From Doug's Book Shelf

Summer is here and I love it. Yes, I know that for many the pace of summer can be almost busier than the rest of the year—and that's not as it should be (IMHO!). Even if your summer routine feels like it's crammed with too much activity and not enough sabbath time, most of us find some time to catch up on reading.

So I'm going to offer you a quick list of books I've read in the last year or so that might be of interest. None of these are "beach reads"—no doubt you have other sources for those page-turners! But one or more of these might be worth your time.

1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History — and How It Shattered a Nation, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Viking, 2025. I heard Sorkin interviewed on Preet Bharara's podcast. Sorkin writes for the New York Times and is a co-anchor of Squawk Box, CNBC's morning program. This is more than a history of the events leading to the crash; it's a deep dive into the lives of the major influencers of the era, both before and after. Even if you don't generally follow the stock market or the economy closely, you may find this fascinating.

Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times that Made Handel's Messiah, Charles King, Doubleday, 2024. Do we really need one more book about Messiah? Whether you will ever perform it with your church choir or not, this reads like a novel. The ups and downs of Handel's career make for fascinating reading. This also makes a lovely Christmas gift for your favorite church musician!

Our Ceremony of Love: The Meaning and Practice of Christian Worship, H. Stephen Shoemaker, Smyth & Helwys, 2025. If I could give only one book to a worship leader, it would be this one. This is the work of a theologian-pastor-musician who understands the relentless rhythms of weekly worship. Most books on worship are written either by academics who focus on theory or by clergy and musicians who focus on practice. Stephen Shoemaker bridges these perspectives, weaving together theology and practice — diving into both the why and the how of worship.

The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust, Francis S. Collins, Little, Brown and Company, 2024. Dr. Collins was the director of the National Institutes of Health and has written several books about science and faith. Here he grapples with the question: what is true, and how do we know? Collins unpacks profound topics without bogging down in jargon.

Wardrobes and Rings: Through Lenten Lands with the Inklings, Julia Golding, Malcolm Guite, and Simon Horobin, Canterbury Press, 2025. Okay, maybe this isn't exactly a summer read — tuck this title away for next Lent. These are daily readings from Ash Wednesday through Easter: reflections on scripture and the writings of the Inklings, that remarkable literary group at Oxford made up of C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and others.

May your summer be filled with good books, good music, and the rest your soul needs.