My ninth annual listing of the top books of the year features the ten best books published in 2018. All books appearing on this year’s list received a rating of 5 stars (or 5+ stars) on one of my monthly book recommendations lists.
| Author | Title |
| Diana Butler Bass | Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks |
| Elena L. Botelho and Kim R. Powell | The CEO Next Door: The 4 Behaviors that Transform Ordinary People into World-Class Leaders |
| Virginia Eubanks | Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police and Punish the Poor |
| Wesley Granberg-Michaelson | Future Faith: Ten Challenges Reshaping Christianity in the 21st Century |
| Lisa Gungor | The Most Beautiful Thing I’ve Seen: Opening Your Eyes to Wonder |
| Eric Klinenberg | Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life |
| Barbara Melosh | Loving and Leaving a Church: A Pastor’s Journey |
| Sarah Quezada | Love Undocumented: Risking Trust in a Fearful World |
| Jackie Stavros and Cheri Torres | Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement |
| Andrew Yang | The War on Normal People: The Truth About America’s Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income is Our Future |
Top Two
From the list above, the two books that have had the greatest impact on me are
- Future Faith: Ten Challenges Reshaping Christianity in the 21st Century by Wesley Granberg-Michaelson
- Loving and Leaving a Church: A Pastor’s Journey by Barbara Melosh
Returning Top Authors
A few authors on this year’s list have appeared on previous lists:
- Diana Butler Bass
- Eric Klinenberg
- 2012 – Going Sol0: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
Prior Lists
There are so many great books published in recent years. I encourage you to take a look at some of those I’ve deemed the best of the best this decade.