Saturday Side Quest - 📚 Summer Reading List: 7 Picks to Stretch the Mind & Stir the Soul
Where has faith and fandom intersected this week?
Summer may be for slowing down—but I find that it’s also when my imagination tends to wake up. Maybe it’s the heat. Maybe it’s the slightly longer margin in the day. Whatever it is, I read more in the summer—and I read differently in the summer.
Below are seven books I’ve recently read and can confidently recommend adding to your Summer Reading List. These picks range from deep dives into strategy and creativity to thoughtful explorations of faith, myth, gaming culture, and how our digital lives are shaping us.
Whether you're looking for soul-searching essays, mythic friendships, corporate drama, or reflections on where gaming is taking our world—this list has something for your poolside (or late-night Discord) hours.
I’ve provided links to Bookshop for each of these picks. Using the link provided when you make a purchase will generate affiliate earnings for Checkpoint Church.
1. The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life by Suleika Jaouad
This one’s less about gold and more about grace. Jaouad, known for her reflections on illness and creativity, offers a practice-oriented guide to channeling life’s raw material—grief, beauty, boredom—into something meaningful. Think liturgy meets journaling meets therapy.
2. Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment by Jason Schreier
If you care at all about the games industry (or how institutions fall apart), this is a must-read. Schreier’s journalistic storytelling peels back the curtain on Blizzard’s rise to mythic status—and what happened when the cracks started to show. It’s compelling, infuriating, and all-too-familiar for anyone building something creative in public.
3. The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien by John Hendrix
A graphic novel biography that feels like a warm pint with two of Christianity’s biggest literary minds. Hendrix lets us peer into the friendship that helped shape Narnia, Middle-Earth, and the way so many of us think about myth and faith. It’s whimsical, wise, and beautifully drawn.
4. Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering by Malcolm Gladwell
Gladwell returns to the themes that made him famous, but this time with a darker tone. It’s a sharp exploration of how ideas spread—and how they’re being intentionally used to manipulate culture. If you’re in ministry, media, or online community-building, this one is sobering and important.
5. Versus #1 by Bose, ONE
Experimental and raw, this debut graphic series blends lyricism and lore. It’s a story about rivalry, but also about self-understanding, power, and the dissonance between ambition and calling. Think prophetic zine meets Saturday morning cartoon meets slam poetry. I can’t wait for the next issue.
6. Everything to Play For: An Insider's Guide to How Video Games are Changing Our World by Marijam Did
From labor rights to storytelling ethics, Did covers the parts of gaming we need to be talking about more. It’s not just a love letter to games—it’s a call to see them as serious cultural forces. If you’re trying to explain to someone why gaming matters, hand them this.
7. This Is Strategy: Make Better Plans by Seth Godin
Leave it to Godin to make strategy feel like poetry. If you’re tired of aimless vision statements or buzzword-laced planning documents, this is a refreshing alternative. It’s direct, human, and will absolutely change how you lead your church, brand, or creative team.
That’s the list.
I’d love to hear what’s on your own list this summer—drop a rec in the comments, or tag me on Substack/BlueSky with your picks.
Stay curious. Stay kind. Stay nerdy.