What I’ve Been Reading

What are you reading? This is a question I periodically get. Not surprising, since I often talk about reading :-). And because I’m blessed to have (and to have had) several bibliophiles in my life. My parents both loved to read as did my paternal grandfather, my mother-in-law, and several other relatives. Several people in our church love to read. And many of my friends do as well.

If you’re among those who enjoy reading, then here’s a proverb you’ll appreciate:

Wise people store up knowledge, But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
Proverbs 10:14, NKJV

So… what have I been reading? Well… I’ve been reading a mix of fiction and non-fiction. I read the latter to improve myself and the former to give my brain a rest. There’s nothing wrong with recreation.

Before I get to the non-fiction books I’ve been reading of late, let me say a few words about fiction.

Fiction

When it comes to fiction, I like fantasy, inspirational fiction, historical fiction, some science fiction, and LitRPG / Gamelit. That last genre is rather niche, I know. But it basically is about characters who find themselves immersed in a video game or a game-like world.

However, if I had to narrow down my top favorite novels to recommend, it would be these:

Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Chronicles of Narnia (series) by C.S. Lewis
The Traveler’s Gift: Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews
The Staff & the Sword (series) by Patrick W. Carr
Rora by James Byron Huggins
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Gone For Soldiers by Jeff Shaara

Those are my all-time favorite novels. I highly recommend all of them. (I still need to read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in their entirety. No doubt, they will be on the above list when I do. I know, I know. My fellow fantasy bibliophiles are ashamed of me — but I love the movies. 🙂 ).

There are many novels I enjoy (especially if they are in the aforementioned genres). There are many I could list. For example, I’m working my way slowly (as I have time) through a dragon fantasy series this year (Dragon Wars), but it’s not exactly high-brow literature. I’m also working my way through a classic portal fantasy series (The Lost Regiment) by William Forstchen. But these are “pop” or “pulp” entertainment novels. They are popcorn entertainment and not for everyone, so I won’t list them as recommended favorites. 🙂

The above novels that I listed are those I’ve read multiple times and can highly recommend.

Nonfiction

Okay, let’s get into non-fiction. This is where the learning really kicks in. I’ll tell you some of my all-time favorites (not counting the Bible, obviously) as well as the books I’ve read so far this year that I’ve enjoyed.

Here are the non-fiction books I’ve read (or re-read) in 2024 that I can (overall) endorse:

The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson
How We Got the Bible by Timothy Paul Jones
25 Ways to Win With People by John C. Maxwell and Les Parrott
No Excuses: The Power of Self-Discipline by Brian Tracy
The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White
The Case for Easter by Lee Strobel
The Best Intentions: How a Plan to Revitalize the SBC Accelerated Its Decline by Charles S. Kelley
Live Your Truth and Other Lies: Exposing Popular Deceptions That Make Us Anxious, Exhausted, and Self-Obsessed by Alisa Childers
Ruth For You: Revealing God’s Kindness and Care by Tony Merida
Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology by J.P. Moreland

These are the books I read cover-to-cover which I can confidently share with you as books that I enjoyed or appreciated — and that I can (overall) recommend. There are other books that I read parts of but didn’t finish. For example, in my recent sermon series on Ruth, I consulted with several commentaries, but I only read one of the commentary books cover-to-cover.

I love to read, but I don’t have the time to finish 100% of every book I read or study from.

There are also four other books that I did read all the way through this year, but I’m not comfortable recommending them. So I didn’t list those. If you want to know those, you can reach out to me privately.

I’m usually reading about 5-10 books at a time. Not literally at the exact same moment in time. 🙂 But I often am reading or studying from multiple books each month. Here are some of the books I’m currently working my way through:

Letter to the American Church by Eric Metaxas
Mysteries of the End Times: 5 Little Known Truths About God’s Plan for the Future by Dr. Robert Jeffress
Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages by Haddon W. Robinson
Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller
The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? by Jim Davis and Michael Graham with Ryan Burge
The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
Unlimited Power: The New Science Of Personal Achievement by Anthony Robbins
On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense by Gad Saad

Please note that not all of the above books are Christian, and therefore I cannot fully recommend them. Once I finish them, I’ll have a better idea of whether I can (overall) recommend them or not. It may take me to the end of the year to finish all of them.

And here are a few of the many books on my to-read list. These are books that have either been given to me, loaned to me, or recommended to me OR they are books that I’ve picked up recently and hope to dive into in the coming weeks and months. Please note that I can’t recommend these books yet as I haven’t started them at this time.

The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done by Peter F. Drucker
Hearts of Fire: Eight Women in the Underground Church and Their Stories of Costly Faith by The Voice of the Martyrs (foreword by Gracia Burnham)
The World of the End: How Jesus’ Prophecy Shapes Our Priorities by Dr. David Jeremiah
The Power of the Prophetic Blessing: An Astonishing Revelation for a New Generation by John Hagee
God’s Grand Finale: Wrath, Grace, and Glory in Earth’s Last Days by Jeff Kinley
Big Trouble Ahead: A Real Plan for Flourishing in a Time of Fear and Deception by Allen Jackson
Scatter the Seed: Reviving Effective Disciple-Making in the Local Church by Kevin Freeman
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management: The Productivity Habits of 7 Billionaires, 13 Olympic Athletes, 29 Straight-A Students, and 239 Entrepreneurs by Kevin Kruse
Stein On Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies by Sol Stein
Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by Lisa Cron

A few of my all-time favorite non-fiction titles (as of August 13, 2024) include (in no particular order):

The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
The Reason For God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller
Recovering Our Sanity: How the Fear of God Conquers the Fears that Divide Us by Michael Horton
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
John Adams by David McCullough
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 by John C. Maxwell

There are more, but I think listing them all out will require a separate article. Some of them will require some explanation. So I’ll let the above partial list stand for now. 🙂

Reading and You

Let me conclude by saying a few quick, but important things…

The most important book to read is the Bible. If you’re not reading the Bible, don’t read anything else until you start.
I do most of my reading on my day off (Monday).
Otherwise, I listen to books during my commute to and from work. And…
I always have my phone or iPad with me — and my Kindle app on both. So, whenever I have down time, I am able to read a few pages.

That’s how I read as much as I do.

Although…there are others who read FAR MORE than I do. They put me to shame. But…

It’s not a race. It’s not a contest. Read at your pace. Not someone else’s.

If you read just three or four books each year, that’s great! If you can read a hundred, great. Do what works for you.

The important thing is that you are learning.

Even fiction — though it’s not going to fill you with as much knowledge as non-fiction — can help you. Reading fiction (obviously depending on the fiction) can improve your vocabulary, exercise your brain, and reduce stress. So, don’t knock fiction. (Again, depending on the fiction).

I recommend a mix — fiction and non-fiction.

Also, reading is a great way to learn. But it’s not the only way. You can also pick up knowledge by attending classes or seminars, watching TED Talks and documentaries, visiting museums, talking with intelligent and wise people, and more.

How are you doing in your reading goals? What books have you read this year that you would recommend? Let us know in the comments.

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