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 Read More …
Books
Book Recommendations – November 2018 (#1762)
My sharing of good books on this blog have evolved from traditional book reviews to book ratings. In recent months I've shared a list of 8-12 books I read the prior month that were published in the current year followed by some additional detail about the top 2 books. This month, 4 books share the top spot with ratings of 4.5. Rather than extending my commentary to this larger number, I'm simply providing a list. (4.5) How I Found God in Everyone and Everywhere: An Anthology Read More …
Book Recommendations – October 2018 (#1757)
This month's list of the best books I've read over the last 30 days that were published this year is among the most diverse. (5.0) Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life by Eric Klinenberg (Crown, 2018) (4.5) Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World by Anand Giridharadas (Knopf, 2018) (4.5) Healing Our Broken Humanity: Practices for Revitalizing the Church and Renewing the World by Grace Read More …
Book Recommendations – September 2018 (#1754)
This month's list of the best books I've read over the last 30 days that were published this year is filled with authors who have never before appeared on my blog. (5+) Loving and Leaving a Church: A Pastor's Journey by Barbara Melosh (Westminster John Knox Press, 2018) (4.5) 8 Steps to High Performance: Focus On What You Can Change (Ignore the Rest) by Marc Effron (Harvard Business Review Press, 2018) (4.0) Solus Jesus: A Theology of Resistance by Emily Swan and Ken Wilson Read More …
Book Recommendations – August 2018 (#1749)
I was fortunate to read many books (published in the last twelve months) worth recommending over the last month. (5.0) The Most Beautiful Thing I’ve Seen: Opening Your Eyes to Wonder by Lisa Gungor (Zondervan, 2018) (4.5) Outside the Lines: How Embracing Queerness Will Transform Your Faith by Mihee Kim-Kort (Fortress Press, 2018) (4.5) Never Stop Learning: Stay Relevant, Reinvent Yourself, and Thrive by Bradley R. Staats (Harvard Business Review, 2018) Read More …
Book Recommendations – July 2018 (#1742)
I was fortunate to read many books (published in 2018) worth recommending over the last month. (5.0) Love Undocumented: Risking Trust in a Fearful World by Sarah Quezada (Herald Press, 2018) (4.5) A House United: How the Church Can Save the World by Allen Hilton (Fortress Press, 2018) (4.0) Thriving in the Fire: Coaching Through the Conflicts of Change by Felix C. Villanueva (FirstStep Publishers, 2018) (4.0) Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Read More …
Book Recommendations – June 2018 (#1737)
Last month, I enjoyed my first vacation of any length in quite awhile. As part of that time away, I managed to read a number of excellent books. My top rated books, (published in 2018) that I've read since sharing last month's list. appear below. (5+) Future Faith: Ten Challenges Reshaping Christianity in the 21st Century by Wesley Granberg-Michaelson (Fortress Press, 2018) (5.0) Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Read More …
Book Recommendations – May 2018 (#1733)
During the month of April 2018, I read quite a few books that warrant recommendation. My top rated books from that reading list that were published in 2018 appear below. (5.0) Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks by Diana Butler Bass (HarperOne, 2018) (5.0) The War on Normal People: The Truth About America's Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income is Our Future by Andrew Yang (Hachette Books, 2018) (4.5) New Power: How Read More …
Book Recommendations – April 2018 (#1728)
During the first quarter of 2018 I read a few dozen books published in the last fifty years. For the sake of this post, I've limited my recommendations to recently published works (books published since November 2017). (5+) Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police and Punish the Poor by Virginia Eubanks (St. Martin's Press, 2018) (5.0) The CEO Next Door: The 4 Behaviors that Transform Ordinary People into World-Class Leaders by Elena L. Read More …
Top 10 Books of 2017 (#1714)
There are so many good books published every year. The best of the best among those I read this year follow in my eighth annual listing of my top ten books of the year. Author Title Marcus Borg Days of Awe and Wonder Tony Campolo and Bart Campolo Why I Left, Why I Stayed: Conversations on Christianity Between an Evangelical Father and His Humanist Son Joan Chittister Radical Spirit: 12 Ways to Live a Free and Authentic Life Elizabeth Currid-Halke The Sum of Small Things: A Read More …