Brotherly Wisdom: Lewis on Your Reading List


"It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between."
-C.S. Lewis in his introduction to St. Athanasius' De Incarnatione Verbi Dei

Last year I decided to put into practice the brotherly wisdom shared by Dr. Lewis. This advice works well for me, since I treat books much like a multi-course meal. I cannot move on to one course until I've completely finished the previous one. (There was one exception to this rule in 2010...sorry, Sam.) My experience in doing this was wonderful, and I highly recommend it to everyone. Four suggestions I would make coming out of 2010:
1. Read the Bible cover-to-cover in a relatively short period of time. I read it during Lent (40 days, plus Sundays), which amounted to 22 pages/day in my NIV thinline Bible. There are tons of reading plans out there, Chronological, Biographical, Topical, etc., but cover-to-cover, or you might say Canonical, can't be beat. I believe there is a reason the Bible is bound the way it is.
2. Use free resources for the older books. Most older books are in the public domain, which means the text itself is free. As a result websites like ccel.org can offer them free of charge.
3. Utilize your commute. Listening to books can be a beneficial way to pass the time in the car or at the gym, and can actually make the time pass more quickly. Christianaudio.com offers a free download of a professionally produced audiobook every month. Librivox.org has a huge audio library of public domain literature (read by amateurs) for free.
4. Broaden your definition of "old." I once heard a friend refer to the Puritan Era (400 years ago) as "the Early Church." This would be the equivalent of a 70 year old man referring to his late 50's as his childhood. Folks, our family tree is a lot taller than we think, and honestly, things are a lot flimsier out on the limbs. The branches are much stronger closer to the trunk, and we do well to spend some time there.

Below are the books I read in 2010, in order (I think):
Origen, On First Principles (I think I started this one in 2009)
Hans Georg Gadamer, Truth and Method
The Holy Spirit, The Bible
Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies
J.I. Packer, Knowing God (Summer Staff book)
Joshua Harris, Dug Down Deep (TAG Team book)
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Audiobook)
Kevin DeYoung, Just Do Something
Jaroslav Pelikan, The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600)
Daniel Treier, Introducing Theological Interpretation of Scripture
Augustine of Hippo, On Christian Doctrine (Audiobook)
Robert Letham, The Holy Trinity
John Calvin, Of Prayer and the Christian Life (Audiobook)
Justin Martyr, First Apology
Justin Martyr, Second Apology

*It may appear that I failed to keep Lewis' standard, but if you consider that the work by Origen actually consists of four books, and the work of Irenaeus five, I actually came out a little heavy on the old book side.

What did you read this year? What recommendations do you have for 2011?