The Name of the Wind is a phenomenal tale about a man who becomes one of the greatest wizards (Kvothe) in the world. The book is primarily a narrative of Kvothe's life, starting with his humble beginnings and the tale of how he became great. It was both exhilarating and heart-breaking; filled with the ups and downs of love, friendship, and enemies. Two major highlights of the story were Kvothe's apprenticeship under Abenthy and his relationship with Denna. Both were wonderfully told!

It has some similarities to Harry Potter, so if you enjoyed HP, I think you would enjoy this as well.

This was my first official Stephen King novel. Last month, I enjoyed his memoir, On Writing, so I figured I should probably read one of his works. The Institute is a mystery thriller about kids who get abducted from their parents and are sent to The Institute. While I am anti-conspiracy theories, this book had me pondering the potentials of our broken world.

I don't think anyone was waiting on my opinion to validate Stephen King as a master of the craft, but in case they were, here it is: King is a brilliant storyteller.

Matthew Bates has quickly become one of my go-to theologians on the gospel. His book, Gospel Allegiance, was great, and Why the Gospel? is an excellent addition. Bates's abridged answer to that question is, "To recover glory. Humanity's glory and God's glory are interdependent."

I have a complex highlighting system, but I also dog-ear pages that are "top quotes." The only problem with this book is that I dog-eared nearly every other page. It was that good. Chapter two, "Famous Somewhere," was about our desire for fame and Jesus's desire to "make us famous." It was the most enjoyable chapter I have read in a theology book in quite a while. I wish every Christian would read this book.

Confession: I am a bit embarrassed that this is the third book I have read in 2023 with the word "maid" in the title. But I am not embarrassed enough to hide it, because this book was excellent.

Yes, Kit, the main character, is a maid and she has a problem with snooping through people's stuff when they aren't home. But what she discovers in one house makes for a captivating story of danger, lies, murder, and everything in between.

I have enjoyed quite a few mystery thrillers this year, but this one had a depth of complexity that kept me up way past my 9:15pm bedtime!

Depending on your preferred genres, this book may not be your cup of tea. But if you are intrigued by the ongoing debate of women in church leadership and "gender roles", then I highly recommend it.

I have spent the last few years studying the complementarian and egalitarian views of women in leadership to better understand God's heart and design for men and women in the church and home. This was a rigorous and helpful resource that was filled with fresh insights, helping me better understand the difficult passages in the NT on this topic.