My Top Books for 2017

For the past six years or so, my goal has been to read 60 books a year. Reason being that Stephen King in On Writing said he reads 60 books a year. I figured if it was good enough for him, it was good enough for me. After nearly hitting it last year, I finally did it. Sixty-two books for the year.

Looking over the list, I realize just how little fiction I read. Despite reading nine more books than last year, I read half the amount of fiction. My creative nonfiction numbers, however, nearly doubled. Looking at the list in order, you can see themes in my reading. There’s quite a bit on calling, leadership development, and spiritual gifts. I think my struggle to read fiction came from a deep desire to learn about those subjects. But now I wonder if it came at the expense of closing off my imagination. Hopefully in 2018 that’ll change.

At the risk of being late to the party, here are my top five reads from the year (in no particular order).

1. ­The Return of the Prodigal Son – Henri Nouwen

I don’t know if I have a favorite author but Nouwen has to be somewhere near the top of the list. His ability to name what’s going on inside at some subterranean level isn’t just good. It’s downright terrifying. This is Nouwen at his best: simple yet deep, honest in a way you’re afraid to be, and beautiful.

2. The Holy Longing – Ronald Rolheiser

There are a couple reasons Rolheiser makes the list. First, because the season I read it in. This past year was a huge one in terms of discerning calling and fighting restlessness. This book forced me to recognize that the grass isn’t greener on the other side. At our core, we are unsatisfied creatures who occasionally experience moments of satisfaction. Not the other way around. Second, because it was just so outside my usual authors. Rolheiser is Catholic. There’s an air of mysticism that I found refreshing. He reminded me of C.S. Lewis in the way he communicates profound truths in beautiful images I never would’ve thought of. This is supposedly first in a trilogy. I hope to read the others in the coming year.

3. The ONE Thing – Gary Keller

“What’s the ONE thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be either easier or unnecessary?”

Simple in language and engaging in its delivery, this book singlehandedly changed the way I view and/or approach my life. It gave me language for my own personal productivity. For weeks after, I couldn’t even attempt multi-tasking without feeling guilty. It was one of the few, if not the only personal development books I read this past year that didn’t feel longer than it needed to be. You could read the spark notes, but why would you?

4. Autobiography of Malcom X – Malcolm X and Alex Haley

Absolutely sweeping. For most of my upbringing Malcolm X has been an enigmatic, if not polarizing figure. Though we always associate him with Martin Luther King, Jr., it’s MLK who gets the national holiday, the statues, and the streets named after him. Malcolm X always felt like second best (perhaps because history is written by the winners). This book not only showed me the span of a life, it changed my whole perspective on Malcom X. I found his critiques of the overall civil rights movement and the Christian church poignant. He may not have been a Christian but he was definitely a prophetic voice. I have a whole new respect for him.

5. Surprised by the Power of the Spirit – Jack Deere

This almost didn’t make the list. But if I’m going with books that changed me in some way, then this book has to be included. This book challenged me to expect more from my life with God than I currently do. It gave me a deeper hunger and thirst to hear His voice. It made me want to create more space for the Holy Spirit within my ministry. It opened my eyes to what it means to eagerly desire the spiritual gifts. One of those books where I walked away knowing I couldn’t return to life as normal without in some way incriminating myself.

Full List:

1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey
2. Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl
3. My Struggle (Book 3) – Karl Ove Knausgaard
4. Sticky Church – Larry Osborne
5. My Struggle (Book 4) – Karl Ove Knausgaard
6. Divided by Faith – Christian Smith and Michael O. Emerson
7. I Ain’t Coming Back – Dolphus Weary
8. Walden – Henry David Thoreau
9. Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card
10. The Autobiography of Malcolm X – Malcom X with Alex Haley
11. Spiritual Equipping for Mission – Ryan Shaw
12. Slow Kingdom Coming – Kent Annan
13. Beauty – Roger Scruton
14. Strengthsfinder 2.0 – Tom Rath
15. The Elements of Speechwriting and Public Speaking – Jeff Scott Cook
16. The Challenge of Jesus – N.T. Wright
17. Living with a Creative Mind – Jeff and Julia Crabtree
18. The Lost World of Adam and Eve – John H. Walton
19. How Should We Then Live? – Francis Schaeffer
20. Has Anyone Seen My Pants? – Sarah Colonna
21. The Screwtape Letters – C.S. Lewis
22. The Gift of Being Yourself – David Benner
23. What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do – David Jeremiah
24. 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – John C. Maxwell
25. Brimstone – Hugh Halter
26. Good to Great – Bob Collins
27. The Slight Edge – Jeff Olson
28. The Listening Life – Adam S. McHugh
29. A Fellowship of Differents – Scot McKnight
30. The Go-Giver – Bob Burg and John David Mann
31. The ONE Thing – Gary Keller
32. Getting Things Done – David Allen
33. Courage & Calling – Gordon T. Smith
34. Grit – Angela Duckworth
35. The Return of the Prodigal Son – Henri J.M. Nouwen
36. Zero to One – Peter Thiel
37. Start with Why – Simon Sinek
38. If You Feel Too Much – Jamie Tworkoski
39. The Sacred Journey – Frederick Buechner
40. Chasing Excellence – Ben Bergeron
41. Now and Then – Frederick Buechner
42. The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg
43. Let Your Life Speak – Parker Palmer
44. Rising Strong – Brene Brown
45. Telling Secrets – Frederick Buechner
46. The Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead
47. The Language of God – Francis Collins
48. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist – Norman L. Geiser and Frank Turek
49. Miracles – Eric Metaxas
50. Simply Christian – N.T. Wright
51. The Last Arrow – Erwin McManus
52. Run with the Horses – Eugene Peterson
53. Surprised by the Power of the Spirit – Jack Deere
54. Surprised by the Voice of God – Jack Deere
55. The Holy Longing – Ronald Rolheiser
56. Leaving Church – Barbara Brown Taylor
57. Drown – Junot Diaz
58. Out of the Silent Planet – C.S. Lewis
59. Practicing the Power – Sam Storms
60. Autumn – Karl Ove Knausgaard
61. Called to Create – Jordan Raynor
62. Perelandra – C.S. Lewis