I would have to say that reading other people’s lists of top books each year is one of the highlights of my December. But it’s also a joy of mine to share my own list each year, as I know those who love to read are always looking for new titles to add to their lists. Or the joyous experience of finding that someone else agreed with you on one of your top books of the year! Today, I finished book 91 for 2023. Of these books, 54 were non-fiction. And of all the books I read, only 15 were physical books, so I guess I have definitely crossed over into the world of screen readers! And new to me this year, was adding in audio books––probably the reason this was my most-read year.
Book of the Year
After Doubt (A.J. Swoboda)
There were many books that spoke to my heart this past year, but this one, especially, met me at the gut level at a time early in 2023, when I was working through ideas and beliefs that I found to no longer fit with what it seemed scripture was saying and were congruent with what we see portrayed by Jesus.
Fellow doubters, read this book and know that someone else knows where you’ve been. You can discard what isn’t true of Jesus and the gospel, without having to move away from Jesus at the same time.
Non-doubting folks, perhaps this is the book you need to read to walk alongside your friends and family, as they doubt, “deconstruct,” and question their way forward.
Quote: “Charles Spurgeon says, ‘A Jesus who never wept could never wipe away my tears’.”
Worthy Non-Fiction
Beholding (Strahan Coleman)
Possibly the best book I’ve read on prayer, written by someone who enjoys Jesus’ presence––not just his gifts.
Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools (Tyler Staton)
Another really good book on prayer and living from a place in and with Christ. So thrilled to be seeing more books on prayer that have to do with way more than just asking God for stuff.
Quote: “The desperate need of our time is not for successful Christians, popular Christians, or winsome Christians; it’s for deep Christians. And the only way to become a deep Christian is through the inner excavation called confession. The pathway of spiritual maturity is a descent, not an assent. A maturing community is a confessing community—not a church without sin, but a church without secrets.”
Friendship with the Friend of Sinners (Jared Wilson)
Jared Wilson is one of my favorite authors, but this is one of my top favorite books of his. We need more books like this––books that make us love Jesus more.
The Secret Place of Thunder (John Starke)
Definitely in my top five books of the year. This book will do your heart good, whether you struggle with the need to have your work noticed or not. I read it because someone recommended it as a book by an author who truly lives what he writes about. It moved my heart toward the Jesus he emphasizes. Highly recommend!
The Secret Place of Thunder: 18 Quotes
The Bible Vs. Biblical Womanhood (Philip Payne)
So far, this is the best book I have read on this topic. Payne presents a solid view for egalitarianism from the Bible. Another highly recommended book.
Tell Her Story (Nijay Gupta)
I read a few themed books this year, and this was one of them. So good, if you are wanting to see a bit more of women (and their value) in the New Testament––from a scholarly, accurate perspective.
All My Knotted-Up Life (Beth Moore)
I listened to this book first, and then read it. So, so good. One of my favorites. Beth is at her finest in her memoir. Her transparency is refreshing, yet, she refrains from naming names of the people who treated her poorly in ministry.
Quote: “Jesus is the only outsider who truly knows the insider our skin keeps veiled. Look the world over for two people with identical afflictions, injuries, infirmities, regrets, losses, tragedies, and missed opportunities, and if by some anomaly you find them, they still won’t have the same DNA, background, living conditions, physical conditions, and support systems to navigate them with.”
Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story (Bono)
What a story. And how refreshing to read about someone famous that lives with morals, does look to Jesus (whatever you may believe this means as you read about his life), and really, truly loves people.
Quote: “It may not be as melodramatic or grandiose or passionate as love, but friendship is often deeper and wider.”
Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir (Carolyn Weber)
Oh goodness, I so loved this story, and will read it again someday. I’ve realized I’ve come to love just about anything related to C.S. Lewis and the loveliness of England and Oxford. And I love a conversion story about someone seeking the truth with all of their heart and mind.
Quote: “‘Jesus wanted freedom for women too,’ Regina continued, ‘but His notion of liberation is very different from our limited one. His teachings are for the most part genderless; they apply to everyone. What is important is that my identity doesn’t lie primarily in being a professor, or being a wife, or even in being a mother. Those things will always fall short. Entire careers get swept away at a moment’s notice at the presentation of a pink slip, a vote of the elders, an accusation of a student, a cut in the budget. Marriages face infidelities, for instance, and end up like car wrecks from which people can recover but are never again the same. Children grow up and move far away and forget to write or call—as they should.’ She smiled wistfully. ‘The point is, if you have your identity in any of these things, it’s surefire disappointment. Anything man-made—or woman-made, for that matter—will and does fail you. Having my identity in Christ first and foremost gives me the courage—yes, the courage—to live my life boldly, purposefully, in everything I do, no matter what that is.’”
Two Teaspoons of Rice (Sida Lei and Monica Boothe)
You need to read this biographical story of one woman’s years through the Khmer Rouge’s Killing Fields. Such a testimony of God’s presence in her life, even when she didn’t know who Jesus even was.
Where the Wind Leads (Vinh Chung)
Another refugee story and the goodness and protection of God to this author and his family. This book makes me thankful for the work of World Vision in the 1970s, when they saw the Vietnamese boat people and––with the compassion of Christ––pursued all angles to help them get to a country they could thrive in.
Rembrandt Is in the Wind (Russ Ramsey)
I got the special edition, color version from The Rabbit Room, so reading this book was an extra special treat, as the portraits were in color, on the pages (instead of the center pages having the portraits all together). I learned so much about these artists and their lives, while also enjoying how Russ tied in scripture and Jesus into each chapter.
Holy Hygge (Jamie Erickson)
What a cozy book to read in February, when everything outside felt cold, dark, and snowy. If you find you suffer from seasonal affective disorder, it can make all the difference to read a book that feels like being wrapped in soft blankets––helping one enjoy (or at least make it through!) each season.
Quote: “The cure for loneliness isn’t more relationships but deeper ones.”
Good and Beautiful and Kind (Rich Villodas)
Sometimes, I can be very much a Cadbury egg––so hard and unbending on the outside, so I need books like this to get me at the softer corners of my heart.
Quote: “One of the greatest gifts we give the people we lead (and generally the people we are in relationship with) is a lack of defensiveness. One of the marks of a healthy culture and a healthy soul is the willingness to be curious, open, teachable, and humble.”
Atlas of the Heart (Brene Brown)
Brene helps give words to the numerous emotions and feelings we have as human beings, and explores and explains the nuances between some very similar words. It will grow your emotional vocabulary, while helping define what you are actually feeling in a moment. And help you better understand others.
Quote: “We need to dispel the myth that empathy is ‘walking in someone else’s shoes.’ Rather than walking in your shoes, I need to learn how to listen to the story you tell about what it’s like in your shoes and believe you even when it doesn’t match my experiences.”
The Deep Down Things (Amber Haines and Seth Haines)
This couple went through a very hard season with their Anglican church (where they were both ministry leaders), leading them to eventually become Catholics. This is their story through that time. Beautifully written.
Dare to Lead (Brene Brown)
This is one of the last books I read this year, and what a helpful leadership book. So, so good.
Leading with a Limp (Dan Allender)
Same for this leadership book.
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Other Non-Fiction Runners-Up
- A Glorious Dark
- On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living
- The Imperfect Pastor
- The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
- It Is What You Make of It: Creating Something Great from What You’ve Been Given
- No Man Is an Island
- Never Unfriended: The Secret to Finding & Keeping Lasting Friendships
- Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make––and Keep––Friends
- The Warmth of Other Suns
- No Shortcut to Success: A Manifesto for Modern Missions
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Worthwhile Fiction
I didn’t read nearly as much good fiction as I have in other years. Besides looking for a “clean” story, I especially love the books that also have a beautiful way of writing. Some of the ones in this list do that as well.
- Jane Eyre
- Babette’s Feast
- Set the Stars Alight
- The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams
- In This Mountain
- The Wind in the Willows
- The Hobbit
- Where the Blue Sky Begins
- The Kitchen Front
- The Refugee Ocean
Down Here Looking Up 