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At the end of the year, many of us reflect on 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 continuing my doctoral project, much of my reading centered on that. I was able to fit in some other books as well!

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,  2023, and 2024.

Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry by Ruth Haley Barton. I read this book years ago and revisited it for school this year. It is so rich. It walks through the life of Moses and how this applies ot leaders today. So many nuggets in this book. Especially around the ideas of loneliness and the wilderness that we all walk through. If you are in a dark or hard place, this is a great book to read, whether you are a leader or not. 

The Expectation Gap: The Tiny, Vast Space between Our Beliefs and Experience of God by Steve Cuss. I didn’t get to too many books this year that weren’t for school, but this was one of them. I listen to Steve’s podcast regularly, so I was familiar with some of its material. But walking through it was so helpful. Seeing the gaps between what I expect from God and how that affects my relationship with Him is so important for people to understand. 

Healing What’s Within: Coming Home to Yourself–and to God–When You’re Wounded, Weary, and Wandering by Chuck DeGroat. Chuck DeGroat has quickly become a favorite author of mine, and I’ve tried to read all of his works. As much of my year was spent on school or sermon reading, the books I read just for me focused on my inner world, my story, and the things I am still growing in that relate to it. This book was invaluable to that end. Highly recommend it if you find yourself, as DeGroat says, “wounded, weary or wandering.”

The Women by Kristin Hannah. I’ve heard about this book for years, but I had never read it. Wow is all I can say. This book was so powerful and hard to put down, and I stayed up way too late reading it many nights. 

Year of Slowing Down by Alan Fadling.  I used this devotional over the last couple of years. I would read some most mornings after my bible reading. I went through it slowly because there were a lot of things I needed to hear and reread, as I don’t slow down very well. If slowing down is difficult for you, this is a great devotional to use. 

Tempered Resilience: How Leaders are Formed in the Crucible of Change by Tod Bolsinger. This was a re-read for me. Tod is my advisor for my doctoral project, and this was one of the books we had to read this past year. It was a reread for me, but I’ve come to love rereading great books. It reminds me of things I’ve grown into, things I still need to grow into, and new insights, because I’m in a different place in life. If you are a leader, this is an essential book because it walks through how leaders change and what needs to happen for leaders to change. Without the leader changing, they will struggle to lead change. 

Open by Andre Agassi. This was another book that I heard about for years but had never read. I don’t know why it took me so long. His story and what he walked through were a wild ride to read. 

Fahrenheit-182: A Humorous and Inspirational Memoir by Mark Hoppus. This was like reliving some of my high school and college days reading this one. The stories of Blink-182, what they walked through, and the shows and stories were hilarious to remember. If you are a fan of Blink, this is definitely one you should read!

Make Sense of Your Story: Why Engaging Your Past with Kindness Changes Everything by Adam Young. If I had to name one book as my favorite book of the year, this is it. This is connected to my ongoing exploration of my inner world and to wrestling with parts of my story. I have really appreciated how Young talks about our stories, engaging them especially as parents, and how to do so with kindness, as that is how God engages us, and that God’s kindness is what leads us to repentance.

In case you need some fun novels to read over Christmas Break, here are some of my favorite ones:

Wolf Trap by Connor Sullivan

Proof by Jon Cowan 

The First Gentleman by James Patterson 

An Inside Job by Daniel Silva (still my favorite novel series)

Each year I post a list of my favorite books, the ones I would call the best books of the year.

The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks. I read this book over the summer, and it was so helpful. Turning 40 this year raised a lot of fo questions for me, but this book was incredibly useful in answering them and focusing me on the second half of life and what it looks like and what it can be.

Questions Are the Answer: A Breakthrough Approach to Your Most Vexing Problems at Work and in Life by Hal Gregerson. As an enneagram 8, asking great questions is hard for me to do. I tend to have lots of opinions, settle on those, and then move on. This book takes a look at how to dig deeper into things so that you don’t miss the best ideas. It got a little long but had some fascinating research and stories behind it that I found helpful. 

Gridiron Genius: A Master Class in Building Teams and Winning at the Highest Level by Michael Lombardi. I love football and leadership, and since this book was about both, I loved it. The chapter on how to find a coach is so applicable to hiring and team building that I was blown away by it. A fun read, with tons of great stories and leadership nuggets in it. 

Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs by Steve Cuss. I wish I could’ve read this book years ago. It would’ve saved me a ton of pain and heartache as a leader. When dealing with other people, you have to manage your story and anxiety, along with theirs. In a church or team setting, you are dealing with family systems that you are often unaware of. This book took a look at how to understand those, how to understand what is going on in your body in a situation, and what is happening in an interaction. 

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear. If there was a book on this list that I would put at number 1 or say it is a must-read book, it’s this one. It is on the booklist my kids have to read before graduating high school, it is that good. I love the focus on “becoming the kind of person who hits the goals you have.” Too often, we don’t have that focus, and so we set goals without asking, “What kind of person do I need to become? What kind of person loses weight? What practices do they have, and how do I become that person?”

Stillness Is the Key by Ryan Holiday. I love all of Holiday’s books, but this one might be my favorite. The book is broken up into how to find stillness in your mind, body, and soul. For me, the body section was incredibly helpful. 

Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins. This book is not for the lighthearted (and if you’re offended by a lot of cussing, this book isn’t for you), but what a story. Part leadership book, part memoir, Goggins story is captivating. All the things he does, the hurt he endures, the lengths that he goes to make himself feel whole are incredible to hear and heartbreaking to imagine. 

This year I also discovered The Last Kingdom series, which is a fictitious look at the founding of England. So good. I haven’t gotten into the TV show yet, but the books are some of my favorites.

I also discovered a new historical writer Hampton Sides. This year I read his books Hellhound on His Trail: The Electrifying Account of the Largest Manhunt in American History, In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette and I just started On Desperate Ground: The Epic Story of Chosin Reservoir–the Greatest Battle of the Korean War. I’d recommend any of those books and his others!

To see my list of favorite books from past years, click on the numbers: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015  2016, and 2018. I loved looking back through the books I read this year as it helps me to see where I’ve grown, what God has taken me, my family, and our church through. If you’re curious about the books I read this year, you can check this out.