2021 Reading List
Whatchya been up to, Goble? Well, glad you asked. Here’s my reading list:
The Italian Camino, by Maggie Ramsay. Honestly, it just bored me to tears. I couldn’t finish.
1984, George Orwell. A classic worth reading every decade or so.
Subpar Parks, by Amber Share. Hilarious, sad, beautiful artwork, and overall just plain fun. If you love National Parks as I do, you’ll laugh out loud at this collection of one-star reviews.
The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles. A huge hit, but I couldn’t get into the story. It just felt like one bad decision after another.
The Man Who Died Twice, by Richard Osman. The second book in the Thursday Murder Club series, and it might even be better than the first (which I loved).
The True Believer, by Eric Hoffer. A classic that will make you think about the current political climate.
The President’s Devotional, by Joshua DuBois. Wow. Just wow. If you are looking for a daily devotional book, look no further. Get this.
The Last Bookshop in London, by Madeline Martin. People love this book. I’m not one of them.
You Suck at Racing, by Ian Korf. Because let’s face it, I do.
On the Shortness of Life, by Seneca. Powerful ancient essay.
Preparing for Christmas, by Richard Rohr. These are daily meditations for Advent, but I found myself bored. Which is odd because Rohr is anything but boring. Oh well.
Epic Drives of the World, by Lonely Planet. A fun book. I’ll never get to all of these drives, but it’s fun to dream.
The Quiche of Death, by M.C. Beaton. It was free on Kindle Unlimited. Other than that … it didn’t have much going for it.
The ESV Bible. Never read through this translation of the bible before. And I’ve never read through the bible in a year by doing it straight through — Genesis to Revelation. Usually I do a bit of OT, a few Psalms, a bit of NT each day. But reading 3-5 chapters a day starting with Genesis 1 was a fun way to do it.
The Baseball 100, by Joe Posnanski. A list, in order, of the authors 100 top players. Great stuff for baseball fans. And it accurately has Willie Mays at #1.
Know What You’re For, by Jeff Henderson. Look, it’s not a bad book. It’s just the messaging, marketing, and style is so predictable. Very bible belt evangelical. The guy even calls himself a thought leader. Just … stop.
The Windsor Knot, by SJ Bennett. Simple fun, silly premise, not really worth your time … but oddly enjoyable.
Illuminate, by Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez. Good book for anyone needing to communicate a message.
Death and Croissants, by Ian Moore. Silly plot, but very funny. A good bubble gum book (just there to please with no real value).
Silverview, by John le Carre. The authors last completed novel. Conflicted themes, complicated motivations, and no patronizing solutions. Just like all the authors books. Great stuff.
The Anthropocene Reviewed, by John Green. Simply brilliant. The audiobook is especially good because the author has such a unique take on things; his angst, bias, and enthusiasm all come out.
Death Knocks Twice, by Robert Thorogood. Escapism fun. Good characters.
The Writing of the Gods, by Edward Dolnick. A fun book about the race to translate the Rosetta Stone.
The Cause, by Joseph Ellis. Another solid historical look at the American Revolution.
Taste, by Stanley Tucci. A few laugh out loud moments, and a lot more mouth watering recipes. Well done, Stanley, well done.
Pilgrimage to Eternity, by Timothy Egan. Might be my favorite book of the year. It’s that good.
The Redemptive Business, by the folks at Praxis. Good little book!
Make Work Matter, by Michaela O’Donnell. Critically important book in this field.
What if Jesus was Serious? By Skye Jethani. Nothing against the author or the book, but it’s sad it has to be published. Oh, and it doesn’t say anything that thousands of us haven’t already said for decades.
Faith Driven Entrepreneur, by Henry Kaestner. Henry is one of the co-writers but he’s the force behind this. Great book if the topic interests you (it does me).
3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager, by Kara Powell. If you parent teens or soon to be teens, read this one.
Three Ordinary Girls, by Tim Brady. The “three ordinary girls” were resistance fighters in the Amsterdam region during WWII. They are fascinating. The book, though, doesn’t tell me enough about them.
The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides. What a stupid book. I have no idea why this is all the rage. Seriously, a third of the way into it I knew how it was going to end.
Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming. I had never read the original James Bond book. As always, it’s better than the movie (though in serious need of updating its view of women).
The Italian Camino, by Maggie Ramsay. Honestly, it just bored me to tears. I couldn’t finish.
1984, George Orwell. A classic worth reading every decade or so.
Subpar Parks, by Amber Share. Hilarious, sad, beautiful artwork, and overall just plain fun. If you love National Parks as I do, you’ll laugh out loud at this collection of one-star reviews.
The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles. A huge hit, but I couldn’t get into the story. It just felt like one bad decision after another.
The Man Who Died Twice, by Richard Osman. The second book in the Thursday Murder Club series, and it might even be better than the first (which I loved).
The True Believer, by Eric Hoffer. A classic that will make you think about the current political climate.
The President’s Devotional, by Joshua DuBois. Wow. Just wow. If you are looking for a daily devotional book, look no further. Get this.
The Last Bookshop in London, by Madeline Martin. People love this book. I’m not one of them.
You Suck at Racing, by Ian Korf. Because let’s face it, I do.
On the Shortness of Life, by Seneca. Powerful ancient essay.
Preparing for Christmas, by Richard Rohr. These are daily meditations for Advent, but I found myself bored. Which is odd because Rohr is anything but boring. Oh well.
Epic Drives of the World, by Lonely Planet. A fun book. I’ll never get to all of these drives, but it’s fun to dream.
The Quiche of Death, by M.C. Beaton. It was free on Kindle Unlimited. Other than that … it didn’t have much going for it.
The ESV Bible. Never read through this translation of the bible before. And I’ve never read through the bible in a year by doing it straight through — Genesis to Revelation. Usually I do a bit of OT, a few Psalms, a bit of NT each day. But reading 3-5 chapters a day starting with Genesis 1 was a fun way to do it.
The Baseball 100, by Joe Posnanski. A list, in order, of the authors 100 top players. Great stuff for baseball fans. And it accurately has Willie Mays at #1.
Know What You’re For, by Jeff Henderson. Look, it’s not a bad book. It’s just the messaging, marketing, and style is so predictable. Very bible belt evangelical. The guy even calls himself a thought leader. Just … stop.
The Windsor Knot, by SJ Bennett. Simple fun, silly premise, not really worth your time … but oddly enjoyable.
Illuminate, by Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez. Good book for anyone needing to communicate a message.
Death and Croissants, by Ian Moore. Silly plot, but very funny. A good bubble gum book (just there to please with no real value).
Silverview, by John le Carre. The authors last completed novel. Conflicted themes, complicated motivations, and no patronizing solutions. Just like all the authors books. Great stuff.
The Anthropocene Reviewed, by John Green. Simply brilliant. The audiobook is especially good because the author has such a unique take on things; his angst, bias, and enthusiasm all come out.
Death Knocks Twice, by Robert Thorogood. Escapism fun. Good characters.
The Writing of the Gods, by Edward Dolnick. A fun book about the race to translate the Rosetta Stone.
The Cause, by Joseph Ellis. Another solid historical look at the American Revolution.
Taste, by Stanley Tucci. A few laugh out loud moments, and a lot more mouth watering recipes. Well done, Stanley, well done.
Pilgrimage to Eternity, by Timothy Egan. Might be my favorite book of the year. It’s that good.
The Redemptive Business, by the folks at Praxis. Good little book!
Make Work Matter, by Michaela O’Donnell. Critically important book in this field.
What if Jesus was Serious? By Skye Jethani. Nothing against the author or the book, but it’s sad it has to be published. Oh, and it doesn’t say anything that thousands of us haven’t already said for decades.
Faith Driven Entrepreneur, by Henry Kaestner. Henry is one of the co-writers but he’s the force behind this. Great book if the topic interests you (it does me).
3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager, by Kara Powell. If you parent teens or soon to be teens, read this one.
Three Ordinary Girls, by Tim Brady. The “three ordinary girls” were resistance fighters in the Amsterdam region during WWII. They are fascinating. The book, though, doesn’t tell me enough about them.
The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides. What a stupid book. I have no idea why this is all the rage. Seriously, a third of the way into it I knew how it was going to end.
Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming. I had never read the original James Bond book. As always, it’s better than the movie (though in serious need of updating its view of women).
The Man with the Silver Saab, by Alexander McCall Smith. Third book in this series, which has me hooked. Not a great story, but good escapism fun.
First Friends, by Gary Ginsberg. Excellent book — a fresh way to look at several American Presidents.
The Cloudbuster Nine, by Anne Keene. Nice family memory that tells an untold story about baseball during World War II. But not all that engaging.
The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig. One of the few popular books that’s worth the fuss. A very fun concept for a story, though the ending was predictable.
Low: An Honest Agent Devotional, by John Pavlovitz. Absolutely well worth reading.
The Anglican Rosary, by Jenny Estes. Interesting history of this liturgical work.
The Riddle of the Sands, by Erskine Childers. A very early — perhaps the first — English spy novel. Worth reading for the literary noteworthiness of the genre, but not an especially interesting book.
The Edge of the Inside, by Fred Smith. A collection of his teachings and a beautiful set of writings.
Stranger Diaries, by Elly Griffiths. This series hasn’t engaged me. Might be that I didn’t connect with the characters. Might be that I was hoping for more local color and insight. Might be that the plot was just stupid.
The Postscript Murders, by Elly Griffiths. See above.
Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson. Everyone raves about the book. I dunno, I felt like it was all obvious. Which doesn’t mean it’s not a great book. Just that, to me, it felt like information and perspective I already had.
Brunetti’s Venice, by Toni Sepeda. If you enjoy Donna Leon’s books about Venice, you’ll enjoy this walking tour of the city through her main characters eyes.
The Purpose Path, by Nicholas Pearce. Nice book about finding your purpose. A little late for me, though!
The 10 Rules of Successful Nations, by Ruchir Sharma. Overall a very good book. Plenty of details to argue about, but nothing that makes me dislike the book. Some solid insights.
Somewhere to Follow, by Paul Willis. Beautifully written book of poetry by Paul. Highly recommend.
Begin Again, by Eddie Glaude. An interesting personal take on how James Baldwin has a new resonance for today.
West with the Night, by Beryl Markham. An extraordinary memoir of courage and adventure.
The Killing of Polly Carter, by Robert Thorogood. Good summer vacation read.
Journal of a Trapper, by Osborne Russell. First hand memoir of a trappers time in the Yellowstone and Grand Teton region.
Mountain Man: John Colter, the Lewis & Clark Expedition, and the Call of the American West, by David Weston Marshall. Probably more than I really wanted to know, but a good historical primer to a Yellowstone visit coming up soon.
The Ninefold Path of Jesus, by Mark Scandrette. Mark was kind enough to send me an early copy. Good stuff based on the Beatitudes.
The Year of Our Lord 1943, by Alan Jacobs. Much of this was way too complex for me to follow.
A Book of Uncommon Prayer, by Brian Doyle. Brilliant, excellent, superbly well written … do you think maybe I loved this book?
Busman’s Honeymoon, by Dorothy Sayers. Many people love this one, but for me it’s not one of her best mysteries. That said, if you want details of English countryside living about 100 years ago, it’s filled with detail!
Breaking Bread With the Dead, by Alan Jacobs. What a wonderful book! Get this one. You won’t be disappointed.
Why We Drive, by Matthew Crawford. The author tried too hard.
Paul Among the People, by Sarah Ruden. Very interesting book by a Greek/Hebrew/Latin translator who knows her stuff. She presents Paul in a completely different light from our contemporary lenses.
The World-Ending Fire, by Wendell Berry. A collection of his writings. Whenever I read Berry I find myself slowing down, taking a gentler pace, and breathing it in. This collection will do that to you.
Compassion (&) Conviction, by Justin Giboney and others. A really good overview of how Christians can be involved with politics without selling their souls.
The Gospels, by Sarah Ruden. Well, the translation is by Sarah Ruden. And it’s an interesting translation. I actually enjoyed the introduction best. I’m sure bible scholars will either applaud or wet their pants on this one.
Junkyards, Gearheads, and Rust, by David N. Lucsko. If you want a history of this industry, this is the book to read. Otherwise … well, not sure it will have a broad appeal.
A Burning in my Bones, by Winn Collier. One of the better biographies I’ve read, at least of a person so recently with us. Eugene Peterson is fully evident in this book, his strengths and weaknesses, his heart and mind.
Where Love Is There God is Also, by Leo Tolstoy. I’m actually a bit flabbergasted that I’ve never heard of this book. Came across it randomly when I read a quote from it. This is great stuff, if entirely too short.
An Essay on Man, by Alexander Pope. I’ve never read this collection of writings and, though tough at times, it was interesting.
A Meditation on Murder, by Robert Thorogood. Fun mystery set in the Caribbean. Vacation book.
On Juneteenth, by Annette Gordon-Reed. Part reflection on her life growing up in Texas, part history, part social commentary … from a winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
Beginner’s Mind, by Yo-Yo Ma. Fun audiobook that includes his music, so how can you go wrong?
The Bomber Mafia, by Malcolm Gladwell. Interesting look at the history of American air power. Made for an audiobook, so buy it in that form instead of the hard copies.
Transient Desires, by Donna Leon. I love her books but this one felt meandering and ended predictably.
The Christian Imagination, by Willie James Jennings. Got to admit it was over my head at times. But still an important book for a white guy like me to read and learn from.
The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman. We have a winner! Great story, interesting characters, fun plot.
The Marlow Murder Club, by Robert Thorogood. A fun book. Clever characters, lots of twists, great vacation read.
Junkyard at No Town, by J.C. Myers. Not worth it.
Guilt at the Garage, by Simon Brett. I should love this book: and English mystery set in my ancestral home. But I found it contrived.
The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell, by Lonnie Wheeler. Each year about this time I read a baseball related book. This is an excellent one.
Black Fortunes, by Shomari Wills. A long overdue book about the post slavery African-American millionaires. But not a business book, and as a history book it sometimes felt rambling.
Dusk, Night, Dawn, by Anne Lamott. Anne is a genius in her own befuddled way. I love listening to her audiobooks because she brings all the joy, angst, and truth into the book. But then I end up buying the hard copy so I can underline things!
Redemption Song, by Robert McLean Thompson. It’s not like I need to know about Jamaican history or theology, but it’s always good to read something my spiritual guide suggests. And it’s an insightful book.
The Code Breaker, by Walter Isaacson. Another great biography from this author, and especially relevant today.
After Whiteness, by Willie James Jennings. Brilliant book. This one made me ask new questions and I’m still searching for the answers.
The Daughters of Kobani, by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. I really wanted to love this book, but it didn’t feel like it knew what it wanted to be. A war story? A feminist story? A political story? A cultural story? Put together, it didn’t work for me.
The Encircling Sea, by Adrian Goldsworthy. Fun historical fiction.
Keep Sharp, by Sanjay Gupta. Interesting book about how our brain develops dementia and what we can do to prevent it.
Junk to Gold, by Willis Johnson. Fun book about a contemporary who turned his family junkyard into an empire.
Humor, Seriously. By Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas. Fantastic book about using humor to lead. It affirms much of what I wrote about in my book Salvaged … but whereas I had great anecdotes, they had research.
Think Again, by Adam Grant. Excellent book about how we can make better decisions and help others see things differently.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, by Charlie Mackesy. Sweet children’s book that adults are loving. My opinion? Meh.
Business Made Simple, by Donald Miller. Um, no. I can’t imagine any serious business person learning a thing from this book.
The Upswing, by Robert Putnam. Best book I’ve read about social trends in … years. Maybe longer. A must read.
The Man With Two Names, by Vincent Davis. I understand why I started this book. Not sure why I finished it.
From These Broken Streets, by Roland Merullo. I’m a fan of Merullo’s work and this doesn’t disappoint. Naples, Italy, 1943. Fun historical fiction.
The Feather Thief, by Kirk Wallace Johnson. The story of the great feather heist! I’m serious … a rabid fly tyer breaks into a museum to steal mummified rare birds. Crazy true story.
Let Us Dream, by Pope Francis. First half of the book is inspiring and thoughtful. Second half gets into the weeds and loses itself a bit.
Olive, Mabel & Me, by Andrew Cotter. Love dogs? Love humor? Love hiking with dogs while telling jokes? You’re going to love this book.
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