Here's what I've been reading (and writing)...

In 2009 I read a few interesting (and some not so interesting books...  I enjoy reading - sometimes it is because the book is worth reading, at other times I simply enjoy reading a particular book to understand what makes the author 'tick', or to better understand the perspective of the person who has recommended it to me).

So, here are a few of the books that I read in 2009.

Fun

These are the books I read when I want to 'get my mind off work' - you can see that there are quite a lot of them!  For years, when I was busy with my doctoral research, I was forced to read with a narrow field (neuroscience, consciousness studies and theology).  Now that I no longer have to read to complete a research project, I turn to whatever takes my fancy.  Most of these books are read while I'm traveling, or when I can't sleep.

• 'Ringworld' by Larry Niven - this is a classic sci-fi book.  I enjoyed it a great deal.  It is getting a little dated, but it was wonderfully entertaining and a great distraction from some of the other serious books I was reading.
• 'Made in America: An informal history of the English language in the United States' by Bill Bryson.  I love Bryson's books!  He writes with intelligence and humour, and this book was no exception.  It was filled with incredible facts and gave me a real insight into the formation of American English (yes, by this I mean the dialect of English that is spoken by North Americans).  But it also offered some wonderful insight into the history and cultural development of the most powerful nation on earth (with all of the quirks, struggles, and abuses that come from holding that responsibility on the globe).  I would highly recommend this book.
• 'The lost symbol' by Dan Brown.  I love reading Dan Brown's books.  I like the pace with which he writes, and his style appeals to the conspiracy theorist inside of me!  Some folks didn't enjoy this book.  I thought it was great.
• 'Confessions of an economic hitman' by John Perkins.  This was another interesting book.  I'm not sure how true it is.  It was interesting, and I can certainly see how greed would drive persons (and nations) to enslave others for their own interests.  I have certainly seen how African nations have been enslaved by foreign debt and how much of our natural and human resources get channeled out of Africa to repay foreign nations for so called 'development'.
• 'The year of living biblically' by AJ Jacobs.  This was one of the funniest and most entertaining books I read last year!  It was wonderful to see how a secular person (who does not have an anti-theist agenda) views the faith!  AJ Jacobs was so sincere in his desire to try and live by the 'rules' of the Bible, and the consequences were hilarious.  This is a must read!  It deepened my faith and helped me to reflect a great deal on my own religious convictions and spirituality.
• 'London:  The biography, street life and the people' by Peter Ackroyd.  This was another very interesting historical book!  I so enjoyed learning about London.  It is one of my favourite cities, it is so cosmopolitan and has such a rich history!  I would encourage any person who is heading to London to read this book before leaving.
• 'Outliers'  by Malcolm Gladwell - this must be one of the best books I've ever read!  I love Gladwell's style and his approach!  This book is filled with obscure facts and interesting data.  I found his conclusions somewhat selective and at times quite speculative.  However, they were always entertaining.  I bought all of Gladwell's books (except Tipping Point which is not available in Africa!)
• 'What the dog saw'  by Malcolm Gladwell.  This was the least interesting of his books so far.  It seems to be a collection of essays from his Newspaper column.  I am enjoying it (I have not yet finished reading it), but less than the other Gladwell books.
• 'Blunder'  by Zachary Shore.  This books was interesting, although it lacked the pace and finesse of Gladwell's books (it is in the same genre, although from the perspective of a military historian).  It traces how and why smart people make bad decisions. 
• 'Blink'  by Malcolm Gladwell.  I enjoyed this book a lot as well.  Again, it has lots of interesting data and obscure facts about how persons make decisions (both good and bad decisions).
• 'Story  by Robert McKee.  This is a classic text for any person who writes, does public speaking, or has to share information in a manner that will both entertain and inform an audience.  It was filled with practical examples from the world of script writing.  I would recommend this work for preachers - it could just help us all to deliver better sermons!

Inspiration and faith

These books are the ones that I read because I feel I need them - they help me to grow spiritually and intellectually. Some of them were read a review books for journals (I am a reviewer for the Church History society's journal Studia historiae ecclesiasticae.  I enjoy these reviews since I get a copy of each book that I review to keep.  Moreover, I am forced to read wider than my personal interests (which stretches me and creates new interests).  Lastly, having reviews published in successive journals is a good way to remain up to date in the academy (and one gets research points for such publications, very few, but still there is some recognition).  You'll notice that many of the books are books written by friends (like Wessel and John).  Some of the books are not in keeping with my own theological perspective... These are normally books that I am asked to read and review for someone else, or to give an opinion or insight on.

• '28 days of prayer during financial crisis' by Wessel Bentley.  My friend Wessel wrote this sterling set of reflections - how I wish he had the 'might' of a large publishing house behind this project!  It deserves to be read, distributed, and made available across South Africa and the world.  It is well written, it is free from trite advice and bad theology.  I loved it!  I am glad for the support that Africa Upper Room has given him with this project, but as I say, I would love the book to get introduced to a wider audience.  Please visit http://www.wesselsplace.blogspot.com to read about Wessel and get a copy of this book.
• 'The notion of mission in Karl Barth's ecclesiology' by Wessel Bentley (pre publication).  I had the joy of reading a pre-publication electronic copy of this book (which was Wessel's PhD, picked up by Cambridge scholars press).  As you can expect, it is a superb theological text - it challenged me to think deeply about my own perspectives on mission and ministry.  This is a must read for any missiologist or Barthian scholar.
• 'SHE book reviews (Biko, development, Cornels books)
• 'You were made for this' by Bruce Wilkinson.  I try to read all of Bruce's books as they come out.  He is a good writer and his books sell well (which means that many of the people I minister to will buy copies and read them.  Best I am prepared before they are!).  I enjoyed this book, and in fact it has impacted by approach to ministering to others.  There are some areas in which I did not agree entirely with the theology of inspiration and the theology of wealth and money.  However, it is worth reading and it inspired me to be much more generous and flexible in my giving.
• 'Not by might, nor by Power'  by Graham Power with Diane Vermooten.  This is the story of the Global Day of Prayer - I am constantly amazed when I read about these events all over the world.  This  is one of the most inspiring and encouraging South African Christian books I've ever read.  I first read it in pre publication, and then had to re-read it several times as it went through the editorial process.  Most of my family and colleagues have copies of this book since I give it as a gift frequently.  It is worth reading!  You can get copies from http://www.globaldayofprayer.com
• 'The legacy of Stephen Biko:  Theological challenges'  by Cornel du Toit (ed).  This book was an inspiring reminder of how far South Africa has come since the dark years of Apartheid.  As with all of Cornel's books, this one had some very deep and challenging theological reflection.  The chapters for the book came from conference papers - some were more scholarly than others, all were worth reading.
• 'Imitating Jesus: An inclusive approach to New Testament Ethics' by Richard Burridge.  This was an exceptional book!  Perhaps one of the best books on ethics in general, and New Testament ethics in particular, that I have ever read!  I loved the approach and particularly appreciated Burridge's thorough analysis of New Testament ethics in the South African context.
• 'Seasons in theology:  Inroads of postmodernism, reference and representation' by Cornel du Toit.  This was a very dense and complex book.  It was a reworked compendium of numerous of Cornel's best academic papers.  For the serious theologian this is a must!  However, for anyone else it may be heavy going!  It is technical, crosses disciplines (particularly, theology, science, and philosophy) and the subject matter is challenging to say the least.  It assumes a great deal of theological and philosophical education.  It would make a good reader for pre-doctoral research students who want a good overview of varying approaches to theology through the ages.
• 'Viewed from the shoulders of God:  Themes in science and theology' by Cornel du Toit.  This is a must have book for any theologian who is interested in natural science.  Cornel is arguably one of the most astute and thorough theologians in this area.  This book is another compilation of various scholarly articles (among them are some that have won awards for research).  This is a good reference work that also has enough depth to keep the advanced researcher interested.
• 'A twenty yard stroll' by John Baillie.  This was a  good read.  I have enjoyed John's books.  This one was no exception.
• 'What is a good life? An introduction to Christian ethics in 21st century Africa'  edited by Wessel Bentley, Andre van Niekerk and Liouse Kretzschmar.  This is an absolute MUST have book for ministers and theologians!  It covers the basics of ethics, from methodology to specific ethical issues.  Among the authors are numerous top notch scholars, and some younger 'emerging' scholars (such as myself).  Please see http://www.wesselsplace.blogspot.com to get a copy of this book.  If you're an ethics student at UNISA it is the current prescribed text-book.
• Lastly, I supervised one Masters student (homeopathy and theology), and examined two Masters students and three PhD's in 2009.  Only one of them had to resubmit some revisions.  I currently have three PhD's to examine and on Masters student - once again, this is great work since it forces me to read outside of my regular area, plus the research is often quite fresh and novel!

On my 'to read' list

• Badass, The happiness project, tipping point...

I own copies of these books and am busy reading them at the moment. 

My reading has been curtailed a little in the last while since I am under a heavy deadline for a book that I am writing that will be launched in May 2010 by Struik Publishers!  This is my first 'popular' book with a big name publisher!  So, please do keep an eye on this space!

What I've been writing

I have been keeping my pen on paper this year as well.

• I have two journal articles awaiting publication (one in HTS and another in the UK journal 'Theology').  These are currently under review so I will share details as soon as I'm able to.
• I wrote three chapters on HIV/AIDS (one for a Methodist book by Epworth press in the UK, another for a book on mission and social justice in the USA, and a third one for a book by my friend Joerg Rieger in the USA).  These will all be published in 2010.
• I did three magazine articles (two for 'Today' magazine, and one for 'Joy!'), as well as a few Newspaper inserts for 'New Hart'.
• I wrote the chapter on the Bible and same sex relationships for the ethics text-book 'What is a good life' (see above).
• I delivered two papers (one on the emerging Church conversation at the Hugh Price Hughes lectures in England in March), and another paper on the environment and African theology at the Theological Society meetings in Stellenbosch in June.
• I leave for Beirut in Lebanon (!) in a few weeks time to attend the Lausanne Theological Working Group meetings where I shall deliver a paper on HIV AIDS, suffering, justice and poverty (that paper has already been written and sent).

Let's hope that 2010 is as productive as 2009!  I often get asked how I manage to write and read so much... The answer is quite simple, I sleep less than most people!  I have a 'day job' that keeps me very busy, plus I am deeply committed to my family, I enjoy cycling, and I belong to my local Church (with a forum group).  All of these things bring balance and help me to keep my theology and thoughts grounded.