Books I Read in 2023
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.
Francis Bacon
British philosopher Francis Bacon was a lover of books. As such, he was a critical reader—as the quote attests. The remainder of that quote is an explanation of what he means to taste, swallow, and chew a book: “that is, some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.” This has been true of my reading this year. Some have been tasted and put aside, some have been swallowed whole, and some have been chewed and digested. I won’t distinguish in this list which ones have had a bite or two taken out of them, which ones went down without savoring, and which ones were a real meal. I’ve learned long ago that one man’s filet mignon is another man’s gruel. I simply offer this list as the books that passed before my intellectual palate in 2023 (in order read). You might find something on this list that whets your appetite for 2024. But if not, I hope you’ll find a feast waiting for you in the books you choose. Happy New Year, y’all—and happy reading.
Everything Sad is Untrue, Daniel Nayeri
What Every Christian Should Know: 10 Core Beliefs for Standing Strong in a Shifting World, Robert Jeffress
The Duel, Joseph Conrad
I Meant to Kill Ye: Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, Stephanie Reents
Western Words: A Dictionary of the Old West, Ramon F. Adams
Laws That Liberate, Bill Hybels
Roots of Freedom: A Primer on Modern Liberty, John W. Danford
Blood Meridian, Or the Evening Redness in the West, Cormac McCarthy
At the Birth of Texas: The Diary of William Fairfax Gray, 1835–1838, William Fairfax Gray
The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan, Elliot Ackerman
The Wonky Donkey, Craig Smith & Katz Cowley
The Passenger, Cormac McCarthy
The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin
Rembrandt Is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art Through the Eyes of Faith, Russ Ramsey
The Family Izquierdo, Rubén Degollado
The Pastor’s Bookshelf: Why Reading Matters for Ministry, Austin Carty
Notes from Underground, Fyodor Dostoevsky
Elmer Kelton and West Texas: A Literary Relationship, Judy Alter
Rome Reconstructed, Giuliana Coletta
The Pocket Guide to Oxford, Philip Atkins and Michael Johnson
The Really Useful Guide to Kings and Queens of England, Sarah Kilby (ed.)
The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, David Grann
The Aviator, Eugene Vodolazkin
How to be a Patriotic Christian: Love of Country as Love of Neighbor, Richard J. Mouw
Unstoppable Power: The Study of the Book of Acts 1–12, Robert Jeffress (with Derrick G. Jeter)
The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, Arthur Bennett
A Book of Photographs from Lonesome Dove, Bill Whittliff
The Cowman & His Code of Ethics, Ramon F. Adams
Mysteries of the End Times: 5 Little Known Truths About God’s Plans for the Future, Robert Jeffress (with Derrick G. Jeter)
The Cowman & His Philosophy, Ramon F. Adams
Stella Maris, Cormac McCarthy
The 10: How to Live and Love in a World That Has Lost Its Way, Robert Jeffress (with Derrick G. Jeter)
Pastures of the Empty Page: Fellow Writers on the Life and Legacy of Larry McMurtry, George Getschow, ed.
Paradise, Larry McMurtry
Blood Memory: The Tragic Decline and Improbably Resurrection of the American Buffalo, Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns
You Can Pray Big Things, Julia Jeffress Sadler
Foster, Claire Keegan
The Old-Time Cowhand, Ramon F. Adams
Lincoln & Churchill: Statesmen at War, Lewis E. Lehrman
Are We Living in the End Times? Biblical Answers to 7 Questions About the Future, Robert Jeffress
Butcher’s Crossing, John Williams
The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man, David Von Drehle
Mr. Texas, Lawrence Wright
Humility: The Secret History of a Lost, Virtue, Christopher M. Bellitto
Sentences from Seneca, Seneca the Younger (trans. Ted Gioia)