What I read in Fall 2011

How do you measure success?  
If it’s reaching a pre-determined destination, I’ve failed miserably.

However, if success is measured by the value of the journey, I’m logging a victory.

I suspected my Fall Reading goals were too high.
I didn’t meet them.

But oh, the joy I had with the books along the way. I left 3½ books on my original list unfinished, but I did insert an unplanned 12 books (oops!), finishing 9 of those and still in the middle of 3.

Top 5 favorites

• The Faith of Leap: Embracing a Theology of Risk, Adventure & Courage by Michael Frost & Alan Hirsch (2011)
• Spiritual Depression by Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1965)
• A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story by Donald Miller (2009)
• Enemies of the Heart: Breaking Free from the Four Emotions that Control You by Andy Stanley (2011)
• The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence (1691)

Very good

• Why Men Hate Going to Church by David Murrow (2005, 2011)
• The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards by Steven J. Lawson 2008)
• The Last Sin-Eater by Francine Rivers (1999)
• What Women Fear: Walking in Faith that Transforms by Angie Smith (2011)

Hard but worth it

• The Cross of Christ by John Stott (1986)

Good

• Mindfulness by Ellen Langer (1989)
• Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand (1967)
• Going Deep: Becoming a Person of Influence by Gordon MacDonald (2011)
• Unveiling the Kings of Israel by David Down (2011)

Just for fun

• All In: What It Takes to Be the Best by Gene Chizik (2011)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) by J. K. Rowling (1999)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) by J. K. Rowling (1999)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) by J. K. Rowling (2000)
• Finding Noel by Richard Paul Evans (2006)
• Promise Me by Richard Paul Evans (2010)

In the middle of

• Practicing Affirmation: God-Centered Praise of Those Who Are Not God by Sam Crabtree (2011)
• Red Like Blood: Confrontations with Grace by Joe Coffey & Bob Bevington (2011)
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain (2012)
• Why It’s Hard to Love Jesus by Joseph M. Stowell (2003)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) by J. K. Rowling (2003)

Still ahead

• Doing Life Differently: The Art of Living with Imagination by Luci Swindoll (2002)
• Stumbling into Grace: Discover God’s Story in the Middle of Your Own by Lisa Harper (2011)
• The Shelter of God’s Promises by Sheila Walsh (2011)

What I learned

It’s good for me to make a list.
It forces me to prioritize what books I really want to read. I even put them in an order this time, and that helped too.

But it’s also good for me to read unplanned books as they come.
Sometimes it’s a recommended read that just can’t wait, or a book that grabs me at the library, or a review book that becomes available.

So even though I didn’t finish the books on my list (yet), they’re still in the queue. And they will be read along the journey still to come.

* * *

Oh, the places I’ve been this fall!

Where has a book taken you lately?

See more book recommendations from others.