I had a transformation in my reading habits in college. I came across a book by John Eldredge called Sacred Romance. It’s a Christian book where Eldredge connects stories from the Gospel with some popular novels and authors. That connection made me interested in reading these original works. Through Sacred Romance I also began reading C.S. Lewis’ work. I had read some of the Chronicles of Narnia deep into the night by my fish tank light as a young child, but began reading his Christian apologetic works during college. C.S. Lewis was the reason I decided to study at Oxford University between my sophomore and junior years of college. That only increased my love of reading.
The first novel I read for fun was Crime & Punishment by Dostoyevsky. I was entranced. From there, I just started reading a lot of the classics. Moby Dick. The Scarlet Letter. The Brothers Karamazov.
When reading these novels, I noticed that I began learning a lot about myself and about the world around me. It’s one thing to read why you shouldn’t do something, but to see that action played out in a character’s life in a novel really puts it into perspective.
During college, I probably spent an equal time reading as I did completing homework. Since then, I’ve been an on/off reader but am attempting to make reading more of a priority. I still love novels and also spend time in biographies and business books.
Last year, I started reading books by the Presidents. I plan to continue that. I started with Bush (W.) and am working backward.
My latest book reviews will be listed on this page. I also plan to go back and write book reviews for books that have impacted me throughout my life.
