Oprah has hers, I’ll have mine: An update

Well, I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I made a reading list many months back and never updated my loyal but anonymous readers of my progress. Here are the books that I read and my thoughts:

• Chris Rose’s 1 Dead in Attic—I really enjoyed gaining the insight of an individual on the ground during the aftermath of the storm. Rose not only provided a taste of the difficulties in the wake of disaster, he also stood as a proud New Orleanian calling people not only to come home but also to invest with pride in their city. Though I really enjoyed the editorials, one would have to read the work as a newspaper—one article at a time. I feel as though the essays could have been arranged a little better, either chronologically or topically. I see he has another volume: 1 Dead in Attic: After Katrina. I will probably add it to my next reading list.
• Richard D. White, Jr.’s Kingfish: The reign of Huey P. Long—The life and political dealings of Huey Long are part of Louisiana’s storied past, setting the bar for corrupt politicians for generations to come. Many of the accolades were not unfamiliar, but White did an excellent job of presenting them. He also seemed to surmise that had Huey Long done a better job of appointing individuals to state positions he may have survived his assassination—the doctor he appointed to a top medical position probably led to his death because the physician did not complete the surgery needed to repair the gunshot wound. Again, White did a very good job of presenting the information as a very good story.
• Donald Miller’s Through Painted Deserts—Miller’s presentation is always excellent. I don’t always see the subjects he presents as he does, but he always does a very good job of presenting his view. This work describes his trip to the west coast. After reading this book, I read his To Own a Dragon. This book was extremely good. It is a must read for those who know and interact with a boy who has lost his father (either through death, divorce, or neglect). Miller describes his thoughts and needs growing-up without a father.
• John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart—This was an insightful book, but nothing spectacular. Eldredge does a good job of combining pertinent application with good exegesis to reinforce biblical truth. I don’t understand why this work would help one become a man and I don’t feel like more of a man since I read it; however, it is a good work and worth reading.
• R.G. Lee’s Payday Someday: And other sermons by Robert Greene Lee—I got the time to read this book. R.G. Lee was the pastor of First Baptist New Orleans and then Bellevue Baptist Church. His biblical based sermons are a historical dimension of Baptist history that I am glad I got to experience.
• John Piper’s The Pleasures of God and Let the Nations Be Glad—I had already read The Pleasures of God for my spiritual formation class. I did read Let the Nations Be Glad and this was a great and inspirational book. Piper describes how our fulfillment of the Great Commission is part of our Christian duty and relates how all of us, though we are not all vocational missionaries. He also explains that much of evangelism is spiritual warfare and how we must approach our work in the great commission as such. It is a must read for all Christians, in my humble opinion.
• Douglas Brinkley’s The Great Deluge—I did not read this work, nor did my father. It is a massive volume and I think it might be a while before either of us gets an opportunity to read this work.

So, I was 7 for 8; not bad, I must say. I hope you get an opportunity to read these books and I hope my thoughts help you prioritize your reading schedule. I am interested to learn if any of you have read these books and, if so, do you share my opinions or not. Also, let me know if you are thinking of reading one of these and why you would like to read it.