2021 Books READ

2021 was another great year of reading. I am so thankful for the gifts of books and eager to get into some new ones in 2022. Some of these were re-reads, some were audio, and some we read aloud together as a family.

Here’s a few highlights from 2021:

Most Culturally Insightful Book

“The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self” by Carl Trueman was most culturally insightful book I read this year. He puts his finger well on what is going on around us and how we got here. It was a hard read, but worth it; his insights have really helped me think about the culture around me.

Most Spiritually Helpful Book

As a family we read aloud a book called “Taking Root: Devotional Stories about Conversion” by Diana Kleyn. I loved the stories (true stories) and the questions and talking points I had with my children through it.

Best Historical Book

I think “We the Fallen People” by Tracy McKenzie was the best historical book I read this year. He helps us see how the Founders viewed human nature–VERY different from how we do today–and the danger of populism.

Most Fun

We read aloud the “Green Ember” series by S.D. Smith with our kids this year. Great stories and a lot of fun to read together.

LIST OF 2021 READS:

1. “Becoming a Pastor Theologian” Edited by Todd Wilson and Gerald Hiestand
2. “The Wingfeather Saga: The Monster in the Hollows” by Andrew Peterson
3. “An Ark for all God’s Noahs” by Thomas Brooks
4. “Heidi” by Johanna Spyri (read aloud as family)
5. “The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self” by Carl Trueman
6. “The Wingfeather Saga: The Warden and the Wolf King” by Andrew Peterson
7. “Charles Simeon of Cambridge” by Hugh Evans Hopkins
8. “The Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan (audio, reread)
9. “The Science of Virtue” by Mark R. McMinn
10. “Why Johnny Can’t Preach” by T. David Gordon
11. “The Privy Key of Heaven” by Thomas Brooks
12. “The Stranger” by Albert Camus
13. “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne
14. “The Wingfeather Saga: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness” (reread; read aloud as a family 1st time)
15. “Against God and Nature: The Doctrine of Sin” by Thomas H. McCall
16. “Worldly Saints: The Puritans as they Really Were” by Leland Ryken
17. “The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells
18. “The Final Days of Jesus” by Andreas Kostenberger and Justin Taylor
19. “How to Reach the West Again” by Tim Keller
20. “Heaven on Earth” by Thomas Brooks
21. “Confessions” by Augustine (reread; audio)
22. “The Heart of the Church: The Gospel’s History, Message, and Meaning” by Joe Thorn
23. “Christian Meditation” by Edmund Clowney
24. “Founding Brothers” by Joseph J Ellis
25. “Grace to the City: Studies in the Gospel from China” Edited by S.E. Wang and Hannah Nation
26. “ The Character of the Church: The Marks of God’s Obedient People” by Joe Thorn
27. “The Life of the Church: The Table, Pulpit, and Square” by Joe Thorn
28. “Benjamin Franklin” by Edmund S. Morgan
29. “All of Grace” by Spurgeon (audio)
30. “The Pastor as Counselor” by David Powlison
31. “Spiritual Leadership” by J. Oswald Sanders
32. “A Cabinet of Jewels” by Thomas Brooks
33. “Virtual Reality Church” by Darrell Bock and Jonathan Armstrong
34. “Deacons” by Matt Smethurst
35. “The Mind of the Maker” by Dorothy Sayers
36. “Swift and Beautiful” by David B Calhoun
37. “Bible” by God (reread)
38. “The Green Ember” S.D. Smith (read aloud as family)
39. “Christianity at the Crossroads” by Michael J. Kruger
40. “Brothers, We Are Not Professionals” by John Piper (reread)
41. “Phantastes” by George MacDonald (reread)
42. “The Hiding Place” by Corrie Ten Boom (audio; reread)
43. “Green Pastures: A Primer on the Ordinary Means of Grace” by J. Ryan David
44. “Surviving Religion 101” by Michael J. Kruger
45. “The Lost Fleet: Dauntless” by Jack Campbell
46. “The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis (reread)
47. “The Abolition of Man” by C.S. Lewis (reread)
48. “The Hobbit” by Tolkien (reread; audio as family)
49. “The Mortification of Sin” (abridged) by John Owen (reread)
50. “Things Unseen: A Systematic Introduction to the Christian Faith and Reformed Theology” by Machen
51. “Ember Falls” by S.D. Smith (read aloud as family)
52. “When God’s Voice is Heard: the Power of Preaching” edited by Christopher Green and David Jackman
53. “Taking Root: Devotional Stories about Conversion” by Diana Kleyn (read aloud as family)
54. “We the Fallen People” by Tracy McKenzie
55. “Beowulf”
56. “God and the Transgender Debate: What Does the Bible Actually Say About Gender Identity?” by Andrew Walker
57. “Am I Just My Brain?” by Sharon Dirckx
58. “Created to Draw Near” by Edward T. Welch
59. “The Crown and Glory of Christianity” by Thomas Brooks
60. “Discipling” by Mark Dever
61. “Dune” by Frank Herbert (reread)
62. “The Pastor Theologian” by Gerald Hiestand and Todd Wilson
63. “Bearing Fruit” by Diana Kleyn (read aloud as family)
64. “Robert Murray M’Cheyene” by Andrew Bonar
65. “Ember Rising” by S.D. Smith (read aloud as family)
66. “The God Who Became Human” by Graham A. Cole
67. “The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures” by Thomas Brooks
68. “Providence” by John Piper
69. “Ember’s End” by S.D. Smith (read aloud as family)