The Englewood Review of Books Podcast

Joel hosted a fun and freewheeling discussion, with a stand-out panel of readers, of our favorite books from 2025. They discuss many books that were published in 2025, but not exclusively new titles, covering a wide swath of genres from biblical studies to young adult literature to poetry. There's something in this discussion for everyone!Jessica Hooten Wilson is the Fletcher Jones Endowed Chair of Great Books at Pepperdine University (’23). She co-hosts a podcast called The Scandal of Reading, and is the author of many books, including READING FOR THE LOVE OF GOD and THE SCANDAL OF HOLINESS.Nijay K. Gupta is Julius R. Mantey Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He is the cohost of the Slow Theology podcast, and author of books including TELL HER STORY, STRANGE RELIGION, and many scriptural commentaries.Dorothy Littell Greco is a writer, speaker, and photographer. Her writing has been featured in many publications including Christianity Today, Missio Alliance, and The Common Good and her most recent book is FOR THE LOVE OF WOMEN.If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) Reading for the Love of God: How to Read as a Spiritual Practice by Jessica Hooten WilsonThe Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of Literary Saints by Jessica Hooten WilsonTell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught & Ministered in the Early Church by Nijay GuptaStrange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous & Compelling by Nijay GuptaSlow Theology: Eight Practices for Resilient Faith in a Turbulent World by Nijay Gupta & A.J. SwobodaFor the Love of Women: Uprooting and Healing Misogyny in America by Dorothy Littell GrecoThe Anti-Greed Gospel: Why the Love of Money is the Root of Racism and How the Church Can Create a New Way Forward by Malcolm FoleyRedeeming Eden: How Women in the Bible Advance the Story of Salvation by Ingrid Faro with Joyce Koo DalrympleThe Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan KamaliThe Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel NayeriHoles by Louis SacharDo Not Judge Anyone: Desert Wisdom for a Polarized World by Isaac SlaterWhere God Happens: Discovering Christ in One Another by Rowan WilliamsJesus and the Law of Moses: The Gospels and the Restoration of Israel Within First-Century Judaism by Paul Sloan Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel MillerYou Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good & Beautiful by Karen Swallow PriorRomans: An Interpretation Bible Commentary by Susan Eastman1 Corinthians: A Theological, Pastoral & Missional Commentary by Michael GormanFor Such a Time as This: An Emergency Devotional by Hanna ReichlWhen Courage Calls: Josephine Butler and the Radical Pursuit of Justice for Women by Sarah C. WilliamsNervous Systems: Spiritual Practices to Calm Anxiety in Your Body, the Church and Politics by Sara BillupsA Pilgrimage Into Letting Go: Helping Parents and Pastors Embrace the Uncontrollable by Kara Root & Andrew RootSome of the Words are Theirs: The Art of Writing and Living a Sermon by Austic Carty

Chris (founding editor of the ERB) spoke with first-time podcast guest (and one of our most-frequently mentioned writers!) Kathleen Norris and returning guest Amy Julia Becker, regarding some common themes in their published writing. They speak about disability, what it means to be human, and their experiences accompanying family members with disabilities. Their conversation is humble, sincere, vulnerable and light-hearted, and listeners will find their honest reflections encouraging.Books Mentioned in this Episode:If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) The Cloister Walk by Kathleen NorrisAcedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks & a Writer's Life by Kathleen NorrisDakota: A Spiritual Geography by Kathleen NorrisAmazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith by Kathleen NorrisA Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations & a Little Girl Named Penny by Amy Julia BeckerRebecca Sue: A Sister's Reflections on Faith, Disability & Love by Kathleen NorrisWhen Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor...And Yourself by Steve Corbett and Brian FikkertTo Be Made Well: An Invitation to Wholeness, Healing & Hope by Amy Julia BeckerThe Hospitality of Need: How Depending on One Another Helps Us Heal & Grow Together by Kevan Chandler & Tommy SheltonThe Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto by Leah Libresco SargeantHow to Read a Book: A Novel by Monica WoodDo Not Judge Anyone: Desert Wisdom for a Polarized World by Isaac SlaterSmall Things Like These by Claire KeeganGhost Trail (film)

Lindsey Cornett, Managing Editor of Englewood Press, spoke with authors Sarah Arthur and Mitali Perkins about the value and significance of children’s literature for spiritual formation. We discuss how literature connects us to the heart of God, how Mitali and Sarah think about their own audiences as they write, and why adults should be reading children’s literature. As always, the conversation wraps up with a discussion of what we’ve been reading lately.Lindsey Cornett is a loud talker, obsessive coffee drinker, and lover of the written word who lives in Indianapolis with her family. She is the Managing Editor of Englewood Press and a Senior Writer at Indianapolis Moms. You can find her writing at lindseycornett.substack.com. Mitali Perkins is an award-winning author of novels and picture books for young readers, including You Bring the Distant Near; Forward Me Back to You; Rickshaw Girl; and Bamboo People, among others. Her books have been nominated for the National Book Award, have won the South Asia Book Award, and have been listed as Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and School Library Journal. Born in Kolkata, India, Perkins has lived in India, Ghana, Cameroon, Great Britain, Mexico, Bangladesh, Thailand, and the United States. She lives and writes in the San Francisco Bay Area.Sarah Arthur is a fun-loving speaker and the bestselling author of a dozen books for teens and adults, including Once a Queen and Walking with Frodo. Among other nerdy adventures, she has served as preliminary fiction judge for the CT Book Awards, was a founding board member of the annual C. S. Lewis Festival in Northern Michigan, and codirects the Madeleine L’Engle Writing Retreats.Books Mentioned in this Episode:If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) Once A Queen (Book 1 of the Carrick Hall Novels) by Sarah ArthurOnce a Castle (Book 2 of the Carrick Hall Novels) by Sarah ArthurYou Bring the Distant Near by Mitali PerkinsRickshaw Girl by Mitali PerkinsThe Golden Necklace: A Darjeeling Tea Mystery by Mitali PerkinsSteeped In Stories: Timeless Children's Novels to Refresh Our Tired Souls by Mitali PerkinsThe God-Hungry Imagination: The Art of Storytelling for Postmodern Youth Ministry by Sarah Arthur A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson BurnettThe Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson BurnettCharlotte's Web by E.B. WhiteA Light so Lovely: The Spiritual Legacy of Madeleine L'Engle by Sarah ArthurA Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'EnglePeace Like a River by Leif AngerThe Same Stuff as Stars by Katherine PatersonMy Friends by Fredrick BackmanThe Eyre Affair (Thursday Next #1) by Jasper FfordeEmily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace

Chris sat down for an in-person conversation with 3 of the co-authors of "The Shape of Our Lives" from Englewood Press. They discuss the concept of formation, it's inevitability, and what it means for leaders of congregations to pursue intentional formation in the context of community and worship.Books Mentioned in this Episode:If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) The Shape of Our Lives: A Field Guide for Congregational FormationThe Form of the Word: Making Sense of Scripture in the Body of Christ

Joel spoke with two first-time guests to the podcast, Jonathan Tran & Malcolm Foley, about their recent books and their work to more precisely illuminate and define the "racial capitalism" in which those of us in the Western world live. It's a stimulating and wide-ranging conversation about race, economics, history, higher education, politics and more. Of course, we end with a discussion of what we have all been reading.Dr. Jonathan Tran is the author of multiple books, including Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism (2022, Oxford UP), as well as Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke University’s Divinity School.Dr. Malcolm Foley is a pastor, historian, and speaker who serves as special adviser to the president for equity and campus engagement at Baylor University. He has written for Christianity Today, The Anxious Bench, and Mere Orthodoxy, and is the author of the brand-new book The Anti-Greed Gospel (Brazos).Books Mentioned in this Episode:If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others: The Political Economy of Racism in the United States (essay) by Judith SteinThe Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism by Edward BaptistGod's Reign and the End of Empires by Antonio GonzalezWe Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite by Musa al-GharbiBlack Skin, White Masks by Frantz FanonGod Emperor of Dune by Frank HerbertWhite Property, Black Trespass: Racial Capitalism and the Religious Function of Mass Criminalization by Andrew KrinksNickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara EhrenreichPoverty, By America by Matthew Desmond$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn Edin & Luke ShaeferThe Life in Christ by Nicholas CabasilasCapitalism and its Critics: A History: From the Industrial Revolution to AI by John CassidyRetrieving Nicaea: The Development and Meaning of Trinitarian Doctrine by Khaled Anatolios