Tag: books

Turning the Page Again: 26 Books I Plan to Read in 2026

On By barrysnotesLeave a comment

When I retired and moved to the lake last year, one of my goals was to engage in more golf, more fishing, more travel, more writing, and more reading. I am making slow but steady progress toward each of these goals, but especially in my practice of reading.

The turning of a new year offers a quiet but meaningful invitation to pause, reflect, and look ahead. For me, one of the most helpful ways to do that is by immersing myself in reading. Books have a way of slowing us down, sharpening our thinking, stretching our faith, and reminding us that we are not alone in our questions or our hope.

Fran Lebowitz advised, “Think before you speak. Read before you think.” When I was a young minister, a wiser and older pastor counseled me to pray regularly, study thoroughly, read widely, and think critically. These disciplines helped me grow as a pastor, a preacher, and most importantly, as a person.

This year’s reading list reflects a desire to read both widely and wisely: books that nourish the soul, illuminate the cultural moment, deepen vocational clarity, and engage my mind with well-told stories. Some books will challenge my assumptions. Others will comfort, provoke, or simply entertain. All, I trust, will help to keep my mind sharp and my perspective fresh.

Here are 26 books I hope to read in the coming year, arranged thematically rather than alphabetically:

Faith, Formation, and the Interior Life

  1. What Grows in Weary Lands: On Christian Resilience by Tish Harrison Warren. A timely reflection on sustaining faith in fragile and exhausting times.
  2. Good News at Rock Bottom: Finding God When the Pain Goes Deep and Hope Seems Lost by Ray Ortlund. A hopeful word of grace for those who find themselves at the end of themselves.
  3. Witness to Belief: Conversations on Faith and Meaning by Russ Levenson Jr. Thoughtful conversations that model gracious, honest engagement with faith written by my former neighboring pastor from Pensacola.
  4. The Body Teaches the Soul: Ten Essential Habits to Form a Healthy and Holy Life by Justin Whitmil Earley. An embodied vision of spiritual formation.
  5. Sacred Attachment: Escaping Spiritual Exhaustion and Trusting Divine Love by Michael John Cusick. A compassionate exploration of spiritual fatigue.
  6. Nervous Systems: Spiritual Practices to Calm Anxiety in Your Body, the Church, and Politics by Sara Billups. Insightful guidance for minimizing anxiety in the important aspects of life.
  7. Slow Theology: Eight Practices for Resilient Faith in a Turbulent World by A. J. Swoboda & Nijay K. Gupta. Speaks into navigating cultural chaos at a healthy pace.
  8. The Speed of Soul: Four Rhythms for Quiet Life in a World of Noise by Tommy Brown. Four rhythms for cultivating quiet amid constant commotion.
  9. Life Is Hard. God Is Good. Let’s Dance: Experiencing Real Joy in a World Gone Mad by Brant Hansen. An honest, hopeful invitation to joy in challenging times..
  10. Winter Grief, Summer Grace: Returning to Life After Loved One Dies by James Miller. A tender companion for those navigating loss and return to life.

Vocation, Ministry, and Leadership

  1. Losership: The Door to a Joyful Life by Bill Shiell. A countercultural vision of leadership rooted in humility and grace.
  2. When Church Hurts by Rose Townsend. Naming pain in the church while holding space for healing.
  3. Some of the Words Are Theirs: The Art of Writing and Living a Sermon by Austin Carty. A beautiful meditation on preaching, writing, and faithful living by my friend and former pastor of the First Baptist Church of Corbin, Kentucky.
  4. You Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the Good, True, and Beautiful by Karen Swallow Prior. A rich exploration of vocation grounded in the positive and virtuous things in life.
  5. The View from the Rocking Chair: Living Intentionally for What Matters Most by Matt McGee. Reflections on living with purpose and significance.

Culture, History, and the Public Square

  1. The American Religious Landscape: Facts, Trends, and the Future by Ryan Burge. Essential insights into faith metrics shaping contemporary America.
  2. American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union by Jon Meacham, ed. An anthology examining civic responsibility.
  3. The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage by Richard Rohr.  Spiritual insights for navigating this season of life.
  4. An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960’s by Doris Kearns Goodwin. A historical reflection on the 1960s and community engagement.

Memoir and Story

  1. Surrender by Bono. A candid memoir exploring faith, music, activism, and humility.
  2. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. A beautifully written novel about grief, faith, and belonging.

Fiction: The Power of Story

  1. The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly. A legal saga exploring the ethics of artificial intelligence and the consequences of its misuse.
  2. Nash Falls by David Baldacci. An FBI agent’s life is turned upside down when he tries to bring down a global crime network.
  3. The Widow by John Grisham. A legal thriller woven with social tension.
  4. The Boomerang by Robert Bailey. Fast-paced storytelling about politics and mountain culture in northeast Alabama.
  5. Gone Before Goodbye by Harlan Coben and Reese Witherspoon. A suspenseful exploration of secrets, loss, and resilience.

Taken together, this list reflects a desire not merely to read more books, but to listen for wisdom, to stay curious, and to live fully. Mortimer Adler aptly observed, “Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life.”

Turning the page is more than a literary act; it is a spiritual posture. It is a proactive step toward spiritual, emotional, and intellectual growth.

So, here’s to another year of good books and the insights they offer along the way.

Cold Mountain: Where History, Folklore, and Storytelling Meet

On By barrysnotes1 Comment

It’s been almost 20 years since my first visit to Springdale Golf Course. On my first trip there, the starter pointed toward a nearby mountain peak and said, “That’s Cold Mountain.” Then he cast his hand across the panorama of the community and added, “And this is where the story took place.”

Yesterday, I joined a group of friends at what is now the Springdale Golf Resort. I recalled my first introduction to Cold Mountain, and I revisited the progression of how the story, the novel, and the movie evolved.

Rising over 6,000 feet in the Pisgah National Forest of western North Carolina, Cold Mountain is a peak rich with both natural beauty and cultural significance. Located about 15 miles southeast of Waynesville, its rugged slopes have watched over centuries of Appalachian life. Long before it became famous in literature and film, Cold Mountain was home to Cherokee hunters, later to pioneer families who farmed its foothills, and eventually to soldiers who marched off to fight in the Civil War.

It was that Civil War heritage that inspired Charles Frazier’s 1997 novel, Cold Mountain. Frazier, a native of the region, based the story loosely on family history and local lore. His tale follows W.P. Inman, a wounded Confederate soldier who deserts the battlefield and makes a dangerous trek homeward. His journey mirrors the experiences of many disillusioned soldiers of the time, while his beloved Ada Monroe, left behind to manage her late father’s farm, embodies the resilience of Appalachian women. The novel, steeped in historical detail and place-based authenticity, went on to win the National Book Award and cemented Cold Mountain’s place in American literary imagination.

Hollywood soon took notice. In 2003, director Anthony Minghella adapted the novel into the film Cold Mountain, starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renée Zellweger. While the story is set in Haywood County, North Carolina, the filmmakers chose Romania as the primary shooting location. Why Romania? Its unspoiled landscapes better resembled the 19th-century Appalachians than the modernized North Carolina mountains, and the cost of filming abroad was considerably lower. Still, the production team worked hard to capture the spirit of the Blue Ridge, consulting historians and even drawing on Appalachian music traditions for the soundtrack, which featured performances by Alison Krauss and Jack White.

The film proved a success, grossing over $173 million worldwide and receiving seven Academy Award nominations. Renée Zellweger won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her unforgettable role as the feisty Ruby Thewes. Beyond the accolades, the movie rekindled interest in the real Cold Mountain, drawing visitors from around the world who wanted to glimpse the peak that inspired the novel and film.

Today, Cold Mountain remains a powerful symbol. It can be summited only by a strenuous 10.6-mile hike via the Art Loeb Trail, but it can also be admired from overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Whether encountered on foot, in the pages of Frazier’s novel, on the silver screen, or viewed from the nearby golf course, Cold Mountain continues to evoke themes of perseverance, homecoming, and hope. It is both a real place and an inspiring narrative, a reminder that local folks in local communities have some of the best stories to tell.