- 9 memoir
- 1 poetry
- 5 fiction
- 12 Biblical studies
- 7 practical theology / ministry
- 2 academic theology
- 1 self-help
If you decide to order a copy of any of these books, may I recommend my favorite bookstores? Hearts and Minds Books takes orders and ships anywhere in the US. Three Hills Books in Alberta and Regent College Bookstore in B.C. are great sources for books in Canada. I'm not making commission on the sales of any of these books, but I believe in small, well-curated bookstores!
The surprising blessing for me this year was memoir. I loved reading about people's diverse experiences of the world: from the deep South to the South Side of Chicago, and from the rust belt to the White House, and from Down Under to Ethiopia. All ten of these were worthwhile (or I wouldn't have finished them), but two that were especially excellent were Beth Moore's and Esau McCaulley's.
- Beth Moore, All My Knotted-Up Life
- Esau McCaulley, How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family's Story of Hope and Survival in the American South
- J. D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
- Michelle Obama, Becoming
- David Bennett, A War of Loves: The Unexpected Story of a Gay Activist Discovering Jesus
- Wendy Widder, Every Road Goes Somewhere: A Memoir about Calling
- Tripp Johnston, Soul Brothers: Two Men, Two Worlds, One Purpose (an encouraging story about true partnership and friendship in cross-cultural missions)
- Joan Didion, A Year of Magical Thinking (about grief)
- Octavio J. Esqueda and Benjamin D. Espinoza, eds., The Hispanic Faculty Experience (about Latino/a faculty experiences in Christian higher ed)
- Carolyn Custis James, Malestrom: How Jesus Dismantles Patriarchy and Defines Manhood
- Susan Hylen, Finding Phoebe: What New Testament Women Were Really Like
- Celina Durgin and Dru Johnson, The Biblical World of Gender: The Daily Lives of Ancient Men and Women
- Hilary Lipka and Bruce Wells, Sexuality and Law in the Torah
- Wilda Gafney, Daughters of Miriam: Women Prophets in Ancient Israel
- Nijay Gupta, Tell Her Story: How Women Taught, Led, and Ministered in the Early Church
- Karen González, The God Who Sees: Immigrants, the Bible, and the Journey to Belong
- Matthew Theissen, A Jewish Paul: The Messiah's Herald to the Gentiles
- Walter Bruggemann, Delivered Out of Empire: Pivotal Moments in the Book of Exodus
- Ray Lubeck, Reading the Bible for a Change (2nd edition)
- Dennis Edwards, Humility Illuminated: The Biblical Path Back to Christian Character
- Russell Moore, Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America
- Tyler Staton, Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools
- Rob Dixon, Together in Ministry: Women and Men in Flourishing Partnerships
- Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters (IVP) is a book that explores what it means to be human. In a nutshell, I claim that every human being is the image of God, and that our status as God's image was not lost or diminished at the Fall. Our vocation as stewards of creation opens up a whole host of creative and collaborative possibilities that extend into the new creation. A few highlights in its first 6 months in the world: Being God's Image was a finalist for the IVP Reader's Choice awards. The Englewood Review of Books recognized it as one of the Best Books of 2023. The Holy Post Podcast chose it for their book club, and it made the bestselling new releases list in September for the Evangelical Christian Publishing Association. I blogged about it here.
- Illustrated Psalms in Hebrew (GlossaHouse) is a co-authored project with R. Mark Reasoner that pairs the entire Hebrew book of Psalms with beautiful illustrations and my own English translation. If you're learning Hebrew and want to incorporate daily language practice in your devotional life, this book is for you. I blogged about it here.