I always enjoy reading end-of-year book lists. This year, I’ve broken my list up into two categories, “Christian Theology and Ministry” and “Other,” with ten books in each, ranked in descending order.
These books left an imprint on me, causing me to think, feel, laugh, and hope while I read them and after completing them. Good books are like good friends; they challenge and shape us, making us better people. I share this list, hoping that they do the same for you.
Christian Theology and Ministry Books
(10) Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History, by John Dickson. As the subtitle says, this is an honest look at church history. He doesn’t sugarcoat the days and seasons we’d rather forget. But he does look at them objectively and reasonably. Along the same lines, he is fair-handed in showing the often overlooked ways in which Christianity has positively shaped the world. This is a good book for Christians who want to grow in their skill of answering objections, but it’s also valuable for non-Christians seeking to understand how Christians think about history. A helpful line from the book is that God has composed a masterpiece that, at times, the church has played poorly.
(9) Pastoral Friendship: The Forgotten Piece in a Persevering Ministry, Brian Croft & Michael Haykin. Croft and Haykin make the case that pastors are often isolated from real friendships. They show that by nature of our time alone in study and prayer and the types of relationships we have, that ministers can be harmfully devoid of one of God’s great blessings: friendship. Having friends is not only good for your soul, but it might also save your ministry. Quick – but important read.
(8) Spurgeon the Pastor: Recovering a Biblical and Theological Vision for Ministry, by Geoffrey Chang. I could read just about anything on Spurgeon. I’d preorder if there was a book about his garden or tea preferences. But this book is about his ministry, not just his preaching but how the church was organized and functioned. Like a window into this season of immense blessing upon the pastor and the church, this book helps us to see the playbook and how it was executed.
(7) The Pastor’s Soul: The Call and Care of an Undershepherd, by Brian Croft. I read this in tandem with #9 above. They went together well. How tragic is it that the pastor could devote his whole life to helping others’ souls but neglect his own? This is unsettling. The book helps to show the what, why, and how to remedy this temptation. I’ve already applied Croft’s suggestions, and I’m sure to revisit the book in the future.
(6) J.C. Ryle: Prepared to Stand Alone, by Ian Murray. I’ve long benefited from Ryle, the author, but I’ve been ignorant of Ryle, the man (and pastor). As with all of Murray’s books, this helps the reader to get to know the subject. In this case, he’s particularly intriguing, the man of granite with the heart of a child.
(5) What Happens When We Worship, by Jonathan Landry Cruse. It seems like I’m regularly talking to people who are either new Christians or just new to our church and answering questions about why we do what we do when we worship. This book by Cruse is a thoughtful, clear, and faithful explanation of what the Bible says about worship. Any pastor who gets these types of questions or anyone wanting answers about this would benefit from this book. We actually taught an equipping class in our church based on it.
(4) Echoes of Exodus: Tracing Themes of Redemption through Scripture, by Alastair J. Roberts & Andrew Wilson. Some books are treasured because they’re beautiful. Others because they’re informative. This book is both. The authors pull the thread of the Exodus and show how it’s a repeated note played throughout the symphony of Scripture. Lots of helpful and worship-provoking theological connections here. I read it as a devotional book and loved it.
(3) Spurgeon’s Sorrows, by Zach Eswine. This book was on my list for years, but I never read it. Eswine speaks tenderly to pastors through the words of Spurgeon. A useful tonic for the ailing minister is looking into a life like Spurgeon, with so much outward ministerial success while experiencing such seasons of sorrow and discouragement. He validates the seasons of darkness and provides a stone pathway out. The book includes three sections: Trying to Understand Depression, Learning How to Help Those Who Suffer from Depression, and Learning Helps to Daily Cope with Depression. I found the book jam-packed with hope. We can get down on this subject and feel like the clouds won’t leave. But Spurgeon, through Eswine’s pen, pokes holes in the clouds so the rays of a better day shine in.
(2) The Cross He Bore, by Frederick S. Leahy. This book is just straight-up devotional gold. In thirteen chapters, Leahy meditates on the various aspects of the cross and its implications. I don’t know how this book has been off my radar for the last 20 years, but I’m glad a friend recommended it earlier this year. If you haven’t read it, pick it up. It’s cheaper than a latte, and the gospel jolt doesn’t wear off.
(1) The Lord of Psalm 23, by David Gibson. Psalm 23 is familiar and dear to many. I picked up this book because I wanted to revisit a favorite passage and Sinclair Ferguson’s foreward wrapped me in. From the book’s first chapter, my heart was stirred to love and serve my Good Shepherd. Simple observations hit the most profoundly. The message of Psalm 23 is still ringing in my ears, and I’m singing along to this tune of goodness and mercy, even as I long to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. And this is why it’s my clear-cut book of the year.
Other Books
(10) Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, by David Grann. I now see that this book is famous and was released as a movie this fall. I honestly picked it up because I saw it at my library, and the thought of the birth of the FBI was intriguing. However, it was the context that made the story. The Osage Indians are displaced from their land to Oklahoma. Being pushed out, they settle in this area that appears less than ideal. Until oil is discovered. What follows is greed, corruption, murder, mystery, and pain. Over and over again, I shook my head and thought, “This is so bad.” The book covers a disturbing chapter in American history. If you plan to watch the movie, you should read the book first.
(9) Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain. As an introvert, I was drawn to the book looking for some helpful ways to harness what can sometimes feel like a bit of a social handicap. It was interesting, for sure, and certainly beneficial in its social observations—enjoyable and instructive read.
(8) Johnny Cash: The Life, by Robert Hilburn. We were visiting the Johnny Cash museum earlier this year, and I wanted to refresh my memory of the legendary songwriter and cultural icon. Cash is so interesting, so a good author kinda gets out of the way and lets his life talk. I thought the author did this well.
(7) Peace Like A River, by Leif Enger. This one has been on my list for several years due to several friends’ recommendations. I was glad to read it this summer. The story is a masterfully woven tapestry of apparent miracles and surprising providence. I don’t want to give away too much here, but I was refreshed by a prayerful father, perseverance through pain, curious providences, and smiling over simple things. Enger is a terrific writer who carried me along in the story without much effort. I marked this as a “re-read” because it made me feel and think.
(6) Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: A George Smiley Novel, by John le Carré. This was my first foray into anything from le Carré. I read a few others this year but enjoyed this one most. The story, writing style, and history make this read enjoyable. I believe there’s a movie on this subject that is drastically inferior to the book.
(5) Andy Catlett: Early Travels, by Wendell Berry. I always try to mix in some Wendell Berry into my annual reading. I’d not read this one before and quite enjoyed it. It’s a shorter book from the perspective of a young boy (nine-year-old Andy Catlett) traveling by bus to visit his grandparents. His story-telling, imagination, and prose are excellent as with other Berry books. I gave it to my 12-year-old son to read and smiled triumphantly as I heard him laugh out loud at various parts.
(4) The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. I read about McCarthy a little bit after his death earlier this year. Intrigued, I picked up one of his books. I don’t know what I expected, but this wasn’t it. A dystopian story that was equal parts raw and tender. I cringed, smiled, laughed, and (yes) even cried at parts. It sticks with me, popping into my mind to remind me of this journey–how I want and don’t want to live. It’s a gritty, good book.
(3) The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, by David Shenk. I find the continued relevance of chess intriguing. A game that’s (estimated to be) thirteen centuries old, played worldwide by rich and poor, educated and uneducated, is compelling. Shenk tells the chess story, walks through a historic match, and shows why it was particularly noteworthy. If you are interested in learning more about chess and why it’s still so popular, this is a fun read.
(2) April 1865: The Month That Saved America, by Jay Winik. This book helpfully tells the story of the events leading up to and following Lincoln’s assassination. It’s hard to believe everything that happened then and how fragile the country was. It reads like a novel but is American history. As someone who slept through this class in high school, I found this book riveting.
(1) The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah. It is a story about a family that moves to Alaska to restart after the Vietnam War. The war had changed Ernt Allbright; he became unpredictable and violent. For Cora (wife) and Leni (daughter), they thought moving to Alaska would help their father deal with life. Instead, it equipped them to deal with their father. The descriptions of how people survived in the 70’s on the Alaska frontier were riveting. But the familiar story of human brokenness and perseverance in the pressure cooker of hardship locked me in. This became one of my favorite novels. There’s a reason I’ve made my older daughters read it as they think about marriage. It’s the top fiction book I read this year.