The Imaginative Christian: 2023 Books I Read

Among the many books I read in 2023 (44 total, per my Goodreads summary) are several within the general categories of Christian Humanism and the Imaginative Conservative / Imaginative Christian.  I read G.K. Chesterton works for the first time, re-read (after several decades) a few C.S. Lewis classics, as well as a few new-to-me short stories and other tales from J.R.R. Tolkien — along with rereading of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

G.K. Chesterton

The Father Brown Mystery Stories  This collection is a nice, pleasant and short read, a great introduction to Chesterton’s well-known Father Brown stories about a Catholic priest who has great powers of observation and human nature, much of which comes from his experience as a priest listening to the confessions of people in his parish church.  This collection contains nine stories out of the much larger collection of all of the Father Brown stories.  The stories reveal some time progression, as one character starts out as an expert jewelry thief and later reforms and even assists Father Brown in solving other jewelry heists.  The stories are each fairly short, some more interesting than others, all following a basic formula, and Father Brown solves the mystery and all the loose ends each time.

The Everlasting Man (1925):  This interesting work from 1925 was a great apologetics work from Chesterton, his rebuttal to H.G. Wells’ The Outline of History, confronting and responding to the evolutionary, materialist worldview with the fullness of Christianity.  This work was apparently instrumental in C.S. Lewis’ conversion from atheism to theism in the late 1920s, “prompting him to observe that a young man who is serious about his atheism cannot be too careful about what he reads.”  This article at the Society of G.K. Chesterton provides a summary and interesting info about The Everlasting Man.

The True Saint Nicholas

From William J. Bennett, a fun reading see previous post), about the history of the true Saint Nicholas and of all the legends about him through the centuries, down to the present day Santa Claus.

C.S. Lewis:  The Great Divorce, and The Screwtape Letters

See this previous post, mainly about The Great Divorce, with some mention of The Screwtape Letters.

J.R.R. Tolkien Other Stories

The Fall of Numenor: and other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-Earth

See these previous posts:  Thoughts on Tolkien’s Tales of the Second Age: The Mariner’s Wife  and The Straight Road, Numenor, and Hope in Middle Earth after the Second Age.

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil

These stories about Tom Bombadil were originally written by Tolkien in the 1930s, after which he included the character in an expanded role in Fellowship of the Ring.  These stories were then published in a little book with lovely illustrations by Pauline Baynes, in 1962.

Leaf by Niggle, a wonderful short story — allegory or mythical story – that has autobiographic reference to Tolkien’s life, as well as a wonderful statement on sub-creation and the meaning of our lives.  See this previous post about it from earlier this year.

J.R.R. Tolkien Non-Fiction

Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien – I re-read this earlier this year, always a great read with so many insights from the author throughout the years.  Just recently, a revised and expanded edition has been published – on my list of books to read, one I hope to obtain a copy of, sometime in the next year perhaps.  My post from earlier this year: J.R.R. Tolkien and Sub-Creation: The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Tolkien: A Celebration – a great collection of essays about J.R.R. Tolkien, from many different writers, published in 1999.  My previous posts:  George Sayer’s Friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien and Tolkien: A Celebration – Intro to Tolkien Scholarship.

 

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