What books have you read/listened to this year?

Reflections on Reading: Two Years of Books

If future generations ever analyze this blog, they might find intriguing clues in my reading list—artifacts of a mind shaped by varied perspectives, genres, and ideas. Books have always been more than a pastime for me; they’re dialogues with thinkers, glimpses into different worlds, and provocations that challenge my own assumptions.

“Reading is an honor and a gift from a warrior or historian who—a decade or a thousand decades ago—set aside time to write. He distilled a lifetime of campaigning in order to have a “conversation” with you.” – Jim Mattis, Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead

This post is a catalog of my reading journey from the past two years. While I haven’t kept as meticulous records as in previous years (a personal quirk I’ve been trying to resist), I’ve managed to compile a list of titles that have influenced my musings here. You’ll find an eclectic spread—some history, sociology, philosophy, and psychology, but very little fiction. Some authors affirm my worldview; others confront it. Some books were deeply moving, others mere curiosities. Together, they’ve been a journey into new ideas and old wisdom.

It’s fascinating to imagine that one day, an AI might analyze this list in conjunction with my blog posts to create a more nuanced understanding of who I am—or, at least, who I present myself to be. Perhaps an AI could use such insights to recreate a version of me, a digital avatar capable of responding as if it were me. What a strange thought, that this collection of books and writings could become the foundation for a future persona, mirroring my style, reasoning, and even quirks. Something to ponder, as I consider the legacy of both the books I’ve read and the ideas I’ve shared.

One noteworthy trend: my shift away from physical books due to the space constraints of a personal library already bursting at the seams. Digital and audiobooks have taken precedence, and while they lack the tactile charm of paper, they’ve broadened what I can explore. I still value a multi-format experience, though I’m learning to savor the less tangible benefits of decluttering.

“If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren’t broad enough to sustain you… Reading sheds light on the dark path ahead. By traveling into the past, I enhance my grasp of the present.” – Jim Mattis, Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead

My intention in sharing this list isn’t just to document but to offer insight—both into what informs my writing and perhaps into the intersections of thought, belief, and curiosity that define me. Let’s embark on this retrospective of books read, ideas encountered, and perhaps lessons learned.

Note: Keeping track of every article, journal, blog, website, and documentary I consume would be an impossible task. The breadth and variety of these sources—ephemeral yet deeply influential—make them difficult to catalog in any meaningful way. Therefore, this post is focused solely on the books I’ve read or listened to, offering a glimpse into the more enduring pieces of my intellectual journey. It’s not a comprehensive map of all my learning, but it does reflect the more deliberate choices I’ve made in pursuit of understanding.

2024

• Hardcore Self Help: F**k Depression, Book 2 of 2: Hardcore Self Help, by Robert Duff
• What’s the Point of Theology?: Wisdom, Wellbeing and Wonder, by Alister E. McGrath
• Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State, by Daniel Dreisbach
• Did America Have a Christian Founding?: Separating Modern Myth from Historical Truth, by Mark David Hall
• The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’s Essential Teachings on Discipleship, by Dallas Willard
• The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature, by Matt Ridley
• The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, by Nancy Pearcey
• Don’t Follow Your Heart: Boldly Breaking the Ten Commandments of Self-Worship, by Thaddeus J. Williams and Carl Trueman
• The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology, by Robert Wright
• Biblical Perspectives on Nudity: Understanding Biblical Verses on Nudity and God’s Design for the Human Body, Book 2 of 42: The Christian Nudist, by Justine Hudson
• A Christian Perspective on Nudity: A Guide On How To Be An Honorable Christian Nudist and Fully Embracing Faith in the Buff, Book 1 of 42: The Christian Nudist, by Justine Hudson
• Know the Heretics (KNOW Series Book 2), by Justin S. Holcomb
• Know the Creeds and Councils (Includes Free Streaming Video) (KNOW Series Book 1), by Justin S. Holcomb
• The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World’s Largest Religion, by Rodney Stark
• Classic Christian Thinkers: An Introduction, by Kenneth Richard Samples
• Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies, by N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird
• Surprised Into Freedom: The Effortless Obliteration of Lust and Body Shame, by Philip Oak
• Ask Powerful Questions: Create Conversations That Matter, by Will Wise and Chad Littlefield
• The Power of Awareness: And Other Secrets from the World’s Foremost Spies, Detectives, and Special Operators on How to Stay Safe and Save Your Life, by Dan Schilling
• Ghost Stories: Stephen Fry’s Definitive Collection, by Stephen Fry, Washington Irving, et al.
• Billy Budd: Sailor, by Herman Melville
• Intellectuals and Race, by Thomas Sowell
• 1984, by George Orwell
• Psalms, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• Black Rednecks & White Liberals, by Thomas Sowell
• Letter to the American Church, by Eric Metaxas
• Push Back: Assert Yourself in Relationships, by Monica Johnson, The Great Courses, et al.
• The Confession of St Patrick
• Meditation, by Marcus Aurelius
• Nightfall and Other Stories, by Isaac Asimov
• Our Secular Age: Ten Years of Reading and Applying Charles Taylor, by Collin Hansen , Derek Rishmawy, et al.
• Greenlights, by Matthew McConaughey
• The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, by Dalai Lama , Desmond Tutu , et al.
• Defying Jihad: The Dramatic True Story of a Woman Who Volunteered to Kill Infidels–and Then Faced Death for Becoming One, by Esther Ahmad
• Secrets of the Occult, by Richard B. Spence and The Great Courses

“Don’t just say that you have read books. Show that through them you have learned to think better.” – Epictetus

2022-23

• Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes: Patronage, Honor, and Shame in the Biblical World, by E. Randolph Richards, Richard James, et al.
• Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible, by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien
• George Washington’s Rules of Civility
• The Digital Mindset: What It Really Takes to Thrive in the Age of Data, Algorithms, and AI, by Paul Leonardi & Tsedal Neeley
• South Sea Tales, by Jack London
• There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important than Kindness: And Other Thoughts on Physics, Philosophy and the World, by Carlo Rovelli
• The Night Trilogy: Night, Dawn, Day, by Elie Wiesel
• Strange New World, by Carl R. Trueman
• The Real History of Secret Societies, Professor Richard B. Spence, The Great Courses
• The Life and Writings of John Milton, by Seth Lerer, The Great Courses
• The Untold Story of the New Testament, by Frank Viola
• Jesus’s Broken Church by Peter DeHaan
• Resilient, by John Eldredge
• The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, by Carl R. Trueman
• Understanding the Dark Side of Human Nature, by Professor Daniel Breyer, The Great Courses
• It Worked for Me, by Colin Powell
• The Art of War, by Andrew R. Wilson, The Great Courses
• The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership, by Tim Elmore
• Digital Transformation, by Thomas M. Siebel
• San Fransicko, by Michael Shellenberger
• Tiny Habits, by BJ Fogg PhD
• The Quest for Cosmic Justice, by Thomas Sowell
• The Iliad of Homer, by Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
• Person of Interest by, J. Warner Wallace
• Greek Tragedy, by Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
• The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World, by Robert Garland, The Great Courses
• The Wisdom of the Native Americans by Kent Nerburn
• Whole Brain Living, by Jill Bolte Taylor PhD
• Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book III: Lesser Evil), by Timothy Zahn
• The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg
• The Extraordinary Coach, by John H. Zenger, Kathleen Stinnett
• Inspired By … The Bible Experience Audio Bible – Today’s New International Version, TNIV: Old Testament, by Inspired By Media Group
• The Lakota Way, by Joseph M. Marshall
• Manage Your Energy Not Your Time, by Chuck Marunde J.D.
• Dante’s Divine Comedy, by The Great Courses, Ronald B. Herzman, William R. Cook
• Great Lives, by Charles Swindoll
• White Fragility, by Dr. Robin DiAngelo, Michael Eric Dyson – foreword
• Powerful Women of the Medieval World, by Dorsey Armstrong, The Great Courses
• Unquestioned Answers, by Jeff Myers
• A New Dawn: Star Wars by John Jackson Miller
• Paul, by N. T. Wright
• Scientism and Secularism, by J. P. Moreland
• Speechless, by Michael Knowles
• Build a Better Brain, by Peter Hollins
• Go the Way Your Blood Beats, by Michael Amherst
• Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth, by Thaddeus J. Williams
• Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book II: Greater Good), by Timothy Zahn
• Manipulated, by Theresa Payton
• Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman
• The Infinite Game, by Simon Sinek

Recently (not sure exactly when I read them)

• Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book I), by Timothy Zahn
• Joseph a Man of Integrity, by Charles Swindoll
• The Unseen Realm, by Michael Heiser
• The Victory of Reason, by Rodney Stark
• Magna Carta, by Dan Jones
• The Knowledge Illusion, by Steven Sloman and Philip Fernbach
• Happiness in This Life, by Pope Francis
• Crusaders, by Dan Jones
• Polymath, by Peter Hollins
• The Daily Stoic, by Ryan Holiday
• That All Shall be Saved, by David Bentley Hart
• The History of Sexuality, by Michel Foucault
• Hope For All, Ten Reason God’s Love Prevails, by Garry Beauchemin
• Raising Hell, by Julie Ferwerda
• Hell’s Illusion, by Don Keathley
• Love Wins, by Rob Bell
• Sift Corruption, How Unethical Conduct Undermines Good Government and What to Do About It, by William Schluter

Excerpt

Books shape us, offering windows into worlds and mirrors to our minds. Over two years, my eclectic reading—history, philosophy, sociology—has influenced this blog’s musings. Imagine an AI one day analyzing these titles to recreate my persona, responding as me. Here’s the list: a legacy of ideas, curiosities, and reflections.