Some good book recommendations

I read a lot of books, and this has been a year particularly full of reading due to my Sabbatical mid-year. I have found that the act of reading longer-form pieces of writing like books is revolutionary in a world that is full of swiping from 10 second video to 10 second video. Having to think through a sustained argument builds concentration and stimulates your thinking.

If you find you have more time on your hands this time of year, and you are looking for some good options to read, here are a few suggestions I found helpful during 2024.

Christian books

• Impossible Christianity by Kevin DeYoung. Have you ever thought that following Jesus is all too difficult, with so many things to do? I found this little book refreshing. In his walk through Luke and Acts, DeYoung reminds us of the God who takes our burdens on himself. Along the way, I was challenged in the way Luke shows so many ways of thinking about money, both positive and negative.
• The Manual: Getting Masculinity Right by Al Stewart. This Australian book deals with all kinds of issues about masculinity in a clear, helpful way. There were some tidbits that I took away from this to think about, such as the idea from Steve Biddulph that “boys care about themselves; men care about other people”. The overall encouragement is for men to use their strength and position to serve God and other people. The only drawback was this the author aimed this book evangelistically, while I would think the main audience was Christians trying to come to grips with the culture and the Biblical material.
• Futureproof by Steve McAlpine. I know Steve, and many appreciated his last book on Christians being the bad guys in our culture. I thought from the title that this might be a list of all kinds of things Christians and churches needed to do in order to be ready for future cultural changes. I was pleasantly surprised that it is instead an encouragement that we are secure in Jesus and calling us to trust in God in difficult times. Easy to read and encouraging.

Secular books

• Slow Productivity by Cal Newport. I have read every book Cal Newport has written. In a world obsessed with productivity and getting things done, this is very helpful. I always struggle with trying to do too much and I found it thought-provoking. His encouragement is to do fewer things, to work at a natural pace, and to obsess over quality. One big idea I left to think about was that we tend to overestimate what we can do in a week but underestimate what we can do in five years. Having bigger goals and breaking them down into manageable pieces is best. Lots of productivity and practical gold in here.
• Lost Connections by Johann Hari. Hari is an investigative journalist and I have read several of his books now. This one explores the issues of anxiety and depression, looking at what treatments are out there and what has been proven to help. The focus is on what we might overlook such as sleep, being outside, and connecting on a deep level with other people. Full of anecdotes and things to think about, easy to read.

Novels

I have read many, many novels this year. I find them helpful to relax, to engage with all kinds of perspectives and ideas I usually do not, and to escape from other thoughts that can overwhelm me. Not all of the books I have read are recent releases. If you have time for a long, epic read, The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett is engaging and takes you into the middle ages well. For shallow escapism, it is hard to go past anything by Clive Cussler. The Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman is wonderful if you like light-hearted murder mysteries, and you will love it if you have older people in your life (or are one yourself!). And The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro was haunting and simple, the kind of book that is very readable but has a lot below the surface that you think about later on.

Happy reading!