Top Books I read in 2013

I love books. I read many titles every year. There are some offerings that I re-read annually to keep me grounded, but I am always finding title after title that intrigue me enough to hit the one-click button on my Amazon prime account. Sometimes the books are solid, often they lack what I am looking for, but always I grow in some area of understanding.

I have always been one who believes that people need to read widely and not pigeon-hole themselves into one genre’ or to read only what you already agree with. True growth comes from being challenged. When you read a book that challenges your presuppositions and pre-understandings, you are forced to work through what you believe and why you believe it, and that is a good thing.

There is always something to learn…
Something to discern…
Something to think critically about…

So, I am going to give you my list a “favs” from 2013. Here is my disclaimer *I don’t agree with everything that the authors wrote in their books, nor is it an endorsement of other titles the author has written. It simply means I found the book to be compelling.

If you agree 100% with everything an author has written, she/he is either AMAZING or you are not reading with your fully engaged sense of critical analysis…the only exception is the book Sacred Space by this really amazing guy I know! The books are in no special order, just my top recommends from this past year. I am working on my top “Must Read” list of all time. I will try to finish that compilation in January.

Feel free to leave me your top book reads in the comments section. Clicking on the title will take you to the book on amazon.com

1. The Go Giver (Bob Burg & John David Mann)

2. How God Became King: The Forgotten Story Of The Gospels N.T Wright)

3. Be Our Guest: Perfecting the art of customer service (The Disney Institute)

4. Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling (Andy Crouch)

5. Imaginary Jesus (Matt Mikalatos)

6. The Antidote: Happiness For People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking (Oliver Burkeman)

7. God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run The World (Stephen Prothero)

8. Love Is An Orientation: Elevating The Conversation With The Gay Community (Andrew Marin)

9. The Way Of A Pilgrim (Anonymous 18th century)

10. The Hunger Games Trilogy (Suzanne Collins)

11. Quiet: The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can’t Stop Talking (Susan Cain)

12. The Case For The Psalms: Why They Are Essential (N.T Wright)

13. Stars In The Texas Sky (Stephen Matlock)

14. Tip And The Gipper: When Politics Worked (Chris Matthews)