Top 10 Non-Fiction of 2017
Year number three of this particular series. I like doing it because it brings back to mind some really great books and shares them with whoever might read this post! I think it's going to be hard to pick just ten this year. I read a lot of great non-fiction and each year as I read more of it, I find more and more really fantastic books. Maybe someday I'll bump up the number.
Remember, these are not in order of anything other than how they were arranged in my Goodreads page. Also, these are ones that I read for the first time this year (I read Jefferson Bethke's "It's Not What You Think", but for the second time, so it doesn't make the cut).
UNSHAKEN // Miracles do happen and this is a miraculous story. I was in awe. I could relate to a lot of the struggles that Dan and his family went through. We have friends who were adopting from Haiti when the quake occurred, so it was relevant to us in that way, but this was an in-depth look at the tragedy from someone who lived it. Very inspiring. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1886478252?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
THE PURSUIT OF HOLINESS // I've heard that the question is not "how much can I get away with?" but "how holy can I be?". This book really got me wrestling with how my choices present my faith to the world. It really makes you think and leaves you with a lot of things to think through. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1778989595?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
THE CIRCLE MAKER // While I would say that you should approach this book with caution, I have to say that Batterson did a fantastic job emphasizing that God is not a genie. The thing I took away from this book was the motivation to pray more boldly and more specifically. To pray for wild and crazy things and leave it in His hands. It was a great book that I'll probably re-read at some point. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1787093532?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Also cool, my uncle went to high school and took driver's ed with Mark Batterson. Small world.
SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY // How long was this book on my to-read shelf? A long time. I finally just bought it. What was slightly surprising, yet also comforting, was how much Jim and Elisabeth struggled with what they wanted vs. following God's plan. There is some very frank stuff that honestly surprised me. Inspiring and encouraging. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2045989068?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
THE MEANING OF MARRIAGE // My first exposure to Timothy Keller was his Reason For God video series that we did in youth group. I liked his teaching style and that same style came through in this book. I'm not married and probably won't be for a few years yet, but I'm studying and learning now, so that I have a firm groundwork and don't go into that journey winging it as I go along. The Meaning of Marriage was excellent towards that end. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1647387760?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
BETWEEN HEAVEN AND THE REAL WORLD // Steven Curtis Chapman is one of my all-time favorite singers. I read his wife's book, Choosing to SEE, but this book goes further back and looks at things from Steven's perspective. It also goes beyond Mary Beth's book, as it was written much more recently. My cousin read it too and we enjoyed discussing it. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2072673179?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
BETTER THAN BEFORE // Phylicia Masonheimer is a role model to me and she is constantly talking about Gretchen Rubin. I thought I'd take a look into this woman who so inspires a woman who inspires me. BETTER THAN BEFORE helped me put concrete ideas to things that I sort of already knew. I'd be reading and think, "oh yeah, that's like me" or "I do that" but now I would know more of how that affects my life and habit forming. My friends and I all did the personality test one day and we all pretty much got what we expected each other to get. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2103929896?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
CALLED TO CREATE // This book showed up on our kitchen table one day. My dad had ordered it through a C.S. Lewis event he went to. It looked good and interesting to me since I'm starting two entrepreneurial endeavors. It was incredible. A lot of the information falls under the understanding of vocation. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2188264665?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
SON OF HAMAS // I like things to be black and white, but things are usually more complicated than that. The Middle East situation definitely falls under that category. The things that Mosab shared were eye-opening. I had a hard time wrapping my head around some things that he would say. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2028279363?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
There you have it, the top 10 non-fiction books I read last year. If you have read any of them, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Or, if you decide to go read a couple, let me know what you think when you're done. Happy 2018!
Remember, these are not in order of anything other than how they were arranged in my Goodreads page. Also, these are ones that I read for the first time this year (I read Jefferson Bethke's "It's Not What You Think", but for the second time, so it doesn't make the cut).
UNSHAKEN // Miracles do happen and this is a miraculous story. I was in awe. I could relate to a lot of the struggles that Dan and his family went through. We have friends who were adopting from Haiti when the quake occurred, so it was relevant to us in that way, but this was an in-depth look at the tragedy from someone who lived it. Very inspiring. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1886478252?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
THE PURSUIT OF HOLINESS // I've heard that the question is not "how much can I get away with?" but "how holy can I be?". This book really got me wrestling with how my choices present my faith to the world. It really makes you think and leaves you with a lot of things to think through. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1778989595?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
THE CIRCLE MAKER // While I would say that you should approach this book with caution, I have to say that Batterson did a fantastic job emphasizing that God is not a genie. The thing I took away from this book was the motivation to pray more boldly and more specifically. To pray for wild and crazy things and leave it in His hands. It was a great book that I'll probably re-read at some point. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1787093532?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Also cool, my uncle went to high school and took driver's ed with Mark Batterson. Small world.
SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY // How long was this book on my to-read shelf? A long time. I finally just bought it. What was slightly surprising, yet also comforting, was how much Jim and Elisabeth struggled with what they wanted vs. following God's plan. There is some very frank stuff that honestly surprised me. Inspiring and encouraging. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2045989068?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
THE MEANING OF MARRIAGE // My first exposure to Timothy Keller was his Reason For God video series that we did in youth group. I liked his teaching style and that same style came through in this book. I'm not married and probably won't be for a few years yet, but I'm studying and learning now, so that I have a firm groundwork and don't go into that journey winging it as I go along. The Meaning of Marriage was excellent towards that end. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1647387760?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
BETWEEN HEAVEN AND THE REAL WORLD // Steven Curtis Chapman is one of my all-time favorite singers. I read his wife's book, Choosing to SEE, but this book goes further back and looks at things from Steven's perspective. It also goes beyond Mary Beth's book, as it was written much more recently. My cousin read it too and we enjoyed discussing it. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2072673179?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
BETTER THAN BEFORE // Phylicia Masonheimer is a role model to me and she is constantly talking about Gretchen Rubin. I thought I'd take a look into this woman who so inspires a woman who inspires me. BETTER THAN BEFORE helped me put concrete ideas to things that I sort of already knew. I'd be reading and think, "oh yeah, that's like me" or "I do that" but now I would know more of how that affects my life and habit forming. My friends and I all did the personality test one day and we all pretty much got what we expected each other to get. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2103929896?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
CALLED TO CREATE // This book showed up on our kitchen table one day. My dad had ordered it through a C.S. Lewis event he went to. It looked good and interesting to me since I'm starting two entrepreneurial endeavors. It was incredible. A lot of the information falls under the understanding of vocation. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2188264665?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
SON OF HAMAS // I like things to be black and white, but things are usually more complicated than that. The Middle East situation definitely falls under that category. The things that Mosab shared were eye-opening. I had a hard time wrapping my head around some things that he would say. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2028279363?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
There you have it, the top 10 non-fiction books I read last year. If you have read any of them, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Or, if you decide to go read a couple, let me know what you think when you're done. Happy 2018!
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