Fifteen Books

Finally, a Facebook quiz I can believe in. Hat tip to Joel Pearce. The rules are:

This can be a quick one, don't take too long to think about it. Come up with fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Tag 15 friends, including me because I'm interested in seeing what books my friends choose.

I will not tag 15 friends, sorry, but I'd love to know your list. Here is the list I came up with quickly, without much thought, in order to maintain honesty. I'm sure I'll regret certain books not being on this list. As with my circle of friends, most (not all) of these tend to be books I read early on during a foundational time in my life--there are many excellent books that should be here but did not enter my system early enough.

1. The Bible – and in particular, the burgundy bonded leather one that my mom gave me as a gift after I became a reluctant but joyful convert to Jesus Christ in 1988

2. Knowing God – J.I. Packer

3. How Long, O Lord? – D.A. Carson

4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams

5. Desiring God – John Piper

6. A Quest for Godliness – J.I. Packer

7. He is There and Is Not Silent – Francis Schaeffer

8. The Church Before the Watching World – Francis Schaeffer

9. Hackers – Stephen Levy

10. Peanuts (all of them) – Charles Schultz

11. Far Side (the first ¾ of them) – Gary Larson

12. Calvin and Hobbs (all of them) – Bill Watterson

13. Doonesbury (all of them prior to Garry Trudeau’s sabbatical in the mid-80s, after which he lost his sense of humor completely)

14. No Compromise – biography of Keith Green by his wife Melodie

15. The Resurrection of the Son of God - N.T. Wright