The the ten best new books (published in 2020) I read over the last month are (5+) Rethinking Success: Eight Essential Practices for Finding Meaning in Work and Life by J. Douglas Holladay (HarperOne, 2020) (5.0) Practicing: Changing Yourself to Change the World by Kathy Escobar (Westminster John Knox Press, 2020) (4.5) None of the Above: Nonreligious Identity in the US and Canada by Joel Thiessen and Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme (New York University Press, 2020) (4.5) Using Read More …
Books
Great New Books – May 2020 (#1866)
Over the last month, I've read a number of great new books. The ten best volumes follow. (5+) Part-Time is Plenty: Thriving Without Full-Time Clergy by G. Jeffrey MacDonald (Westminister John Knox Press, 2020) (4.5) Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife by Bart D. Ehrman (Simon & Schuster, 2020) (4.5) Touched: For Survivors of Sexual Assault Like Me Who Have Been Hurt by Church Folk and Those Who Care by Shanell T. Smith (Fortress Press, Read More …
Great New Books – April 2020 (#1860)
Over the last 30 days, I read several new books. The top ten (all published in the last twelve months) are (5.0) The Velvet Rope Economy: How Inequality Became Big Business by Nelson D. Schwartz (Doubleday, 2020) (4.5) Broken Faith: Inside the World of Faith Fellowship, One of America's Most Dangerous Cults by Mitch Weiss and Holbrook Mohr (Hanover Square Press, 2020) (4.5) Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before they Happen by Dan Heath (Avid Reader Press, 2020) (4.0) When my Time Read More …
Great New Books – March 2020 (#1855)
During the last month, I read ten great new books (published in 2019 or 2020): (5.0) Saving God from Religion: A Minister's Search for Faith in a Skeptical Age by Robin R. Meyers (Convergent Books, 2020)(4.5) Materiality as Resistance: Five Elements for Moral Action in the Real World by Walter Brueggemann (Westminster John Knox Press , 2020)(4.5) Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement edited by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha and Ejiris Dixon Read More …
Great New Books – February 2020 (#1850)
During the first month of 2020, I read ten great new books (published in 2020): (5.0) Where Goodness Still Grows: Reclaiming Virtue in an Age of Hypocrisy by Amy Peterson (W Publishing Group, 2020) (4.5) We Were Spiritual Refugees: A Story to Help You Believe in Church by Katie Hays (Eerdmans, 2020) (4.5) Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (Knopf, 2020) (4.5) Another Way: Living and Leading Change on Purpose by Stephen Read More …
Top 20 Books of the 2010s (#1844)
For the last ten years I've published an annual list of my top ten books published each year. While these lists have been alphabetical rather than in rank order, they've also included mention of two books from each list that had the greatest impact on me that year. Over the last decade that adds up to 20 books that have significantly impacted me. Author Title Year Diana Butler Bass Christianity After Religion: The End of the Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Read More …
Top 10 Books of 2019 (#1840)
In 2010, I started publishing a list of my top books of the year each year here at So What Faith. The 2019 edition (aka the 10th Annual) of the best books of the year follows. Author Title Chris Arnade Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America Claire Brown and Michael T. McRay Keep Watch with Me: An Advent Reader for Peacemakers Bruce Deel Trust First: A True Story About the Power of Giving People Second Chances Lenny Duncan Read More …
5 Star Books Published in 2019 (#1839)
Over the course of this year, I've provided ratings here at So What Faith for well over 100 books published in 2019. This year 17% of those volumes earned a rating of 5 or better (including 4 books that received a rating of 5+). These books are listed below in alphabetical order by author last name. Author Title Chris Arnade Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America Susan Beaumont How to Lead When You Don't Know Where You're Going: Leading in a Liminal Read More …
Book Recommendations – December 2019 (#1838)
My final monthly list of recommended reads for the year features thirteen books published in 2019, including three focused on Advent. (5.0) Keep Watch with Me: An Advent Reader for Peacemakers by Claire Brown and Michael T. McRay (Abingdon Press, 2019)(5.0) The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall (Simon & Schuster, 2019)(4.5) Light of the World: A Beginner's Guide to Advent by Amy-Jill Levine (Abingdon Press, 2019)(4.5) Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Read More …
Book Recommendations – November 2019 (#1832)
Over the last several weeks, I've read a wide variety of new books. The list below features the ten best books I read in the last month that were published in 2019. (5.0) Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus by Jim Wallis (HarperOne, 2019)(5.0) How to Lead When You Don't Know Where You're Going: Leading in a Liminal Season by Susan Beaumont (Rowan and Littlefield Publishers, 2019)(4.5) Miracles and Other Reasonable Things: A Story of Unlearning and Relearning God by Sarah Read More …