âTis the season for reflection and for all the listsâof favorite books of the year (and you should check out Dixie Dillon Laneâs list here at the Arena!) and much else besides (e.g., nine favorite kinds of pie). This December marks a year since I came on board as Currentâs Book Review Editor, so I would like this list to do double-duty in offering what I consider to be a beautiful library for joy, sorrow, and reflectionâall through Currentâs Book Reviews this year.
Currentâs top 23 most popular book reviews in Anno Domini 2023
1. Darryl Hart, review of Kaitlyn Beaty, Celebrities for Jesus
2. Andrea Turpin, review of Abigail Favale, Genesis of Gender (thereâs an extra special place in my heart for this reviewâthis was the very first review I commissioned as a book review editor!)
3. Christina Bieber Lake, review of Jennifer Egan, The Candy House
4. Andrea Turpin, review of Beth Mooreâs memoir, All My Knotted-Up Life
5. Rachel Darnall, review of Zachary Wagner, Non-Toxic Masculinity
6. Elizabeth Stice, review of Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe, When McKinsey Comes to Town
7. Daniel G. Hummel, review of Stephen Bullivant, Nonverts
8. Jon D. Schaff, review of Patrick Deneenâs latest, Regime Change
9. Jeff Bilbro, review of Eugene Vodolazkin, A History of the Island
10. Abigail Wilkinson Miller, review of Mary Harrington, Feminism Against Progress
11. Christina Bieber Lake, review of Karen Swallow Prior, The Evangelical Imagination
12. Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn, review of Wendell Berry, The Need to Be Whole (this review essay ran in October 2022, but it found continued appreciation among readers in 2023)
13. Greg Williams, review of Kaitlyn Schiess, The Ballot and the Bible
14. John Fea, review of Adolph Reed Jr., The South: Jim Crow and Its Afterlives
15. Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn, review of Zena Hitz, A Philosopher Looks at the Religious Life
16. Russell Arben Fox, review of Bonoâs memoir (this review essay ran in December 2022, but it found readers in 2023, so it is on this yearâs list)
17. Sara Butler Nardo, review of Adrian Johns, The Science of Reading
18. Jessica Hooten Wilson, review of Gary Saul Morsonâs latest on reading Russian literature, Wonder Confronts Certainty
19. Benjamin Aldes Wurgaft, review of Peter Burkeâs Ignorance: A Global History
20. David Kee, review of Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter, The Burnout Challenge
21. LuElla DâAmico, review of Jessica Hooten Wilsonâs Reading for the Love of God
22. Abigail Wilkinson Miller, review of Amit Majmudarâs Twin A: A Memoir
23. Kate Lucky, review of Nadya Williams, Cultural Christians in the Early Church
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Okay, so 23-for-23 has such a fun ring to it, but just a few more reviews that I want to mention.
1. My favorite American historian reviewed George Marsdenâs latest book on Jonathan Edwards, An Infinite Fountain of Light.
2. Tim Larsen had two essays on (somewhat) older books that we didnât officially dub as âReviews,â but they effectively represent the best of book reviews and are so well worth a read: Barbara Kingsolderâs The Poisonwood Bible at 25 and Lord Peter Wimsey Turns 100
3. John Haas reviewed Jon Lauckâs magisterial history of 19th-century Midwest, The Good Country, and while Haas does not share Lauckâs love for this region, this should not stop you from reading either the review or the book proper!
4. Shirley Mullenâs review of The Liberating Arts is an encouragement to read this wonderful essay collection (co-edited by Jessica Hooten Wilson, Jeff Bilbro, and David Henreckson), a tribute to the value of the liberal arts for all.
5. It was a privilege to run a review of one Current writerâs new novel by another Current writerâcheck out Julie Durbinâs review of Amanda McCrinaâs most recent novel, Iâll Tell You No Lies. Suitable for gifting to a history junkie, young or old, in your life. While Amandaâs books are marketed as YA, I found each of her novels deeply moving and engaging.
6. Amanda McCrina’s own review of Andrey Kurkov’s Diary of an Invasion is likewise a must-read.
7. So is Chris Gehrz’s review of Cathal Nolan’s Mercy: Humanity at War, which we published on the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
8. Ivana Grecoâs review of Melissa Kearneyâs The Two-Parent Privilege is essential reading, along with the book itself.
9. Look, if you put a Classicist in charge of book reviews at a magazine, yes, there will be more ancient history reviews. Carolynn Roncaglia had two fantastic review essays here this yearâof Peter Stothardâs biography of Crassus, Roman Republicâs most famous/infamous tycoon, and of Mary Beardâs latest this fall, The Emperor of Rome.
10. Mike Jimenez reviewed Lucy S. R. Austen’s award-winning biography of Elisabeth Elliot, and I recommend both his review and Lucy’s own beautiful essay on the process of writing this book–“What Has Faith to Do with Biography?”
If you have reviewed a book for Current this year: THANK YOU!
One final note: The feature reviews at Current are just one part of books coverage you can find at this site. John Fea covers American history and evangelical history very extensively on his blog through Authorâs Corner interviews. In addition, you can find many more interviews with authors at his podcast. Some more casual reflections on reading, including âWhat I am Readingâ features can be found at the Arena blog. The Arena also houses a few âoverflowâ book reviews and interviews with authors, both as âIdeas in Progressâ about books still in the process of writing, and book launch interviews on books that are out.
We look forward to many more reviews in 2024! Regular readers may have noticed that we usually run one per week, although sometimes we run a two-day forum on a book or include an extra review in a week. Do you have a suggestion for a book that will be published in 2024 that you think we absolutely should review? Please drop me a note–or a comment below. While I can’t promise anything, suggestions are always welcome, and many past suggestions have found their way into our review pages.