Best of 2012 - Books and Movies

Thanks to technology, I can now easily keep track of what I read and watch. Does the fact that I take the time to record such things scream, "I have no life!" and "I am a nerd!" Absolutely and without question. That established, let's move on to my list of the best things I read and watched in 2012. By the way, this is not a list of the best things that were released in 2012, but a list of the best books and movies that I experienced in 2012.

Books - ***For a complete list of what I've read, friend me on Goodreads!
In just the last couple of years, I've gotten back to reading a lot. I read voraciously (see, reading does increase your vocabulary!) as a kid and in my middle school years. But starting in high school there was this 10 year gap where I didn't read much. Yes, that means that 95% of the time I did not do the assigned reading in high school and college.

But I digress...

In 2012 I read 24 books. For the most part, I enjoyed all of them. Since books are such a time investment, I tend to only read books I really want to read and ones that I think are worthy of my time. But of those 24, three edge out the others as favorites:

• Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

This technically counts as seven books, but I loved them all. The world Rowling created was just enchanting and it was a joy to return to it with each book. The series's themes were also very compelling and made for great storytelling - good and evil, courage, friendship, family, and sacrifice. I just generally like the fantasy element as well. Rowling expertly crafted these stories with just the perfect amounts of reality and fantasy, just enough reality for the reader to understand and connect, and just enough fantasy to make it fun and imaginative. I look forward to re-reading the series someday.

• The Reason for God by Tim Keller

I have been reading and listening to a lot of Keller lately. I've admired him in the past, but the more I read and hear, the more I like him. If you don't know anything about him, he is the teaching pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. In a city where you'd think there would be little place for a church who holds firmly to the authority of Scripture, the deity of Christ, the supreme importance of the Gospel, and other orthodox Christian beliefs, Keller and Redeemer continue to reach large numbers of people. Keller's appeal is in his intellectual and un-gimmicky way of speaking and preaching, as well as in his ability to intelligently articulate spiritual truths to secular audiences. The Reason for God was published in 2007 and rose to #7 on the New York Times Best Seller List for non-fiction in March of 2008. The book is split into two parts. The first part addresses common objections to Christianity - why would a good God allow evil? Christianity is culturally irrelevant and dated. It's narrow-minded to say that your religion is the only way. Etc. Keller graciously examines each objection and provides an intelligent and careful rebuttal, using a wide variety of sources both Christian and secular. In the second part of the book, Keller explains why he believes Christianity provides the best explanation for the big questions in life, and explains what Christianity is (and what it isn't.)

I loved this book because it is a reasoned, well-researched, and well articulated book about Christianity and the big questions in life. If you're not a Christian, this book is an intelligent treatise on Christianity, and you may find that it answers some of the questions and objections you may have. If you're already a Christian, the book is a great distillation of the Gospel and provides calmly reasoned answers to common objections to Christianity that may help you as you talk to people.

Anyway, I really got a lot out of the book and would encourage everyone to read it, regardless of what you believe. You will not find an angry, ranting, religious lunatic in these pages, merely a thought-provoking discussion of some of the big questions and a careful explanation of what Christianity is all about.

• The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

I read this book after seeing the trailer for the movie. I don't really have anything profound to say about this one except I enjoyed it very much. The story was interesting, the characters well-drawn, and there were a lot of very thought-provoking elements to the narrative.

Movies
I've come to grips with the fact that I am a movie person. I just love movies. I thoroughly enjoy the stories, the visuals, and exploring the worldviews they present.

Here are 10 favorites from this past year, in no particular order:

• Bernie - If you want to know what life is like in Texas, watch this movie. It truly is the most accurate representation of how people think, talk, and live here - not so much in the urban centers, but certainly everywhere else.
• Looper - This movie BLEW MY MIND. We saw the television commercials for it and it looked so lame. But then I started hearing that it was getting crazy good reviews so we went and saw it. It was incredible, definitely one of the most unique films of 2012.
• The Guard - A quirky, dark comedy that we really enjoyed. Brendan Gleeson was perfect and the dialogue was quick, sharp, and hilarious.
• Boy - We watched this one while in New Zealand because it's a Kiwi film. It was like a Napoleon Dynamite slash Wes Anderson slash coming of age film, but New Zealand style. Really good.
• Life, Above All - Foreign film about a young girl in South Africa. Well-acted with a strong story.
• The Hunter - A tight, well-acted film with an interesting story and a dark, broody tone.
• A Separation - Iranian film spanning a few days in the life of a couple Iranian families. The story is realistic and compelling, and the performances are fantastic.
• The Dark Knight - No explanation needed here. I just really enjoyed it and thought it was a great finish to the Dark Knight trilogy.
• Little Dorrit - This one's a BBC miniseries based on the book by Charles Dickens and it's SO good. We've been watching a lot of BBC stuff, but this one is probably our favorite.
• Take Shelter - An indie movie about a guy who is convinced an apocalyptic storm is coming, and who may or may not be mentally unstable. Well-acted little story.

Any suggestions for things I should read or watch in 2013?