Back in February, John Starke, at The Gospel Coalition Blog, interviewed Carl Trueman with a few questions about his reading habits: When do you read? What genres do you enjoy? What’s the mixture you aim for of new books and old books? What are you reading right now?

Here’s Dr. Trueman’s answer:

I do not read much theology these days, only what is required to keep abreast of my field, to prepare for sermons, or for book reviews. Most theological matter, even the good, is poorly written; and, if we are honest with ourselves, most of it has been said better before. Therefore, I do not waste too much time on it.

I spend most evenings reading. I prefer the company of books and family over most else. At the moment, I am reading Michael Korda’s Hero: The Life and Legend ofLawrence of Arabia; and, on my Kindle for travelling, I have Steven Englund’s Napoleon: A Political Life. Next in line is Roy Hattersley’s The Great Outsider, his new life of David Lloyd George. I love biography, particularly those of political leaders or intellectuals, though by and large not of Americans. I do not find the sense of the tragic in politics or intellectual life here which I find in Europe. Of course, history in general, and biography in particular, are vital for broadening perspectives, developing skills of critical social, cultural, and psychological analysis, and helping the reader to sympathize with others.

In terms of novelists, I love fiction, especially Thomas Hardy, Joseph Conrad, and Emily Bronte. These authors’ use of language, and their sense of the tragic is powerful. Hardy’s Jude the Obscure is an almost unbearable book to read for its bleakness; yet utterly beautiful and brilliant. On the lighter side, I love Raymond Chandler, and psychological thriller writers like Ruth Rendell, Ian Rankin, and Henning Mankell. Barry Hines’s A Kestrel for a Knave is possibly the most moving book I have ever read; and Flann O’Brien’s The Third Policeman the funniest.

I do not read much poetry, with the exceptions of Shakespeare’s tragedies, Yeats, Blake, and Housman. I also like to read Vergil in the original to keep my Latin sharp. Poetry moves too deeply to be read too often.

I love reading good essayists. Reading good prose is absolutely basic to being able to write the same. Thus, I return again and again to the masters of the genre: George Orwell and William Hazlitt. These men knew the power of prose. Short stories too: Hemingway, for his distinctive, terse way of describing dramatic events; and M. R. James, for his ability to create suspense and fear using only a pen. Both men show how powerful the written word, in the right hands, can be.

I believe it important to read good commentary on current events. I read the quality British press online; check Slate every day; and have paper subscriptions to both The Spectator, the classic British conservative weekly, and Private Eye, the satirical magazine. I do not read American dailies. They annoy me: I want them to be like the newspapers back home; but, for me, there is something indefinable missing.

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