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As always, I find myself between two groups of people.

⇒ Those who think sharing the books you read for the year is…odd or nerdy….who cares what books you read?! And those who enthusiastically share their book lists, and also enjoy perusing the lists of others.

⇒ Those who think it is amazing and even hard to believe that I read 32 books. Wow – that is a lot! And those who read more like 100 books a year, and find my 32 a bit pathetic!

Well, here is my list. I will link to any books that I reviewed or otherwise referenced in a blog post. None were “dud” books, and just because I did not review a book does not mean it was not worthwhile in some way. I have added some brief thoughts about some of the books.

Every Name of God in the Bible by Larry Richards
This is more like a reference book, but I read it in its entirety, and it is written in a more conversational style than your typical reference book, as well as having practical application parts.

Laying Down the Sword, Why we can’t Ignore the Bible’s Violent Verses by Philip Jenkins
I’d only recommend this book to more established believers, able to read things that may have differing views, without becoming confused by it. It definitely has worthwhile content, but the author would be considered on the liberal side – his view of Scripture could be higher.

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay
This book in from the mid-1800’s. Perhaps comforting to know that people throughout time have fallen for delusions, conspiracies, and got pulled into crazy things! Not just today!

Holy Sh*t, A Brief History of Swearing By Melissa Mohr
Yes, a history of swearing – on the academic side.

Taking America Back for God, Christian Nationalism in the United States by Whitehead and Perry – Review HERE.

Onward, Engaging the Culture Without Losing the Gospel by Russell Moore
I mention this book at the end of this post. Moore really has a way with words and knows how to turn a phrase to make a point. A heartening book in a disheartening time for believers, that is, accepting the reality of the cultural situation we find ourselves in and moving forward.

Malachi, Messenger of Rebuke and Renewal by David Levy

The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
At first I missed the deeper point of this fiction book, but then it gave me much to think about.

Christ & Culture Revisited by D.A. Carson
I mention this book at the end of this post.

People of the Lie, Hope for the Healing of Human Evil by M. Scott Peck
Review HERE. I get much traffic to this post! I think because it is a new review of an old book.

Beyond limits, longings, love, loss by Laura Robb. Review HERE.

The Prodigal God, Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith by Timothy Keller
Review HERE.

Irreversible Damage, The Transgender Craze Seducing our Daughters by Abigail Shrier. Review HERE. This post was part of a series on sexuality and gender.

Love thy Body, Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality by Nancy Pearcey. Review HERE. Part of the same blog series on sexuality and gender.

Power and Magic, The Concept of Power in Ephesians by Clinton Arnold
This is a must read book (for those who read more academic Christian books) that sheds much light on the book of Ephesians. Greek words are NOT transliterated, but I don’t know koine Greek (or modern Greek!) but managed to read it just fine.

The Apostles Creed, All you Need to Believe by C. Donald Cole. Excerpt from book HERE.

Next 4 books, you’ll notice a theme:

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Slaves in the Family by Edward Ball

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup

The Myth of Equality, Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege by Ken Wytsma

Chai with Malachi by Sandra Glahn – Review HERE.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

131 Christian Everyone Should Know – From the Editors of Christian History Magazine – Review HERE.

Hidden But Now Revealed: A Biblical Theology of Mystery by G.K. Beale and Benjamin L. Gladd. I used this book (among others) as a resource for this 6 week series I taught at my church: The mysteries of God.

The View from Mount Calvary, 24 Portraits of the Cross throughout Scripture by John Phillips. Excerpts from this book HERE and HERE.

The New American Commentary, An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture – Ezekiel by Lamar Eugene Cooper, Sr.
Good commentary on Ezekiel, but I’m not sure how it managed to end up a part of this series – as I don’t think it qualifies as exegetical and theological exposition. It is a level below that, and if you read it with that expectation, you should find it helpful. It is from a dispensational perspective and the author makes that clear at the beginning.

The Perfect Storm, a True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger

Habits of the Mind, Intellectual Life as a Christian Calling by James w. Sire
This was a book of the year a few years ago, which surprised me a bit. It does have good content, but somehow the writing was a bit stilted and didn’t quite flow.

Killers of the Flower Moon, The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Gramm  – A must read book about a disturbing time in our nation’s history.

How to Read Proverbs by Tremper Longman III
Excellent book to prepare you to read Proverbs.

Recovering Eden, The Gospel According to Ecclesiastes by Zack Eswine
This book was good but too wordy. It seems, to me, that 50 pages could have been cut from it and that would have helped all the good points not get lost in too many rambles and illustrations.

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

I also read the magazines Christianity Today and Bible Study, as well as several nature/environmental ones. I read the Sunday edition of the New York Times for the last 3 months. And I just began a subscription to First Things.

I read through the Old Testament, and just started Matthew.

⇒ If you shared the books you read, or a top 10, please feel free to comment with the link. Happy reading!