If your new year’s resolution was to read more books, to get closer to God or to be more disciplined, this reading list might be useful for you! I was inspired to share my recommended reads after reading a friend’s post. (Check out her post for some extra titles!)
I’ve read lots of incredible books over the past few years (with many seasons of drought in between) and it still overwhelms me how many more amazing books there are to read! So that I don’t add to that overwhelming feeling that I know a lot of us feel, here’s a bitesize reading list of some of the absolute standouts that I’ve read in the last year or so. (Click the image for a link to where you can buy the book!)
1. The Pressure’s Off – Larry Crabb
This is one of those life-changing books that you read and wonder why you ever lived your life any other way. Written for a Christian audience, this book highlights the type of life that the majority of Christians are living and the fundamental flaw in it. This said, it isn’t at all condemning, rather it’s incredibly freeing. Crabb addresses with accuracy the rut that a lot of us find ourselves are in, and the pressure that we find ourselves under. He reminds us that above all, no matter the circumstance, the goal/essence of the Christian life is intimacy with God. This book is a call and a guide on how to shake off all the weight that modern western Christianity has placed on us and live free. It’s a reminder that Christ came not primarily to bless or to provide, but to bridge the great divide and make a way for God and man to be in relationship again.
2. Blue Like Jazz – Donald Miller
A friend said this was the best book he’s ever read, and I have no reason to believe that he was exaggerating. With some of the most gorgeous, poetic prose, Miller simply tells the story of his journey to, around, back and forth in faith. It’s honest, beautifully written and challenging. There are a lot of powerful truths in this book, and much wisdom, but it’s not presented as a self-help or even a teaching-type book, rather it’s a candid account of Miller’s life during which he learns important lessons and faces challenges, and lets us journey with him as he tells us all about it.
This was one of those books that took my breath away on pretty much every page. I gasped, I cried, I held my head in my hands. I think I read it in a day or two, couldn’t put it down. An amazing read, highly-recommended. And it certainly had one of the best opening paragraphs I’ve ever read:
3. Dont’ Follow Your Heart – Jon Bloom
Now this book, an ebook, came onto my radar at just the right time. I saw John Piper tweet about it on the day it was released and I jumped right on it. One of the most powerful, truth-filled, real and encouraging books I have ever read. My favourite thing about this book is how it just evidenced the power of unfiltered truth. Bloom did not try to sugar-coat any aspect of the faith, or use his life story to talk about any miraculous events and he didn’t guarantee us any sort of success for any type of formula. And this made for an incredibly refreshing and anchoring read. As my friend put it, the book is “about looking beyond the surface of life and its momentary troubles. [The book] gives more of a realisation and appreciation of the bigger picture.”
If that doesn’t sound like a winner, I don’t know what does.
There are SO many incredible books I’ve read and these were the 3 that jumped out when I thought about writing this piece, but if you aren’t interested in any of them, or have read them already, here’s a list of a load more books that I’d also highly recommend:
- Fearfully & Wonderfully Made – Philip Yancey & Paul Brand
- A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini
- The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison
- What’s So Amazing About Grace? – Philip Yancey
- And The Mountains Echoed – Khaled Hosseini
- The Meaning of Marriage – Tim Keller
- The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness – Tim Keller
- A Quest for More – Paul David Tripp
- The Pursuit of God – A. W. Tozer
- Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Generous Justice – Tim Keller
- God in My Everything – Ken Shigematsu
- Irresistible Revolution – Shaine Claiborne
- Jesus, Continued – J. D. Greear
- The Heavenly Man – Brother Yun
- Song of Solomon – Toni Morrison
- In His Image – Philip Yancey & Paul Brand
- The Shack – William P. Young
- Prayer – Philip Yancey
- The Prodigal God – Tim Keller
- Quiet – Susain Cain
- Run Baby Run – Nicky Cruz
- Beloved – Toni Morrison
- Effective Biblical Counselling – Larry Crabb
- The Bible
These are some of the books I’ve read over the past few years that have had a huge impact. Some of the books are Christian, some aren’t, some are fiction, some aren’t, but they’re all brilliant. Hopefully this list is more helpful/exciting than it is daunting, and that you get to read some of them. If you do, please share your thoughts! There are so many books I’m yet to read myself, and I’d love to know what you are reading now and if you have any recommendations of your own!
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