Reading List 2020
My first post of each new year always contains the list of books I read the previous year (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019). I do it for personal accountability, not to showboat; knowing I have to post my list helps me stay on track.
My reading intake increased this year from last year, while my writing output decreased a bit. And that was fine with me, even intentional. I read 92 books and over 24,000 pages.
In an unexpected highlight, a new reader to my blog scoured my list of books from past years and noticed something: no books by pastor John MacArthur. This was not intentional. It just sort of happened, or sorta did not happen as it were. So my new friend made use of the rarely used “donate” button buried on my About page and gave me $100 to buy some books. Among the new books, I grabbed two recent ones by MacArthur, including a complete commentary on the Bible, which I now consult each time I prepare a sermon. Why can’t y’all be more like this guy?
You’ll see on the list Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, a beast of a novel. Amazon tells me the book is 1,168 pages! I assume that’s right. I listened to the audiobook, which I had to rent from the library three separate times to finish because the audiobook is sixty-three hours long! And get this—each time I rented the book, I had to go back on the waitlist for three or four months. Yet, despite the long gaps between rentals, each time I reengage the plot, the book still felt surprisingly fresh, which I assume is a testament to the quality of the book and the magnetic pull of the characters.
I didn’t love every aspect of Atlas Shrugged, though. Just to name a few frustrations, the multiple love interests toward Dagny (and her reciprocation) annoyed me; the stark black-and-white, good-and-evil contrast of most characters felt unrealistic; and the final soliloquy by the mysterious John Gault is more becoming to a non-fiction book. Still, the book seemed to me, dare I say it, contemporary and relevant.
One other goofy detail about Atlas Shrugged. Later in the year I also listened to the audiobook of The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brendan Manning, which was read by the same popular voice actor, Scott Brick. The commonality of the reader, coupled with such diametrically opposed themes—“salvation by man’s hard work” vs. “salvation by God’s grace”—made for a viscerally jarring listening experience. I kept mumbling to myself, “This is so strange,” but no one was sharing earbuds with me to commiserate.
I’m not sure how closely anyone looks at my lists, but you’ll notice that Analog Church appears on the list three times. That’s not a mistake. I did actually read it three times. I read the book twice as I prepared a book review for 9Marks. I believe a reviewer should truly understand a book before commenting on it publicly. But 9Marks requested I make some overhauls to the first draft of my review, so I reread the book again before resubmitting. The time commitment was not ideal, but sometimes that’s how a writing project goes. Getting it right counts more than getting it published.
I enjoyed my first book of the year far more than I expected, the autobiography Open by Andre Agassi. At a pastor’s conference in 2019 I heard James K.A. Smith mention the book in an offhand comment, commending it as one of the best memoirs of all time (or something like that). Smith’s recommendation didn’t disappoint. It’s hard for me to fathom the level of transparency Agassi has with his readers. Open really is a fitting title.
I also enjoyed two Crossway books by two female authors: Jen Oshman’s Enough About Me and Glenna Marshall’s Everyday Faithfulness. In the category of Christian ministry, I thought Gospel-Driven Church (Crossway, 2019) was classic Jared C. Wilson: thoughtful and punchy, winsome and gospel-y. The sequel comes out this year in March, which I’m looking forward to reading.
This year I reread two books about writing, as well as a half-dozen new ones. Both Stephen King’s On Writing and William Zinsser’s On Writing Well taught me more the second time around than the first. Andrew Peterson’s Adorning the Dark was a new read, but it will certainly be a book to reread in the coming years. Kudos to Peterson and B&H for publishing the book without a single endorsement. It didn’t need them. Would that we all had such confidence in our work. This fall I also began reading the words of Flannery O’Connor (five books) and words written about her (one book completed and another in the works). I expect this Flannery fascination to continue next year and maybe longer.
My favorite book of the year, outside of the Bible, was once again my beloved World War II novel All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. If Doerr and I were stranded on the proverbial desert island with Marie-Laure Werner, Volkheimer, Reinhold von Rumpel, and a makeshift radio, we wouldn’t get bored. Each year when I begin the book afresh, the immediacy of the present tense verbs in the opening lines (and throughout the book) take me to a happy place: “At dusk they pour from the sky. They blow across the ramparts, turn cartwheels over rooftops, flutter into the ravines between houses. Entire streets swirl with them, flashing white against the cobbles. Urgent message to the inhabitants of this town, they say. Depart immediately to open country.” (Pour, not poured. Blow, not blew. Turn, not turned. Flutter, not fluttered. Swirl, not swirled. And so on for 450 lovely pages.)
Before turning you loose on the list, let me add just a few housekeeping notes. Yes, I “count” reading my own books but only once for every ten times I read them; it really does take forever to write a book. In fact, I just finished recording the audiobook for Blogging for God’s Glory in a Clickbait World. Look for that to release in the late winter.
Speaking of audiobooks, I read twenty-five audiobooks this year, which helps pad the numbers and lets me shoehorn extra books into my life—especially novels, which I often listen to as I exercise. Next, just as some people write in their Twitter bios about their retweets, I’ll say that reading a book does not equal endorsement of a book. For example, this fall I listened to The Subtle Art of . . . What can I say? I was in the mood to see what all the fuss was about. Finally, as I’ve pointed out in other years, I count reading the Bible as six normal-sized books rather than one massive book; breaking it up helps me keep pace from year to year.
Let me know in the comments your favorite book from last year, and if we overlapped at all in our reading, especially in the unlikely event you listened to Atlas Shrugged and The Ragamuffin Gospel in that order. So strange.
Books Read, 2013–2020
Pages Read, 2013–2020
* * *
Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi (400 pages)
Gospel-Driven Church: Uniting Church Growth Dreams with the Metrics of Grace by Jared C. Wilson (240 pages)
The Gospel According to Satan: Eight Lies about God that Sound Like the Truth by Jared C. Wilson (224 pages)
Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life by Tish Harrison Warren (184 pages)
Competing Spectacles: Treasuring Christ in the Media Age by Tony Reinke (160 pages)
The Bible: Romans to Revelation, Part 6 of 6 by God (300 pages)
Leading with Love by Alexander Strauch (208 pages)
Tracing the Thread: Examining the Story of Self for Lasting Change by Christy Rood (210 pages)
Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop (224 pages)
Proverbs: A 12-Week Study by Lynda Brownback (96 pages)
The Abiding Cycle: Knowing God by Experience through Obedience by Glen Whatley (140 pages)
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (544 pages)
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (368 pages)
Living & Active Vol. 1: Scripture Through the Lives of Luther, Calvin, And Knox by Stephen R. Morefield (105 pages)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis (176 pages)
Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History by Tim Challies (176 pages)
Learn how to become a blogger: An EASY step by step guide to starting your own blog by Matthew Arnold (118 pages)
Make Money from Blogging: How to Start A Blog While Raising A Family (Make Money from Home) by Sally Miller (123 pages)
God’s Passion for His Glory: Living the Vision of Jonathan Edwards (With the Complete Text of The End for Which God Created the World) by John Piper and Jonathan Edwards (272 pages)
The United States v. You: A Practical Guide to the Court-Martial Process for Military Members and their Families by R. Davis Younts (113 pages)
Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt (288 pages)
Enough about Me: Find Lasting Joy in the Age of Self by Jen Oshman (176 pages)
The Bible: Genesis to Deuteronomy, Part 1 of 6 by God (300 pages)
Blogging for Dummies by Amy Lupold Bair (432 pages)
How to Blog for Profit: Without Selling Your Soul by Ruth Soukup (229 pages)
Influence: Building a Platform that Elevates Jesus (Not Me) by Kate Motaung and Shannon Popkin (168 pages)
Coronavirus and Christ by John Piper (112 pages)
The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis (176 pages)
Trade Craft, issues about blogging (6 issues) by Various (200 pages)
The Ten Commandments: What They Mean, Why They Matter, and Why We Should Obey Them by Kevin DeYoung (208 pages)
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard (304 pages)
The Commonwealth v. You: A practical guide to the Pennsylvania Criminal Justice System for those facing charges by R. Davis Younts (121 pages)
Jesus Driven Ministry by Ajith Fernando (256 pages)
The Writing Life by Annie Dillard (124 pages)
Tons of blog posts about blogging by Various (350 pages)
The Lord’s Prayer by R.C. Sproul (129 pages)
The Lord’s Prayer by Thomas Watson (332 pages)
Extreme Ownership (How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win) by Jocko Willink (384 pages)
Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making by Andrew Peterson (224 pages)
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson (409 pages)
The Bible: Joshua to Esther, Part 2 of 6 by God (300 pages)
On Writing (A Memoir of the Craft (Reissue)) by Stephen King (320 pages)
Everyday Faithfulness: The Beauty of Ordinary Perseverance in a Demanding World (The Gospel Coalition) by Glenna Marshall (176 pages)
A Solider of the Great War by Mark Helprin (880 pages)
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (1,168 pages)
Blogging for God’s Glory in a Clickbait World by Benjamin Vrbicek and John Beeson (181 pages)
Placed for a Purpose: A Simple and Sustainable Vision for Loving Your Next-Door Neighbors by Chris McKinney and Elizabeth McKinney (143 pages)
The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel by Diane Setterfield (432 pages)
Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age by Jay Y. Kim (216 pages)
Stand Firm: Living in a Post-Christian Culture by John MacArthur (152 pages)
Lord of the Flies by William Golding (224 pages)
Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age by Jay Y. Kim (216 pages)
Beartown: A Novel by Fredrik Backman (432 pages)
The Bible: Psalms to Song of Solomon, Part 3 of 6 by God (300 pages)
Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age by Jay Y. Kim (216 pages)
World-Class Assistant: Hiring, Training and Leveraging an Executive Assistant by Michael Hyatt (176 pages)
The Truth about Us: The Very Good News about How Very Bad We Are by Brant Hansen (208 pages)
On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser (336 pages)
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover (352 pages)
You’re a Miracle (and a Pain in the Ass): Embracing the Emotions, Habits, and Mystery That Make You You by Mike McHargue (240 pages)
Finding God in the Waves: How I Lost My Faith and Found It Again Through Science by Mike McHargue (304 pages)
Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane C. Ortlund (224 pages)
The Ten Commandments of Progressive Christianity (Cruciform Quick) by Michael J. Kruger (58 pages)
Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen (176 pages)
The Subtle Art of Not… : A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson (224 pages)
When People Are Big and God is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man by Edward T. Welch (252 pages)
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (384 pages)
How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics in a Divided Age by Jonathan Leeman (272 pages)
Dear Edward: A Novel by Ann Napolitano (352 pages)
Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less by Michael Hyatt (256 pages)
Blogging for God’s Glory in a Clickbait World by Benjamin Vrbicek and John Beeson (181 pages)
12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing by Tony Reinke (224 pages)
Writing for Life and Ministry: A Practical Guide to the Writing Process for Teachers and Preachers by Brandon J. O’Brien (128 pages)
The Terrible Speed of Mercy: A Spiritual Biography of Flannery O’Connor by Jonathan Rogers (208 pages)
The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out by Brennan Manning (272 pages)
The Bible: Isaiah to Malachi, Part 4 of 6 by God (300 pages)
A Little Book for New Preachers: Why and How to Study Homiletics by Matthew D. Kim (128 pages)
Essays of EB White by E. B. White (380 pages)
Missions by the Book: How Theology and Missions Walk Together (Yet Unpublished) by Chad Vegas and Alex Kocman (224 pages)
The Song of Solomon: An Invitation to Intimacy by Douglas Sean O’Donnell (192 pages)
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek: A Novel by Kim Michele Richardson (322 pages)
Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose by Flannery O’Connor (256 pages)
Wise Blood: A Novel by Flannery O’Connor (256 pages)
God Is the Gospel: Meditations on God’s Love as the Gift of Himself by John Piper (192 pages)
The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ by Raymond C. Ortlund Jr. (144 pages)
The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O’Connor (256 pages)
A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor (288 pages)
The Copyeditor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications by Amy Einsohn (200 pages)
The Subversive Copy Editor, Second Edition: Advice from Chicago (or, How to Negotiate Good Relationships with Your Writers, Your Colleagues, and Yourself) by Carol Fisher Saller (576 pages)
The Bible: Matthew to Acts, Part 5 of 6 by God (300 pages)
Bark of the Bog Owl by Jonathan Rogers (248 pages)
Everything that Rises Must Converge by Flannery O’Connor (288 pages)