Since I haven’t read much in the last two years, I’ve combined my list into one post.

Here’s my list of the 9 books I read in 2016 and 2017 with my comments on each one:

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

This book was very good. I thought it was well written and very practical. If you are looking to remove the “clutter” from your life, I think you will find this book very helpful.

You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity by Francis and Lisa Chan

I enjoyed this book. I have to say that although it is a book on marriage, it definitely veers into many other topics – which I’m not necessarily complaining about, because I enjoyed the veering – especially the chapter on parenting, which I thought was excellent. It’s a worthwhile contribution to the many books written on marriage.

Reforming Marriage by Douglas Wilson

I was excited to read this book on marriage from Wilson because I’ve really enjoyed the little snippets from him on the topic that I’ve heard or read. Overall it didn’t disappoint (minus the last chapter on divorce which left me wanting). It’s an excellent book on the topic that I highly recommend reading. Wilson’s take on “inescapable headship” has been life changing for me and my marriage (he writes about it in chapter 2).

The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation by Rod Dreher

Chapter 2 of this book was probably worth the price of the book: a fascinating run through history and how we got to where we are with the prevailing worldviews of the day. The rest of the book was good – definitely thought provoking on where we as followers of Jesus find ourselves within the current cultural context. He writes very much from an Orthodox perspective as that is his faith expression (I didn’t mind that, but others might).

Gospel Fluency: Speaking the Truths of Jesus into the Everyday Stuff of Life by Jeff Vanderstelt

Any time I have ever heard anything from Jeff Vanderstelt speaking on this topic I’ve eaten it up as fast as I could. I really love the whole concept of fluency being related to the gospel. I think it’s very practical and very impactful. So when I heard that he was releasing a book on the topic, I was super excited. Unfortunately I didn’t think he captured the same vibrancy in the pages of a book, that I’ve often heard when hearing him speak on the topic. I hate saying that because of how much I enjoy Jeff’s ministry, and specifically how much I’ve enjoyed hearing him speak on this topic – but if I’m honest, that’s what I thought of the book.

The Dude’s Guide to Manhood: Finding True Manliness in a World of Counterfeits by Darrin Patrick

This book had good things to say, but failed to really capture my attention in a meaningful way.

The Way of Men by Jack Donovan

OK, first of all, I love the cover art for this book! Secondly, I have to say that it’s not just a great cover; I enjoyed reading what was inside. This book offered what I would call a very unique contribution to the topic of masculinity. It wasn’t what I expected and wasn’t like a lot of other books I’ve read on the topic. There were some really good nuggets in here.

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield

This was one of the best books I’ve ever read. I really enjoyed this book. I read it very fast (most chapters are less than a page long) and loved his writing style. If you are someone who creates anything this is an absolute must read!

The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out by Brennan Manning

I reread this book. The first time I read it was the year after I graduated from high school. Still has some great stuff in it, but it’s interesting how a book sometimes just doesn’t quite hit you like it did 20 years ago. Especially because 20 years ago this book hit me like a ton of bricks and delivered me from condemnation.

Read any good books this last year?