Last year I read 25 Books Every Christian Should Read and it made me wonder what 25 books I would recommend if I were on the editorial board that put such a book together. I started jotting down a few that came to mind and the list just kept growing.
But then it dawned on me that a lot of the books that influenced me most deeply were not specifically about faith, theology or Christianity. So my list grew even larger as I thought of great books of literature, history, mystery and non-fiction.
Out of all that came an idea. I write a lot of book reviews on this blog, but what if I wrote about the 25 books that most influenced my life? Now I began to really think about the list and refine it to fit that criteria. These had to be books of true significance, not just fun or interesting reads, but transformational in some way.
Thus begins this new blog series about the Twenty Five Books That Influenced My Life. I’ll try to post once a week or so, sharing a new book each time.
But first, a caveat. When I asked for ideas to fill out the list, a lot of people immediately said, “The Bible.” Okay, that’s a nice sentiment and is probably the most correct answer to which books most influenced my life. But it’s also so wildly obvious that it didn’t seem very helpful. Besides, the Bible is a collection of books, poetry, songs, stories, visions and so forth. It’s not really one book. Anyway, I’ve chosen to not include it on the list. Damn me to hell if you wish, but I think God will understand.
That aside, I look forward to sharing the list with you. Look for #25 in a few days and we’ll start counting upward to #1.
Want to read more about my top 25? Here is the list thus far:
Twenty Five Books That Influenced My Life – #20
Twenty Five Books That Influenced My Life – #21
Twenty Five Books That Influenced My Life – #22
Twenty Five Books That Influenced My Life – #23
Twenty Five Books That Influenced My Life – #24
Twenty Five Books That Influenced My Life – #25