Every Book I've Read In 2016
I loved college. I really did.
I'm a nerd so I truly enjoyed all the books I read, lectures I attended, and (most of) the papers I was required to write during my undergraduate and graduate degrees.
But the one thing I disliked most about college was the lack of time I had to read books of my own choosing. Again, I am fully aware of how much of a nerd that makes me.
And 2016 is the first year since kindergarten (in 1995) in which I was in no school at all. Welcome to adulthood right? So this is the first year I have been able to completely dictate my reading list and I wanted to share with you the various books I read throughout the last 12 months.
So here is every single book I've read this year, with a one sentence take-away from each book:
- Be You. Do Good. by Jonathan David Golden: Our calling isn't one unchanging vocation, it is a journey which can change over time.
- Cross-Cultural Servanthood by Duane Elmer: Hospitality is truly about welcoming those who aren't like you and whom you don't know.
- Discovering Our Christian Holiness by Diane Leclerc: Holiness is having a laser-focus on Christ and His love every hour of our lives.
- The Crown and The Fire by N.T. Wright: Jesus came to earth as God in the flesh because the world is changed by flesh, not words.
- Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk: Continuously give quality to your target audience and you will eventually be rewarded.
- Meditations by Marcus Aurellius: Control your emotions or they will control you.
- Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stevenson: Don't drink coffee after lunch if you want a good night's sleep.
- Doing Good is Simple by Chris Marlow: You can make a difference where you are today - wherever that may be.
- A Universe from Nothing by Lawrence Krauss: Something can be (mathematically) created from nothing.
- Essentialism by Greg McKeown: If you don't choose what your main priority is for yourself, someone else will.
- Kings and Presidents by Timothy and Shawna Songer Gaines: The Kingdom of God has priorities that the leaders and politicians of the world will never understand, such as focusing on the lowliest and most needy.
- God and Money by John Cortines and Gregory Baumer: Generosity needs to be nurtured early on in life; it won't just 'show up' when we have 'enough' money to live on.
- Evangelism: How the Church Speaks of Jesus by J. Mark Stiles: Churches should empower their congregants to be engage in evangelism in their own lives instead of leaving evangelism to pastors.
- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond: The fate of most people groups throughout history was dependent on where they were born geographically.
- Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek: Organizations succeed when decision-making is placed in the hands of those who have the most information - i.e. front-line workers.
Some of these books (like A Universe from Nothing) really challenged me in content and others (such as Guns, Germs, and Steel) challenged me by it's length (480 pages). The book which challenged me the most is Essentialism with Greg's focus on saying 'no' to more and prioritizing our lives for ourselves. If you haven't picked it up yet, grab one this holiday season.
My top 3 from this list? Essentialism. Guns, Germs, and Steel. The Crown and The Fire. I challenge you to check out all three of those books during 2017.
These books represent what I spent a good portion of my free time doing this year. And I'd say that it was time well invested.
What books did you read this year? Which ones were your favorites? Share below!
