The Mustard Seed

Roger Aubrey: Discovering God
Go on, you know you want to...

Miguel de Cervantes: Don Quixote
Arguably the first ever novel and arguably the best.

Arthur Wallis: God's Chosen Fast
Concise but thorough study on the power of prayer & fasting.

Alistair Cooke: Letter from America: 1946-2004
Makes me wish that Cooke lived in the age of podcasts.

Joseph O'Neill: Netherland
New York, 9/11 and cricket. A Gatsby for the 21st century

Gabriel Garcia Marquez: One Hundred Years of Solitude
A novel I could read over and over again.

Bryn Jones: Radical Church
"To the restorer, anything that cannot root itself in God as its source has no place in the life of the Christian or the practices of the community of God."

C.J. Sansom: Revelation
The latest detective novel the mystery-obsessed Aubrey family have got into. The fourth in its series, it is set in Tudor England and follows the adventures of hunchback lawyer Matthew Shardlake.

Watchman Nee: Sit Walk Stand
An invaluable study on the Christian life as set out in Ephesians.

Richard D. Mahoney: Sons and Brothers
A fascinating biography that highlights the depth of relationship between Jack and Bobby Kennedy.

Mike Brearley: The Art of Captaincy
A must for all cricket fans or students of leadership.

Roger Aubrey: The Circle of Life
Who'd have thought The Lion King could teach us so much about faith?

Taylor Branch: The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President
A fascinating insight into the White House.

Robert Harris: The Ghost
Ghostwriter is hired to write the memoirs of a disgraced former prime minister. Twists and turns aplenty.

Francis A. Schaeffer: The God Who Is There
Interesting study on the place of Christianity in contemporary culture.

F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby
"Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead."

A. W. Tozer: The Knowledge of the Holy
"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."

Tony Ling: The Lion & The Lamb
Indispensible guide to the Book of Revelation

Simon Barnes: The Meaning of Sport
Warning: contains trace elements of Ulysses.

Umberto Eco: The Name of the Rose
A medieval whodunnit that also manages to be a beginner's guide to semiotic theory, a catalogue of fourteenth century religious debate, an exploration of heresy, and a love letter to books.

Jacques Ellul: The Presence of the Kingdom
Radical, practical theology that challenges how the Christian lives in and engages with the world.

Leonard Verduin: The Reformers and Their Stepchildren
Brings to light and to life the roots many Christians have today in the radical, not magisterial reformers.

Donna Tartt: The Secret History
A group of classics students try to get away with murder...

Roland Allen: The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church: And the Causes That Hinder It
Challenges the believer to pass on the good news of the gospel as a natural matter of course.

Alexandre Dumas: The Three Musketeers
The story that created the Saturday serial.

E. Stanley Jones: The Unshakable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person
The best book on the kingdom of God I have ever read. Explains the ways in which the kingdom is natural, built in to the DNA of all mankind, and how the kingdom is 'the spirit of Jesus universalized'.

Michael Chabon: The Yiddish Policeman's Union
Jewish Alaska, crime and chess.

James B. Jordan: Through New Eyes
A theological treat and available free online!

Harper Lee: To Kill a Mockingbird
I studied this in high school and still remember not knowing what do with myself after I finished it.

Devern F. Fromke: Ultimate Intention
One of the most important books on the purposes of God ever written.

Steely Dan: Aja
Contains 'Home at Last': Homer's Odyssey retold over the top of the Purdie shuffle.

Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks
Dylan at his lyrical and melodic best.

Madeleine Peyroux: Careless Love
Her version of Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome" might be better than his.

Bela Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra
Written in six weeks in America before Bartok died. Has stayed with me since I studied it in school.

DJ Shadow: Endtroducing...
A musical palimpsest.

Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago
Like Walden & Leviathan before it, proof that, sometimes, going off into the woods on your own can be good for you.

Ryan Adams: Gold
For fans of Ryan Adams, I think you always like the first album you heard the most. This is the first one I heard.

Jeff Buckley: Grace
The greatest version of "Hallelujah" can be found here.

Counting Crows: Hard Candy
The best album by the Crows, methinks.

John Mayer: Heavier Things
Probably the best songwriter and guitar player in popular music today.

Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues
Second album from Fleet Foxes. Fantastic folk music with beautiful harmonies.

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
Best. Jazz. Album. Ever.

Delirious?: King of Fools
Christian music with an inspiring prophetic edge to it.

Lewis Taylor: Lewis Taylor
Dictionary definition of undiscovered gem.

Beth Rowley: Little Dreamer
Sings on Crowded House record, then makes her own fantastic album.

Doves: Lost Souls
One of the finest guitar albums in years.

Van Morrison: Moondance
Any early Van Morrison album is worth a listen. Caravan, Everyone and Into the Mystic give this one the edge.

David Holmes: Ocean's 12
All three Ocean's films have brilliant soundtracks. This might just be the best.

James Taylor: October Road
Proof that class is permanent.

Elbow: Seldom Seen Kid
Further proof of the album as a great art form.

The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Like the song says, "it's getting better all the time."

Daniel Lanois: Shine
Weird and wonderful album from U2 producer.

Cannonball Adderley: Somethin' Else
The last album Miles Davis played on for someone else. Great stuff.

Paul Simon: Still Crazy After All These Years
Even better than Graceland, I kid you not.

Thomas Dybdahl: Stray Dogs
Convinced me of the less-is-more brilliance of Thomas Dybdahl.

The Band: The Band
Classic album from Bob Dylan's former backing group.

James Dean Bradfield: The Great Western
Solo album from the lead singer of Manic Street Preachers

Keith Jarrett: The Köln Concert
An amazing night of improvisation.

The La's: The La's
The only made one album, but what an album!

Seu Jorge: The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions
David Bowie songs sung in Portuguese. Honestly.

Crowded House: Together Alone
This might just be my favourite album.