Coyle’s Best of 2012

Last updated on: December 27, 2012 at 6:50 am by Coyle Neal

Coyle’s Best of 2012 2012-12-27T06:50:47-07:00 Coyle Neal

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

By COYLE NEAL

I can’t claim that these are the best books of 2012, but they are the ones that I read that stand out the most from my Goodreads list.

Fiction

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak: This young adult novel explores the power of words through a compelling plot narrated by Death himself. And, well, you should read this book. Period. (Full review here)

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky: This was my first trek into 19th century Russian literature, and it did not disappoint. This book is considered perhaps the definitive Russian novel, and for good reason. Though nominally a murder mystery, it ends up being more of a rambling exploration of the vagaries of human existence. Much like Dallas. (Full review here)

We the Underpeople by Cordwainer Smith: What will the world look like in 15,000 AD? Will humanity finally have gotten its act together? Who will do man’s dirty work? In addition to answering these questions, Smith’s compelling plot and deeply imaginative universe is well worth your time. (Full review here)

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather: I had to read this because one of my students chose to do a report on it, and I ended up being pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Cather’s portrait of the American (south)west is surprisingly rich. Recommended for those who enjoy stopping to soak in the scenery.

The Cowboy and the Vampire by Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall: Never, never, never kill a cowboy’s horse, even if you’re a vampire. He’ll mess you up.

Nonfiction

The Laws by Plato: Okay, so maybe this is technically “fiction,” since it’s a made-up dialogue between Platonic characters. This book is not for the faint of heart. It is, however, for those who want to see what Plato thought about education, politics, and law as he looked back from the perspective of old age. (Full review here)

The Art of War in the Middle Ages by C.W.C. Oman: This is a history book for those of you who don’t like history books. Oman wrote what has become the standard in the field while an undergrad(!) at Oxford in 1885. In a short, fast-paced narrative, he explains how the Western world transitioned from the Roman army (one of the most incredible fighting machines in human history) to a few people with metal on their chests trying to run each other over with horses. Even better, Oman writes in a style that is easy and enjoyable to read. If more history books were written like this, more people would like history. (Full review here)

Religion/Theology

Lit! by Tony Reinke: What should Christians think about reading fiction? A lot, that’s what. Also including a guide for reading well, Reinke’s book is a wonderful (and short!) meditation on how we as Christians should interact with books. (Full review here)

Good News for Anxious Christians by Philip Cary: Do you struggle with making decisions? Are you waiting for the still, small voice within to speak up? If so, you need to read this book and be encouraged to get off your duff and live the life you are called to in the Gospel. Warning: this book will irritate you. (Full review here)

Colossians by John Davenant: I might be cheating a bit with this one, since this behemoth of a commentary (~950 pages) really took me two years to read. That said, I highly recommend taking at least a year of your own to sit down and slowly walk through Colossians with Davenant (at about 4 pages a day, you should finish it handily—I was slowed down by other reading projects). Not only will you get the benefit of his interpretation of the text, you’ll get a treasury of the church fathers’ thoughts as well, since Davenant incorporates them into his exposition and application. (Full review here)

Dr. Coyle Neal reads books in Washington, D.C.

Books

Previous Post

December 26, 2012

Kendrick's Best of 2012

Next Post

December 28, 2012 Alexis's Top Reads of 2012

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Action AFI Top 100 Animation Best Picture Winner BFI Top 250 Biography Biopic Books Childrens Christian Classics Classics Comedy Crime Documentary Drama Editor's Choice Family Fantasy Fantasy Films Foreign Historical Historical Fiction History Horror Horror IMDB Top 250 Indie Memoir Modern Novel Musical Mystery Non-Fiction Oscars Philosophy Poetry Popular Literature Reading and Writing Reality Romance Science Fiction Science Fiction Silent Sports Thriller TV Show Uncategorized Western Westerns Young Adult

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 June 2017 January 2017 December 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who helped David escape Saul by lowering him through a window?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Abigail Bathsheba Ahinoam Michal