And here we are again—the end of another year, and the time to give an account of what I read over the last twelve months. 2021 was the most-read year of my adult life: 59 books—41 non-fiction and 18 fiction. I read so many good books this past year, that I am just going to put an * by the non-fiction books that I was either greatly helped by or that I would highly recommend (taking into account the season I was in this year was likely indicative of what I found to be immensely helpful), and ** by fiction books that I would likely read again someday (Mornings in Jenin was outside my usual choice of fiction books, but I learned so much about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict from it that it was a worthwhile read).
Fiction
1. When Jesus Wept (Brock & Bodie Thoene)
2. My Dearest Dietrich (Amanda Barratt) **
3. Daughter of Cana (Angela Hunt)
4. Dear Mrs. Bird (AJ Pearce)
5. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
6. On Magnolia Lane (Denise Hunter)
7. A New Song (Jan Karon)**
8. An Awakened Heart (Jody Hedlund)
9. Revival Season (Monica West)**
10. The Monster in the Hollows (Andrew Peterson)**
11. With Love, Wherever You Are (Dandi Daley Mackall)
12. Cloud Cuckoo Land (Anthony Doerr)
13. Take this Cup (Brock & Bodie Thoene)
14. Daughter of Silk (Linda Chaikin)
15. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)**
16. Anne of Avonlea (L.M. Montgomery)
17. Dusk’s Darkest Shores (Carolyn Miller)
18. Mornings in Jenin (Susan Abulhawa)**
Non-Fiction
1. Handle With Care (Lore Ferguson Wilbert)*
2. The Gospel-Driven Church (Jared Wilson)
3. Last Words (Robert Nash)
4. Beyond Authority and Submission (Rachel Green Miller)*
5. Talking Back to Purity Culture (Rachel Joy Welcher)*
6. Jesus and John Wayne (Kristin Kobes Du Mez)
7. Something’s Not Right (Wade Mullen)
8. A Gentle Answer (Scott Sauls)
9. Untangling Emotions (Alasdair Groves)*
10. Liturgy of the Ordinary (Tish Harrison Warren)*
11. The Relentless Elimination of Hurry (John Mark Comer)*
12. The Heart of Anger (Christopher Ash & Steve Midgley)*
13. Reading Between the Lines (Glen Scrivener)*
14. Prayer in the Night (Tish Harrison Warren)*
15. Abba’s Child (Brennan Manning)*
16. What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality? (Kevin DeYoung)
17. Simply Trinity (Matthew Barrett)*
18. That Sounds Fun (Annie F. Downs)
19. Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth (Thaddeus Williams)
20. All Creatures Great and Small (James Herriot)
21. Rediscovering Church (Collin Hanson & Jonathan Leeman)*
22. The Passion of the King of Glory (Russ Ramsey)
23. What God has to Say About our Bodies (Sam Allberry)*
24. Faithful Leaders (Rico Tice)*
25. Deep Discipleship (J.T. English)*
26. How Did I Get Here? (Christine Caine)*
27. Ruthless Trust (Brennan Manning)*
28. Hinge Moments (D. Michael Lindsay)*
29. A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (Eugene Peterson)*
30. A Resilient Life (Gordon MacDonald)*
31. Redeeming Heartache (Cathy Loerzel & Dan Allender)*
32. Love Me Anyway (Jared Wilson)*
33. This Beautiful Truth (Sarah Clarkson)*
34. When Breath Becomes Air (Paul Kalanithi)*
35. Surprised by Paradox (Jen Pollock Michael)
36. Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church (Diane Langberg)*
37. The Diary of an Isle Royale School Teacher (Dorothy Simonson)
38. Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)
39. Saints, Sufferers, and Sinners (Michael Emlet)*
40. Daring Greatly (Brene Brown)*
41. God of All Things (Andrew Wilson)*