I have been reading about 30 books per year for the last 10 years. It’s always fun to select my books for the new year. I usually select books from in the following categories — Christian Life, Biblical Studies, Leadership, Self-Improvement, Creative Non-Fiction, and Fiction. I have several lists I consult to help me in my decision, such as — Pulitzer Prize Winners, Pushcart Winners, Booker Prize, National Book Award, New York Times Bestseller, to name a few.
THIRTY BOOKS TO READ IN 2018
Here’s my list for 2018. This is not a suggested list. In fact, I suggest you NOT read all these books. You should spend time selecting the books that will help you the most. You don’t even need to use the same categories I use. I have chosen these categories over the years because of what I do for a living and the kinds of books that appeal to me. You can create your own categories and list. I offer this list as an example of how it works for me.
Christian Living (4)
75 Masterpieces Every Christian Should Know: The Fascinating Stories behind Great Works of Art, Literature, Music, and Film by Terry Glaspey
The Imperfect Disciple: Grace for People Who Can’t Get Their Act Together by Jared C. Wilson
Our Secular Age: Ten Years of Reading and Applying Charles Taylor by Hansen, Rishmawy, et al.
Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture by David Murray
Biblical Studies (4)
Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels by Richard Hays
Neither Complimentarian nor Egalitarian: A Kingdom Corrective to the Evangelical Gender Debate by Michelle Lee-Barnewall
Destroyer of the gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World by Larry Hurtado
Simply Jesus by N.T. Wright
Leadership (4)
The Unstuck Church: Equipping Churches to Experience Sustained Health by Tony Morgan
Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin
Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Some Don’t by Simon Sinek
Organization/Self-Improvement (4)
15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management by Kevin Kruse
Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland
Are You Fully Charged?: The 3 Keys to Energizing Your Work and Life by Tom Rath
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
Creative Non-Fiction (7)
The Best American Essays edited by Leslie Jamison
Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS by Joby Warrick (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery by Eric Foner (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher by Debby Applegate (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between by Hisham Matar (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib
Fiction (7)
The Best American Short Stories edited by Meg Wolitzer
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva
The Long Drop by Denise Mina
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
12 ALTERNATES:
Christian Living
This is Our Time: Everyday Myths in Light of the Gospel by Trevin Wax
Anxious for Nothing by Max Lucado
Biblical Studies
The Historical Figure of Jesus by E.P. Sanders
In the Shadow of Empire by Richard Horsely
Leadership
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
The Mentoring Church: How Pastors and Congregations Cultivate Leaders by Phil Newton
Organization/Self-Improvement
The Fear Factor by Abigail Marsh
The 4-hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
General Non-Fiction
A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide by Samantha Power
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
Fiction
The Whistler by John Grisham
Glass Houses by Louise Penny
Happy Reading!!
