Booklists and Bookshelves

Although I read more in kindergarten than I have in the last month (having a child causes “adjustments” in one’s reading schedule…), I still consider myself a bit of a bibliophile. While my love of books is scrupulous (I never, ever write in my books–not even my Bible!), something I love almost as much are book lists.

I love seeing what other people read and recommend. For example, Joshua Sowin points to an update of Desiring God Ministries’ booklist—which is a hefty, nutritional list that ranks among the best I’ve seen.

I remember the excitement I had when I found musician Michael Card’s book list on the internet way back in 1997. In a time when I was hungry for good books to read in my personal, extra-curricular study but had few resources, Card’s list provided a great starting point.

Albert Mohler’s annual list of “Top Ten Books Every Preacher Should Read” is always helpful as well. A highlight of my seminary career was touring Dr. Mohler’s personal library of some 25,000+ volumes. It put Barnes and Noble to shame, and aroused feelings of covetousness from within my soul.

Even if a person doesn’t have a recommended reading list, I always find it enlightening to peruse the contents of their bookshelves. I can usually learn a lot about a person from what’s on their shelves, although one must careful in forming judgments from what is on the bookrack—most everybody some pork on the shelf. Perhaps what would be most telling are the books stored away in a closet that don’t make the cut for the bookshelf…