If analytics are to be believed, many of you reading this newsletter first discovered the Raven’s Writing Desk through the “On Reading Well” series that I’ve been writing for some time now. In the process of writing those articles I’ve come across a number of other reading methods that I thought would be worth trying out so I could share my findings with you.

This is the first article covering those techniques.

When you saw the title, you might have assumed that it meant something like “How to Get the Most Out of Audiobooks” and you’re half right. We will be talking about Audiobooks today, but with a twist.

I used to work in a Kindergarten in Germany and one of my favourite responsibilities was reading aloud to the kids. I’d create voices for Pippa Langstrumpf and Kokosnuss der Kleine Drache and they’d correct me if I used the wrong voices. I would hold the book open for them all to see, so that they could read along with me and learn to associate certain noises with letters, letters with words, and ultimately learn to read themselves.

Most of us don’t experience this kind of thing past childhood. The closest we might get is watching a foreign movie with subtitles, but reading along with someone is likely a distant memory. So when I came across a video by Answers in Progress on YouTube encouraging adults to continue to practice, I was quite taken aback. It wasn't so much that there was anything wrong with the idea, but I just wasn’t sure what the point would be. What would be the benefit of reading along with a narrator as an adult? I personally love audiobooks, but was this a step too far?

To answer these questions I set myself the task of reading three books whilst listening to the same audiobook in order to document my findings.

I read:

Scribes and Scriptures by by John D. Meade and Peter J. Gurry
Walking on the Road with St Augustine by James K. A. Smith
Fairy Tale by Stephen King

I chose these as they were all very different books and they were ones I already had on my reading list.

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The issue the Answers in Progress video was attempting to address was the mass depletion of western society’s ability to read and comprehend books. I’ve spoken to many people who struggle not only to pick up a book, but if they do, to keep reading. It’s often because of seemingly short, but well intentioned, interruptions “I’ll just check that message quickly” or “I should really get a drink/snack first” but then other temptations creep in and suddenly the book has been left unread for another three weeks and the reader has long since forgotten the story thus far.

Whilst I personally love to read, I would be lying if I said that interruptions didn’t happen more often than not, and though I personally find it easy to go back to the book in question, it is rare that the interruption is either necessary or important. What I found practicing this technique was that having to go the extra step to both pause the audiobook and stop reading was enough of a deterrent to keep me reading nine times out of ten.

In addition, having both my eyes and my ears engaged in the process helped me to drown out the world around me, in a way that I don’t think I’ve ever quite experienced before.

Another surprising aspect of this technique was the speed at which I was able to listen to an audiobook at when I had the book in front of me. I usually listen to audiobooks at about 1.5x-2.0x speed—I do the same for YouTube videos and podcasts. I quickly found, however, that this was far too slow when reading along. I needed to amp up the speed to around 2.7x before it became comfortable. I did a couple of experiments with this. I tried listening to the same portion of the book with and without the book and honestly, it was to fast for me to properly comprehend without the book, meaning that there was evidently some benefit to engaging both of these senses. Seeing the words in front of me allowed for faster listening, and this in turn gave me a gauge to work out how long I would be reading each book and each chapter, and to plan out my time accordingly.

Before I get to my third and final point, however, I’d like to just give a couple of pitfalls that I found along the way.

Part of my reasoning for choosing one fiction and two non-fiction books was that I was fairly certain that reading fiction would work out fairly well—if only because most of my audiobook library is made up of fiction—I knew that at the very least I would be able to continue listening should the technique not pan out. I was largely correct and have loved listening to Fairy Tale with the book in my hands, an exercise I’m keen to try again, possibly with another Stephen King novel. The non-fiction books presented greater challenges though. I mentioned interruptions in point one, and though most interruptions are unhelpful, one of the main ways I believe we gain from reading non-fiction is by intentionally taking time to stop reading, to highlight; make notes; or to ponder what has been said. Though this wasn’t impossible using this method, I found that I did this far less than I otherwise would have, and honestly I don’t think that I gained nearly as much from either of those books as a result. As I think back upon both of those books, I don’t think I remember nearly as much as I would usually.

This doesn’t mean you should never use this method for reading non-fiction—as we’ll discuss—but it is worth noting all the same.

In Fairy Tale there is a moment when the narrator changes. I think I’m right in saying that King narrated that portion himself, and it was excellent; it was also, however, unfaithful to the words on the page. That one occurrence aside, the entire book was a word for word copy. The same could not be said for Scribes and Scriptures, which is somewhat ironic given the subject matter—read the book to find out why. The audiobook and the book itself were vastly different beasts. Some elements were absent entirely, others were moved to different sections of the book, the wording was changed, and the odd sentence here and there was removed for seemingly no reason. Had I listened solely to the audiobook, I wouldn’t have noticed this at all and I also don’t think that the decisions they made were necessarily wrong. Even so, attempting to complete this book according to the read along method was almost impossible and by the end I was mostly just glad the book was over. I don’t know how common this is and I would need to do more research to find out. I say this because even if this only happens for every book out of a hundred, I don’t want you to get tripped up at the first hurdle if you’ve stumbled across that 1%. There are great reasons to try out this method for yourself, but beware the pitfalls that might come as a result.

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Before I go on, take a second to answer these two questions:

Here’s where this method comes into its own.

Let’s say you would like to read 26 books this year—roughly one book a fortnight—and you have 7 hours a week to do so. Some quick calculations leave you with about 365 Hours of reading—that’s an average of 14 Hours per book. You try it out and find out that you can read at 1.5x speed and so if you wanted to read along with the Fellowship of the Ring, it would take you roughly 15 hours. Some books are much shorter, some are longer, but with all things considered, 26 books now seems like a very achievable goal.

You buy two books and two audiobooks a month, set aside the time and as a result, you will likely begin to form a habit. In a world in which self-control and discipline have largely been eschewed for less remarkable “virtues” it is unsurprising that reading levels have diminished. Perhaps what we need, and I don’t mean this pejoratively at all, is to return to Kindergarten and relearn the skill of reading from scratch. Before I made it to teaching, I had to learn German. I started with Comic Books, moved on to children’s novels, then popular fiction, and then finally classic authors like Goethe and Zweig. All in all this curve took me about a year. Why not take that same amount of time, read along with some audiobooks, and see where it takes you?

After that, try putting down the audiobook, put your phone in another room, and continue reading with the habit you’ve formed?

If you’ve enjoyed today’s article, please do leave a comment and let me know if you’re going to try this out for yourself or about another reading method you’d like me to try.

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Grace and Peace,

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A couple of weeks ago my wife received a book she’d asked for from her parents, it was gift-wrapped, kindly given, and heartily received. After she’d opened the book it transpired that whilst her parents had bought a new copy, and a second-hand one had been sent in its place. They apologised profusely, but Anna, flicking through the pages, found that what she had received wasn’t a lesser gift, but a greater one. The book was necessary for her counselling course, and so she’d have to comb through it in detail, but upon seeing highlights, margin notes, and underlined passages, Anna found out that some of the work had already been done for her! The book is sitting on her desk now, messy, rugged, and priceless. Someone left that book worse than they found it, and as a result, it was a joy to receive.

Here’s what I want you to do; find yourself a book and a pen—or multiple pens if you’re feeling adventurous. If you absolutely do not want to mark up any of the books you have at hand, then you have my full permission to print off this article and then make notes on it, highlight words, underline passages, agree or disagree, and such the like all over those pages.

It’s likely that in the past few days or weeks, you’ve decided to read more, read specific books, or perhaps even read for the first time in a long time, and while I’ve given practical advice on reading well in the past—this is part V of the series, after all—this week I want to encourage you to do something wild:

Make your books better, by making them messy.

Perhaps it says something about me that I can call reading in any context “wild” with a straight face, but I’ve spoken with so many people who—when I suggest they write in or mark up books—look at me incredulously as though I’ve asked them to commit some kind of crime. To be clear, I am not under any circumstances asking you to write in anyone else’s books, but your books, they’re all fair game.

Whether you’ve picked up the Gruffalo or Calvin’s Institutes, let’s start simple. Go to the first page and write your name somewhere. You’ve just broken the first barrier, there’s no turning back now. You’ve also made this book your own.

To be clear, I want you to have fun with this; this should not turn into another chore to add to the list when you’re reading. If you find it difficult to sit down and read, let this reinvent the way you look at reading. For some of you, you might assume that underlining, highlighting, and making notes in books or Bibles isn’t for you because you’re thinking “Isn’t that just a way of showing off how great a reader you are?” I’ve seen so many photos on Social Media in which ‘influencers’ show their fully marked-up Bibles, which look outstanding, but when you check the notes they’ve written, it’s total gibberish.
Marking up books isn’t about showing them off to others, it’s about gleaning more from the texts you read, both fiction and non-fiction.

The second thing I want you to do is to write down three questions you want to be answered by the time you’ve finished this book. I’ve written more extensively about how to go about formulating these questions here, but for now, just write something simple.

Finally, read the first chapter, or the introduction, and look out for three things:

1. One quote you’d like to remember - Put quotation marks around it

2. Something that surprised you - Underline it

3. A word you either don’t know, or you’d like to use more often - Highlight it or draw a box around it

Imagine that you not only remembered that quote, but also looked out for more information about that point that surprised you throughout the rest of the book, and used that word more regularly in your general speech over the few weeks. Would that alone be more than you usually get out of a chapter of a book? When I ask people to describe to me what they gained from a book they finished reading even as recently as a few weeks prior, often it takes an awfully long time for them to return an answer.

I’m not saying that by making these three notations you will see an immediate change in your reading, but what you do when you mark up your books is like painting an X on a map. Whilst the map has inherent value, that X transforms it into a treasure map; created so you can return and find that treasure again and with ease.

Whilst this article might seem light on advice, that is by design. Having claimed the book as your property, written out questions you’d like answered and then begun to find sentences, passages, and words which stand out to you, it should be easy to repeat that process throughout the book you have in your hands; and indeed for the many others which follow it. I could tell you all about using such and such symbol for Christological references, and a Roman numeral every time you see a reference to a bird, or whatever but I’m convinced that simplicity is better. Whilst over time I’m sure you’ll pick up your own habits, and you’ll create your own symbols and such, for now, just have fun and mark down what interests you, the rest will follow.

My only other piece of advice is this—come back to what you’ve highlighted at least once.

Once you’ve finished reading the book, flick through the pages and rediscover what interested you. You could post one on Twitter, or write it in your journal. You could put it into a Word document and print it off to stick above your computer at work. Whatever it might be, just take the time to recap.
If you do, the likelihood is that the next time you’re asked the question, “so what did you like about the book?” you’ll know at least one way to answer.

Grace and Peace,

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I recently downloaded an app called one sec. Now every time I try and open Twitter or Instagram my phone vibrates and the screen is locked for a few seconds, before I’m asked whether I want to continue to said social media platform, close the app, or choose from a list of other apps I have curated which might be more productive. At present one sec diverts me about 30% of the time, and has decreased the number of times I click on the icon by 21% for Twitter and 34% for Instagram. Overall that means I’m using Social Media about half as much as a was prior to downloading the app. I rarely recommend anything, let alone apps, but if you have an iPhone and a proclivity to scroll through Twitter a dozen times an hour, this might be worth a try.

This article isn’t about the app, but lays the foundation for a question I’ve had to ask myself as a result of using it. That question being, “What is the primary draw of Social Media which keeps bringing me back?” This question obviously isn’t quite as simple as it might sound, I use Twitter and Instagram for both my writing work and also my day job, so that’s fair enough I think. I also have friends who I only communicate with on social media, and so that’s a fair reason. Neither of those explains why I scroll through reels or the trending page though.

What it comes down to, and I don’t think I’m alone in this, is that in the moments when I don’t have the time, energy, or ability to sit down and read a book, talk to someone, or do something otherwise productive, there will always be something new to consume on social media which can always fill up that time. It’s not fun most of the time, it’s not always interesting, but it is short.

I don’t like leaving things unfinished, yesterday Anna walked in while I was watching a TV show and I had about 47 seconds left to go before she asked me a question. “Could you just give me one minute Schatz1? I just need to finish this show, then I can talk.” That’s also the reason I don’t like taking a book with me into the bathroom, unless it’s something short or I’m already nearing the end of the chapter, because I’m simply not flush with time when I’m on the loo. This need for something to fill my attention at every given second isn’t a good thing, in fact Social Media probably trained it into me—and probably into you—in the first place, but surely there’s a better way to deal with it.

This brings us all the way to where we began.

I was recently reading about Ceefax, the teletext service which existed before the internet, which Brits used through the latter part of the 20th century to scroll through the news, the sports results, and various other tidbits of information like exchange rates and local weather forecasts.

It was simple, it was ugly, but it worked. It delivered information to the masses, 70 words at a time.

One former writer for the service remarked:

“…the way Ceefax worked, you might have a six-page feature, but someone could come in on page four. So every page had to be complete by itself and readable without anything before or after. When Twitter came along, we all found it incredibly easy.2”

That made me laugh, but it also got me thinking about what other kinds of short form media or writing are out there, and what might I be able to use to kill time more productively, albeit potentially not in such a horrendous format3.

Proverbs

“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Pr 2:1–5.

It would be easy to say the Bible in general, but while I do think it’s important that we always be dwelling on and soaking in the word of God, it’s also important that we do so wisely. In fact, I think one of the worst ways, if not the worst way to read the Bible is the “verse of the day” method. I think it’s one of the quickest and surest ways to take the Bible out of context and learn to read it incorrectly. With that said, a notable semi-exception is Proverbs, whilst it’s still necessary to read Proverbs in it’s context, and it’s far easier to stop and start reading this book in a way it’s less possible with others. In fact, if reading sequentially, with 915 verses to get through, if you read let’s say ten verses every day on the loo, you’d be getting through Proverbs four times a year on average, which I think would be a profitable use of anyone’s time. In fact, that’s my plan from here on out. Feel free to ask me how it’s going in a few months time.

Anecdotes

“We have had praying kings in England: such as Alfred, Edward III. Henry V. Edward VI. and king William III. Christ himself is a praying king; who ever lives to make intercession for his people. He prays for his subjects, that they may be glorified eternally; and he prays for his elect rebels (those of his mystic body, who are yet unconverted) that they may be called effectually.”

Augustus M. Toplady, The Works of Augustus M. Toplady, (London; Edinburgh: William Baynes and Son; H. S. Baynes, 1825), 4:144–145.

There’s been a recent resurgence in the use and development of commonplace books, either physical or digital notebooks within which ministers, physicians, poets, entrepreneurs, and anyone else might jot down important information which they may need at a later date, either for use in other works—like sermons or books—or simply for personal education and edification. These are no new invention, but have been used by many men and women since around the reformation. Some of these are still available to us, and they include a plethora of different “anecdotes” some of which are half a page long, and other of which are no longer than a Tweet:

As you can tell, my favourite of the anecdote writers/collectors was Toplady, a cleric, a biographer, and a Hymn writer4. Another great example would be Spurgeon's book of Smooth Stones taken from Ancient Brooks, which is a collection of his favourite words from Thomas Brooks' writings.

Poetry

SEA SILENCE

“Spite wind- and rain-exposure
I scan her face immense;
She means no self-disclosure,
No voice nor message thence.

Soul, cease thy troubled asking,
No one was ever sure
What deep designs are masking
Her dalliance and her lure.

Would she to thee discover
What winds nor clouds she tells?
Be one brief spell her lover,
But more of someone else.”

Geerhardus Vos, Charis: English Verses, (Princeton, NJ: Geerhardus Vos, 1931), 11.

This will not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s worth giving a try. Poetry, like all writing, comes in various forms and styles, as well as coming from varying degrees of talent. Tolkien’s poetry, for instance, seems to grasp readers almost universally in a way in which Shakespeare doesn’t. I grew up on the latter and so his sonnets are still sweet to me today, but you might need to look hard to find what resonates with you. My guess is that you either know you like poetry, or you know you don’t, but this is a worthwhile addition to this list as you may have drifted from poems for a long time without cause, and this might be what you need to prompt you to return.

Catechisms

Q.12. What are the decrees of God?

A. God’s decrees are the wise, free, and holy acts of the counsel of his will, whereby, from all eternity, he hath, for his own glory, unchangeably foreordained whatsoever comes to pass in time, especially concerning angels and men.

Westminster Assembly, The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition, (Philadelphia: William S. Young, 1851), 172–173.

Growing up I was told that catechisms were anti-Christian and that I shouldn’t ever go near them. I have no idea what had given my church this idea, but nonetheless even well into adulthood I was wary of catechisms and anyone who used them. Until, that is, I opened one and found out how rich and wonderful they are. The simple question and answer format lends itself to memorisation and formation, and once again, though some are longer than others, in a quick moment you could pick up the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and instead of mindlessly scrolling for twenty minutes, you could—one question after another—learn more about God, the word, and the Church, or remind yourself of eternal truths.

In addition to obvious examples, another I would recommend is Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices. Whilst not officially a Catechism, it takes a similar form and uses it to help to reader develop a robust resolve against the temptations and lies the enemy sends his way.

Kindle Notebook

If you read and highlight books on a kindle—or the app—then keep reading, if not, you might want to skip this.

Did you know that Kindle keeps all of your notes and highlights for you on a webpage which you can go back to at any time? If you click here and log into your account, you can find every sentence, paragraph, and witty anecdote you’ve ever taken that extra second to highlight only to forget about forever.

For some of you this page might be filled with years of these, in which case this is a perfect option for you. Here’s one example I took from Writing to Learn by William Zinsser:

Writing

Finally, instead of consumption, why not create? If you’re creative, why not jot down the first idea that comes to your head, then the next, and the next. Maybe 99% of them will be awful, but the more you write the more likely it is that you’ll come across the one which is awesome.

Quick tip here, make sure you explain yourself or you’ll just be confused when you come back to your ideas. Writing up titles for articles is all well and good, but a few months back I created a note to remind myself about an article idea to do with Family Worship… my wife and I don’t have any kids, so I’m not sure why this was on my radar. Point being, detail is your best friend here.

Speaking of friends, instead of shooting a tweet out to a thousand strangers, why not write an encouraging message to a brother or sister in your church, or your spouse, your kids, your parents, or whoever! You might get more likes on a Tweet—or not—but this way you might make someone’s day.

That’s all from me for today.

Grace and Peace,

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Before we get started with this week’s article, congratulations to Yugi for winning the recent competition, enjoy the book and let me know how you find it!

Last week I announced a year-long series on why we as Protestants should read books from before the Reformation. We’ll be looking at twelve books from the period between Augustine’s confessions and Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s progress, which makes up a 1200-year period largely unexplored by those in the reformed camp. If you missed it you can read the introduction to the series here:

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1200 Years

Don’t forget that you’ve only got two days left to be in with a chance of winning Humble Calvinism by Jeff Medders. Find out more right here…

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4 years ago · 6 likes · 2 comments · Adsum Try Ravenhill

While I believe it’s important to read books from previous generations of Christians, it’s never my intention to disparage or discourage the reading of newer books. So often when talking about the benefit of older books, C.S. Lewis is quoted in defence of the practice:

It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between…

C.S. Lewis

There are two parts to that quote though, not just the old but also the new. Not only that, but it’s perfectly balanced. 50% New, 50% Old. Yet, we seem to either veer one way or the other, without much attention to our blind spots. Perhaps more telling is that it’s often quoted incomplete, as Lewis follows up by saying:

…If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones.

This article is for anyone asking any of the following questions:

• Is it okay to read newer books?

• Why should I read books which haven’t stood the test of time?

• What is the benefit of newer books over older ones?

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Cultural Cartography

Before we get started with this week’s article, congratulations to Yugi for winning the recent competition, enjoy the book and let me know how you find it!

The Benefit of Reading New Books

Last week I announced a year-long series on why we as Protestants should read books from before the Reformation. We’ll be looking at twelve books from the period between Augustine’s confessions and Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s progress, which makes up a 1200-year period largely unexplored by those in the reformed camp. If you missed it you can read the introduction to the series here:

The Raven's Writing Desk

1200 Years

We left the house at 11:00 to go and pick up a new laptop for Anna, we didn’t get back home until 17:00, a whole six hours later. What should have been a quick trip to the local computer store became a test of our patience and the endurance of our phone batteries—a battle my phone sadly lost. One section of the motorway (highway) had been closed entirel…

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4 years ago · 6 likes · 2 comments · Adsum Try Ravenhill

While I believe it’s important to read books from previous generations of Christians, it’s never my intention to disparage or discourage the reading of newer books. So often when talking about the benefit of older books, C.S. Lewis is quoted in defence of the practice¹:

It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between…

There are two parts to that quote though, not just the old but also the new. Not only that, but it’s perfectly balanced. 50% New, 50% Old. Yet, we seem to either veer one way or the other, without much attention to our blind spots. To put an even finer point on it, the quote is usually left incomplete, as Lewis follows up by saying:

…If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones.

It seems that while Lewis is intent on encouraging the reading of older books—a mission I’m happy to join in on—he bears little animosity towards newer ones, in fact, if he’d had some profound opposition to them it would have been curious indeed for him to write a great deal of them during his lifetime.

This article is for those asking any of the following questions:

• Is it okay to read newer books?

• Why should I read books which haven’t stood the test of time?

• What is the benefit of newer books over older ones?

This article will not include an exhaustive list of the many reasons to read newer books, rather I’ll focus on two I think are important. If you have other reasons you think I should add, or follow up on in future articles, please let me know in the comments.

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“Mark you this…the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. An evil soul producing holy witness Is like a villain with a smiling cheek, A goodly apple rotten at the heart: O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!”
Antonio in The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Shakespeare was one of my first great literary loves, his words spoke to me in a way I’d never experienced before, and still to this day hearing Shakespeare recited or performed brings me joy. In secondary school, a drama group had gotten together to perform Romeo & Juliet—my least favourite of his plays—but had run into some issues. The roles had been doled out, and the costumes and set pieces were on their way to being completed, but for most of the cast, every word felt empty.

Nathan, who was playing Mercutio, came to me during break time one day and asked me for a favour. He ask whether I could transcribe each of the scenes he was performing into modern English, that way he could learn both the words and the meaning. Even though Shakespeare was British and wrote in English, 500 years have battered and broken the language so that what’s left today is very different to the way in which he wrote. Though not all historical literature is written so archaically, the reality is that some readers, like Nathan, will find it very difficult to get used to older incarnations of our language especially if reading doesn’t come easy. Perhaps that’s you, if that’s the case please don’t be discouraged. If you asked me as a German speaker to read Dutch or even Swiss German, I could do so with some time, but it would be crazy to assume that it would come naturally.

The great thing about new books is that they’re already in modern English!—Who’da thunk it eh? This is especially helpful for newer readers, but also for anyone who’s in a rut or has been reading older literature for a long time, reading in one’s native language—as in 20-21st century English—might be necessary for getting used to, back into the swing of, or renewing a love for reading. I will never stop advocating for older literature, just as I will never lose my love for German fiction, but just as I would not expect most people to have read Stefan Zweig off of the back of my mentioning him a few weeks ago, nor do I expect everyone to gravitate towards or gain a great deal from Augustine, Chrysostom, or Shakespeare. I will even go as far as to say that without first reading within one’s own comfort zone, going back and reading older literature will never be helpful or edifying.

When I first moved to Germany I spent a couple of months reading children’s books, then I moved on to comics—you can use everything in a comic book as it’s mostly speech. After comics I read YA, then modern books or translations of books into modern German, only then did I begin to read Zwieg, Goethe, and Schiller. This took almost a year and a half, which is a significant amount of time. I know from speaking with readers of this newsletter that some of you only read articles right now, which I hope continues, but why not pick up something by Tim Keller, C.S. Lewis, or Drew Dyck? Though reading new—and perhaps simpler—books will help on the road to reading more in-depth ones, this does not mean that new books can’t be incredibly deep, nor does it make older literature irrelevant, the quote I began this section with from the Merchant of Venice is still as true today as it was when it was written, but for most readers, saying it like this would be far more relevant and readable:

“Remember this, the devil can quote Scripture for his own purposes. Believing an evil soul which professes to be holy is like expecting to hear joy in wicked laughter. Like a perfect looking apple with a rotten core: How often sin and lies are dressed up as though they are good!”

To be clear, I am not the only one advocating for the updating of older literature to appeal to a broader readership. Speaking of a new updated version of Charnock’s Divine Providence, Joel Beeke, a prominent scholar of Puritan works and theology said:

“Carolyn Whiting has updated the quaint prose of Charnock’s early modern English to communicate more easily with today’s reader, but the thoughts remain deep, brilliant, and timeless. Formatted in short chapters with study questions, this edition will prove very useful for personal study and small groups.”
Joel Beeke

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I spent yesterday exploring the Hughenden National Trust Park in High Wycombe which had been owned by one of our former Prime Ministers Benjamin Disraeli. We were also able to catch a talk by one of the resident historians who told us all about the Cartographers who worked there during WWII. It was their job to use the photographs which had been taken over Germany and update any maps they had in order to better equip the British and American bombers for air raids. Using old maps was vital to this endeavour, they formed the basis for the work because the land, natural landmarks, and major population centres were still largely the same, if not exactly the same. What had changed were military bases, new settlements, freshly built housing and infrastructure, all of which had to be documented and mapped out from scratch.

Old books likewise form the basis for our understanding of Theology, starting with the Bible. We will never outgrow or outlearn the Bible, it is the basis of our cultural Cartography. Likewise, Theological doctrines which have always been true, codified—for instance—in historic creeds and expounded on in the works of the Church’s past theologians, make up the physical Landmarks, finally, denominational differences, cultural phenomenon, and tertiary Theological matters make up the major population centres around which new ideas, groups, and settlements have grown. In the past, I’ve discussed why Klaas Schilder is so important for us, because his time was so similar to the one in which we now find ourselves. With that said, what was freshly mapped out during his time has since been dismantled, and though the new distinctives of our societies may look similar to his, they are not identical. Using his books—his maps—will be helpful as it will give us poignant strategic wisdom which we can use in our own time, but we need to pay heed to the books being written today if we are to fully understand the world we presently live in.

A good example I’ve mentioned before is the book Simply Trinity, a book which takes on the lofty goal of examining the state of the modern Church’s understanding of the Trinity and contrasting and comparing it to theological orthodoxy. It explains some of the finer points we’ve largely ignored or forgotten, retrieves some things which are necessary though perhaps widely believed, and vehemently fights again missteps in the theology of our time when contrary to the Bible and historic understanding. It is, I believe, one of the most important books of the past decade and could not have been written prior to the 20th century in the way that in was. Books could have been written on the subject but would have fought against different foes and argued more stringently for other truths depending on what had been forgotten/lost in that specific time period—I’m thinking particularly of the Quranic understanding of the Trinity, or Dualism in earlier times periods for instance.

We need new books because at its core Theology is that which helps us to glorify God, to continually find our joy in him in this life, until one day we know him unveiled and can enjoy him forever.

We must continue to survey the land, understand what is taking place in our culture and our churches, and then write for the glory of God and the good of his people. We writers will do that until Christ comes again, even after the ink has long dried, there are no pens left to write with, and the paper has run out. We will always find a way.

I have said in the past that I have a predisposition to trust books written before the 20th Century more readily than those of recent times, and that is still true. The truth is that the reason some books have survived and others haven’t is that great and important works have been preserved due to a concerted effort to preserve the Theological legacy of the Church’s best theologians, pastors, and philosophers. That isn’t to say that some rubbish hasn’t made its way through, but that there is a canon or largely accepted literature which is trustworthy and usually readily available. There are books which have slipped through the cracks, I am—as I mentioned before—writing a whole series on that subject, and the time period in which lots of these were written, but even still, as a rule, old books = good books.

With that clearly stated, a new book ≠ a bad book. There are bad books being written, but these will hopefully go the way of the poodle and go extinct—I know poodles aren’t extinct but with enough prayer, it won’t be long. I have been sent books for review in past and declined to write a review, even after reading through the whole book meticulously because I couldn’t in good conscience recommend anyone pick the book up, but for the most part, what I recommend isn’t omitting all awful books from your reading list, but rather that you would grow in discernment, learn to read well, and then take from each book either what’s good or learn from what isn’t.

To find out more about how I recommend you learn to read well, here’s a link to the whole series on reading well.

Grace and Peace,

Adsum Try Ravenhill

This article is Part II in a series on Reading Well. In Part I - Three Questions, we discussed how to get more out of—almost—any book you read, and many of you got in touch to let me know how helpful it has been, and that some of you have printed out the bookmark or even the whole article to aid in your reading.

If you haven’t yet read that article you can find it here.

In today’s article, we’ll explore why reading isn’t enough and why the question “And?” is vital for reading well.

Do You Even Read Bro?

Last month I went to a Christian bookstore in Oxford so chock full of books it felt like the trash compactor scene from Star Wars. There were four or five people working that day—complete with tweed and bow ties—carrying books from unseen shelves to desks piled high with yet more books. During my visit, I often found myself pressing up against the shelves to let these men by, they didn’t acknowledge me once, not even to say thank you or respond to my apologies. Before I left, a couple of young women walked in, picked up some classic novels, and brought them to the makeshift counter. The owner scoffed as he scanned the books. A few days later I walked into my gym—I’d been absent for almost a decade—and found myself in an eerily familiar situation. While struggling with a machine, my eyes fell on the free weights area and saw a statue-shaped man standing arms crossed glaring at the other members. He would occasionally lift a weight himself for a while but soon enough he'd return to his real calling, glaring. If he’d wanted to, he could have offered helpful advice or an encouraging word—much like the workers in the bookstore—but when puffing oneself up, hardly any breath is left for the upbuilding of others.

Bodybuilders and bookworms are not always like this, I’ve heard many stories of fans meeting Arnold Schwarzenegger, being bowled over by his gracious manner and how he gently listened to them, and I’m thankful that academics and broader readers than myself have taken the time to welcome me in, and encourage me on my way. Muscle doesn’t reflect strength of character, and the buying/reading of many books ain’t no sure-fire way of gettin’ there either.

A few weeks ago, I was chatting to a kid at church about what he’d learned in Sunday School.
“I learned about the man with horrible skin in the Bible, it was all peely and disgusting.”
“Oh really?” I said, “and what happened then?”
He looked up at me, thought for a second, and then said, “I don’t know.”
I probed a little further, but it was clear after a few more questions that I’d gotten all I was going to get out of him, and we chatted about his week. I don’t ask questions like this to test the kids but to help cement in their minds anything they’ve learned by way of repetition—and I don’t just do this with kids.
When someone says, “You haven’t read X?!” this is usually paired with a look of disgust/incredulity/shock-horror, “but it’s such an important book!” I’ll always reply, “Oh really? What did you learn from it?”
I will never cease to be amazed by how often this puts people on the back foot.
“Oh, I’m actually just getting started with it, I’ll let you know.”
“Hmm, well it changed my view on some things.”
“I think it just told me things I already knew.”
“It’s been a while since I read it, I’ll have to take another look.”
All of a sudden this life-changing, one-of-a-kind, can’t-be-missed book is forgotten and its advocate remembers they have something to do, or otherwise moves the conversation in another direction.

At its core, the conversation I try and encourage people to have, even with themselves, is this:

“I read a book!”

“And?”

And?

There is no point in reading anything if you’re not hoping to gain something from it. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes that hope doesn’t bear out and it turns out you’re drinking from an empty well, but that’s a reason to look for better books and articles, not a reason to give up on learning altogether.

That’s the reason I don’t write “reviews” as such in this newsletter, I choose to write on how to get the most out of certain books, or just books in general. I do this because too often full bookshelves are a sign of an empty mind. Here are some of the books I’ve talked about over the past few months and the accompanying answer to the question “And?”:

1. Pride and Prejudice - To help to reader grasp the doctrine of Total Depravity

2. The Happy Rant - To improve critical Christian discussion

3. Dracula - With regards to Spiritual Warfare and the Power of Prayer

4. The Schilder Reader - To assist in living and writing as a Christian in a post-modern era

5. The Unwavering Pastor - To help you to serve and support your Pastor

6. Rembrandt is in the Wind - Why art is important and what beauty tells us about worship

In my last article on reading well, I challenged you to read the blurb of the book you’re reading, the contents, and possibly even the first paragraph of each chapter and write down three questions which you want answered by the time you’re finished reading. Though you might not end up finding the answers to those questions, you will notice more simply because you’re looking. Once you’re finished reading though, whatever answers you’re left with, either to questions you began with, or others that you picked up along the way, it’s then time to sit with those answers and weigh them.

Do they challenge your present thoughts or opinions? Do you agree? Why do/don’t you agree? Do you need to act upon them? Will this affect your prayer life/marriage/church attendance/habits/sleeping patterns/feelings towards someone? Do you need to repent of something?

For instance, if you’re struggling in your prayer life and you’re faced with a quote or answer which arrests you, receiving that answer will not be enough to change your mind. You need to sit, face it, and ask yourself, “and… if this is true, what must I now do?”

Dracula, for instance, blew me away because every time the protagonists are in dire need or have a difficult decision ahead of them, someone prays or they all pray together, and conversely when the battle is won, do you know what they do? They pray! I wish I could say that I do this perfectly all the time, but I don’t, the book challenged me in that area. Being challenged doesn’t beget change though, repentance does, and this is a lesson I’m still learning.

What are you reading right now? Or what will you read next, why not take steps this time around to get as much out of it as you can? Ask yourself three questions, and then throughout—and again at the end—ask yourself why any of it is important and what you now need to do as a result.

Why not leave a comment below with what you’re reading, what you’re hoping to learn from it, and what you’ve learned in the past from asking yourself, “and?”

Leave a comment

Grace and Peace,

Adsum Try Ravenhill

Click here to read the second instalment of this series.

I’ve been writing and podcasting about books for some time now—mostly either reviews or interviews—and one of my main goals is to help readers to get more out of the books I recommend, I’m not interested in just letting you know this book was great or I loved this and so you might too (you can read more about my process here). Though picking up a book and taking the time to read is necessary to absorb and digest the contents, reading alone does not naturally beget understanding. In fact, with literacy rates decreasing it seems unlikely that seeds of understanding are finding purchase in readers at large. It’s a wonderful time to be a writer.

Other than a short spell in my teens, I’ve always loved reading and over the years I’ve learned to hone my spider-sense for important information and tidbits which are worth retaining, as well as detecting themes and those odd particularities that only seem to belong to writers and authors. There is no replacement for an experience like this, and so when people ask me how they can read more, or read well, or just read at all, it can be tempting to just say, “keep reading.” Though I think that’s part of the answer, and I believe that—as with any skill—the long game and the goals which come with that are important, it smacks of discouragement for those just starting off.

Lost Keys

If you fit the following criteria:

1. Human

2. Reading this Article

Then you’ve probably lost your keys at some point and you know how frustrating that can be. As you rummage through pockets, bags, nooks, and crannies you end up finding all sorts of objects you weren’t looking for, I find this brings up mixed emotions, on the one hand, it’s great that they’ve turned up, but why now when I could really use my keys!

What if it wasn’t just keys, what if, off the top of my head, you were moving house and suddenly your alan key, electric screwdriver, and knife have all gone missing?
Pandemonium ensues.
While looking out for these three objects which you know are definitely in the house somewhere, how often do you reckon you’ll drop your attention? After all, you’ve got three hours until you have to move out!
…
Now on the hunt—with my aptitude for observation now heightened to the point that I could join the Avengers—my passport, National Insurance Number, oddly enough my keys, a box of paints, a couple of trinkets from our wedding, and not one, but five alan keys turn up, as well as the aforementioned electric screwdriver, and knife… in this purely hypothetical scenario I mean.

This is an article about reading I promise.

What makes you pick up a book? Until recently the books I picked up fell into three categories:

1. Fictional Books I think will interest me

2. Non-Fiction Books that will edify or inform me

3. Non-Fiction Books that will help me to disciple, edify, and inform others

Recently though, I added a fourth to that list:

4. A Book I’ve been sent or asked to review

Though that might not be a scenario you’re likely to find yourself in, I’ve found anecdotally that most people at the start of their reading journey, or just getting back in, usually find themselves holding books given them by, or recommended by, friends, family, or someone they respect. With Gentle & Lowly, Rembrandt is in the Wind, or Women of the Word now in hand, readers are left to navigate foreign territory full of unknown variables.

Rather than handing you the keys to success, I contend that looking for lost keys might actually be a better approach.

Firstly

If you fit the following criteria:

1. Human

2. Reading this Article

Then you don’t know everything.

Sorry to have to wake you up to that truth, I know it’s a surprise, but I felt it needed to be said. Thankfully, if you don’t know everything, there’s mostly something in this book that you don’t already know.

I don’t have three specific questions for you that you can ask every time to read any book better, but instead, I suggest that you should take the time to find three questions you’d like to be answered by this book.

I’ve found that whilst reading for review I’ve learned so much more than I’d intended because when asking questions like:

1. Who is the intended audience?

2. Does the author fulfil his/her mission statement for the book by the end?

3. Which quotes stand out?

I’ve been wide-eyed enough for my peripheral vision to catch other answers I would have missed, to questions I’d not thought of asking. Like looking for an alan key, an electric screwdriver, and a knife, you will end up opening boxes and cupboards you might have been tempted to walk past and thereby find something even better than you’d hoped.

Finding Questions

First things first, you need to read. I suggest you read three things:

1. The Blurb

2. The Contents Page

3. The Introduction (note: not a foreword written by another writer, but the author’s introduction)

On occasion, I’ve had to encourage readers to forget the title of a book entirely because the book inside has nothing to do with the title—either the publisher has decided on it, or the book evolved after the title was first written down, whatever happened, titles are not always the best way to judge a book. By reading just those few pages, probably five at most, you’ll get an idea of what the author wants to talk about and what they’ll be able to teach you. You can then sit down, pray, and then consider some questions.

Don’t be too broad

This will take some practice, but try not to be too broad. Let’s say this is a book on Marriage, don’t ask:

1. What is marriage?

2. What makes a good marriage?

3. Who should I marry?

Why? For one thing, they aren’t good questions, but they are also so broad that to answer them in-depth you may need to memorise the book. Instead, be more vulnerable, be more specific.

1. How can I be a better Husband?

2. What struggles has the author had in his/her own marriage and what did they learn?

3. Which stories, verses, and quotes encouraged me?

These questions might be more difficult to answer, but you’re far more likely to remember the answers and they’ll have your eyes primed to look out for more specific details.

Ask Your Own Questions

Reading books to help others still falls under this bracket, but don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to, if you’re not interested, why ask?

Someone may have given you this book and said, “I learned how to be a better small group leader by reading this book.” If you’re not a small group leader though, asking a question like:

1. How can I be a better small group leader?

That would be fruitless.

Though that might seem like a silly example, I’ve seen people read books with similar thoughts in mind. Don’t do that, adopt your loved one’s excitement about the book, but not their specific question. Find your own questions.

Sit the Author Down

If the author was sat across from you, after reading the introduction, the blurb, and the contents page, what would you ask?

Are you intrigued by the reason they chose to write about this topic? Are you encouraged by their testimony? Are you impressed by the author of their foreword? Do you want to learn to write like them?

Whatever your motive, interest, or initial thoughts, let those inform your questions, the author has spent months if not years pouring themselves into this book, there’s a high probability they’ve anticipated your questions and answered them during that process. Ask them questions and expect them to answer.

Finally

To help you to put this into practice, I’ve attached below a simple bookmark you can print off and fill out with your three questions. Whenever you read that book, pull the bookmark out and read the questions first, remind yourself what you’re looking for and then start to read. Once you’ve finished the book, leave the bookmark in, in the future when you come back, reading those questions again is far more likely to bring memories of the book back to you, and it will help you to remember exactly what you loved about the book in the first place.

This is a very different article from my usual reviews and bible studies, but I hope it has been an encouragement to you. Now, go and read.

Grace and Peace,

Adsum Try Ravenhill

P.S. If you enjoyed this article, part two of the series is now out:

The Raven's Writing Desk

And?

Before I dive in, just a reminder to say that you’ve still got nine days to enter the latest giveaway, to win a copy of Humble Calvinism by Jeff Medders! I’ve said in the past that this is one of the best books written since 1900, and I stand by that. You have until the end of the month to enter and all you need to do is either tweet about…

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4 years ago · 7 likes · 2 comments · Adsum Try Ravenhill

Reading Bookmark

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