From The Library Of: Justin Whitmel Earley
Get excited for all the book recommendations from my longtime friend, my lawyer and award-winning Christian author Justin Whitmel Earley and his lovely better half, Lauren!
You see, he’s an author, lawyer, speaker, husband, father to four boys, CrossFit and motorcycle enthusiast. And he has two podcasts. And can make a mean cocktail. He’s deeply wise, always relatable, so grounded - and still highly entertaining.
I’ve been following Justin’s teachings on habits and spiritual formation for almost a decade. He published his first book, ”The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction”, in 2019. His follow-up ”Habits of The Household” was a runaway hit. He started going viral in 2023 when Instagram took notice of his wise words (and maybe the backwards hat); this is now a regular occurrence. Most recently, I read his latest release, a children’s book called ”The Big Mess,” to my daughter Celine. Justin is now a formative voice in Christian teaching and is preparing his next publication (to which he hints in the below!).
Of all of his many gifts, the one I marvel at most often is this: he is a master communicator. Whether writing or speaking, Justin can pull from his deep well of knowledge and fish out just the right lesson or idea and phrase it so simply for instant understanding and lasting satisfaction. I constantly use his Instagram Reels as a case study when talking social media. “If you’re a Christian parent struggling with discipline,” he’ll say. That’s me, the viewer thinks, I could use this wisdom.
In addition to being parents to four boys, Justin and his wife Lauren are voracious readers. I tend to talk writing with Justin and reading with Lauren - she and I both love sci-fi and fantasy! Their reading recommendations are nothing short of fascinating; Lauren’s also an excellent curator.
And yes, Justin’s totally my lawyer and saw my PR firm through its acquisition. Because, if he didn’t have enough going on, Justin also runs his own law firm, Earley Business Legal, as his day job.
Justin and Lauren, take it away!
[Editor’s Note: Unless otherwise noted, answers below are from Justin.]
Reading is an embarrassingly big part of our marriage, so we thought we should write our answers together. Lauren reads three times as much as I do, if not more, but that helps because she passes on only the best, saying, “You have to read this.” So I never read a bad book. She’s also my best editor by virtue of being my meanest, so it’s a love-hate thing.
If you ever come to our house, you’ll find books everywhere. Like seriously, no surface is without one. We just tell ourselves that they’re the best decoration and keep piling them on.
Here are some of our favorites...
The book with my favorite plot twist:
Favorite book in my genre:
Justin: Chesterton’s “Orthodoxy” in Religious Nonfiction
Lauren: “Domestic Monastery” by Ronald Rolheiser in Parenting
The book that made me want to be an author: “The Book of Bebb” by Frederick Buechner, because Buechner showed me that fiction and nonfiction could both be in an author’s wheelhouse.
The book I wish I wrote: “The River Why” by James David Duncan - funny AND profound; same for his next book, “The Brothers K.” But maybe also Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird,” because I love writers on writing and wish I had advice that good.
The book I wish #booktok knew about:
Justin: Ha Jin’s “The Bridegroom” (Chinese short stories)
If I were trapped on a desert island with three books, they would be:
Lauren: The Bible, “That Distant Land” by Wendell Berry, “Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows” by J K Rowling
Justin: “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis, “The Book of Bebb” by Frederick Buechner, Ted Chiang’s “The Stories of Your Life and Others.” I would never get tired of this collection of incredible stories by Chiang! I also think I’d probably read it and finally understand quantum physics because he’s so brilliant.
The book in whose world I'd most want to live:
Lauren: “The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion” by Beth Brower - the whimsical late 1800’s St. Crispian neighborhood of a semi-magical London.
Justin: “Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage” by Alfred Lansing. I wish I was on that crew! This is truly one of the most incredible stories I’ve ever read.
The last book that made me cry or laugh (which?):
Lauren: “In This House of Brede” by Rumer Godden - both!
Justin: Paul J. Pastor’s book of poetry, “The Locust Years” ... I didn’t cry, I wept.
The book I can never reread:
Lauren: “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy. Worth it, but too intense for the reread.
Justin: I am ashamed to say I rarely reread books because I always want to move onto the next one, so most fall in this category...
The book I actually want to repeatedly read to a child:
Justin: ”The Big Mess” - of course!
The classic I confess I've never read:
Lauren: “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy, “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville “Middlemarch” by George Eliot
Most cherished book from childhood:
Justin: Roald Dahl’s “The Wonderful Story of Mr. Henry Sugar”
Lauren: my full set of Harry Potters
My go-to cookbook:
My signature coffee table book: We’re on rotation. We leave the 10 books we're currently reading as a household out.
The book that feels like advice from a friend:
The book I gift most often: My book “Made for People” I give away the most, because it’s the closet thing I can do to giving the gift of friendship.
My most recent read:
Start reading my books with this title: “The Body Teaches the Soul,” if you can wait until this fall… But if not, The Common Rule.
Just a few more questions…
Each of your books feels like a natural succession to the one before. How did you fall into the subject matter flow of self, family, friendship, body?
For me talking about habits and spirituality was the first thing that got me writing, and then it just continued to the next subject I was interested in. Parenting because I have young boys. Then friendship because I’ve always thought I wouldn’t make it without my friends. “The Body Teaches the Soul” is the next area of exploring physical habits of health.
What would be your perfect dessert, and how would your siblings make a mess of it?
I love a carrot cake. And while my sibling would probably be fine, my boys would figure out a way to start a food fight with it.
What is the strangest part of your writing process?
Probably that I make a calendar planner when I need to get a first draft out. I write out the days for the next five to seven months, by hand. Then I make a reading goal for the first few months and write what I’ll read. Importantly, during this part, I promise not to try to write. Just take in what others have written. (But of course I end up scribbling ideas.)
Then for the next few months, I write word count goals, so that I can just cut loose and say all I need to do this morning is write 500 words. Doesn’t matter if they are good or bad. Just write some down. Then, by the middle of that calendar, I have a (terrible) manuscript. And I make goals for the next few months to edit a chapter each week.
I don’t know anyone who writes out the days, but this process has really helped me move from nothing to a first draft.
Justin and Lauren, THANK YOU for always being so generous with your wisdom and book recommendations!!
Where you can learn more:
On Instagram, Justin drops regular habit and simple paradigm shifts, while Lauren makes lists of her ultimate reads.
You can find all of Justin’s titles just about anywhere but definitely on his website.
Listen to his podcasts Made For People and Intentional Fatherhood.
Finally, keep an eye out for “The Body Teaches the Soul,” Justin’s next release!
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