2009 Favorite Books

I must admit this was not a particularly heavy reading year for me. 2009 was a very heavy Hebrew year instead. I maintained my habit of reading about 1 book per week until August; which is the very moment I lost shalom. All in all, I read 23 books this year. Two other factors served to shipwreck my reading; long books and bad books. I tried to intersperse historical reading in 2009, which meant long books. I am not a history lover. Being a novice meant inevitably picking bad books. So here is my ’09 top 10, which may help you get off to a good reading 2010.

1. Rocket Men, Craig Nelson. I reviewed this one. Mr. Nelson actually wrote me back, which was my 2009 blogging highlight.

2. The Blind Side, Evolution of a Game, Michael Lewis. I reviewed the movie which is factually not quite the same as the book, but close. I must confess I am not quite finished with this one, but close enough to call it one of my favorites of this year.

3. What Would Jesus Eat, Dr. Don Colbert. I reviewed this one as well. This year marked my second time through this book. Both times I read it I lost weight. I should add that I also read The Maker’s Diet this year. WWJE was a little more my speed, much easier to implement, and in my opinion a much more balanced way to live.

4. Tortured for Christ, Richard Wurmbrand. I read this one just before going to Romania, which made it even more meaningful for me. You can get this book free at http://www.torturedforchrist.com/. They ask for a donation. I highly recommend giving one and reading the book.

5. Valkyrie, Philip Freiherr Von Boeselager.

6. Encounter God in the City, Randy White.

7. Crazy Love, Francis Chan.

8. Tell it Slant, Eugene Peterson. This is the fourth in a great series!

9. Water From a Deep Well: Christian Spirituality from Early Martyrs to Modern Missionaries, Gerald Lawson Sittser. As the name implies, this one is deep, but great.

10. Its Not My Fault, Townsend and Cloud.