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“He never went out without a book under his arm, and he often came back with two.”

– Victor Hugo, “Les Miserables”

What were your favorite books in 2024?

Below is the list of books I’ve tackled in 2024. Keep reading, and I will tell you my favorites! Maybe you will find some good ones to get you started in 2025!

Books of 2024:

Classic Literature and Fiction:

• “Les Misérables” by Victor Hugo
• “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery
• “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas
• “Peace Like a River” by Leif Enger

Spiritual and Theological:

• “Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus, Become Like Him, Do as He Did” by John Mark Comer
• “Life Together” by Bonhoeffer
• “Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God’s Image” by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey
• “A Diary of Private Prayer” by John Baillie
• “James: A Commentary” By N.T. Wright
• “A Crucified Life” by A.W. Tozer, James L. Snyder
• “Life Without Lack” by Dallas Willard
• “Unwanted: How Sexual Brokenness Reveals Our Way to Healing” by Jay Stringer
• “Desiring God’s Will” by David Benner
• “The Gift of Being Yourself” by David Brenner
• “Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters” by Timothy Keller
• “How to Inhabit Time” by James K.A. Smith
• “Promises in the Dark: Walking with Those in Need Without Losing Heart” by Eric McLaughlin

Bioethics, Culture, and Philosophy:

• “Life, Liberty, and the Defense of Dignity: The Challenge for Bioethics” by Leon Kass
• “Bioethics and the Character of Human Life” by Gilbert Meilaender
• “The Secular Creed” by Rebecca McLaughlin
• “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt

Leadership and Personal Development:

• “The Improvement Guide: A Practical Approach to Enhancing Organizational Performance” by Langley et al.
• “An Unhurried Leader: The Lasting Fruit of Daily Influence” by Alan Fadling
• “Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges” by Southwick and Charney
• “Flow: Living at the Peak of Your Abilities” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

History:

• “On Great Fields: Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and His Fight to Save the Union” by Ronald C. White
  

Favorite Books of 2024!

1. “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo

This book was astounding! It is perhaps the best work of fiction I have ever read. It is a big work to tackle, and there are a few tedious parts, but there were many passages of such beauty that I shouted with elation! The ebullient love exampled by Bishop Myriel and the meek strength of Jean Valjean are nonpareil.

Of the Bishop: “Here and there he halted, accosted the little boys and girls, and smiled upon the mothers. He visited the poor so long as he had any money; when he no longer had any, he visited the rich.“

The Bishop to Jean Valjean: “This door does not demand of him who enters whether he has a name, but whether he has a grief. You suffer, you are hungry and thirsty; you are welcome… “Yes,” resumed the Bishop, “you have come from a very sad place. Listen. There will be more joy in heaven over the tear-bathed face of a repentant sinner than over the white robes of a hundred just men. If you emerge from that sad place with thoughts of hatred and of wrath against mankind, you are deserving of pity; if you emerge with thoughts of good-will and of peace, you are more worthy than any one of us.”

2. “The Gift of Being Yourself” by David Benner

I read this book during a 24 hour retreat I went on up in the mountains. I was struggling with work and feeling exhausted and dry. This book deeply spoke to me.

The thesis of the book is that Christian spirituality involves knowing both God and self. John Calvin wrote, “Nearly the whole of sacred doctrine consists in these two parts: knowledge of God and knowledge of ourselves.” It is easy to focus on knowledge of God and forget the importance of knowing ourselves.

I was reminded that God designed me with unique gifts and desires. It is good to joyfully use those gifts for his glory and the benefit of others. I was reminded that I do not have to be a perfect missionary doctor endlessly pouring myself out in medicine – the other desires God has given me for writing, teaching, adventure, and leading others – all have a good place in his plan for my life. It was a grace-filled, freeing, and intimate book that helped me rest more peacefully in who God made me to be. It is the second book in a three book series. Benner’s first book, “Surrender to Love”, is the place to start.

Notable Mentions: I also particularly enjoyed “Flow: Living at the Peak of Your Abilities” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, “Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus, Become Like Him, Do as He Did” by John Mark Comer, and “A Diary of Private Prayer” by John Baillie. In addition, the “Count of Monte Cristo” was a delightful old page-turner, and “Anne of Green Gables” was a joy to read aloud as a family!

What about 2025?

• Leave a comment and let me know what were your favorite books in 2024? Are there are any on this list that you want to try in 2025?
  
  
• As you think about 2025, I would challenge you to read a few older books. If you only read things written in the last 100 years you are missing out on a wealth of wisdom and beauty! This coming year I plan to tackle Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, as well as Dante’s Divine Comedy. Each year, I aspire to read a couple of works on “The Great Books List” compiled by philosopher and educator Mortimer Adler. Maybe by the time I’m 90 I will have finished them all 😉
  
  
• Also, I would challenge you to keep a list of all the books you read in 2025. To glean even more from what you read, take a few minutes at the end of every book to reflect on the work. I keep an Evernote document with this template for each book I read:
  
  
  – “Title” and Author:
  – Year Read:
  – Format: (Kindle, Audible, Paper, Etc.)
  – Short summary of the book:
  – Favorite Quote 1:
  – Favorite Quote 2:
  – Favorite Quote 3:
  – Application or “Take Away” in my life:
  

God bless and Happy New Year!

“Reading opens a wide world of endless travel to the eager mind.”