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I find it interesting to see what other people have read over the year as very often I discover books that I believe it would be good to read myself. Some people who publish their lists appear to be almost superhuman to me! How do you read over 100 books in a year when you have a really busy and demanding full working life? Avoiding naming anyone in that category I offer my much more modest and very human list. I'll add some brief comments here and there. Perhaps it will give you an idea of a book to read and at the same time won't set the bar too high as it seems I read about 3 books a month. So, more or less in the order that I read them:
Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals. Gavin Ortland. A really helpful reminder of the value of the writings of the early Church Fathers.
Sea of Lost Love. Santa Montefiore. Holiday read
The Guardian of Lies. Kate Furnivall. I really enjoy her books.
The Heart has its Reasons. Maria Duenas.
Evangelism as Exiles. Elliot Clark. Really a commentary on 1 Peter. Outstanding.
The Lost World of Adam and Eve. John H Walton. My second reading of this book and again I recommend it as a study of origins.
The Burning Chambers. Kate Mosse. A good read.
The Novel Habits of Happiness. Alexander McCall Smith.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo. Christy Leftari.
A Nice Cup of Tea. Celia Imrie. Good, light, holiday read.
The Genius of Puritanism. Peter Lewis. Very helpful but like the people he's writing about sometimes says too much. Jump sections when it gets too wordy.
Shadows of the Nile. Kate Furnivall.
The Sermon Maker. Calvin Miller.
The Lewis Awakening. Duncan Campbell.
The Glory of Christ. Peter Lewis. I've read it more than once and so should every Christian.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. John Mark Comer. Really irritating style but also really helpful.
The Fight of Faith. Vol.2 Biography of Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Ian Murray. Yep!
A Call to Spiritual Reformation. D A Carson.
The Concubines Secret. Kate Furnivall. I've said I enjoy her books!
Seeing and Savouring Jesus Christ. John Piper
Old Testament Evangelistic Sermons. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. You get converted every chapter!
21 Servants of Sovereign Joy. John Piper. My Christian book of the year. So inspirational, so well researched, such succinctly and helpfully written individual biographies. This is a brilliant book. However there is one chapter on the poet George Herbert which the reader may want to skip. Bearing in mind that these were original Conference addresses I think I might have lost the will to live listening to this one. The greatest preacher can have an off day!
Finishing Our Course with Joy. J I Packer.
Dominion. Tom Holland. He writes big but very accessible and readable books. A lot of Christians seem to have enjoyed this book; I found it a bit depressing.
Evangelistic Sermons at Aberavon. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Some of his outstanding early evangelistic sermons and including the first two sermons he preached at Westminster Chapel.
Black and British. David Olusoga. My top book of the year by a secular author.
Really this should be read by everyone. In this Covid year when the issue of racism has been such a big concern then this beautifully written book on the history of black people in the UK with its extended section on our part in the slave trade is just brilliant. Our part in that was utterly shameful and then somewhat heroic. Not a Christian book as such but really ought to be read by every Christian Believer. It helps us to understand racism so much better.
Succession or Multiplication. David Devenish.
Those who are Loved. Victoria Hislop.
Preaching. Campbell Morgan.
Surprised by Hope. Tom Wright. Very helpful about 'heaven' but unnecessarily wordy at times.
Gentle and Lowly. Dane Ortlund. I found this a slow burn. If in the first few chapters you wonder what all the fuss is about then keep going because by the end you will have been blessed by a truly wonderful book.
The Treasure Principle. Randy Alcorn. Read it and then don't keep hold of your wallet!
To a Mountain in Tibet. Colin Thubron.
Institutes of the Christian Religion. John Calvin. I can't here possibly review this monumental classic but I can tell you of my experience while reading it: Up to Date and Out of Date. Penetrating and Superficial. Clarifying and Confusing. Too Long and too Brief. Pastoral and Vitriolic.
That's it - happy reading!
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