Review: Lit! by Tony Reinke

COMING SEPTEMBER 2011

People have been communicating profound truths through written words for thousands of years. Countless books grace the shelves of libraries, bookstores, and homes throughout the world, and while not all are good or should even be read, many give readers great insight into the world around us and the Creator behind it all. LIT! A CHRISTIAN GUIDE TO READING BOOKS by Tony Reinke is a call to Christ followers to take up the discipline of reading great books to experience truth in profound and engaging ways.

Reinke separates books into two categories:
1. The Bible, and
2. All other books
For the Christian, the Bible mist be primary, and we must let it shape our worldview so that we'll have the discernment to recognize truth that should be embraced in books that we read and reject error anything that might pull us away from the heart of God. Reinke makes the case that truth isn't engaged only in Christian books. "Book reading...is an invitation to commune with God," Reinke tells us, and the opportunity to commune with God can be found in all sorts of books.

Reinke tackles how our sinful spiritual condition affects how we read and how the gospel reshapes our perspective. He gives some great guidelines on how to read both non-fiction and fiction books.

One of the best chapters on the book covers developing priorities on what we read. As a voracious reader, I know I needed to read this section. I also loved the chapter on writing and highlighting in books in order retain more of what we've read.

The book is written to inspire reading in those who don't like to read, although people who don't like to read may not even want to pick this book up. Still, if non-readers can read through this book, there's plenty to inspire a lifetime of reading. The book is great for those who already enjoy reading, and it will help them to be more discerning and more efficient in their reading.

I received this book for free from Crossway through NetGalley.com