Thanks! I’m currently plodding through Infinite Jest. It’s dense and a bit hard to follow. It’s like a continuous string of vignettes that don’t seemingly connect until they finally do. 300 pages in now!
Great list here. Definitely wasn't aware of quite a few of these books. Also your review of Against the Machine looks sharp. Glad to be introduced to your work!
Thanks for the encouragement, Sam! I'm realizing that it really is a matter of the generosity of attention that good fiction requires. Since we are trained to snack and nibble on crumbs, it requires counter-formation!
I read "For Such a Time as This: An Emergency Devotional" by Hanna Reichel twice this year, once on my own and then with a small group. It is described as "a guide for ordinary Christians seeking to live faithfully in extraordinary times." You can find a study guide for the book at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1kHuzX5rrJ3xB8RfKblvOwOPNc-XkXIKG
Wow! What a comprehensive list! Against the Machine topped my list for 2025 for sure.
https://open.substack.com/pub/andrew756864/p/what-im-reading-and-why-january-2026?r=fx017&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
Great list! I made it about 100 pages into Infinite Jest a few years ago and it has been taunting me ever since. Glad to be connected!
Thanks! I’m currently plodding through Infinite Jest. It’s dense and a bit hard to follow. It’s like a continuous string of vignettes that don’t seemingly connect until they finally do. 300 pages in now!
Woah! Small world—I love when work connections show up on Substack! You’re like the twentieth person who’s mentioned Orbital. I need to read it.
Glad to be connected here, Drew. Yes, Orbital is worth the read.
Great list here. Definitely wasn't aware of quite a few of these books. Also your review of Against the Machine looks sharp. Glad to be introduced to your work!
Ross, can I send you my new book? All I need is an address.
Sure, I’d be honored! I’ll dm you.
As someone who loves theology and avoided fiction for all the reasons you stated. Keep reading fiction it’s changed how I preach and how I write.
Thanks for the encouragement, Sam! I'm realizing that it really is a matter of the generosity of attention that good fiction requires. Since we are trained to snack and nibble on crumbs, it requires counter-formation!
I read "For Such a Time as This: An Emergency Devotional" by Hanna Reichel twice this year, once on my own and then with a small group. It is described as "a guide for ordinary Christians seeking to live faithfully in extraordinary times." You can find a study guide for the book at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1kHuzX5rrJ3xB8RfKblvOwOPNc-XkXIKG
Thanks for sharing, Terry. I'll check it out.