Favorite Books

East of Eden - John Steinbeck
A stunning and epic work - considered by the author to be better than his more famous Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck brilliantly retells the story of Cain and Able through different generations of the Trask family. This book alone holds several of my all-time favorite characters. Though a work of fiction, Samuel Hamilton stands as an everyday hero to me. There is a brief, but all-important analysis of the word timshel that encompasses the heart of Christian faith.

Blood Meridian - Cormick McCarthy
This is a profoundly dark book and I don't recommend it to many people because of this. The novel depicts scenes of violence that make readers recoil in revulsion, but McCarthy's brand of violence is not gratuitous and serves a greater purpose. Meridian explores the darkness of man as no other book I have read. McCarthy is positively lyrical in is description of landscapes. He also has a tremendous gift for dialog.

Suttree - Cormick McCarthy
Suttree is a better introduction to McCarthy. Critics describe him as a modern Faulkner. Suttree is a beautiful mix of humor and tragedy. For those not interested in a book of Suttree's length, The Road is a simpler, but genuine McCarthy work.

The Screwtape Letters - C. S. Lewis
Lewis had tremendous insight into the nature of God and the spiritual realm. Screwtape is an immensely enlightening story that tells of Satan's tactics against man as one of his minions tries to teach his nephew how to lead man from God.

No Country for Old Men - Cormick McCarthy
Yes, I am a McCarthy junkie. This book was also fantastic. McCarthy writes one of the all-time great villains, Anton Chigur. He is a positively brutal killer. The unobservant reader may believe the novel is about Chigur, so shocking and prominent is his role in the story. However, McCarthy's point is to be made by the old sheriff cleaning up Chigur's mess. The gravity of McCarthy's message in this book is real and has helped shape my own view of the world. This book is violent, but nothing compared to Blood Meridian.

I also love the short stories of Hemingway. I have a complete set of his short works and often find refuge there when I only have a few minutes to read. it is amazing how quickly I am drawn in to even the shortest of his stories. The balance and ambiguity of The Short and Happy Life of Francis McComber are complete. I have read the story dozens of times and am always amazed by its construct.

More on books later.....