I love reading books, but I also love reading reviews of books. Reviews allow me to discover books I haven't heard of, they teach me to think wisely, they allow me to better prioritize the books I am considering reading, and they sometimes provide a helpful second opinion on books I have already read. For all of those reasons I publish occasional round-ups of reviews written by other writers. Here are a few notable links I’ve collected recently:

Saving Eutychus: How To Preach God's Word And Keep People Awake by Gary Millar and Phil Campbell. Reviewed by Mez McConnell. McConnell has a somewhat lighthearted but very positive review of this book, one I have also read, reviewed and recommended. "So my Assistant Pastor bought this for my last week with the quip: 'Saw this and immediately thought of you.' He wasn't laughing so much as I pushed him out of the nearest window when he wasn't looking. First off, great title or what! I immediately liked the look of it just from that. If a book can hook you on the title alone then the publisher has done a great job. The downside of a tagline that promises to show us 'how to preach God's word and keep people awake' is that these guys better be good! Failure to deliver would be an epic fail. Based on the real life biblical account of Acts 20, this book is only 8 chapters long and contains two helpful appendices at the end (obviously)." (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Weakness is the Way by J.I. Packer. Reviewed by Gloria Furman. "Even just the title of this book flies my heart straight to Jesus, kindling afresh my desire to see him as he is. I'm reminded each day that only God's strength can sustain and empower me for service, yet I'm tempted to desire worldly strength. JI Packer's new book, Weakness is the Way: Life with Christ Our Strength, emboldens those beset with weaknesses with the truth that our human frailty becomes real spiritual strength in and through Christ alone. Teaching from passages in 2 Corinthians, Packer describes 'life with Christ our strength.' In typical Packer fashion, this book draws the reader through the scriptural defense of an idea and hurls you into your daily mundane with a glorious picture of who God is." (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

What We Talk About When We Talk About God by Rob Bell. Reviewed by Michael Kruger. "Bell’s book ... functions a lot like the Apple vs. Microsoft commercial that was popular a number of years ago. Microsoft was represented by an out of shape, poorly dressed geek, while Apple was represented by a thin, hip, well-dressed urbanite. In effect, Bell is arguing that God is not like Microsoft. He is more like Apple. God is relevant. He can keep up with the times. Unfortunately, being an apologist for the faith does not always lead one to uphold the faith.  Indeed, there is a long history of folks who have sought to defend Christianity from critical attacks by simply changing the problematic portions of the faith. In other words, apologetics is not always about defending what we believe, but is sometimes about modifying what we believe.  Apologetics is sometimes about giving Christianity an extreme makeover."

I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Of all the books I have received recently, here are the ones that appear most noteworthy.

Pocket Dictionary Reformed Tradition by Kelly M. Kapic & Wesley Vander Lugt. According to the publisher, “Beginning to study Reformed theology is like stepping into a family conversation that has been going on for five hundred years. How do you find your bearings and figure out how to take part in this conversation without embarrassing yourself? The Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition takes on this rich, boisterous and varied tradition in its broad contours, filling you in on its common affirmations as well as its family tensions. Here you will find succinct and reliable entries on…” a whole series of theological terms and controversies, important names and councils, and so on. “The Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition is ready to assist you over the rough parts of readings, lectures, conversations and blogs. It will also be a companionable and concise introduction to one of the great Christian traditions.” (Learn more or buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Name above All Names by Sinclair Ferguson and Alistair Begg. Alistair Begg and Sinclair Ferguson. Do we need to say a whole lot more than that? “Jesus Christ has been given the name above all names, the highest seat of honor, the right to reign and rule. Yet the busyness of our lives and the diversions of this world often distract us from knowing the most important person we could ever know. Perhaps we need some help to see Jesus afresh. In this thoughtful study and worshipful reflection, two influential pastors draw on decades of pastoral experience in order to guide us through the whole sweep of Scripture and examine seven key qualities of Jesus's identity and ministry. Name above All Names helps us to see and meditate on the incomparable character of Christ—a spiritual exercise that enables us to readily respond to the exhortations of Scripture, to focus our gaze upon the King of kings, and to better understand just how great Jesus really is.” (Learn more or buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Sex and Money by Paul David Tripp. “Pleasure. We live in a world obsessed with finding it, passionate to enjoy it, and desperate to maintain it. Chief among such pleasures are sex and money—two pleasures unrivaled in their power to captivate our attention, demand our worship, and drive us to hide or to despair. You don't have to look far to see that we are in big trouble in both areas. Many of us see the battle. We feel the strain of the war. And we are eager for freedom in a world gone mad. Seasoned counselor and pastor Paul David Tripp pulls back the curtain on the lies that surround us and on the distortions we often overlook. As Tripp thoughtfully exposes the insanity of our culture, he also wisely speaks to our own tendencies to fall prey to sexual and financial idolatry. Sex and Money ultimately directs us to God's Word and the liberating power of the gospel, offering real-world advice, and giving us the guidance we need to find true joy and enduring satisfaction.” (Learn more or buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Fanny Crosby: The Blind Girl’s Song by Lucille Travis. Trailblazers is an excellent series of biographies for young readers and the most recent volume is on the hymnwriter Fanny Crosby. If it is consistent with the rest of the volumes, it will be a great addition to the series and one to consider for the kids. (Learn more or buy it at Amazon)

Series Introduction: I live in a small house. I work in a small office in a small church. For those reasons and others I will never have a huge library. When I add a book I almost always remove a book, a practice that allows me to focus on quality over quantity. Over the past couple of years I have focused on building a collection of commentaries that will include only the best volumes on each book of the Bible. I know when I’m in way over my head, so before I began I collected every good resource I could find that rated and reviewed commentaries. I studied them and then began my collection on the basis of what the experts told me. Since I did all of that work, and since I continue to keep up with the project, I thought it might be helpful to share the recommendations.

My focus is on newer commentaries (at least in part because most of the classics are now freely or cheaply available) and I am offering approximately 5 recommendations for each book of the Bible, alternating between the Old Testament and the New. Today I have turned to the experts to find what they say about 1 & 2 Samuel.

1 & 2 Samuel

Dale Ralph Davis - 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel (Focus on the Bible). Dale Ralph Davis has written fantastic commentaries on many of the historical books of the Old Testament, 1 & 2 Samuel among them. (As an aside, I was excited to see in a recent catalog that he’ll also be providing Daniel for the BST series.) While they are written at such a level that they are accessible for the general reader, they are very helpful for pastors as well. Truly, if you are going to preach Samuel, you will definitely want to have access to them. (Amazon: 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel; Westminster Books: 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel).

David T. Tsumura - The First Book of Samuel (New International Commentary on the Old Testament). Tsumura’s commentary on 1 Samuel was published in 2007; the NICOT still does not have a volume on 2 Samuel, though apparently Tsumura continues to work on it. Keith Mathison recommends this commentary and says, “It is very well written and very thorough. Tsumura's expertise in the languages of the ancient Near East is evident throughout.” He suggests as well that when the second volume is complete the set “will likely be the standard scholarly commentary on these books for many years.” (Amazon, Westminster Books)

Richard Phillips - 1 Samuel (Reformed Expository Commentaries). To this point Phillips has covered only 1 Samuel, but it is an excellent volume and I trust (and hope!) he will be providing the commentary for 2 Samuel as well. As with all of the volumes in the Reformed Expository series, it is based on sermons and approaches the text section-by-section rather than verse-by-verse. Phillips is especially helpful when it comes to contemporary application. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

Series Introduction: I live in a small house. I work in a small office in a small church. For those reasons and others I will never have a huge library. When I add a book I almost always remove a book, a practice that allows me to focus on quality over quantity. Over the past couple of years I have focused on building a collection of commentaries that will include only the best volumes on each book of the Bible. I know when I'm in way over my head, so before I began I collected every good resource I could find that rated and reviewed commentaries. I studied them and then began my collection on the basis of what the experts told me. Since I did all of that work, and since I continue to keep up with the project, I thought it might be helpful to share the recommendations.

My focus is on newer commentaries (at least in part because most of the classics are now freely or cheaply available) and I am offering approximately 5 recommendations for each book of the Bible, alternating between the Old Testament and the New. Today I have turned to the experts to find what they say about 2 Corinthians.

2 Corinthians

Paul Barnett - The Second Epistle to the Corinthians (New International Commentary on the New Testament). It was more difficult to find consensus on the best commentaries for 2 Corinthians than for many other books. Still, Barnett’s work is considered by most experts to be the best or one of the best. Keith Mathison says it “is one of those commentaries that is so well written that one can easily read it straight through - rather than treating it as a reference work and consulting whatever section one is researching.” D.A. Carson says “it is extraordinarily rich on the historical and social circumstances that surrounded this complicated book.” (Amazon, Westminster Books)

Murray J. Harris - The Second Epistle to the Corinthians (New International Greek Testament Commentary). Harris’ commentary is regarded as among the best available, though it is a commentary on the Greek text and therefore requires some knowledge of that language. Carson commends it for being thorough, convicing and pastorally suggestive, which together make it of especially good value to the preacher. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

Frank J. Matera - 2 Corinthians (The New Testament Library). The New Testament Library series is not one whose volumes tend to be highly praised by the commentators on the commentaries, but Matera’s is a notable exception and is apparently well worth consulting. However, you will definitely want to have another commentary or two available to you if you are embarking on a major study. (Amazon)

Who is publishing good books today? I found myself wondering which publishers are releasing the kind of books that end up in my mailbox and the kind of books that are then read and reviewed. I don’t mean to say that I am the final arbiter of which books are good and which are not; rather, like everyone else, I read and form opinions and, at the end, either recommend or don’t recommend.

I went back through the book review archives, looked at the books I have reviewed positively over the past several months, and jotted down the publishers. I was surprised and encouraged to see just how many different publishers are represented here. It turns out that a lot of publishers are releasing lots of excellent books.

The Good Book Company
Serving Without Sinking by John Hindley

Crossway
Sex, Dating, and Relationships by Gerald Hiestand and Jay S. Thomas

Harvest House Publishers
The Kind of Preaching God Blesses by Steven Lawson

Lift Every Voice (Moody)
It Happens After Prayer by H.B. Charles Jr.

Reformation Trust
Blood Work by Anthony Carter

Zondervan
Joni and Ken by Ken and Joni Tada

Shepherd Press
Crucifying Morality by R.W. Glenn

Matthias Media
Saving Eutychus by Gary Millar & Phil Campbell

Harvest House Publishers
Suburbianity by Byron Yawn

Zondervan
Bound Together by Chris Brauns

Tyndale House
C. S. Lewis - A Life by Alister McGrath 

The Good Book Company
Galatians For You by Tim Keller 

Thomas Nelson
Desperate by Sarah Mae & Sally Clarkson

Christian Focus
Is There Anybody Out There? by Mez McConnell

HarperOne
Toxic Charity by Robert Lupton

Tyndale House
Follow Me by David Platt

B&H Books
Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart by J.D. Greear

Crossway
Risk Is Right by John Piper

B&H Books
The Insanity of God by Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis

David C. Cook
Cold-Case Christianity by J.Warner Wallace

David C. Cook
Multiply by Francis Chan

Thomas Nelson
Who Do You Think Are? by Mark Driscoll

B&H Books
Creature of the Word by Matt Chandler, Eric Geiger & Josh Patterson

Reformation Heritage Books
The Gospel’s Power and Message by Paul Washer

Bethany House
The Conviction to Lead by Albert Mohler 

New Growth Press
When Your Husband Is Addicted To Pornography by Vicki Tiede

New Growth Press
Sexual Sanity by David White

Baker Books
The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak & Dave Runyon

B&H Books
Embracing Obscurity by Anonymous

A couple of notes: I did not include Cruciform Press in this list, though I am confident that we are publishing good books too. Also, this is not at all an exhaustive list as there are other quality publishers whose books I have not read recently.

Series Introduction: I live in a small house. I work in a small office in a small church. For those reasons and others I will never have a huge library. When I add a book I almost always remove a book, a practice that allows me to focus on quality over quantity. Over the past couple of years I have focused on building a collection of commentaries that will include only the best volumes on each book of the Bible. I know when I'm in way over my head, so before I began I collected every good resource I could find that rated and reviewed commentaries. I studied them and then began my collection on the basis of what the experts told me. Since I did all of that work, and since I continue to keep up with the project, I thought it might be helpful to share the recommendations.

My focus is on newer commentaries (at least in part because most of the classics are now freely or cheaply available) and I am offering approximately 5 recommendations for each book of the Bible, alternating between the Old Testament and the New. Today I have turned to the experts to find what they say about Ruth.

Ruth

Robert Hubbard, Jr. - The Book of Ruth (New International Commentary on the Old Testament, 1989). Ruth is one of the few books of the Bible that I have preached straight-through and, therefore, one I can speak to from at least a bit of personal experience. Hubbard’s receives near-unanimous praise and Keith Mathison says it well: “Robert Hubbard's commentary on Ruth is a model of how commentaries should be written. It is careful and clear. It manages to deal with both details and the big picture. This is the first commentary to which one should turn with questions about the Book of Ruth.” It was certainly helpful to me. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

Daniel I. Block - Judges, Ruth (New American Commentary). Block’s commentary covers both Judges and Ruth and is highly recommended for its treatment of both books. Longman gives it a 5-star rating and says "This contribution is clearly the best thing available on the book of Judges [and, Ruth]. Block is thoroughly aware of all the literature that precedes his own, and he incorporates what is good and criticizes what is bad." He also praises Block's insights along with his literary and theological analysis. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

Iain Duguid - Esther & Ruth (Reformed Expository Commentary). I read this one devotionally before reading it during sermon preparation and in both uses found it very, very helpful. It is a sermon-based commentary and ideal for giving an example of how to preach the text and how to illustrate and apply it. This is one of my favorites in the Reformed Expository Commentary series. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Of all the books I have received recently, here are the ones that appear most noteworthy.

Glimpses of Grace by Gloria Furman. I count Gloria as a friend, having invited myself to take advantage of her (and her husband's) hospitality when I was in Dubai last year. I am really excited to see her first book in print. "Sometimes life feels a lot like a burden--day-in and day-out it's the same chores and tasks, challenges and discouragements, anxieties and responsibilities. Dust bunnies show up on the stairwell, social commitments clutter the calendar, and our families demand daily attention and care. At times, just catching our breath seems like an impossible feat. Whether you are a stay-at-home mom or a working woman splitting time between the office and home, Gloria Furman--writer, pastor's wife, cross-cultural worker, and mom--encourages us to see the reality of God's grace in all of life, especially those areas that often appear to be boring and unimportant. Using personal examples and insightful stories, her richly theological reflections help us experience the gospel's extraordinary power to transform our ordinary lives." Aileen and I read this book in pre-publication and were glad to write an endorsement for it. (Learn more or buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books).

The Gospel For Real Life Series. Brad Hambrick is editor of the excellent Gospel For Real Life series of counseling booklets. The series has four recent additions: Sexual Abuse: Beauty for Ashes by Bob Kelleman, Burnout: Resting in God's Fairness by Brad Hambrick, Depression: The Sun Always Rises by Margaret Ashmore, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Recovering Hope by Jeremy Lelek. The low page-count necessarily limits the amount of help these booklets can provide, and they are in no way a replacement for more thorough works or formal Christian counseling, but they still have their place in guiding the person grappling with a difficult issue or the person grappling with such an issue alongside a friend or family member. I read Kelleman's booklet on sexual abuse before it went to print and was glad to write an endorsement for the back cover. It is a helpful and healing treatment of sexual abuse. (Learn more or buy it at Amazon).

What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur’an  by James White. I have always appreciated James White's dedication to research; when you read one of his books you know you are reading a fair treatment of the subject, even if it is one he critiques (as in his books on Roman Catholicism and Arminianism). In this new book he looks at the Qur'an and Islam. "What used to be an exotic religion of people halfway around the world is now the belief system of people living across the street. Through fair, contextual use of the Qur’an as the primary source text, apologist James R. White presents Islamic beliefs about Christ, salvation, the Trinity, the afterlife, and other important topics. White shows how the sacred text of Islam differs from the teachings of the Bible in order to help Christians engage in open, honest discussions with Muslims." (Learn more or buy it at Amazon).

Series Introduction: I live in a small house. I work in a small office in a small church. For those reasons and others I will never have a huge library. When I add a book I almost always remove a book, a practice that allows me to focus on quality over quantity. Over the past couple of years I have focused on building a collection of commentaries that will include only the best volumes on each book of the Bible. I know when I'm in way over my head, so before I began I collected every good resource I could find that rated and reviewed commentaries. I studied them and then began my collection on the basis of what the experts told me. Since I did all of that work, and since I continue to keep up with the project, I thought it might be helpful to share the recommendations.

My focus is on newer commentaries (at least in part because most of the classics are now freely or cheaply available) and I am offering approximately 5 recommendations for each book of the Bible, alternating between the Old Testament and the New. Today I have turned to the experts to find what they say about 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians

Anthony Thiselton - The First Epistle to the Corinthians (New International Greek Testament Commentary). The clear consensus for the top commentary on 1 Corinthians is Anthony Thiselton’s volume in the NIGTC. This is a series for academics, so it will prove difficult for the casual reader. Carson says it is “well written, accessible (for readers of this sort of series!), and penetrating” and praises it for both detailed exegesis and for tracing lines of interpretation from the Church Fathers to the present. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

Gordon Fee - The First Epistle to the Corinthians (The New International Commentary on the New Testament). Carson says that the best general commentary is a toss-up between Fee and Garland. Most experts appear to agree and have some difficulty with selecting one over the other. Both Carson and Derek Thomas regard this as a helpful volume while pointing out some weaknesses, and especially Fee’s treatment of 1 Corinthians 14:33b-35. His argument for the continuation of all gifts is said to be helpful and well-formed, whether or not that is your position. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

David Garland - 1 Corinthians (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament). Garland’s is widely praised and apparently represents a very competent handling of the text. It is relatively recent (2003) which gives it an advantage in interacting with more recent scholarship. Thiselton says, “It offers reliable and constructive exegesis based on a wide interaction with scholarly literature. It retains an eye to theology and to pastoral application, with clear comments and often apt turns of phrase.” (Amazon, Westminster Books)

Series Introduction: I live in a small house. I work in a small office in a small church. For those reasons and others I will never have a huge library. When I add a book I almost always remove a book, a practice that allows me to focus on quality over quantity. Over the past couple of years I have focused on building a collection of commentaries that will include only the best volumes on each book of the Bible. I know when I’m in way over my head, so before I began I collected every good resource I could find that rated and reviewed commentaries. I studied them and then began my collection on the basis of what the experts told me. Since I did all of that work, and since I continue to keep up with the project, I thought it might be helpful to share the recommendations.

My focus is on newer commentaries (at least in part because most of the classics are now freely or cheaply available) and I am offering approximately 5 recommendations for each book of the Bible, alternating between the Old Testament and the New. Today I have turned to the experts to find what they say about Judges.

Judges

Dale Ralph Davis - Judges: Such A Great Salvation (Focus on the Bible). I have said before that I am always glad to find a clear consensus on the best commentary on any book of the Bible. When it comes to Judges, the consensus is that there are two excellent volumes which perfectly complement one another. The first is Dale Ralph Davis’ volume in the Focus on the Bible series. Keith Mathison says it well: “If you can only have one commentary on the historical books, get the commentaries by Davis. There are other commentaries that go into more detail on technical issues (see below), but Davis provides what most Christian readers of these books need — a concise and readable explanation of the text that sets each book within the larger context of biblical redemptive history all without ever becoming boring or trite.” (Amazon, Westminster Books)

Daniel I. Block - Judges, Ruth (New American Commentary, 1999). Tremper Longman, who has not reviewed Dale Ralph Davis’ volume, gives Block’s commentary a 5-star rating and says, “This contribution is clearly the best thing available on the book of Judges. Block is thoroughly aware of all the literature that precedes his own, and he incorporates what is good and criticizes what is bad.” He also praises Block’s insights along with his literary and theological analysis. This commentary is slightly more advanced and in-depth than Davis’. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

K. Lawson Younger Jr. - Judges, Ruth (NIV Application Commentary). Younger’s commentary is considered one of the stronger volumes of the NIV Application Commentary series. The strength of the series tends to be application ahead of original meaning, but Longman points out that in Younger’s case this is reversed so that the section dealing with contemporary significance is not as strong as it might have been. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Of all the books I have received recently, here are the ones that appear most noteworthy.

Christianity & World Religions: An Introduction to the World’s Major Faiths by Derek Cooper. I studied world religions as a college student and was so discouraged by the ridiculous text. This one looks immeasurably better; I plan to read it before long. “Derek Cooper examines the rival worldviews found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, Judaism, Islam, and irreligion. He engages these worldviews from a Christian perspective, first by showing how the biblical authors engaged other religions and then by surveying the way Christian theologians have done so. Each chapter contains six parts: (i) a creation story, (ii) the religion s historical origin, (iii) its beliefs, (iv) religious writings, (v) worship practices, (vi) as well as Christian reflections on the religion. For those who would like to read more, the appendix includes lists of helpful primary and secondary books.” (Learn more and buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

Better than the Beginning: Creation in Biblical Perspective by Richard Barcellos. Barcellos explains why this is a unique and notable book on a much-discussed subject: “In one sense, this is not a typical book on creation. Many books on creation deal with evolution, the length of the days of creation, and ethics in light of creation. These are worthy subjects and I do cover these things in this book. However, the doctrine of creation is much more inclusive in the Bible. Things that we think demand front-and-center attention do not get such by the Bible itself. As the title of the book seeks to display, the beginning is not the end of creation. Creation had a goal intended by God to be attained by man, but man failed. However, God will see to it that the original goal is reached. Creation, therefore, was intended to be a means to an end. The end is what God had in mind all along. The end is not plan B or even plan A. It is simply the plan.” (Learn more or buy it at Amazon.)

Bible Study: A Student’s Guide by Jon Nielson. This may be just the thing for the graduate. “Have you ever been to a Bible study that didn t have much Bible or study at all? Without a proper understanding of how to do it, students can be disappointed or scared away from studying the Bible. So what is Bible study and can it work for high schoolers? No stranger to teaching the Bible to teenagers, Jon Nielson confirms that real, meaningful Bible study is not only possible for students, but important. He takes students seriously and expects them to take their faith seriously. Unpacking five truths about the Bible that it is God speaking, is powerful, is understandable, is literary, and is one story he demonstrates how the Bible should be studied and how teenagers themselves can lead that study.” (Learn more and buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)