Daily Doctrine (Kevin DeYoung)

Daily Doctrine is a devotional of sorts, with 260 entries (five per week). But unlike most devotionals (where each entry focuses on a Bible passage or topic), this book presents systematic theology for laypeople in digestible pieces (about a page per entry). Here, notable pastor and author Kevin DeYoung covers doctrine in 9 categories:

- Prolegomena (Preliminary Considerations)

- Theology Proper (The Being of God and the Works of God)

- Anthropology (Man as Created and Fallen)

- Covenant Theology (How God Relates to His Creatures)

- Christology 1 (The Person of Christ)

- Christology 2 (The Works of Christ)

- Soteriology (Salvation in Christ)

- Ecclesiology (The Nature, Mission, and Ordering of the Church)

- Eschatology (Last Things)

I loved this work. It takes skill to translate skilled theologians and their terminology into something clear and concise, but that is DeYoung's stated gift, and he pulls it off. He presents the Reformed view on most matters, but for particularly contentious topics, he does give a fair summary of different viewpoints. I recommend this to anyone interested in learning about systematic theology but (understandably) overwhelmed by other works on the topic (like John Frame's excellent, but much longer, volume) and simply wants an overview. I only wish there had been 365 entries.

Rating: A

Magpie Murders (Anthony Horowitz)

Alan Conway is a popular 'whodunnit' author. His editor, Sue, is enjoying his latest draft manuscript until she discovers that the final chapters are missing. And it gets worse . . . Alan Conway is soon found dead on his property. Baffled, Sue takes it upon herself to investigate. Having enjoyed mysteries all her life, Sue suddenly finds herself in one . . . and the stakes could not be higher.

This was a fun read. This is two books in one: the manuscript is a ~240 page murder mystery, and Sue's investigation is about the same length. I don't want to say more lest I give spoilers, but it was a fun concept well executed. It has the suspense and surprises you'd expect of the genre.

Rating: A