High Fidelity

I love to recommend books that stir the heart and imagination. But sometimes, I need to read something that is good for my soul as well—specifically to encourage me and remind me of what I know to be true when I'm weary and discouraged. For those of us who are Christians, and especially those who are in any kind of vocational or volunteer ministry, this is something we all experience. And one I would recommend? Pastor, Jesus is Enough by Jeremy Writebol, which a needed encouragement for all of us that helps us refocus on Jesus as our hope and strength for ministry (even if we're not pastors). Get the book at ⁠Amazon⁠: https://amzn.to/3rFe8VP (affiliate link). And be sure to check out my book, I'm a Christian—Now What?: A Guide to Your New Life with Christ. You can learn more at aaronarmstrong.co/now-what

Ever since I was a kid, summer has been a time to focus on "fun" reads—the type of books you can open up and lose yourself in for an afternoon on the porch. And in recent years, those fun reads have gravitated toward mystery novels. And one of my favorites is the long-running Cork O’Connor series by William Kent Krueger, which is not about 20 books deep. So where is the best place to start? At the beginning, with Iron Lake. This is ⁠Iron Lake⁠, and it might just be your next favorite book. Get your copy of ⁠Iron Lake at your favorite bookstore, including ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (affiliate link). If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review Your Next Favorite Book on your preferred podcast platform. This helps people find the show. Please check out my new book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠I'm a Christian—Now What?: A Guide to Your New Life with Christ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, available to order where you buy books.

Since the creation of the character, Superman has long been a champion of the downtrodden and oppressed. This has been a hallmark of his character through his appearances in virtually every medium, whether print, film, television or radio. And it's radio where the story of this episode begins—with a landmark serial storyline from 1946 that was instrumental in turning public sentiment away from the Ku Klux Klan, "The Clan of the Fiery Cross." A story that, after being out of the public eye for decades, became the foundation of a bestselling graphic novel written by Gene Luen Yang. This is Superman Smashes the Klan, and it might just be your next favorite book. Get your copy of Superman Smashes the Klan at your favorite bookstore, including ⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ (affiliate link). If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review Your Next Favorite Book on your preferred podcast platform. This helps people find the show. Please check out my new book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠I'm a Christian—Now What?: A Guide to Your New Life with Christ⁠⁠⁠⁠, available to order where you buy books.

Like so many, the first book I read by C. S. Lewis was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I remember the feeling of wonder I felt reading it as seven or eight year old boy, a feeling that I still have when I return to it. When I became a Christian in my mid-20s and discovered Lewis’s catalogue of reflections on Christianity, I was intrigued by one book in particular. One that I've come back to a number of times. One that, honestly, has been cheapened because of so many homages published on blogs. But despite the tendency of others to ride his coat tails, it’s a book that offers a clever and idiosyncratic look at the obstacles to faith and growing as a Christian. This is ⁠The Screwtape Letters, and it might just be your next favorite book. Get your copy of ⁠⁠The Screwtape Letters at your favorite bookstore, including ⁠⁠⁠Amazon.com⁠⁠⁠ (affiliate link). If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review Your Next Favorite Book on your preferred podcast platform. This helps people find the show. Please check out my new book, ⁠⁠⁠I'm a Christian—Now What?: A Guide to Your New Life with Christ⁠⁠⁠, available to order where you buy books.

I hate surprises. Like, pretty much the worst thing you could ever do to me is throw me a surprise party hate them. And yet, there is a kind of surprise I do love. And it’s when I’m introduced to unexpected pairings—the kind of things that shouldn’t work together, and yet are absolutely amazing. Now, imagine the combination of two entirely different creative individuals, separated by more than a century, by nationality, and media. An acclaimed and highly prolific British novelist from the Victorian era, and a highly prolific, and sometimes highly acclaimed, pop musician from the 1980s. What would you get it you put those together? Something only Nick Hornby could write. This is Dickens and Prince⁠⁠⁠, and it might just be your next favorite book. Get your copy of ⁠Dickens and Prince at your favorite bookstore, including ⁠⁠Amazon.com⁠⁠ (affiliate link). If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review Your Next Favorite Book on your preferred podcast platform. This helps people find the show. Please check out my new book, ⁠⁠I'm a Christian—Now What?: A Guide to Your New Life with Christ⁠⁠, available to order where you buy books.

For the majority of my adult life, I've loved biographies and memoirs. No matter who is the subject, it's fascinating to learn the stories behind well-known (and not so well known) individuals. And that's important because not every great biography focuses on someone extremely well-known. In fact, one of the ones I found most fascinating is one I read back in 2014—and it was my first introduction to the person it focuses on. Hannah More, the 18th and 19th century playwright, poet, and abolitionist. This is ⁠Fierce Convictions⁠, and it might just be your next favorite book. Get your copy of Fierce Convictions⁠⁠ at your favorite bookstore, including ⁠Amazon.com⁠ (affiliate link). If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review Your Next Favorite Book on your preferred podcast platform. This helps people find the show. Please check out my new book, ⁠I'm a Christian—Now What?: A Guide to Your New Life with Christ⁠, available to order where you buy books.

I love to read good stories—books and series that have been so enjoyable that I’ve wanted to share them with my kids. In this episode, I want to share one of those. The story of a boy whose life is turned upside down and he discovers that there is something more to his life—a destiny he never expected and a danger he never wanted.  This is Orion and the Starborn, and it might just be your next favorite book. Get your copy of Orion and the Starborn at your favorite bookstore, including Amazon.com (affiliate link). If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review Your Next Favorite Book on your preferred podcast platform. This helps people find the show. Please check out my new book, I'm a Christian—Now What?: A Guide to Your New Life with Christ, available to order where you buy books.

One of my favorite “brain candy” genres is celebrity memoirs. In all honesty, there are a lot of them that are… not that great. A little too self-aggrandizing. A bit too self-interested and pompous. But there are some that are an absolute delight to read, that somehow manage to be self-deprecating and insightful in equal measure.  Not too long ago, I overheard two people in a bookstore talking about a book in this genre. It was different, one that just from the description another reader gave, I needed to read. One that wasn’t so much of a memoir as it was the record of a conversation—an extended interview between two friends that covered everything from music, songwriting, life during a pandemic, the death of a child, drug addiction, the purpose of religion, and the possibility of hope.   This is Faith, Hope, and Carnage and it might just be your next favorite book.  Get your copy of Faith, Hope, and Carnage at your favorite bookstore, including Amazon.com (affiliate link). If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review Your Next Favorite Book on your preferred podcast platform. This helps people find the show. Please check out my new book, I'm a Christian—Now What?: A Guide to Your New Life with Christ, available to order where you buy books.

What does it mean to be a new Christian when you're an adult—and when you might not have any familiarity with Christianity at all? That was what experienced when I became a Christian in my mid-20s. What I learned and experienced in those early years—especially the mistakes I made—are at the heart of my new book, I'm a Christian—Now What?: A Guide to Your New Life with Christ.  In today's special episode of Your Next Favorite Book, I'm sharing some of the story behind this book and how I hope it will help those who read it.  Get your copy of I'm a Christian—Now What?: A Guide to Your New Life with Christ at your favorite bookstore, including Amazon.com (affiliate link). If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review Your Next Favorite Book on your preferred podcast platform. This helps people find the show.

Most people don't think in terms of lists. (At least, I don't think they do.) But for fans, collectors, and those of us who are maybe slightly obsessive about a particular area of interest, categories and lists really do matter. They're part of how we engage with the world, and with others. But these can also be a mask shielding us from dealing with greater realities—and keep us from growing as people. People, including fans, need something more than lists. And definitely something more than a string of broken relationships, a semi-failing business, and a collection of unanswered questions, fears, and anxieties. Even if we do have a great record collection. This is High Fidelity, and it might just be your next favorite book. Get your copy of High Fidelity at your favorite bookstore, including Amazon.com (affiliate link). If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review Your Next Favorite Book on your preferred podcast platform. This helps people find the show. Please check out my new book, I'm a Christian—Now What?: A Guide to Your New Life with Christ, available to order where you buy books.