As summer approaches, I like to pull out a few books and plan my summer reading. While I usually share my reading list in June, I thought it might be helpful for those who are already planning to see what they could dig into.
Here are a few books I’m looking forward to reading:
Alan Noble, On Getting Out of Bed (IVP)
Life will be overwhelming at some point. In the face of suffering – whether physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual – we need the resources to help us keep going when we don’t feel like we can. How can we find strength to be Christ’s witness when we don’t feel like we can get out of bed in the morning?
Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation (Penguin Press)
While not a Christian book, Jonathan Haidt considers the effect that smartphones may be having on our children. Society is beginning to reexamine the use of the smartphone and consider why rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide has risen so sharply. As Ontario schools move to remove the use of smartphones from the classroom in fall 2024, this might be a timely read.
Jean Twenge, Generations (Atria Books)
Sometimes it is hard to understand why people think the way they do. Most people have assumed that what makes each generation (Boomers, GenZ, Millenials) different are the major events. Jean Twenge (writing from a secular perspective) helpfully analyzes data that reflects something quite different: technology changes the way we view the world. By reflecting on how technology changes us, Twenge presents data to show why every generation has different views on things like politics, sexuality, marriage, mental health, and other significant influencers.
A. J. Swoboda, The Gift of Thorns (Zondervan)
Follow your heart. You do you. Our desires have become paramount in the search for meaning and satisfaction. How should we understand our desires from a Christian perspective? By tracing the theme of “thorns” in the Bible, Swoboda seeks to unpack how we can deal with life when we don’t get what we want – and discover that might be a great blessing.
