How to Invent a Story

It’s time for the quarterly books episode of The Russell Moore Show! 

On this episode, Russell shares the books on his desert island bookshelf. He and producer Ashley Hales discuss what it takes for a title to belong on that shelf. They consider the power of finding a book for a specific season and how such reads take root in our hearts. Their conversation spans genres and generations as they talk about books that range from centuries old to just published. 

Visit [link to come] to see a picture of Russell’s desert island bookshelf.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• A Theology of the New Testament by George Eldon Ladd
• Selected Poems: 1931-2004 by Czeslaw Milosz
• Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
• Confessions by Saint Augustine
• The Table Talk of Martin Luther by Martin Luther
• Signposts in a Strange Land by Walker Percy
• The Message in the Bottle by Walker Percy
• A Room Called Remember by Frederick Buechner
• The Alphabet of Grace by Frederick Buechner
• Strength to Love by Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Pensées by Blaise Pascal
• The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Provocations by Søren Kierkegaard 
• The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor
• The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty
• Early Christian Fathers by Cyril Richardson
• The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
• The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 
• Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot
• The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis
• Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
• On the Apostolic Preaching by Irenaeus of Lyons
• The 1662 Book of Common Prayer edited by Samuel L. Bray and Drew Nathaniel Keane
• David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien 
• The Message of Romans (The Bible Speaks Today Series) by John Stott
• As Kingfishers Catch Fire by Eugene Peterson
• Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• Moby Dick by Herman Melville
• The Call of the Wild by Jack London
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
• Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry

Additional authors and resources mentioned in this episode include:

• David Foster Wallace
• Seth Godin
• Denise Levertov
• Edgar Allan Poe
• Anton Chekhov
• Frederick Buechner
• The Bishop and Other Stories by Anton Chekhov
• Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation by Collin Hansen
• The Banshees of Insherin 
• “Malcolm Guite’s Hope for Hurt Christians” 

Pre-order Russell’s new title, Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America, here!

Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.com.

Ashley Hales is the producer of The Russell Moore Show, founder of Willowbrae Institute, and an author. Find out more at aahales.com.

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“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper

Host: Russell Moore

Producer: Ashley Hales

Associate Producers: Abby Perry and Azurae Phelps

CT Administration: Christine Kolb

Social Media: Kate Lucky

Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens

Production Assistance: coreMEDIA

Audio Engineer: Kevin Duthu

Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort

Video Producer: John Roland

Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton

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