Francis Bacon once said, “Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.” 2016 was a year in which this maxim was true for me.
For a few years now, I have taken up the yearly book challenge offered by Goodreads, a free book-lovers site now owned by Amazon (if you sign up, please friend me). At the start of the year, one sets a goal of how many books he/she wants to read and during the year the site tracks their progress. For a book/word geek like me, Goodreads is legit (that’s the current term my teenagers are using for anything off the charts)! It tracks interesting statistics like how many books one has read, how many total pages read during that year, what the average rating one gave to books throughout the year, etc. There is even a statistic that charts the publication date (year) the books that one has read.
For those of you bibliophiles out there, here are some numbers for you:
-30 total books read
-5,696 pages read
-17 books I rated 5 star, 10 books I rated 4 star, and 3 books I rated 3 star
I digress.
I find fascinating the books that a person has read, is reading, or will be reading in the future. Charlie “Tremendous” Jones said, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” I do believe that is largely true.
As I have benefited from learning what others have read or are reading, perhaps you will be prompted to pick a book or two from those I have read and add them to your “reading list” this year.
Enjoy the list! Although the Bible is not on the list below, it is the one book that I read nearly every day. In addition, several of the books on my “reading” list were actually listened to via audio and are marked as so. Oh, and one more thing, please comment with a book recommendation. I am always looking to add another good book to my “To-Read” list on Goodreads. Thank you and may 2017 be a banner book year for you!
Books That I Read in 2016
Top Seven (in order)
1. You & Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity, Francis & Lisa Chan
2. Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God, Bob Kauflin
3. Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, Timothy Keller
4. The Way of the Shepherd: 7 Ancient Secrets to Managing Productive People, Kevin Leman
5. Amazing Grace: John Newton’s Story, John Charles Pollock
6. The Grace Awakening, Charles Swindoll
7. Passionate Parenting, Cary Schmidt
Complete List (In order read)
101 Things Husbands Do to Annoy Their Wives, Ray Comfort
Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom, Paul McCusker (audio)
Growing True Disciples, George Barna
Overcoming Panic Attacks, Ray Comfort
How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture, Francis Schaeffer
Catch Me If You Can, Frank Abagnale
Passionate Parenting, Cary Schmidt
Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped, Garry Kasparov
Borden of Yale ’09, Geraldine Taylor
The Case for Grace, Lee Strobel
Do Hard Things, Alex & Brett Harris (audio)
I, Saul, Jerry Jenkins
The Measure of Our Success: An Impassioned Plea to Pastors, Shawn Lovejoy
Gates of Fire, Steven Pressfield (audio)
You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity, Francis & Lisa Chan
Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God, Bob Kauflin
Don’t Give Up, Don’t Give In: Lessons from an Extraordinary Life, Louis Zamperini
The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness, Kevin DeYoung
The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done, Peter Drucker
Amazing Grace: John Newton’s Story, John Charles Pollock
Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, Timothy Keller
The Grace Awakening, Charles Swindoll
Take it Personally: A Practical Guide to Owning and Obeying the Great Commission, Paul Chappell
Earl Dix: Adventurer for God, Earl Dix
Martyr of the Catacombs: A Tale of Ancient Rome, Anonymous
The Black Widow, Daniel Silva (audio)
The Way of the Shepherd: 7 Ancient Secrets to Managing Productive People, Kevin Leman
Sea Edge, W. Phillip Keller
The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence
Who You are When No One’s Looking: Choosing Consistency, Resisting Compromise, Bill Hybels
spiritually relevant 