Favorite 12 books of 2012

These are 12 books I really, really liked this year. Enough to read again (if I haven’t already). And recommend to you to read. They weren’t all published in 2012, but floated to the top of my reading list in 2012.

Below those are a bonus dozen, because, honestly, choosing is so hard. Catch me another day and the list might have grown yet again.

The top 12:

1. 52 Lies Heard in Church Every Sunday: and Why the Truth Is So Much Better by Steve McVey (copyright 2011) [my review]

2. By Grace Alone: How the Grace of God Amazes Me by Sinclair Ferguson (copyright 2010) [my review]

3. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain (copyright 2012) [my review]

4. The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible by Scot McKnight (copyright 2008)

5. The Gospel of Yes: We May Have Missed the Most Important Thing about God by Mike Glenn (copyright 2012) [my review]

6. The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows by James Bryan Smith (copyright 2009)

7. Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian (copyright 2011)

8. The Resignation of Eve: What If Adam’s Rib Is No Longer Willing to Be the Church’s Backbone? by Jim Henderson (copyright 2012) [my review]

 
9. Hell: A Final Word by Edward Fudge (copyright 2012) [my review]

10. The Discipline of Grace: God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges (revised 2006) [my chapter summaries here]

11. Pain: The Gift Nobody Wants by Paul Brand (copyright 1999)

12. Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ by Dallas Willard (copyright 2002)

Plus 12 more (in no particular order):

13. The Death of the Custodian: The Case of the Missing Tutor by W. Carl Ketcherside (copyright 1976)

14. Practicing Affirmation: God-Centered Praise of Those Who Are Not God by Sam Crabtree (copyright 2011)

15. Quit Going to Church by Bob Hostetler (copyright 2012) [my review]

16. The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Jerry Bridges (copyright 2011)

17. Divided We Unite: Practical Christian Unity by Ed Cyzewski (copyright 2012) [my review]

18. Red Like Blood: Confrontations with Grace by Joe Coffey and Bob Bevington (copyright 2011)

19. The Twisted Scriptures by W. Carl Ketcherside (copyright 1976)

20. Creating Space: The Case for Everyday Creativity by Ed Cyzewski (copyright 2012) [my review]

21. Evolving in Monkey Town: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions by Rachel Held Evans (copyright 2010)

22. Branded: Sharing Jesus with a Consumer Culture by Tim Sinclair (copyright 2011)

23. Lit: A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke (copyright 2011)

24. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (copyright 2011)

* * *

Moving on to next year. What do you want to read in 2013?

What I learned from Fall 2012 reading

Now that fall is officially over (and with it Fall into Reading 2012), I look back at what I read and wonder, “How did these books affect me? Am I glad I read them or not?”

Here are my answers.

Three I’m especially glad I read:

The Good and Beautiful God
Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows
     by James Bryan Smith
It’s so practical. It shows ways to actively pursue trusting God as the good and beautiful Creator he is.

Pain
The Gift Nobody Wants
     by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey
It was as good as I remembered. It reminds me that yes, pain can be miserable, but it is also incredibly valuable and don’t begrudge it; learn from it.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
     by Rebecca Skloot
There’s such a beauty in reading about how somebody’s ordinary life—and death—can so vastly affect others, even as they are unaware of it. (This book also made me admire the author’s diligence in getting the story in the first place.)

Other favorites:

The Twisted Scriptures
     by W. Carl Ketcherside
Unfortunately, we all are guilty to some extent of blindly using scripture either as how we’ve always been taught or as only how we want to see it. This book reminds me of the importance of fighting against that tendency.

Creating Space
The Case for Everyday Creativity
     by Ed Cyzewski
Here’s permission to take/make time to create. Creating (whatever it is you create) has value; it has meaning; it’s important to God, to you, to the world. Love requires the individualization of creativity.

Renovation of the Heart
Putting on the Character of Christ
     by Dallas Willard
Dallas Willard takes you deep into the soul. Surface change won’t cut it; God wants to transform the heart.

Evolving in Monkey Town
How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions
     by Rachel Held Evans
I relate to her spiritual journey so this book spoke to me loudly in several places.

Charity and Its Fruits
     by Jonathan Edwards
A great exposition of 1 Corinthians 13, but I’m not going to lie: it wasn’t easy. But there’s a sense of Indiana Jones accomplishment that comes from sifting through super-long Puritan paragraphs and antiquated words to uncover the jewels that come from Jonathan Edwards.

Branded
Sharing Jesus with a Consumer Culture
     by Tim Sinclair
This one caught me off guard because I wasn’t expecting much. But it was much. He has several great ideas on how to be the church differently and better.

Sarah’s Key
     by Tatiana de Rosnay
So I cried. This two-era novel set in both modern times and Paris during World War II moved me. And taught me new things and made me sad and kept me hopeful.

Lost in the Middle
Midlife and the Grace of God
     by Paul David Tripp
The right book at the right time. I want to do 50 well, not begrudgingly, so I needed this push in the right direction to let go of “It sounds so old!” to “God still has a purposeful future for me!”

Divergent
     by Veronica Roth
I could hardly put this novel down. In the genre of The Hunger Games, it pulled me into another crazy world (and made me thankful it was all pretend!).

 

Other good ones:

Grace: More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagine
     by Max Lucado
The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again
     by J. R. R. Tolkien
Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story
     by Peter Guber
If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence, and Spirit
     by Brenda Ueland
Do the Work
     by Steven Pressfield
You’re Already Amazing: Embracing Who You Are, Becoming All God Created You to Be
     by Holley Gerth
Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living
     by Tsh Oxenreider
Erasing Hell: What God said about eternity, and the things we made up
     by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle
A Woman’s Right to Rest: 14 Types of Biblical Rest that Will Transform Your Life
     by Denise George
Unshakeable Faith: 8 Traits for Rock-Solid Living
     by Kathy Howard
I’m Still Your Mother: How to Get Along with Your Grown-Up Children for the Rest of Your Life
     by Dr. Jane Adams

* * *

What good book have you read this fall?

RELATED:

• 10 Winning books from Spring 2012 Reading List
• Favorites from Fall 2011 Reading List
• My 11 Favorite Books from 2011

Why these books? - Fall 2012 reading list

Because so many books are available—far exceeding our time to read them—it’s wise to be intentional about your choices. What do you need to learn? What will bring you joy? What will grow your faith?

We all have underlying reasons why we read; we just may not think about them very often.  

I’m thinking about the why as I design my fall reading list. I’m choosing reasons first; titles second. (But just so you know: some of the reasons aren’t that great.)

If you’d like to do the same, make up your own list from 1-100 books and join us at Katrina’s for the Fall into Reading 2012 challenge. It’s fun and no pressure!

Here goes:

1. Something on grace
     (It makes me love Jesus more)
Grace
   More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagine
by Max Lucado

2. A favorite to re-read
     (The first reading challenged me, but it’s been years ago)
Pain
   The Gift Nobody Wants
by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey

3. On my shelf too long already
     (I need to either read it or get rid of it, but it’s about Christian unity so I want to read it; and I just read his The Death of the Custodian: The Case of the Missing Tutor and loved it)
The Twisted Scriptures
by W. Carl Ketcherside

4. I won it
     (And I wanted to read it anyway; it’s a girly thing)
You’re Already Amazing
   Embracing Who You Are, Becoming All God Created You to Be
by Holley Gerth

5. A different viewpoint
     (I’m not sure I’ll agree and I need the intellectual stimulation of different views to force me to think things through)
Erasing Hell
   What God said about eternity, and the things we made up
by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle

6. Just for fun
     (I love novels; why don’t I read more of them?)
Divergent
   Book 1
by Veronica Roth

7. Historical fiction
     (I learn—and care—more about history through story; this begins in Paris, 1942)
Sarah’s Key
by Tatiana de Rosnay

8. Need to review it
    (And I want to understand more about biblical rest anyway)
A Woman’s Right to Rest
   14 Types of Biblical Rest that Will Transform Your Life
by Denise George

9. To stay motivated
     (I have projects I’m in the middle of that I want to finish)
Do the Work
by Steven Pressfield

10. Something classic and really old
     (Jonathan Edwards is tough reading, but so beneficial; plus, I started it three years ago and it’s time I finish it)
Charity and Its Fruits
by Jonathan Edwards

11. For spiritual formation
     (It’s highly recommended and my friend Lori is going to read it, too)
The Good and Beautiful God
   Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows
by James Bryan Smith

12. Lessons from somebody’s life
     (And because Auburn suggested all their students read it)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot

 

13. To clean up my Kindle
     (I have WAY too many books there; this title grabbed me; and the author once worked at our local radio station)
Branded
   Sharing Jesus with a Consumer Culture
by Tim Sinclair

14. By a favorite author
     (Oh, how I love me some Dallas Willard richness)
Renovation of the Heart
   Putting on the Character of Christ
by Dallas Willard

15. Season of life
     (I have a new empty nest and I don’t want to lose focus in it)
Lost in the Middle
   Midlife and the Grace of God
by Paul David Tripp

16. A book about writing (well, indirectly)
    (It’s about story, and the power of story so intrigues me)
Tell to Win
   Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story
by Peter Guber

17. Cleaning house
    (I have clutter to attend to now that homeschooling is over)
Organized Simplicity
   The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living
by Tsh Oxenreider

18, 19, 20. ? ? ? Something irresistible; I know me
     (There WILL be unexpected books I can’t predict now that I will HAVE to read; just keeping it real [shout-out to Adam])

* * *

What book do you want to read this fall?

UPDATE: The results of Fall into Reading 2012

RELATED:

• 10 Winning books from Spring 2012 Reading List
• Favorites from Fall 2011 Reading List
• My 11 Favorite Books from 2011