Most really successful, diligent people have already compiled all their “Best __________ of 2018” posts. Heck most of them were finished before 2018 was. I am not that guy. ?♂️ So, better late than never, here are my favorite five books from last year.
My goal was to complete 50 books last year. I fell a little short of that mark finishing 47 or so. Of that total, I rated 14 books as “Five Stars”, the highest rating. From that list, I chose the following five books as the ones that were my favorite. Granted, my criteria for selection is a little subjective. These are just the books that stood out to me for one reason or another after going back through my Goodreads account. (BTW, I use Goodreads to track and rate books as well as find new suggestions for what to read – let’s be friends!)
I’ve tried to outline below what I like about each one. This list is in no particular order. I’ve also included a few honorable mentions at the end. I would love to know if you have read any of these or what your favorite books of the year were. Maybe they will make my 2019 list. Let me know on Twitter or the comments section below.
How to Think by Alan Jacobs
This ranks as one of the best books I have read in several years. It’s not just that the content is good, but that it is incredibly timely. To quote my friend, Jonathan, “It should be required for every high school student (and teacher in America). I would also add, for every person who desires a social media account. Thinking is hard work. It requires time, discipline and diligence. These qualities are not in vogue these days.
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
I loved the wit and sarcasm employed by Dickens as he pokes fun at 19th-century English society. This story, like many of Dickens works, contains many heavy elements and dark themes. But through it all, Oliver Twist remains as a beacon of light. And this story kinda has a happy ending, which isn’t always the case with Chuck. I wrote a little fuller review of this book here.
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Mate´
If you are looking for stories with happy endings you can skip this one. In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts is the account of Dr. Gabor Mate’s work among the drug-addicted population of Toronto’s Downtown Eastside. This book offers both a heartbreaking and humanizing look at people we would rather not see. Not a book I would recommend for your next mindless beach read, but one I wish more people would spend some time with. Before we can develop compassion for a person (or a group) of people we have to try to understand them – who they are, who they want to be and how they became as we see them today.
Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren
I actually read this book. And then, about a week later read it again with a group of friends. Here’s what I learned – more often than not I want God to show up in BIG ways. Move a mountain, calm a storm, maybe a little water into wine. Yeah. Let’s go with that one. ?
But more often than not, we met God in the everyday, ordinary tasks of life. Brushing our teeth, making the bed, doing the dishes, going to work – all of these things can be a liturgy – a way of pointing our hearts and minds toward the reality of God’s love for us. It isn’t obvious, but if you look it isn’t hard to see.
Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
Hard to explain exactly why I loved this book so much. It is a little slow. Not much happens. But maybe that is the point. Through the life of Jayber Crow, Berry gives us a study of life, loneliness, and love from afar. My prevailing thought as I read this book was two-fold:
1. Man, I wish I lived in this time and place. It was slower and simpler. It just feels right.
2. If my grandfather was a poet, he would be a lot like Wendell Berry.
Honorable Mentions:
Prodigal Prophet by Tim Keller – read everything he writes. You won’t be sorry.
Educated by Tara Westover – SOOO much has been written about this book. I agree with most of it.
Them by Ben Sasse – There is something deeply wrong with America, and it ain’t “them”.
If none of these are quite your taste you can always check out my favorite books from 2017.
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