Recent and new books on my TBR list

This is an entry in The Good Books, Post-Ev Post’s book-centric vertical.

I have a Notion database that is now woefully out of date where I once tried to track my reading. The header image for that database was this frame from the classic Twilight Zone episode “Time Enough At Last,” where the main character awakens to a world that has ended, and he is finally alone with a pile of books. Because it’s The Twilight Zone, at the very end he breaks his glasses and can never read them.

Our world ends anew every day, but there is still time for books.

The last half of 2023 was very busy for me as I worked to finish my own manuscript, and in that time there were some really wonderful books published that I wasn’t able to feature on the podcast or here in the newsletter. There are even more that will continue to come out over the next several months as well. Here is a small sampling of some of those books, and I’ll continue to do this moving forward.

Here are some recent books I’m looking forward to reading/keep reading:

The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by

This book releases today, and I’ll release my interview on Exvangelical with Sarah later this week. In the meantime, you can listen to Sarah talk about the book on Fresh Air—and while you’re at it, check out talking about Christian nationalism on Fresh Air as well.

Devout: A Memoir of Doubt by Anna Gazmarian

This book is next on my TBR pile—it just came out last week, and it’s a memoir dedicated to faith crises and mental health struggles. I’m happy to see these types of stories being published.

God Gave Rock & Roll To You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music by .

This book by Leah Payne was just published in February. There are so many ways to write about religion & society, and I am excited to get to this one in short order. My only regret was this wasn’t already published when I was working on my book (more on that soon!), because I’m sure I would have cited it.

Hell Is a World Without You by

This novel by Jason Kirk, published in December 2023, will drop you into the tumultuous headspace of a teenage evangelical. The inner monologue that Kirk employs for the main character is sometimes a little too real—especially the intrusive thoughts that take the form of being “convicted by the Spirit.” Kirk donated the first three months of sales to The Trevor Project, which is incredible.

Disobedient Women: How A Small Group of Faithful Women Exposed Abuse, Brought Down Powerful Pastors, and Ignited an Evangelical Reckoning by

I have been reading Stankorb’s book, published in August 2023, for quite some time. It’s well-reported, inspiring, and heart-breaking all at once.

That will do it for this post - let me know what books you’re excited about in the comments!

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