years ago and appreciated them for what they were, but, lacking the broader context beyond the stories of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, I failed to understand the significance of much of the content. Well, I have recently re-read them and commend them as important reading for people who want to extend their Middle Earth knowledge beyond Hobbit and Rings; but for people who are still new to Middle Earth, I would not begin with them.
The appendices consist of: (A) the annals of the kings and rulers of Númenor, including the heirs of Isildur (the northern line) and Anárion (the southern line), the House of Eorl, and Durin’s Folk; (B) the tale of years (chronology); (C) family trees (hobbits); (D) calendars; (E) guides on writings and spelling; and (F) the languages and peoples of the third age, and on translation. All of the appendices help to fill out the world of Middle Earth, but the most readable, in terms of narrative structure, are appendices A and B. For example, appendix A includes a part of the tale of Aragorn and Arwen. As Aragorn nears death, he speaks to Arwen, Lady Undómiel, of the importance of courage in our last moments: “But let us not be overthrown at the final test, who of old renounced the Shadow and the Ring. In sorrow we must go, but not in despair. Behold! we are not bound for ever to the circles of the world, and beyond them is more than memory. Farewell!” (1323) Death is sorrowful, but it is not despairing because we can have hope.
—Recommended by Matthew Steven Bracey
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John D. Wilsey, Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2025), 280 pages.
Much of my thinking on religious freedom has been shaped by the writings of early Baptists like Thomas Helwys, John Murton, Roger Williams, and Isaac Backus. I have spent far less time thinking about the writings of Edmund Burke and later conservative thinkers. So, I was excited to read John Wilsey’s Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer. Wilsey’s treatment of religious freedom is situated within the conservative (and early American) balance between “the spirit of liberty” and the “spirit of freedom.” While the book has a great deal to say about religious freedom and its relationship to conservatism, I learned more about the latter than the former from the book.
What I appreciated most about Wilsey’s work was the centrality of religion, particularly Christianity, within conservative thought. The desire to conserve the past and to lay hold of what is permanent amid constant change, and even the desire to love one’s own country while being honest about its shortcomings, is deeply Christian. Concerning the past, Wilsey writes, “[A]spirational conservatives revere tradition but avoid traditionalism, that is, turning tradition per se into an absolute authority” (163). Conservatives must use prudence to determine what is worth preserving.
I also appreciated the nuance of Wilsey’s work. He notes that conservatism has never been monolithic—there has always been some room for warring approaches and ideas. That remains the case today. Yet Wilsey is also critical of some movements that might claim to be conservative but fail to account for the nuances of specific national identities and histories. Maybe the best example of this feature of Wilsey’s writing is his sustained critique of Stephen Wolfe’s book Christian Nationalism: “I part ways with Wolfe because his model is contra-American, that is, it is closer to Hegelian state theory than to the American constitutional tradition of federalism and ordered liberty.” He goes on to state, “Wolfe’s magisterial Christian nationalism is simply incompatible with the American political tradition” (130).
Much more could be said about the book. Chapter 5 on conservatism and history is fantastic. But if you want to know more about the theological and philosophical underpinnings of conservatism, I highly recommend Wilsey’s work.
—Recommended by Jesse Owens
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