Top Ten Reads of 2009

Posted by Ty Fischer on Jan 7, 2010 8:51:33 AM
As I sped through the Christmas Holidays, I was showered with numerous Top Ten Lists—from top ten Lancaster news stories to top ten NFL plays of the decade. Here are my Top 10 books and movies you should read or watch in 2009 (they are not in an order):

10. Anthony Esolen’s version of The Divine Comedy

9. How the Scots Invented the Modern World by Arthur Herman

8. The Search for God and Guinness by Stephen Mansfield

7. The Body and the Earth by Wendell Berry

6. Margins by Wendell Berry

5. The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry

4. Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi

3. An Innocent Man by John Grisham

2. The Blind Side

1. Gran Torino

The most shocking of these—if you have to read only one—is Berry’s essay called Margins which is an immensely convincing argument that modern farming is destroying farming, rural communities, our health (both body and soul), and the planet. The most fun read is How the Scots Invented the Modern World. I can not decide which movie is best. I just watched the Blind Side—it got me. Gran Torino was the perfection and redemption of the Eastwoodian form. Hard call. Enjoy them all if you can.