At the end of the year, many of us reflect on the year and share what we did and didn’t love. Many people create their end-of-year lists, and I always share my favorite books.
Because I was beginning my doctoral project, much of my reading was centered around that.
Below is a photo of my favorite books of the year, with my favorite one on top. To see everything I read this year, go here.
If you’re curious about past years’ lists, click on the numbers: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
First, the fun books!
When I wasn’t reading for school, I read novels, biographies, and historical books to give my brain a break.
Here are my five favorite novels or history books of the year:
- All Colors of the Dark
- The God of the Woods
- A Death in Cornwall
- Midnight in Chernobyl
- The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel
All of these were fascinating.
Now, for my non-fiction picks!
Building the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier. I appreciated this book. Most books about happiness deal with thinking more positively, which is helpful. This one looked at how relationships and difficulty play a role in our happiness, which I felt was more attuned to real life.
The Other Half of Church: Christian Community, Brain Science, and Overcoming Spiritual Stagnation. I have to read this book again for school this coming year, so this might also appear on my list in 2025! This helps to explain why and how people grow spiritually and what leads to stagnation. Sadly, what leads to stagnation is what many churches focus a lot of energy on.
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. This is a book every parent, pastor, and educator needs to read. It is eye-opening and scary, but it also has many great ideas on how to help your children navigate technology. There were times when I wished we had many different choices, but it also helped solidify some of our decisions regarding technology and our kids.
Transforming Church: Bringing Out the Good to Get to Great. It was easily my favorite book I read for school this year. I have no idea how I had never heard of it before. It’s so good. I highlighted so many pages. Pastors, get this book and read it in 2025!
Land of my Sojourn: The Landscape of a Faith Lost and Found. Mike Cosper hosted the excellent podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. As a former Acts 29 pastor, I felt this book was a lot of my journey over the years. I really appreciated it.
Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation. I read this during summer vacation, and it was fascinating. I love the writings and teachings of Tim Keller, and to get a window into what influenced him and made him who he is was a great look. It’s not a typical biography.
Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times: Being Calm and Courageous No Matter What. This was another book I read for school, and it explained much of what our church experienced before I arrived in 2021 and the journey since. I repeatedly told Katie I wished I had read this before moving here. This is an excellent read if you navigate change and lead a church through change. It isn’t so much a how-to on leading change but more of what is happening internally while that change is happening and what to do about it.
Family Systems and Congregational Life: A Map for Ministry. This book was on my reading list for my spring class at Fulerl, and it was a good one. I loved the chapter on preaching, but it also provided incredible insights into the triangles that pastors find themselves in. These were eye-opening, ones I never even considered.
The Gift of Disillusionment: Enduring Hope for Leaders After Idealism Fades was one of my favorite books this year. It is so raw and helpful in navigating the difficulties of life and leadership. The authors spent a lot of time examining the life of Jeremiah and his relationship with God. This book offers many helpful insights if you are struggling to endure faithfully.
Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It. As a father of 4 boys, I read and listen to a lot about raising and launching sons. Scott Galloway has a lot of great insights into this as well, but this book is so helpful. It is filled with a lot of data and valuable ideas on how to help men as they grow up. If you have sons or grandsons, you need to read this in the coming year.
