My second favorite season is fall, but my favorite is Book List Season. I compulsively scan everyone’s list of books they most enjoyed reading during the past year, and for the past several years, I’ve made my own list of favorite books that I read that year.
Before I get to my list, here are three questions I’m often asked.
Q: When do you read?
A: I read on my Kindle while doing the elliptical, when I have to kill a few minutes waiting for an appointment, or when I walk the dog. I listen to books on Audible while walking, raking leaves, driving, or anything else that doesn’t require intense concentration.
Takeaway: If you want to read, if you like to read, you can (almost) always find time to read.
Q: How many books do you read?
A: I read a lot of books, but I think the number can be misleading. Years ago, I read How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading. (Yes, there really is a book about how to read a book.) One of the valuable takeaways for me was that I didn’t have to read all books the same. I read some books to get the main point while knowing I can go back and get the details later if needed. I read some books for personal enjoyment. And some books deserve careful reading and note-taking.
For me, the principle plays out this way: I comprehend more from books I read on the Kindle. But even here there is wide variation because I read some books faster and some slower. I comprehend and retain less from books I listen to on Audible.
I will read a few books on Kindle and listen to them on Audible. Obviously, the second time through them is very helpful for retaining what they say.
If I read a hard copy, it’s usually in preparation for a book discussion with other people.
Takeaway: Give yourself permission to read books differently. Before you begin, ask yourself, “What do I want from this book?” Do you only want to remember the main point, or do you want to remember more of the details? For example, I don’t recommend reading a novel on vacation the same way you do a book you’re going to discuss in your small group.
Q: How do you decide what to read?
A: The more books you read, the less careful you have to be about what you read. If you don’t read much, you want to make sure that you’re reading really good stuff. If you read a lot of books, it’s ok to have a few clunkers. I pay attention to reading lists from websites, social media, newspapers, and magazines. I like to read books my friends are reading because it often leads to a good discussion. If I like a book by an author, I usually read other books they have written. Finally, I often read books I hear about on podcasts or in articles I’m reading.
Takeaway: I think you should read what interests you. Hopefully, you can work in a few good Christian books that help shape your mind and heart as you follow Jesus.
The Best Books I Read in 2024
So here are the best books I read in 2024. You can select a category from the list below to jump down to the topic of books you’re most interested in reading, or you can scroll to see all my favorites.
Christian
Memoirs
History/Biography
Culture
Novels
Christian
I don’t love this category title because deciding what makes a book “Christian” isn’t easy. For our purposes, I’m referring to books written by Christian authors, written for Christian audiences, with an explicitly Christian message.
Books by Brant Hansen. Every single one. He doesn’t miss.
I started with Life is Hard. God is Good. Let’s Dance.: Experiencing Real Joy in a World Gone Mad. And then moved through his collection, including his most popular, Unoffendable. Brant’s books are filled with so much joy and hope that you don’t mind when he calls you out and convicts you. Plus, the stories. The stories are insane.
The Expectation Gap: The Tiny, Vast Space Between Our Beliefs and Experience of God by Steve Cuss
For a long time, I’ve noticed a gap in my life between what I believe about God and what I actually experience in my life. And almost everyone I talk to has the same story. We believe God forgives people, but we aren’t sure he forgives us. We know God loves people, but we question his love for us. These are just two examples of the many ways our beliefs and experiences are unaligned. Consider this book a realignment for your soul.
The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again by Justin Brierly
Did you hear that the atheist Richard Dawkins calls himself a cultural Christian? Or that the well-known atheist Ayaan Hirsi Ali is now a Christian? The secular materialistic worldview has failed to give people persuasive answers to life’s most basic questions, such as why does anything exist or what the purpose of life is. Brierly does an excellent job of telling the story of the collapse of the atheistic, materialistic worldview while showing that the Christian worldview does a far better job of making sense of our world.
Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools: An Invitation to the Wonder and Mystery of Prayer by Tyler Staton
Some books on prayer put me under the pile, making me feel like my prayer life will never measure up, never be good enough. This book doesn’t fall into that trap. Instead, Staton’s personal story increased my desire to pray. It’s challenging and convicting without being condemning, which is hard to accomplish with a book on prayer.
Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies by N. T. Wright and Michael Bird
These are currently my two favorite Christian theologians to read. So, if they write it, I’m going to read it. This book is political but not partisan. It helps Christians think biblically about government and political involvement. For example, how do we reconcile Romans 13’s positive vision of government with Revelation 13’s critical vision? Read to find out.
Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace by John Mark Comer and The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible by Michael Heiser
Both of these are rereads for me in 2024. But that says a lot because they are definitely worth rereading. If you want to learn more about spiritual warfare, it’s hard to top these books. Heiser’s is more biblical and theological, and Comer’s is more practical. Both are worth reading (and rereading).
Memoirs
This category contains some of the best books I read this year. To refresh your memory: a memoir is different from an autobiography in that it’s about a specific theme or season in a person’s life rather than a comprehensive account.
Ghosted: An American Story by Nancy French
How did a lifelong conservative evangelical come to feel she had to leave her political and church home to keep her faith? Some of French’s stories are sad, some hilarious, some insightful, some heartbreaking but all of them are powerful. They’re so good that, if they weren’t verifiable, I’d swear they weren’t true.
How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told by Harrison Scott Key
The book lives up to the title. Especially the “Insane” part.
What Is a Girl Worth?: My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics by Rachael Denhollander
Larry Nassar might still be getting away with sexually abusing and exploiting women on the national gymnastics team if it wasn’t for Rachael Denhollander. She courageously called out the injustice, endured the public spotlight, and catalyzed a movement of women who told the truth, exposed the coverups, and pressed charges against Nassar that ended with what is effectively a life sentence in prison.
Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight-Loss Drugs by Johann Hari
Okay, so maybe this isn’t a memoir, but I squeezed it in this category because Hari took Ozempic while he was writing this book. This is, in part, his personal story of navigating the risks and rewards of taking the weight loss drug. If you have a simple view that these drugs are all good or all bad, Hari’s interviews with the top doctors in the field, along with his personal story, will complicate the issue.
The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing by Lara Love Hardin
What’s happening in the nice house at the end of the cul-de-sac? What’s it like to be the new person in a women’s prison? Why can’t the addict stop destroying themselves and the people they love? With this book, Hardin takes readers into places that most of us haven’t been.
Can I Say That? How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God by Brenna Blain
This book is hard to categorize. I could easily put it in the “Christian” section because it tells the story of a woman’s journey following Jesus. But I classified it as a memoir because Blain tells her own story in a raw, powerful way that isn’t for the weak of heart. A lot of people are asking “unsafe questions” and will find that this book gives them answers and hope.
Culture
These books are about current events and issues shaping our culture.
Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up by Abigail Shrier
My grandmother grew up in the Great Depression, worked in a shoe factory, and married a long-distance truck driver who spent years in a special hospital for those with tuberculosis and then had a massive stroke that left him disabled for the last fifteen years of his life. By any measure, my grandmother lived a hard life. But she never complained nor suffered from anxiety and depression. That story isn’t just hers but millions of others in previous generations. In Bad Therapy, Shrier asks if the shocking rise of anxiety and depression among young people might be because we’ve unintentionally parented, counseled, taught, and disciplined our children into mental health problems. This might be my favorite book of 2024.
The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America by Coleman Hughes
Hugues isn’t arguing that people don’t see race but that we should treat people, as best as possible, without regard for race.
Social Justice Fallacies by Thomas Sowell
Properly defined, social justice is a biblical issue, not just a social issue. Sowell examines the culturally defined social justice movement and finds it wanting. If you’ve never read Sowell, this is a great place to start. His rational argumentation will leave your head spinning.
Why We Can’t Wait by Martin Luther King Jr.
King tells the story of the 1963 Civil Rights campaign in Birmingham, Alabama.
A World after Liberalism: Five Thinkers Who Inspired the Radical Right by Matthew Rose
I’ll admit this book stretched me because I wasn’t familiar with the “thinkers” Rose covers. But by the end, I thought I better understood the politics of Tucker Carlson, J. D. Vance, and, to some degree, Donald Trump. It’s on my “to reread” list.
History/Biography
Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
Love him or hate him, you have to be impressed with Musk. Isaacson is the author of the amazing biography of Steve Jobs. This one is similarly well-researched, well-written, and well worth your time. The more you understand about Musk’s family background, the more you understand why he is the way he is.
Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball by Keith O’Brien
Pete Rose died on September 30 of this year in his home in Las Vegas. The day before his death, he was signing baseballs in Nashville for those willing to pay. O’Brien walks the reader through Rose’s life, from the scrappy kid who proved everyone wrong by making it to the big leagues, to the thoughtless husband, to the degenerate gambler, to the man desperately trying to reclaim his position as baseball royalty. You don’t have to be a sports fan to love this story.
Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine by Barry Strauss
My wife and I were gifted a trip to Italy this summer and spent several days soaking up the history of the Roman Empire. While there, I revisited this interesting and easy-to-read book. With one chapter devoted to each Emperor, Strauss focuses on the big picture of what made each one unique and how they shaped the empire. If you’re into this kind of thing (and I am), this is a great read.
Romney: A Reckoning by McKay Coppins
It’s funny how some people’s reputations change over time even though they haven’t changed themselves. Mitt Romney ran for president twice, earning the Republican nomination in 2012 before losing to the incumbent, Barack Obama. He was attacked mercilessly by the Democrats which is common in presidential politics. But twelve years later Romney is praised by many Democrats and hated by many Republicans. His story, as told by Coppins, forces you to acknowledge how much the culture has changed in a very short period.
Novels
I read an unusual number of popular novels this year. I got on an Ann Patchett and Kristin Hannah kick and kept going back for more. Before sharing my favorites, you should know that I prefer character development over plot and insight into the human condition more than action. Also, I like darker stories, which explains why I’m not a fan of happy endings. If you think this is a list of Christian novels, you’re going to be disappointed (or happy, depending on your perspective).
The Women: A Novel by Kristin Hannah
Firefly Lane: A Novel by Kristin Hannah
The Dutch House: A Novel by Ann Patchett
The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
James: A Novel by Percival Everett
The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel by Neil Gaiman
So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger
None of This Is True: A Novel by Lisa Jewell
The School For Good Mothers: A Novel by Jessamine Chan
The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan
These Silent Woods: A Novel by Kimi Cunningham Grant
The Little Liar: A Novel by Mitch Albom
If pressed to choose a favorite from this list, it would be James by Percival Everett.
Looking for more book recommendations from Keith? Check out his top books from the last few years:
Keith doesn't just read books; he writes them, too! If you've ever felt like an outsider in our culture today, read Joyful Outsiders and uncover the tools you need to navigate our culture with joy.
