A few years ago, I had the idea to share the books I’ve read during the year. I didn’t do it right away. Then someone suggested I share books I recommend. I didn’t do that right away, either. 

I finally gave it a go last year and wrote up My Book Reviews For 2023.

I was pleasantly surprised by the feedback from people. 

The following are books I’ve read this past year. All kinds. You may or may not be interested in them. You may or may not like them the same way I did. 

Before you read the list, here are a few preface points:

• They are in the order that I read them this past year (roughly; it’s hard to be exact because I tend to read a few at a time).
  

• I rated each book on a scale of 1-5 stars. None of the books have only one or two stars, because a) If i’m not into a book within the first chapter or two, I stop reading it and move on, and 2) I’m easily interested in a lot of things.
  

• I don’t read for long periods of time. Some of you may find this to be a huge list of books (although others may have read double or triple this past year). I think I read for an average of 30 minutes each day (apart from time I spend reading Scripture in the morning); maybe more on the weekends. I really don’t read for long periods of time; I just do it consistently. And many of these are audio books that I can listen to while running with the dog or cleaning the yard.
  

• Unless otherwise indicated, all of them were at least 90% completed (as you'll see, the ones I had to read for class were the ones I read less of).
  

My Book Reviews for 2024

1. "Deep Peace: Finding Calm In A World of Conflict and Anxiety" by Todd D. Hunter

3 stars

I loved the concept of this book.

The author is very insightful. But I think he could’ve used someone to help him condense and say what he said with less words.

Based on an excerpt from the book’s description on Amazon, this book: 

• Uncovers the ten things that are most harmful to peace in a person's Unpacks the "Trinity of Peace" found in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and how we can find rest in each person of the Trinity.

• Reveals spiritual practices that will teach you how to pursue an inner calm and become the kind of person that meets conflict with love and renounces fear.

2. "Enough” by Cassidy Hutchinson

3.5 stars  

This is sort of an autobiography written by a girl from New Jersey who became the “chief of staff to the chief of staff” for Trump during his first term. She talks about growing up in New Jersey, why she wanted to get involved in politics, how she ended up part of “Trump world” (as she called it), and why she felt abandoned by them after January 6th — leading her to testify against Trump.

The behind-the-scenes political stuff is fascinating, but the events are so recent, and she is so young, that it doesn’t have the same feel of an autobiography written by someone who has processed their life fully. 

Nevertheless, the crisis-of-conscience theme is thought-provoking. 

3. “Resolving Everyday Conflict” by Ken Sande

5 stars 

This is the book that True Life is using for the “Making Peace Life Group.” I read it twice this year, and each time I got so much out of it. 

I can’t recommend this book enough - especially if you’re someone who claims to hate conflict, avoids conflict, finds yourself in conflict regularly, has family members in conflict who tend to pull you in, or are in a leadership role in our church. 

Or if you’re married.

4. “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus” by Nabeel Qureshi

5 stars

This is a great autobiography about a little Muslim boy who grew up in the United States, became friends with a Christian, and then eventually gave his life to Christ.

From the book's description on Amazon:

“Providing an intimate view into a loving Muslim home, Qureshi shares how he developed a passion for Islam before discovering, almost against his will, evidence that Jesus rose from the dead and claimed to be God. Unable to deny the arguments but not wanting to deny his family, Qureshi struggled with an inner turmoil that will challenge Christians, Muslims, and all those who are interested in two of the world's greatest religions and the quest for truth.”

The book does a great job of making a case for the resurrection of Jesus, it does a great job of teaching how many Muslims view Christianity, and - most inspiring to me - it does a great job of modeling how a Christian can love a non-Christian into the kingdom of God.

*Sadly, Nabeel died of stomach cancer just a few years ago at a very young age. 

5. “Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan” by Rick Perlstein 

3.5 stars

This book is a bit slow, but I didn’t mind that. It basically tackled the raucous 1970s up until 76 when Ronald Reagan arrived on the national scene and almost won the Republican nomination (but did steal the heart of the Republican party with his speech endorsing Gerald Ford at the convention).

It covers Nixon’s presidency, Watergate, the Vietnam war, Reagan as governor in California, the release of The Exorcist, the beginning of affirmative action, culture wars, and so much more.

6. “Wait Til Next Year: A Memoir” by Doris Kearns Goodwin

5 stars 

If you like baseball, or grew up in the 50s and 60s, or love history about either baseball or the 50s and 60s (as I do), then you might love this book as much as I did. 

It’s written by one of my favorite authors who has written historical books about Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson and Teddy Roosevelt.

But this is a memoir about her own life and how the love of baseball in general - and the Brooklyn Dodgers in particular – formed a deep bond with her father and mother, and was the common theme through the ups and downs of her childhood.

I really enjoyed it.

7. “Not Afraid of the Antichrist: Why We Don’t Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture” by Michael L. Brown and Craig S. Keener

5 stars

I read this as preparation for our End-time sermon series at True Life Church last spring. As someone who grew up immersed in books and movies about a pre-tribulation rapture, my endtime’s view changed without reading many books about it. 

But before I was to preach on it, I figured I should read at least one book by someone who shared my view. This book definitely strengthened my post-tribulationist pre-millennial view.

That said, I would offer a trigger warning for anyone who has the pre-tribulation rapture view, as these guys can be a bit snarky at times.

8. “Not God Enough: Why Your Small God Leads to Big Problems” by J.D. Greear

4.5 stars 

This was a devotional book written by a pastor who I’ve listened to for a decade now. I trust his theology and his heart. 

I found this book to be a great reminder of our big God and his great love for us.

From the description on Amazon:

“We like God small. We prefer a God who is safe, domesticated, who thinks like we think, likes what we like, and whom we can manage, predict, and control. A small God is convenient. Practical. Manageable.

The truth: God is big. Bigger than big. Bigger than all the words we use to say big. Only a God of infinite power, wisdom and majesty can answer our deepest questions and meet our deepest longings.”

It’s a really good book. 

9. “The Holy Spirit: Activating God’s Power In Your Life” by Billy Graham

4 stars 

I liked this book more than I thought I would. I didn’t think there would be many insights on the Holy Spirit given by Billy Graham that I didn’t know or hadn’t thought about.

But it was actually a very well-done systematic teaching on the Holy Spirit, very thorough and detailed, and really inspiring.

10. “To Kill A Mockingbird”  by Harper Lee

5 stars 

I first read this book as a kid, and it’s been one of my top favorite books ever since. 

I had to read it again for a class I was taking, and loved it just as much (admittedly, I didn’t read the whole thing this time because the paper was due and I had to skip to the last few chapters and to get the assignment done). 

What a great reminder about how easy it is for our hearts to form prejudices. We may not be living in segregated Alabama during the Great Depression, but humans still very prone to make assumptions about people based on just a few details. 

Our oldest daughter Kayla read it over the summer and she really enjoyed it, too (we had a system over the summer where the kids could earn an additional hour of screen time if they read a chapter of a book; she got into this one so much she seemed to forget about her screen time). 

If you have yet to read this, make it a goal this year. 

11. "Presence” by Amy Cuddy 

4 stars 

This was another book I had to read for a class. At first, I wasn’t that into it because it seemed a little too New-Agey and felt like a pop-psychology self-esteem book. But the more I read it, the more I realized that her data and science on emotions actually backs up what scripture says. 

And although she didn’t claim to be a Christian from what I read (I only read about 60% of it), she had insights about handling emotions that I thought were spot on - especially after I began to put them into practice and tested her theories.

It actually is a secular book that further persuaded me of the importance of using our hands to worship, using eye contact to help ourselves be more present with others, and acting out emotions we want to feel until we feel them (like joy). 

12. “The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness ” by Tim Keller

5 stars

This is not the first time I read it, but it is one of my favorite books of all time, so I read it again. It’s a powerful reminder about how the solution to low self-esteem is NOT high self-esteem - it’s self-forgetfulness. It's a great reminder about how true humility is not to navel-gaze at our weaknesses, but to think less often of ourselves as we gaze upon Christ. 

And it’s super short. Really easy to get through. 

13. “The Rise of the Third Reich” by World History 

4 stars

Prior to this year, most of the history books I’ve read focused on the Civil War up until about the time of Teddy Roosevelt, and then World War II up until the 1980s.

Something inspired me this year to start studying World War I and the time between the two great wars. 

This was one of the books I started with, since it covered Germany getting into World War I and what happened right afterwards.

This was written really well, sort of an edge-of-your-seat thriller, and also helped me understand how the German people could have allowed Hitler and the Third Reich rise to power.  

14. “Just As I Am" by Billy Graham

4 stars 

This is my second time going through this book. The first time I read every page of it. This time I jumped around more. I wanted to re-read the chapters and sections where Billy Graham talked about his relationship with each president. Maybe it was because of the upcoming election and maybe it was because of other political books I had read, but I wanted to take another look at how he separated his private opinions on politics from his public role as a world evangelist and preacher. 

He was never beholden to any party or politician, and never publicly endorsed any. He belonged to God and wanted to serve any president. Yet, this did not stop him from having opinions about politics and even sharing those opinions with each president. His goal was to speak into the heart of each president as they led America, rather than to speak to America about each president. 

15. "Young Hitler: The Making of the Fuhrer” by Paul Ham

4.5 stars

This was another book that helped me understand what happened in Germany before World War II. It followed Hitler’s life from a young boy up until serving in World War I and then how he rose to prominence on the national political scene.

He was a human. A human who saw many things as a threat, and a human who believed he could save his people from those threats.

He deceived himself and then he deceived a nation. 

He didn't have to turn out that way. 

16. “Desiring God” by John Piper

5 stars

I’ve read this before, and decided to dive into it again.

Piper makes the case that God wants us to be happy, but he wants us to have our happiness rooted in him, thus bringing him glory.

Then he goes on to talk about the role that scripture and prayer and missions and giving and suffering all play in our fight for joy.

It’s a paradigm shifter for anyone who has been taught that God only wants us holy and doesn’t care about our happiness. 

God wants us holy AND happy and the two are inseparable. 

17. “American Gun: The True Story of the AR15” by Cameron McWhirter

 4.5 stars

I thought this was really fascinating. 

It’s sort of written as a biography on the gun itself. It covers:

• Who invented the gun and why;
• Why it was shunned by gun owners at first but then became standard equipment in the Vietnam War;
• How the LAPD wanted to outlaw the gun in the 1980’s because it was being used by gangs to kill police officers;
• Various discussions on legislation during the Bush administration, the Clinton administration, the other Bush administration, the Obama administration, and the Trump administration.
• And the many mass shootings where mentally ill killers chose to use this weapon, the damage it does to the human body, and how victims and their families feel about the gun. 

Here’s a quote from the book’s description: “How did the same gun represent the essence of freedom to millions of Americans and the essence of evil to missions more?”

I thought the author did a pretty good job of providing a fair and balanced look. 

18. "Mass Communication: Living In A Media World” by Ralph E. Hanson

3.5 stars

I had to read this for a communications class. I thought it was a really interesting book, but it’s such a specific topic that I doubt many people would be into it.

It just looked at how communication has changed over the years in TV, radio, the internet, marketing, public relations, whether the press is really free in America, and so much more.

19. “Lincoln on Leadership For Today” by Donald T. Philips 

4.5 stars

This is the 10th book I’ve read on Lincoln in the last few years. With every book I read about him, I realize how much more there is to know about him, and I become even more fascinated by the man. This book focuses on how he handled the people around him – the decisions he made, his stance on issues, how he compromised on strategy but never on values,  and how he handled his opponents. 

Each chapter ended with the author speculating about how he thinks Lincoln would handle various modern-day issues (immigration, abortion, the national debt, affirmative action etc.). I can’t say I agree with the author on all these points, but they are such a small part of the book that it really doesn’t matter (and I also can’t say I know Lincoln as much as he does, either). 

I was mostly inspired by how Lincoln faced criticism and disagreement with such grace and humility - traits missing in modern politics and our culture. 

20. “Answers to Prayer” by George Muller, collected by EC Brooks

3 stars

George Muller was an evangelist and the founder of Ashly Down Orphanage in Bristol, England in the mid-1800’s. This is a collection of Muller’s personal journal entries and testimonies on answered prayer. The orphanage, which cared for over 10,000 children during his lifetime, started in and was sustained by big bold prayers for God’s provision. These stories are powerful. 

The reason I only gave it 3 starts is because after a few of them, they start to sound redundant. And I did the audio book version, so some of the old English is hard for me to get around. It might have been better to read it as a daily devotion where I read one journal entry / testimony at a time. 

21. “A Grief Observed” by C.S. Lewis

3 stars

I love C.S. Lewis, but this was not one of my favorite books of his. It felt like he wrote in his journal about the loss of his wife. And then, it was as though he stepped back from the personal vulnerability in order to “observe” that grief as a scientist discussing those feelings with colleagues. I appreciated the vulnerability, but the philosophizing felt like an intrusion on that vulnerability and took me out of the moment. 

That said, if you’re grieving the loss of a loved one in this season, you  might get more out of it. 

22. "What Would Regan do? Life Lessons From the Last Great President” by Chris Christie

4 stars

I’ve read a few books about Reagan in the last few years (some that put him in a positive light and some that put him in a negative light) but this one is unique in that it is a combination of a history book, an apologetic for Reagan’s decisions, and a political commentary on our current affairs. 

Christie, who is an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, seeks to make the case that Reagan is indeed one of the greatest presidents we’ve ever had, much better than any Republican president we’ve had since then. He seeks to make that case by breaking down his stance on issues, his willingness to work with those who disagreed with him, and how he handled his critics. I think anyone – even those who might get personally offended by any criticism of Trump – would enjoy this book to some degree. 

23. “Family Worship: In the Bible, In History & In Your Home” by Donald S. Whitney 

4 stars 

This short booklet makes a strong case for what the family should be doing in the home together. It argues for a daily 10-minute time of prayer, reading and song - separate from individual time with the Lord any family member might have. First it makes the case from Scripture, then from church history, and then it lays out practical tips for parents. 

For my family, which has struggled to find time like this over the years even once a week, it is both inspiring and daunting. 

That said, Jess and I are going to take baby steps in that direction. 

24. “10 Books That Screwed Up the World” by Benjamin Wiker

5 stars

This is a very unique book. Each chapter is about a different book that has, in the author’s opinion, messed things up big-time. Some of them are obvious, like Mein Kempf by Adolf Hitler. Other books might be less obvious and less well-known, like The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan.

Here is a quote from the epilogue: 

In no small part, the carnage and confusion was caused by notions that the world, rather than human beings, needed to be saved from and for something. To save the world from political impotence, Machiavelli would have us embrace effective brutality. To save the world from skepticism, Descartes would have us become both more skeptical and more prideful. To save the world from industrial oppression, Marx and Lenin would have us annihilate half the world in revolution. To save the world from disease, poverty, and every social ill, Margaret Sanger and Adolf Hitler would have us eliminate the hordes of “unfit.” To save the world from male oppression, Betty Friedan would have women kill their offspring.

It wasn’t until the very end of the book that I realized the author was a Christian. Saving that for the end was actually very impactful. If you read it, let me know if you agree. 

25. “Connecting Church & Home” by Tim Kimmel.

4 stars

This is another great book that I thought could have been shorter and less redundant. But if there is ever anything to be redundant about, it’s GRACE. I read this because our church is evaluating what the next season of our Kids Ministry will look like. 

Here is an excerpt from the book’s description on Amazon: 

Tim Kimmel gives a comprehensive strategy to churches for family ministry as well as a plan for parents seeking to pass their faith to the next generation. He shares valuable tools for the church to use to build a strong family ministry. A child who has seen grace lived out in front of him at church and at home is much more inclined toward staying committed to a relationship with God into adulthood. So Kimmel shares what a grace-based family ministry looks like in a local church. He also teaches parents how to translate every part of their ministry they are exposed to at church to translate into spiritual training at home.

It’s a book primarily for church leaders, but parents will get a lot out of it. However, Jess and I are starting one of the author’s other books, Grace-Based Parenting, which seems to be written directly to parents (I’ll let you know next year what I think of it). 

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That's it. 

That’s all the books I read this past year. Maybe something in there will spark something for you. 

What were the best books - or worse books - you've read in 2024? Put in the comments below.