I had originally intended for this summer to be an exercise in reading fiction. Yet the further I went into the process the more I began to long for something a little more specific.

I view life and approach things through series. I read, watch TV and movies, preach and teach systematically and orderly. I like a clear progression. So, I thought I would try to read all the Pulitzer prize winners for Fiction. But, honestly, some of those titles don’t appeal to me in the least. I was more interested in the Booker Prize winners but decided against that one as well.

I decided that I would like to read through an author from beginning to end. To walk with a singular voice through the development of his thought.

So I began to consider just who I should read. I thought of Barth and Yoder. Of Yancey and Tozer. Of Hauerwas and Wright.

But who better to begin a journey like this than C.S. Lewis? His work is as relevant today as it was at the time of publication. By working through Lewis I will get a sampling of fiction and non-fiction, allegory and poetry. And I can walk through the thought progression of a complex individual.

So, I began the process of assembling the works of C.S. Lewis. Some will be harder to track down than others. I will read them in order of publication. I will re-read, in the correct order, the many works of his that I have already consumed. I will read the 37 works that were released prior to his death and the 22 works released posthumously. I will blog about each of these books as I work through them inviting you to come along with me.

I have no time-table for this. It could take a couple of months. It could take a couple of years. The one requirement I have is just to enjoy the writings of this great thinker.

C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died exactly one week short of his 65th birthday. The date of his death was overshadowed in America by the assassination of JFK which took place on the same day. Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, died the same day as well.

Later this week, I will talk about Spirits in Bondage: A Cycle of Lyrics and Dymer. These poems were his two first published works and the only ones to be published before he became a Christian.

Question for you: What are your favorite Lewis works? Why?