I know not everyone had the time or inclination to read 272 books, so I’m cutting to the chase and giving you a list of my favorite reads from 2021.
(Only one post for my 5-star reads this year! I had five last year!)
City of God by Saint Augustine
Ever wondered how sex worked in the Garden of Eden? Why Seth’s genealogy lists more people than Cain’s? Why there were three levels on the ark? Yeah, me neither. But somehow it works. This classic work of Christian theology is over a thousand pages long and broadly covers philosophy, history, apologetics, myth, and Pythagorean theory. Topics range from the founding of Rome to the calling of Abraham to prophesies about the apocalypse. Intense, often random, but worth it.
The New Rules for Love, Sex, and Dating by Andy Stanley
An excellent, practical look at relationships that I found more useful than I expected. The book walks a healthy line of extending grace while also explaining many of the pitfalls inherent in modern dating culture. Stanley writes as a Christian but not necessarily for Christians. The basic idea is that a person should examine what they want in a relationship and work to improve themselves rather than focusing on finding the “right” person.
A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles by Thomas Sowell
This is a fantastic foundation if you want to explore the political and philosophical divide that separates the U.S. today. As always with Sowell, it is intellectual stimulating but easy to read. And honestly, despite the publishing date of 1986, more than half the time it felt like a book that could have been written today.
Wired Love: A Romance of Dots and Dashes by Ella Cheever Thayer
This is the story of Nathalie Rogers, a telegraph operator who strikes up a friendship with a male telegraph operator down the line. They spend every day chatting and he becomes an instrumental part of her life. But you can’t fall in love with someone you’ve never met in person…can you? Published in 1879, this book reads like a modern day internet romance! So, so cute. Worth picking up free on Kindle.
The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton
I always say that I read G.K. Chesterton to better understand C.S. Lewis. And once again, I feel like I understand Aslan better because I’ve met Sunday. This is a wild ride of a story complete with anarchists, elephants, and the nature of God. Especially if you enjoy Chesterton’s nonfiction, you will love this story.
Sexy: The Quest for Erotic Virtue in Perplexing Times by Jeff Mallinson
Despite the titillating title, this book provides a fairly uncontroversial thesis: Christians should never treat love transactionally. Agape love should infuse all Christian relationships, especially romantic ones. It then explores what that looks like within the bounds of human sexuality. Topics range from relatively familiar harangues against Josh Harris’s I Kissed Dating Goodbye to more controversial subjects like porn and masturbation. Overall I found this book handled things well and challenged some of my core assumptions about sexuality.
The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-Of-Age Crisis–And How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Reliance by Ben Sasse
I like this book because Sasse doesn’t just highlight a problem with our modern society: he provides a solution. He very intentionally avoids high-profile political issues and focuses on commonality. His goal is bridge-building over dissension. It is a refreshing approach in our highly polarized society. This is a practical work about coming of age and adulthood. It left me with several provoking thoughts, including my own inclination towards consumerism.
The Grown Woman’s Guide to Online Dating: Lessons Learned While Swiping Right, Snapping Selfies, and Analyzing Emojis by Margot Starbuck
If you told me at the beginning of the year that one of my favorite books of 2021 would be a guide to online dating…I’d call you crazy. Because online dating? Not a collection of funny essays about online dating, but a breakdown on how to create a good profile, set strong boundaries, and avoid red flags? All wrapped in a message about identity, hope, and faith from an amazing, funny, and vulnerable woman? Yes. It is one of my favorites. I’d go so far as to recommend this to any woman regardless of your relationship status because it is just dang encouraging and fun to read.
Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America by Chris Arnade
Much like reading Hillbilly Elegy, I appreciate this book because it puts into words feelings I struggle to express. The feelings of Milwaukee, of rural Tennessee, of agrarian Iowa, of the bayous of Louisiana, of life in towns where the jobs left but community stayed. This is primarily a book of photos designed to grapple with poverty and respect. It doesn’t always do it perfectly. But it provides a challenging and sometimes inspiring look at where people gather in the community and the common humanity that unites urban and rural Americans.
Charter Schools and Their Enemies by Thomas Sowell
The story begins in the 1970s. Thomas Sowell started researching academic excellence in all black schools. He thought the evidence would play an important role in education reform. Instead, his narrative—competing as it did with more popular theories about education policy—went mostly ignored. In a sense, this is his answer years later. He’s coming back and hitting hard with the data. And does he ever come with the data. More than half the page count in this book comes from the Appendix and Notes. Very well cited and yet somehow super readable.
Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity by Nancy R. Pearcey
While not much of this book introduced something new to me, it succinctly laid out the argument for a Christian worldview and the many ways the church has shied away from our Christian foundation over the years. She makes the case for a broader view of Christian vocation, intellectual discourse, and clear doctrine. This is a practical, useful book to challenge how you approach the world and how we present ourselves as Christians.
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