Regular readers of this blog know I love to read. In 1998 I made the only New Year’s resolution I’ve ever kept by reading at least two books per month or 24 books for the year. I’ve kept that resolution for 27 years and have read over 1000 books in that time. (1085) That discipline has immeasurably brightened my life and increased my knowledge of this world we live in; much more than watching television ever could.
It’s become a tradition in recent years for me to publish my list of favorite books I read in the last year. These books are listed in the order I read them, not necessarily in any ranking.
- Blood Lines – Nelson and Alex DeMille – Nelson DeMille has been one of my favorite fiction writers for decades and has been a regular on the New York Times Bestseller Lists. This book is the debut of his son as co-author and together they have done a great job. I’m usually skeptical of these father-son co-authorships but this duo works well together, delivering the same quality we’ve come to expect from Nelson DeMille alone.
- The Edge – David Baldacci – Another high-quality fiction work from another staple on the bestseller lists for fiction. Baldacci always delivers!
- 700 Sundays – Billy Crystal – This book is a memoir of the 700 Sundays Billy Cristal spent with his father, Jack Crystal, who died when Billy was 15. He tells the many stories of growing up in Brooklyn, New York and the relationships he had with his father and many celebrities his father knew.
- Saying It Well – Chuck Swindoll – A great book on how to prepare and deliver meaningful sermons or lessons for all those teachers and preachers who want to learn from one of the best ever. I read it this year for the second time.
- The Endurance – Caroline Alexander – This book chronicles the expedition to the South Pole by Sir Ernest Shackleton, a British explorer of the early 20th It is an amazing story of human determination in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The book is filled with fascinating photographs of this voyage to Antarctica taken by one of the crew.
- D-Day – Stephen Ambrose – This year marked the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion that was the turning point in the war to defeat the Nazi’s Third Reich. Since my father was a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne who jumped into Normandy on that historic day, I was impressed to re-read this great historical account of that day.
- Pagan America – John Daniel Davidson – This book gives an historical account of the world before the birth of Christ when evil was rampant and human sacrifices to the gods was a common practice in several different parts of the world. The author makes the case that such evil was temporarily checked by Christ’s appearance on earth, but may someday soon be unleashed as the world turns its back on Christianity in the last days.
- The War on Warriors – Pete Hegseth – The author is currently the nominee to be our next Secretary of Defense under the Trump Administration. His book documents his time in the military and his deep disdain for the “woke” policies that have permeated our military under the Biden Administration. His determination to resurrect our military to its primary role of protecting America is evident throughout the book.
- The Watchmaker’s Hand- Jeffery Deaver – Another great work of fiction from the writer who first gave us the character of Lincoln Rhyme in the book The Bone Collector. Deaver delivers another great story using the same characters.
- The Road to Armageddon – Chuck Swindoll/ DTS professors – This book, first published in 1999, gives us a great understanding of the last days as recorded in the Bible in the books of Daniel and Revelation in particular. There are six chapters written by six theology professors at Dallas Theological Seminary in a book written for understanding by non-seminary students. Great reading for everyone!
That’s my list for this year. I hope you will pick them up at your library or book store soon and enjoy them as much as I did. Keep reading!
