My Favorite Books I Read in 2025

Set my personal record for fewest books read in a year, but thought it was worth continuing to create this list, even if just for my personal reflection on the year.

So this is my list of what I found most interesting, entertaining, edifying, enlightening, challenging, and/or simply enjoyable.

Daily Doctrine: A One-Year Guide to Systematic Theology - Kevin DeYoung

• A treasure of knowledge broken up into bite-sized daily readings. Some entries will probably be bit academic for some, but I found this absolutely wonderful.

My Friends - Fredrik Backman

• My favorite author. Not my favorite book of his, but I will never get enough of his writing. His sentences routinely make me stop and think about big things.

The Will of the Many - James Islington

• A little bit of Roman Empire politics combined with Harry Potter Hogwarts Academy-like settings and some Hunger Games competitions, along with one of my favorite narrators ever...very fun fantasy novel, and I can't wait to finish the second one in this trilogy that just came out.

Virgil Wander - Leif Enger

• Another of my favorite writers. This was the last book of his that I hadn't read. Another writer whose insight into humanity is amazing.

Sunrise on the Reaping - Suzanne Collins

• The most recent entry in the Hunger Games universe. This was my favorite of the entire series so far. Not easy to read, as it's the darkest of the books, but I feel like Collins' writing is just getting better, and it helps that Haymitch was my favorite character in the other books. Hoping they don't botch the movie.

Disrupted Journey: Walking with Your Loved One Through Chronic Pain and Illness - Nate Brooks

• A very personal, practical, but theological reflection on how to walk through chronic suffering with someone you love. This was immensely helpful to me personally given how 2025 went.

Passing the Torch: An Apology for Classical Christian Education - Louis Markos

• This is the best concise explanation and defense of Classical Christian Education I've read. I've become absolutely convinced of that model of education over the years, and this reinforced my position even more. Brilliant.

Embodied Hope: A Theological Meditation on Pain and Suffering - Kelly Kapic

• Similar to Nate Brooks' book, this really helped me process how to think through pain and suffering in relation to my view of God and how to reconcile some things. Ended up preaching a sermon from Habakkuk on lament this year that was largely inspired from reading these 2 books.

Michael Jordan: The Life - Roland Lazenby

• Been on my "to-read" list for years, and I'm so glad I finally got around to it. Michael Jordan was by far my favorite player growing up, and this book paints such a complete picture of him, flaws and genius all in. Loved it.

Angry with God: An Honest Journey through Suffering and Betrayal - Brad Hambrick

• Another book that really helped with processing a lot of pain this year. Also contributed a lot to the sermon I preached from Habakkuk on lament.

Beholding the Triune God: The Inseparable Work of Father, Son, and Spirit - Matthew Emerson and Brandon Smith

• The modern American Evangelical lack of robust Trinitarian theology continues to be a problem, so I'm glad for books like this that are fighting back against that. This was a really helpful and accessible explanation of inseparable operations.

CSB Connecting Scripture New Testament - Greg Beale and Benjamin Gladd

• Such a helpful new tool that helps readers understand the ways in which the NT writers are using, quoting, alluding to, and relying on the OT. Brilliantly helpful resource.

The Treeborn Trilogy - Ryan Southworth

• I'm not the target market for these books, but I read them because I know the author. I'm so glad I did. Charming, full of depictions of virtue, friendship, heroism, and overcoming failure, I thoroughly enjoyed reading these. Especially enjoyed the narrator's voice and perspective. Highly recommended for younger readers who enjoy Narnia, The Wingfeather Saga, the Green Ember, etc.

My Favorite Books I Read in 2024

I debated even doing a favorites list of books this year. I read the fewest since I started tracking my reading, and there were fewer standouts than most other years. But decided to go ahead and keep the tradition alive.

So this is my list of what I found most interesting, entertaining, edifying, enlightening, challenging, and/or simply enjoyable.

1. I Cheerfully Refuse - Leif Enger

• Like my other favorite authors, Fredrick Backman and Wendell Berry, Enger can knock you over with sentences. This dystopian novel is so different from my favorite of his, Peace Like a River, but his writing is just as beautiful and heartbreaking.

2. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry and The Answer is No (Short Story) - Fredrik Backman

• I put off reading this because it was the last Backman book I hadn't read. I didn't want to stop hearing his voice. Beautiful story with all the same quirky and amazing characters as his other novels. But again, it's his sentences that sneak up and destroy you, in a good way. His short story he put out through Amazon this year was incredibly good and held me over until his new book comes out in 2025.

3. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness - Jonathan Haidt

• Every parent, school administrator, or anyone dealing with kids should read this book. Haidt lays out why phones and social have basically destroyed childhood and brought incredible damage to a generation. He includes practical steps for schools to go phone-free, but really this is about painting the picture of what's happened in the last 10-15 years. Fully reinforced our decisions related to phones and social media for our kids.

4. Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West - Andrew Wilson

• Really interested take on how so many things that shaped how the world in the West is today were taking place right around the same time. Pulls seemingly disparate events and people together in ways that tell a really compelling story.

5. Ghosted: An American Story - Nancy French

• Nancy French tells her story, and it's a highly entertaining, painful, hopeful, and powerful one. She details her experience of abuse as a child, the brokenness of the culture in which she was raised, her marriage at a young age to David French, their rise to influence in conservative circles, and their falling out with that same group. 

6. Disability and the Gospel: How God Uses our Brokenness to Display His Grace - Michael Beates

• Having had to come to terms with disability and disease in my family this year in a way I never imagined, this book was a helpful theological and biblical approach to thinking about those things. 

7. Digital Liturgies: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age - Samuel James

• I've followed James' writing online for a while, and his take here on how online life shapes us is so helpful. Seeing our online interactions and routines as liturgy was such a helpful idea, and there's lots of practical wisdom here for how to approach things in that sphere.

8. Morning & Evening Exercises - William Jay

• I had never heard of William Jay, but I was given these 2 devotionals by Leah's parents for Christmas last year. They are fantastic. Charles Spurgeon loved him, and it's easy to see why. Will definitely come back to these in the future.

9. Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms: A Reader's Edition - Chad Van Dixhorn

• Worked my way through all of these creeds, confessions, and catechisms from the history of the church over the last couple years. Beautifully bound with introductions for each. Such a treasure to have these historic truths the church has confessed so easily available.

10. Critical Dilemma: The Rise of Critical Theories and Social Justice Ideology - Implications for the Church and Society - Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer

• Most of the debate are critical theories (especially CRT) is garbage. This book was not. The authors are very careful to articulate the positions as best they can and as charitably as they can before they proceed to break them down and show them insufficient or even malicious in some cases. Doesn't fall back on the lazy "woke" language but shows why the worldview of critical theories simply doesn't work.

11. Can Science Explain Everything? - John C. Lennox

• Discovered Lennox this year when I read his book on creation, which was excellent. He teaches mathematics at the University of Oxford and is clearly brilliant. Here, he takes on the science vs. religion debate and shows how to see the 2 as complementary rather than at odds.  

12. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

• Had to add even though I've read it multiple times - it's just too good. Dickens was an absolute master of the English language. His characters and descriptions of things are just astounding.

My (and Seth's) Favorite Books Read in 2023

I've struggled to read as much the last few years as over the past 10-15 years, due to numerous factors. But I re-discovered my love of reading this year, thanks in large part to shifting more towards fiction than ever before. Finding some new authors I thoroughly enjoyed helped, too.

Shared with the usual caveat that they aren't necessarily the "best" books I read. But they are the ones I found most interesting, entertaining, edifying, enlightening, challenging, and/or simply enjoyable.

This year, I also asked my son, Seth, who turns 15 in a few days, to put together his list of top books as well. We read about the same number of books this year, and even had some overlap of favorites.

First up, my list, generally in order of most favorite on down.

Beartown (Trilogy) - Fredrik Backman

• Backman has become my favorite fiction author, and by a fairly large margin at this point. I flew through these 3 books. They are not entertaining, as the themes being dealt with are heavy and painful. But the characters are alive in a way few authors pull off. And his prose is simply poetic and beautifully insightful into the human experience. 

Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments - Joe Posnanski

• Even better than his previous book, The Baseball 100, which was REALLY good. His genuine love of the game combined with his way with words makes Posnanski my favorite sports writer out there. This book was simply delightful. If you like baseball at all, you should read this book.

A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman

• Another gem from Backman. They changed the name to Otto in the US and in the movie version with Tom Hanks. What could have been a cliqued story of a grumpy old man is anything but in Backman's hands. He makes you care so much about his characters.

• Bonus Backman books I read this year: Britt-Marie Was Here, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer (which will make you tear up, I guarantee it).

On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living - Alan Noble

• A very encouraging book. Can't say it better than the publisher's description: "Sometimes...the choice to carry on amid great suffering―to simply get out of bed―is itself a powerful witness to the goodness of life, and of God."

The Terminal List (6 Book Series) - Jack Carr

• I've never really gotten into political/spy-type thrillers, and this one sat on my desk for about a month before I dove into book 1. But once I did, I couldn't put them down. All 6 are entertaining, but my favorites were Savage Son (book 3) and Only the Dead (book 6). Book 7 comes out May 2024. Can't wait for it. Side note: lots of violence and a decent amount of language as well. If those things bother you, you won't enjoy these.

Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation - Collin Hansen

• What a loss for the church this year with the death of Tim Keller. Which made reading this book all the more meaningful. Hansen does a wonderful job showing how the different influences in Keller's life shaped the man, pastor, and author he became. A wonderful life done justice.

Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I? - Tim Keller

• Speaking of Keller, this book on forgiveness was both timely and helpful for me. Typical Keller insight and clarity on a very important topic.

All My Knotted-Up Life - Beth Moore

• An entertaining and at times profound memoir. Despite a few times where I felt some theological differences, mostly I was just encouraged to hear how God has worked in Beth's life and to see her fight for faith amidst difficult circumstances.

Pet Sematary - Stephen King

• Probably my favorite Stephen King book I've read. WAY better than the movie versions. It's not about pets. This is basically a treatise on death and the hopelessness of facing death without the hope of a resurrection. Painful and profound, it (unintentionally) longs for gospel hope.

The Club: How the English Premier League Became the Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports - Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg

• I've really gotten into the English Premier League over the last few years, and this is fascinating retelling of the dramatic history of the league. Also, high school me is screaming at me for both enjoying soccer and now recommending a book detailing the history of a soccer league.

The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith - Trevin Wax

• In a day when so many are turning from the Christian faith and deconstruction can be so appealing to many who are disillusioned, this book was a breath of fresh air and a fantastic encouragement to push on in faith.

Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir

• I loved Weir's book The Martian. I didn't enjoy his next book, Artemis, at all. This book was MUCH closer to the former than the latter. Changes into a completely different kind of book about halfway through. Funny, profound, and thoroughly enjoyable.

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And now, Seth's list, with some commentary by him. He wanted to make clear when some of the books wouldn't be appropriate for younger readers. There was a decent amount of overlap in our lists this year.

Anxious People - Fredrik Backman

• It was very well written and the story was fascinating. It can be a little confusing at times, but it all pays off in the end. It is not appropriate for younger children. (Matthew's note: This was one of my very favorites last year.)

Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments - Joe Posnanski

• Somehow even better than his first book, The Baseball 100. It is so well written and you can clearly tell that he loves this sport. If you enjoy baseball, then this book is for you.

Everything Sad is Untrue - Daniel Nayeri

• I had read this book before, but it was just as good the second time. This one especially requires some perseverance. It won’t make much sense until you are most of the way through.

Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis

• A great work on the Christian faith. This book should be read by every Christian at least once in their life.

And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer - Fredrik Backman

• Although it is small, this book is powerful. I read it in one sitting, and in that time Backman managed to get me fully invested in the characters. It is a very touching story.

A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman

• Very well written, with a good story. The main character, Ove, is one of the most interesting and well written characters that I have ever seen Not appropriate for younger children. 

The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan

• It is a classic for a reason. It is the perfect allegory for the Christian life. It was not my first time reading it, and it will not be my last.

The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy) - J.R.R. Tolkien

• This was my second time reading these, this time for school, and they were just as good as I remembered. The world is rich and deep, and the story has stood the test of time.

Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir

• A great sci-fi novel. His explanations of the science behind what is happening is excellent. He is able to put it in a way that anyone can understand. Too mature for younger audiences.

The Brotherband Chronicles - John Flanagan

• A great side series to the Ranger’s Apprentice books, a series that I would also recommend. All of his books are really well written, and great for all ages.

My Favorite Books I Read in 2022

I read fewer books this year than any since I started tracking it in 2011. But I rallied enough in the past couple months to justify an end of year list of my favorites. Shared with the usual caveat that they aren't necessarily the "best" books I read. But they are the ones I found most interesting, entertaining, edifying, enlightening, challenging, and/or simply enjoyable.

Generally in order of most favorite on down.

Bavinck: A Critical Biography - James Eglinton

• Have been hugely helped by reading Bavinck the last few years, and this was an absolutely stellar biography of his life.

Everything Sad is Untrue (a true story) - Daniel Nayeri

• I don't even know what genre to call this. It's not a biography per se, but it tells the story of his life. Sort of. I will just say it has some of the best and most moving prose I've read in quite a while. Seriously, read this book.

All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel - Anthony Doerr

• I'm a little late to the party on this one. It's been sitting around my house for a couple years, and I finally got around to it this year. Beautifully written, and an amazing story. Honestly one of my favorite novels ever.

Anxious People - Fredrik Backman

• Some authors are really good at creating fascinating plots and telling stories. Some authors write sentences that make your heart jolt and eyes do things involuntarily. Backman does both. Extremely well.

The Air We Breathe: How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality - Glen Scrivener

• An excellent take on how most of the values we prize in the West are ultimately grounded in Christianity. Scrivener engages cultural issues but isn't angry about it. Refreshing.

Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh - Thomas Kidd

• Thomas Kidd is probably my favorite historian, and this look at the spiritual life of Thomas Jefferson was wonderful. So balanced and nuanced in detailing a fascinating historical figure.

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones - James Clear

• Another one I was a little late to, but glad I finally read this. The ideas aren't earth-shattering, but the presentation and the practicality of this book was so helpful. I do multiple positive things on a daily basis now because of this book.

The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music - Dave Grohl

• Wouldn't recommend for everybody, especially due to language. But I love the Foo Fighters' music and I like Dave Grohl even more after reading this book.

On the Shoulders of Hobbits: The Road to Virtue with Tolkien and Lewis - Louis Markos

• Wonderful for Lord of the Rings and Narnia fans, but really a broader apologetic for classical education and the value of good literature in forming virtue and seeing beauty in the world.

The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne

• I know opinions differ about the point Hawthorne was making with this book, but I found his portrayal of Dimmesdale and the guilt that consumes him fascinating.

The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway

• This is actually the first I've ever read Hemingway. Very short, but he made me care about the old man quite a bit in those few pages. Great writing.

The Shining - Stephen King

• A million times better than the movie. Can't believe how much of this they ruined when they wrote that screenplay. Also read King's novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption and it was equally great.

A Time to Kill - John Grisham

• They didn't ruin this story when they made the movie, but the book is still much better. It's jarring to enter a world where people talked like this, but a powerful story.

My Favorite Books I Read in 2021

My reading has slowed some in recent years. A combination of factors has led to me reading quite a few less books than I would have 5-6 years ago. That said, I still read enough in 2021 to justify putting together a list of my favorite books I read during the year, at least for myself so I can look back in the future.

These aren't necessarily books published in 2021 (most weren't), and they aren't necessarily the "best" books I read. But they are the ones I found most interesting, entertaining, edifying, enlightening, challenging, and/or simply enjoyable.

Generally in order of most favorite on down.

The Wonderful Works of God - Herman Bavinck

• Started in 2020, but finished in 2021. Simply one of the best works of theology I've read in a long time. A welcome antidote to much of what passes for systematic theology today. I plan on reading through Bavinck's 4-Volume Reformed Dogmatics in 2022.

Peace Like a River - Lief Enger

• I've been meaning to read this book for many years, and I'm so glad I finally did. Simply one of the best novels I've ever read in my life. Enger's prose is absolutely beautiful, and the story is breathtaking.

The Baseball 100 - Joe Posnanski

• This is a compilation of profiles Posnanski wrote for The Athletic on the 100 greatest baseball players of all-time. I have absolutely loved making my way through these. If you love baseball, this should go right to the top of your list.

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia,Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution - Carl Trueman

• Another one I started in 2020 and finished in 2021. An incredibly important book detailing the historical and philosophical reasons behind the state of our world today. 

Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit - Matthew Barrett

• A wonderful corrective to the flawed versions of the Trinity so prominent in many evangelical circles. Shows how the EFS or ERAS of Grudem and others is erroneous and actually detracts from our ability to worship the Triune God accurately. A welcomed breath of fresh air.

Jayber Crow - Wendell Berry

• A beautiful novel set in Barry's fictional town of Port Williams, this book details the life of Jayber Crow, the town barber. If that sounds boring, you've clearly never read Berry. Highly recommended.

Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last - Wright Thompson

• I assumed this would be a story about Pappy Van Winkle bourbon. It is, but so much more. It's about family, fathers, and failure. And how life is fleeting. And permanence. And of course, good bourbon. Thompson's writing continually surprised me, even bringing me near tears towards the end. Really, really good.

The Israel of God: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow - O. Palmer Robertson

• Somehow I'd never gotten around to reading this one. Really wish I had. Surgical refutation of the dispensational understanding of Israel's relationship the land and the promises of God in the OT. Such a more beautiful picture of God's plan of redemption than I'd been given in the past.

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

• I will admit I struggled with this one at first. I read the first half of the book and then listened to the rest on audiobook. I really got into it once I started listening. The last pages are some of the best literature I've ever read in my life. So glad I stuck with this one.

Cinderella Man: James Braddock, Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History - Jeremy Schaap

• The true story the movie is based on. I learned a ton from this about the lives of both James Braddock as well as Max Baer (who has his own extremely interesting story and was not the one-dimensional character portrayed in the movie). Really good sports writing here.

My Favorite Books I Read in 2020

I began this year with a much more modest reading goal than normal for me. I was in a place where I didn't want to read much for the first time in a very long time. And for the first 7 or 8 months this year, I read very little and was way behind my goal pace.

Around August or September, that started to change, and my love of reading has returned at this point. I read more books in the last 2 or 3 months than the rest of the year combined...by a lot.

So this is my list of what I found most interesting, entertaining, edifying, enlightening, challenging, and/or simply enjoyable. Not everything in these would be something I would endorse, but all have had some impact on me this year. Take that for what you will.

Generally in order of most favorite on down.

1. Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers - Dane Ortlund

• I don't know if I've ever needed to read a book more than when I read this book this year. This increased my love for Christ and helped me understand in a much deeper way his love for me at the exact time I needed both of those things.

2. The Trinity: An Introduction - Scott Swain

• I believe American Evangelicalism has a bit of a crisis of Trinitarian theology, with even well-known and heavily-relied-upon theologians holding to unorthodox views. This, along with the book below, are wonderful introductions to the doctrine and why it is so crucial.

3. Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith - Michael Reeves

• Probably the first book I would give a new believer on understanding the Trinity.

4. The Gateway Chronicles (6 Book Series) - K.B. Hoyle

• A delightful 6-volume series, aimed at more the YA age group (Seth read all 6 books twice). The story, though, is an epic adventure that tells The Story in various ways as well. Great character development over the course of the books. Fans of C.S. Lewis will find much to love here.

5. Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore our Nation - David French

• Fascinating take on our current political climate of intense division and some scary (and increasingly believable) scenarios of what could happen if we don't find ways to unite. I love David French and this book didn't disappoint me.

6. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

• I cannot believe Bradbury wrote this in the 1950s. Sounds like it could have been written in the last decade. He explores a world where firemen burn books rather than putting out fires. But his take on where technology might lead and the irrelevance of books and ideas is creepy in its accuracy.

7. The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction & Breaking Bread with the Dead: A Reader's Guide to a More Tranquil Mind - Alan Jacobs

• Even when I don't agree with Alan Jacobs, I like the experience of disagreeing with him. He's a wonderful writer, and reading him makes me want to read more.

8. Who is an Evangelical?: The History of a Movement in Crisis - Thomas Kidd

• My go-to historian, Kidd's take here on the development of evangelicalism and where it can go from here is fascinating. 

9. He Is There and He Is Not Silent - Francis Schaeffer

• Embarrassingly the first Schaeffer book I've ever read. I now see why it was re-published this year. Brilliant and prescient when you look at how what he predicted has come to pass.

10. Reading Between the Lines: Volume 1 - Glen Scrivener

• I used this devotionally for the first half of the year. Scrivener finds Jesus in every part of the OT, and it is beautiful and felt like a drink of fresh water to me. This helped rekindle some things in me that had dimmed some.

11. Insider Outsider: My Journey as a Stranger in WhiteEvangelicalism and My Hope for Us All - Bryan Loritts

• Difficult but needed look at a black pastor's experience in white evangelicalism. Lots of good lessons to learn for everyone here.

12. The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church's Complicity in Racism - Jemar Tisby

• This was another very difficult book to read, but a necessary one. Tisby shows the ways in which the church in America has fed into the racism that has affected our minority brothers and sisters in this country. One doesn't need to agree with every conclusion he draws to see the historical case in indisputable. 

13. Dracula - Bram Stoker

• I had never really heard much of the actual story of Dracula (and yes, I went to Transylvania University in Kentucky, so....). This was way more profound and moving than I expected. Some of it is a slog, but totally worth it in my opinion.

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And 2 current reads that will no doubt be near the top of next year's list once I finish them....

The Wonderful Works of God - Herman Bavinck

• I've been reading this devotionally and slowly, and it's one of my favorite books I've ever read. Essentially a systematic theology, but beautiful and worshipful. I plan on reading a lot more Bavinck in 2021.

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia,Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution - Carl Trueman

• From everything I've heard, this is going to be an important book for a long time. I'm only a chapter in, but I trust Trueman on these issues and look forward to reading the rest of this.

My Favorite Books I Read in 2019

I'm posting my favorite books I read in 2019 with very little comment. I might get around to writing some short descriptions/reviews, but maybe not.

So this is my list of what I found most interesting, entertaining, edifying, enlightening, challenging, and/or simply enjoyable. Not everything in these would be something I would endorse, but all have had some impact on me this year. Take that for what you will.

Generally in order of most favorite on down.

1. Interpreting Scripture with the Great Tradition: Recovering the Genius of Premodern Exegesis - Craig Carter

2. What Is a Girl Worth?: My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics - Rachael Denhollender

3. Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making - Andrew Peterson

4. Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope - Matthew McCullough

5. Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World - Cal Newport

6. The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure - Greg Lukianoff & Jonathan Haidt

7. The Gospel-Driven Church: Uniting Church Growth Dreams with the Metrics of Grace - Jared Wilson

8. Christ from Beginning to End: How the Full Story of Scripture Reveals the Full Glory of Christ - Trent Hunter and Steve Wellum

9. The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery - Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile

10. The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross - Patrick Schreiner

11. When Darkness Seems My Closest Friend: Reflections on Life and Ministry With Depression - Mark Meynell

12. Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father - Thomas Kidd

13. Hamilton: The Revolution - Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter

14. Born a Crime - Trevor Noah

15. Addiction and Virtue: Beyond the Models of Disease and Choice - Kent Dunnington

My Favorite Books I Read in 2018

It's always fun at the end of the year to look back over what I read that year and reflect on what I liked and didn't like, what affected my understanding of things, what I just enjoyed reading.

I'm always theology and non-fiction heavy in this list. I actually read more fiction this year, but a lot of those barely missed making the list. Hard to narrow it down.

He's my list. That's all it is. My list of what I found most interesting, entertaining, edifying, enlightening, challenging, and/or simply enjoyable. Not everything in these would be something I would endorse, but all have some impact on me this year. Take that for what you will.

Theology

All That Is In God: Evangelical Theology and the Challenge of Classical Christian Theism - James Dolezal

• Some really helpful definition and clarification on the doctrine of God and some equally helpful push back against some modern articulations of that doctrine. God's immutability, his self-existence...these doctrines matter immensely, and I found this book to be a gentle but needed rebuke of my own deficiencies of understanding in these areas.

Spiritual Gifts: What They Are and Why They Matter - Tom Schreiner

• My favorite teacher/scholar doing what he does best. Discussing complicated, controversial matters in a clarifying, irenic, charitable way. Tom is what he calls a "nuanced cessationist," so that's the perspective he's coming from, but I think he is incredibly fair to different perspectives in this. So helpful when I had to teach 1 Corinthians 12-14.

God Dwells Among Us: Expanding Eden to the Ends of the Earth - G.K. Beale and Mitchell Kim

• This is a shortened and simplified version of Beale's longer work, Temple and the Church's Mission. From the Garden of Eden through the New Jerusalem, the idea of God's dwelling place, his temple, is a huge theme. This book traces that theme wonderfully if you don't want to try to slog through Beale's longer academic work.

Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality - Nancy Pearcey

• This book is a crucial voice of clarity in the midst of a lot of cultural chaos. Pearcey works through many of the social issues so prominent in our culture today (transgenderism, homosexuality, marriage, abortion, euthanasia, etc.) and applies biblical wisdom beautifully. Philosophically rich yet easy to track with.

The Heart of the Church: The Gospel's History, Message, and Meaning - Joe Thorn
The Character of the Church: The Marks of God's Obedient People - Joe Thorn
The Life of the Church: The Table, Pulpit, and Square - Joe Thorn

• This trilogy is a great introduction to discipleship and ecclesiology. These short books are great tools for new believers to show them what the life of a believer looks like, tethered to the local church. Actually, many not-so-new believers need to learn the same things.

The Bible and the Future - Anthony Hoekema

• This book was recommended to me years ago by a professor in seminary, and I finally read it this year. He didn't recommend it for nothing. Beautiful and biblical vision of the future and where all of this going.

Greek for Life: Strategies for Learning, Retaining, and Reviving New Testament Greek - Ben Merkle and Rob Plummer

• This won't appeal to many, but this has really rekindled my desire to keep up my biblical Greek that I had mostly let atrophy after seminary. Some great strategies and practical encouragement to keep at it...and so far I have. 

Echoes of Exodus: Tracing a Biblical Motif - Bryan Estelle; Echoes of Eden: Tracing Themes of Redemption Through Scripture - Alastair Roberts and Andrew Wilson

• 2 books with the same name that came out the same year, and yet pretty different. The Estelle book is very academic as he traces the exodus theme out, while the Roberts/Wilson book is definitely written at a popular and accessible level. Both are worth reading. The Estelle book is a little more careful in its use of typology and more grounded in the biblical texts, while the Roberts/Wilson book makes use of a musical metaphor to speak of the movements of Scripture and picking up themes and variations on melodies. I enjoyed both.

How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics in a Divided Age - Jonathan Leeman

• I have yet to read something by Jonathan Leeman that I didn't find helpful. Here, he applies his knowledge of political science, theology, and cultural analysis to ponder where we are in our culture right now. How should we think about political interaction in an ever more divided society, especially as Christians?

Spurgeon's Sorrows: Realistic Hope for Those Who Suffer From Depression - Zack Eswine

• Short little book that made a pretty big impact on me. Through the lens of the great Charles Spurgeon, Eswine looks at the issue of depression and seeks to shed light on its causes and ways to hold on to hope in the midst of it. This really helped me understand depression more and created a lot more empathy for those struggling with it.

Other Non-Fiction

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride - Cary Elwes

• If you love the movie (which I do), you will love this book. It is filled with great stories from the making of the movie, with lots of humor and interesting tidbits. What I enjoyed most was how much the people who made the movie still love it today. They are proud of what they made, the way it has connected through multiple generations. I actually listened to the audio book version (which is kind of cheating for this list), but if you can do that, it's so worth it to hear Cary Elwes and the other cast members read it.

Them: Why We Hate Each Other - and How to Heal - Ben Sasse

• I really enjoy Ben Sasse's perspective, so I really enjoyed his take on the divided nature of our country right now and some ways we might address that. It's basically a look at what we've lost with being disconnected from everyone right around us, and how we might regain some of that.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable - Patrick Lencioni

• If you want to understand the underlying causes why teams fail to reach their potential and suffer from chronic dysfunction, this book is really helpful. It's half fictional narrative and half didactic teaching. The narrative paints all-too-familiar pictures of poor leadership and poor team dynamics, as well as how one leader attempts to correct things. The rest fleshes out how to overcome the 5 main dysfunctions.

Fiction

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling

• This was a wonderful conclusion to one of my favorite series of novels I've read. There are just so many amazing themes explored through these books and so many virtues given flesh in these characters. J.K. Rowling might not be a believer, but she can't seem to help writing stories that have been shaped by The Story.

The Hobbit (Or There and Back Again) - J.R.R. Tolkien

• Seth and I both read this during the year and both enjoyed it. Definitely not written the same as Lord of the Rings, but I loved the tone throughout. A great adventure tale with some dry wit throughout.

My Favorite Books I Read in 2017

Coming out of blog hibernation my one time a year to post a favorite books of the year list.

Annual disclaimer: I read quite a few books this year, some newly published, some quite old. As always, these aren't necessarily the best books published this year. They aren't even necessarily the "best" books I read this year. They are simply the ones that I found most interesting, entertaining, edifying, enlightening, challenging, and/or simply enjoyable. I would recommend them all, even if I wouldn't agree with everything in all of them (some I read to help me understand perspectives quite different from my own).


Theology

The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing - Jonathan Pennington

• It's pretty rare that I read a book that is paradigm shifting these days. Many of the books I read, even if they are solid and edifying, are simply saying things I've already heard in different ways. This book is the first paradigm-shifting book I've read in a while. I'm still digesting it. Jonathan Pennington was my Greek professor in seminary, and he's spent many years studying the Sermon on the Mount. His take on this familiar text was nothing short of amazing to me. His explanation of how to interpret "blessing" (makarios), what it means that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law, what it means to be "perfect" (teleios)...all things that made Jesus' words come alive to me in a new way that invigorated my faith in many ways. The beautiful vision of life in God's kingdom was challenging, comforting, and hope-giving. I think the long-term effect of this book may end up being quite large as people wrestle with the implications. 

Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels - Richard Hays

• Richard Hays' "figural" reading of the gospels yields immense fruit in this book. Essentially walking through each of the 4 gospels, Hays beautifully shows how the authors were interpreting the OT Scriptures in ways that illuminate who Jesus is in such a rich and wonderful way. While some may not agree with all of his conclusions, his attempt to read the Bible the way the gospel authors did is a great example and a wonderful demonstration of the interconnected-ness of the whole Bible. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and will likely come back to it every so often.

New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ - Tom Schreiner

• My favorite teacher ever walking through the theology of the New Testament. Tom is the clearest and most humble teacher I've ever known, and that's on full display in this book. He's written a theology of Paul, a theology of the NT, and a whole-Bible theology. I'm reading those in reverse order, so I guess Paul is up next.

Covenant and God's Purpose for the World - Tom Schreiner

• This is part of a series of short books on Biblical Theology, and it's my favorite. Tom walks through the covenants as the backbone of the Bible, showing how they are interconnected and tell a unified story of what God is doing. This will likely become my go-to resource for introducing someone to the full scope of Scripture in a condensed form. Clear, precise, pastoral, brilliant.

None Like Him: 10 Ways God is Different From Us (And Why That's A Good Thing) - Jen Wilkin

• I've been meaning to read this for a while, and finally got around to it. Jen Wilkin is a fantastic writer, and her ability to articulate big truths about God in understandable and even worshipful ways is so great. In this book, she gives a Tozer-like introduction to some of the attributes of God (10, actually), and I found it incredibly edifying, even though this is aimed at women. I wish every Christian woman would read this book, and I pray many men will as well. Grateful for godly women authors like Wilkin.

Nine Marks of a Healthy Church - Mark Dever

• I have used 9Marks materials for quite a while, but had never actually read through the book that started it all. I had the privilege of teaching a class through this book (along with the DVD series from Ligonier) this year, and I loved it as much as I thought I would. So thankful for Mark Dever and his vision of the local church and how to lead it well.

The Sermons of George Whitefield (2 Volumes) - George Whitefield

• This was a birthday present a couple years ago from my wife, and I finally finished it this year. George Whitefield is my favorite person from Church history, and reading his sermons and imagining his delivering them to thousands of people is amazing, and his heart for the gospel is part of what made me want to be a pastor. This 2-volume set is a treasured part of my library.

The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life: Connecting Christ to Human Experience - Jeremy Pierre

• Written by my former pastor, small group leader, and biblical counseling professor, this is a wonderful summary of his approach to biblical counseling. His vision of how to counsel people in ways that account for the multi-factorial ways we think and make decisions is so helpful and I've already used much of this in counseling settings. Jeremy is a wonderful thinker, writer, and godly man as well.

Recapturing the Wonder: Transcendent Faith in a Disenchanted World - Mike Cosper

• In a world that has become "disenchanted" (to use Cosper's word for it), where things that need the word "transcendent" to describe them seem odd to most people, how can Christians keep a sense of wonder at God and his creation? That's what Mike Cosper shows in this book. If you've been feeling dry in your faith and wondering how to re-capture some of the awe and wonder of God, this is a good place to start.

Confessing the Faith: A Reader's Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith - Chad Van Dixhoorn

• I love the Westminster Confession of Faith, even though I disagree with some of it. It's a wonderfully helpful summary of the Christian faith, and this book seeks to help modern readers understand the truths contained in it and how to apply them today. I worked through this book with a friend, and we both found it very helpful and grounding in our faith. I didn't agree with everything the author said, but he makes great, biblical arguments for those positions. Great tool to understand the historical rooted-ness of our faith.

Understanding Church Discipline; Understanding Church Leadership; Understanding the Congregation's Authority; Understanding the Great Commission - Ed. Jonathan Leeman

• These short little books (about 60 pages each) from the 9 Marks "Church Basics" series are really great summaries of these issues. They also have volumes on baptism and the Lord's Supper in the series. Very helpful resources to have on hand to help people get the basics of these issues down.

Other Non-Fiction

Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America - Michael Emerson and Christian Smith

• This is one of the most important books I've read in a very long time. Race is a hot topic in our culture right now, especially within evangelicalism (whatever that term means now). How has modern evangelicalism been shaped by race and what does that mean for the church today? How do we deal with a problem that goes so much deeper than our interactions with a single person and exists on societal levels? How can we deal with a "racialized" culture that doesn't even need hateful people to perpetuate that culture? This book felt for me like I was a fish being explained what water is. It opened my eyes to ways that I can't even see "racialized" aspects of my culture because they are largely invisible to me. I am thankful for that, and I pray that is just the beginning of God showing me how I am to respond to these things. How the church is called to respond. I wish every Christian would read this book with an open mind and an open heart.

12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You - Tony Reinke

• Another incredibly important book for our times. Changes in technology have always had effects on people in spiritual ways. Reinke does a fantastic job in this book of talking about the dangers of various technologies like smartphones without being a Luddite about it. He acknowledges the great advantages we have with our technology, but provides wisdom and guidance on how to interact with those things as Christians better. Highly recommend all Christians read this one as well.

Steal Away Home: Charles Spurgeon and Thomas Johnson, Unlikely Friends on the Passage to Freedom - Matt Carter and Aaron Ivey

• This is a very interesting book. It's a historically true story of Charles Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher, and a slave named Thomas Johnson. They eventually become great friends after Johnson gains his freedom. So this book is about their friendship. But it's also about a Christian perspective on slavery somewhat. And it's all written as a novel. The authors used historical sources, and even quotes, where possible, and filled in gaps here and there with plausible elements. The result is an incredibly moving story of the gospel, friendship, and hope. 

Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk, and True Flourishing - Andy Crouch

• One of the better books on leadership I've read. And it's not really about "leadership," at least, not in the sense most leadership books are. It's about how to lead in a way that results in those around you flourishing, experiencing God's design for them, of leaders taking on and bearing risks on behalf of others. I learned so much from this short book, and I will be coming back to it again for more encouragement on how to lead well.

Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther - Roland Bainton

• In this year, the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the door at the Wittenburg Church, I figured it was time I read this class biography on the man. It did not disappoint. While a little dry here and there with some of the facts, I felt like this book really helped me understand Luther better and thus the Protestant Reformation better. 

Fiction

Harry Potter (Books 1-4) - J.K. Rowling

• I read the first book of this series back in college, but had never tried to read any of the others. I saw all the movies and enjoyed them, but based on the recommendation of numerous friends, I decided to make my way through the books recently. I've read books 1-4 and I have loved them. Rowling is a great writer, and her characters are people I actually care about. The themes explored are quite profound at times. I know some Christians will object to reading these because of the magical elements, but I think they are worth the engagement. I am really looking forward to reading the final 3 books.

Outlaws of Time (The Legend of Sam Miracle and The Song of Glory and Ghost) - N.D. Wilson

• Books 1 and 2 of the Outlaws of Time series from N.D. Wilson have been extremely interesting so far. Wilson is a prolific author of kids/teen fiction, but these books are enjoyable for any age. Few writers write evil characters really well, and Wilson is one of them. Good is good and evil is evil in his books. That's not to say the characters aren't complex; they definitely are. But his portrayal of evil and it's ultimate doom is gospel-soaked. I'm looking forward to book 3 in this series coming out in the spring of 2018.

The Princess Bride - William Goldman

• One of my favorite movies of all time was based on this book, but I had never read it, so that's something I made sure to remedy this year. I absolutely loved this book. It has everything the movie had, plus extra pieces that filled out the story even more. If you love the movie, I highly recommend taking the time to engage with this book. You'll love it.

My Favorite Books I Read in 2016

Coming out of blog hibernation my one time a year to post a favorite books of the year list.

Annual disclaimer: I read about 60 books this year, some newly published, some quite old. As always, these aren't necessarily the best books published this year. They aren't even necessarily the "best" books I read this year. They are simply the ones that I found most interesting, entertaining, edifying, enlightening, challenging, and/or simply enjoyable. I would recommend them all, even if I wouldn't agree with everything in all of them (some I read to help me understand perspectives VERY different from my own).


Theology

ESV Reader's Bible, 6 Volume Set - Crossway

• This is the Bible I've been using for my devotional reading since I got it a couple months ago. Designed to remove anything on the page that would distract the reader and produced at a high quality that seeks to highlight the beauty of the written word, I have been looking forward to this for a while. Similar to Bibliotheca, which raised well over $1.4M on Kickstarter, this seeks to help people read larger portions of the Bible at a time, as well as present the Bible as a book, not a reference manual. See Glenn Paauw's book below.

Knowing Christ - Mark Jones

• I've had this on my shelf for a while and finally got around to reading it. I'm so glad I did. It's a wonderful exploration of the person and work of Christ. Jones is careful to unpack as much as can be known about Christ from Scripture and goes no further. Although heady stuff, he is able to explain things at a very understandable and almost devotional level. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and will come back to it many times in the future.

The Knowledge of the Holy - A.W. Tozer

• A classic that I think every Christian ought to read (and which I hadn't until this year...). Tozer writes short (mostly 3-4 page) chapters on different aspects of God's character and packs a ton into those short pages. I took a group of guys at church through this and was so blessed by the discussion it stimulated.

Commentary on Hebrews (Biblical Theology for Christian Proclamation) - Tom Schreiner

• My favorite teacher I've ever had expounding the book of Hebrews. Tom has an ability like I've never seen to take complex, difficult ideas from the Bible and present them in simple, understandable ways that makes you want to read your Bible more. This book is no exception. I'm leading a small group through Hebrews right now, and this has been an immensely helpful guide.

You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit - James K.A. Smith

• You are what you love. You become that which you behold. You take on the characteristics of that which you worship. These are all ways of essentially getting at the same idea. Smith's book was a joy to read and caused me to evaluate the "liturgy" of my life, the habits, patterns, and routines, and what those reveal about what I really love. 

The Temple and the Tabernacle: A Study of God's Dwelling Places from Genesis to Revelation - J. Daniel Hays

• A wonderful (illustrated!) guide to the idea of temple throughout the whole Bible. It's really a biblical theology of that theme, with lots of historical background and other pieces added on. I have been studying the idea of temple and God's presence a lot more in recent years, and this is probably my favorite thing I've read on the idea.

In the Arena: The Promise of Sports for Christian Discipleship - David Prince

• A short but brilliant examination of sports from a Christian perspective. Prince not only makes a great case for why sports aren't a waste of time, but actually shows how sports are uniquely valuable in shaping Christian character. Also, he's a Braves fan and articulates why baseball is clearly the greatest sport. Win.

Progressive Covenantalism: Charting a Course Between Dispensational and Covenant Theologies - Ed. Stephen Wellum

• A series of really helpful chapters by various authors from the Progressive Covenantalism perspective, which is gaining ground as a theological system right now. The chapters on the Israel-Christ-Church relationship (Brent Parker), the Mosaic Law (Jason Meyer), and sabbath (Tom Schreiner) are worth the price of the book alone. But all the chapters are really helpful, even where everyone might not agree fully.

Don't Fire Your Church Members: The Case for Congregationalism - Jonathan Leeman

• I love the Church and I love ecclesiology (the study of the Church). And I love how Jonathan Leeman writes about ecclesiology. In this book, he makes the best case I've seen for congregationalism, but he does so in the broader context of what the Church is and how leaders should think about what we're doing. Very helpful, as is anything Leeman writes.

Saving the Bible From Ourselves: Learning to Read and Live the Bible Well - Glenn Paauw

• There has been a renaissance of simplicity in Bible publishing lately. See the ESV Reader's Bible 6-volume set above. In this book, Paauw makes a fantastic argument that how our Bible has been formatted has shaped how we read it and engage God through it. We tend to see the Bible as more like a reference manual than a book to be devoured. I found many helpful thoughts throughout this book, even though I would come down in different places theologically at points.

Other Non-Fiction

For the Glory: Eric Liddle's Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr - Duncan Hamilton

• I've been fascinated by Eric Liddell since I saw the movie Chariots of Fire. But that's where he story starts, not ends. Hamilton tells his whole story in this fantastic biography, focusing on Liddell's commitment to being a missionary to the people of China, where he was born. I'm not even sure if Hamilton is a Christian, but Liddell's faithfulness and commitment to God clearly affected him, and his book exudes warmth and admiration for this remarkable saint.

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion - Jonathan Haidt

• A fascinating look at what divides people when thinking about morality from a sociological and psychological perspective. In a year where we've seen this divide more clearly than at any other recent time, I found this book extremely helpful in understanding why people behave the way they do when it comes to political and religious issues.

Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age - Sherry Turkle

• I read this book because of an article Turkle wrote for the New York Times. She spent years studying the ways in which technology is changing the way we communicate. Not just the medium we use, but the actual ways our brains interact with other humans. A little repetitive sometimes, but nonetheless immanently helpful in understanding especially younger people who have grown up amidst these technological advances.

Hillbilly Elegy - J.D. Vance

• This book received a lot of attention in connection to this year's election. Dealing with issues of race and economic inequality, Vance describes his life in moving from Appalachia, where most families have very little, up through graduating from Yale Law School. There is quite a bit of difficult language and some painful descriptions, but a helpful cultural study to understand a group very different from what I have known.

Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates

• Speaking of which, I read this book for similar reasons to Hillbilly Elegy. Coates' reflections on the black experience in our country are difficult, painful, and I would argue not always completely fair. And yet I really appreciated his book for the honesty it contains, and for the small glimpse into something I can't fully understand. Because I believe God requires empathy towards my neighbor, I'm seeking to listen and understand better, even where that makes me feel uncomfortable. I hope to read much more from those I seek to love better than I have.

Fiction

Hannah Coulter - Wendell Berry

• I have many friends who love Berry, but I had only read 1 of his books in the past. I decided to start with Hannah Coulter, which seems to be almost universally regarded as one of his best novels. It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I did, I absolutely loved it. Berry writing feels like sitting on a comfortable chair in front of a fire on a cold night. It feels like my grandparents' on Christmas Eve as a child. 

The Great Divorce & The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis

• I've read a lot of Lewis, but had never gotten around to these two. If you like C.S. Lewis, you'll love these and they have everything I love about him. His ability to portray truth through fiction is amazing.

The Martian - Andy Weir

• This was a really fun novel, despite some rough language at times. The movie was good, but doesn't really do justice to either the story or the scientific aspects of the book. Very worth reading, even if you've already seen the movie.