My 2024 Q2 Reading List

Below are the books that I finished reading over the last few months,

including some excellent memoirs and 

a handful of must-reads.

2024 Book 13: You Are Not Your Own by Alan Noble

I was very challenged by this book – with many moments of extreme discomfort – being called out of my self-focus and self-pity to a place of others-centric compassion and kindness. I will re-read it (probably again this year) and highly recommend it.

2024 Book 14: Ghosted by Nancy French

Wow! An incredible memoir! Nancy’s story is a confluence of Hillbilly Elegy, Educated, and Beth Moore’s memoir. It left me with deep sorrow and remorse for the times when I have contributed to someone’s pain and suffering by not standing up for them when they were being hurt or treated wrongly.

2024 Book 15: A Faith That Will Not Fail by Michele Cushatt

Somehow, I made it to middle age believing that the pain I’ve experienced in the last few years meant that I was being punished for doing something wrong or that God was angry with me or disappointed in me. Mercifully, God used a couple of people, including Michele, to teach me that my beliefs were completely false, and to guide me to a place where my faith has not only stayed intact but has transformed and grown into something richer and deeper than I ever imagined possible. To say that the wisdom Michele shares has been a lifeline is an understatement without exaggeration. If your world has fallen apart, this is a must-read.

You are welcome to listen to the wonderful conversation I had with Michele about some of the topics from this book.

2024 Book 16: Revelation (A 12-Week Study) by Stephen Witmer

Having been raised with a very premillennial, pretribulation theology of the end times, I wanted to do a study from a different perspective of the meanings of the book of Revelation. What I appreciated most about the study was how it connected its asserted beliefs back to prophecies from the Hebrew Scriptures, as well as the teachings of Jesus Christ and the first century Christians. Chapters 4-8 were especially moving and illuming to me in ways that I have not experienced before.

2024 Book 17: The Home Place by J. Drew Lanham

A beautifully written memoir that deepened my love for plants, trees, flowers, and wildlife, and reminded me how privileged I am to have lived in places that have allowed me to spend many hours in nature.

2024 Book 18: Where the Light Fell by Philip Yancey

This is the third memoir I’ve read this year by people raised in the South (spanning the 1950s through the 1990s). Each memoir brought to mind Joan Didion’s South and West that shares her observations as a Californian touring the South in the summer of 1970. Even though I have made dozens of work trips all over the South, the cultures and ideologies described by French, Lanham, and Yancey are still other-worldly to me, foreign from my California upbringing and life experiences. And, utterly fascinating. The most distressing part of Yancey’s memoir is the stubbornness of his own mother – her ideology makes little to no room for grace – a theme present in French and Lanham’s lives as well and left me examining my life to root out where pride and self-righteousness have overruled love and grace. (BTW: I could not put down Yancey’s book that I read earlier this year #5).

2024 Book 19: Holy Unhappiness by Amanda Held Opelt

If you’ve felt disappointed by life or a general undercurrent of restlessness, Amanda’s book is a must-read. Somewhere along the way I bought the line that if I’m “good” and I “do the right things” that I am owed happiness. Amanda breaks down the underlying assumptions and beliefs about this transactional exchange and points us to a better path. I have read this book three times and will re-read it again – the wisdom and philosophy are sound.

You are welcome to listen to my conversation with Amanda about some of the themes in her book.

2024 Book 20: The Holy Wild by Mark Buchanan

A deeply rich and poetic look at the attributes of God. Mark’s stories and metaphors brought me to tears multiple times as I saw my Creator and Sustainer in ways I had not thought about before. This is one that I will certainly re-read (the same is true for his book that I read earlier this year, #6).

2024 Book 21: Beyond Boundaries by Timothy Keller

An eye-opening booklet about the exclusivity and inclusivity of Christianity. Sadly, it seems to be out of print or no longer available for purchase.

2024 Book 22: Jesus, Life Coach by Laurie Beth Jones

2024 Book 23: Jesus, CEO by Laurie Beth Jones

2024 Book 24: Who Moved My Cheese? By Spencer Johnson, M.D.

I read each of these over 15 years ago and thought it was time to re-read them. They each have some decent foundational principles and illuminating stories, but I discovered, by re-reading them, that much of my own personal ideology about business and leadership has changed significantly enough that I don’t value the information they share like I once did.

2024 Book 25: Live Your Truth and Other Lies by Alisa Childers

Much of the frustration and angst that I have been working through in my own life over the last few years is the direct result of me buying into ideologies and philosophies that place me/myself/the self at the center of the universe rather than placing the Creator of the Universe at the center. Alisa’s review of these false ideologies and philosophies is a helpful starting place for someone just beginning to have this awareness.

2024 Book 26: It Wasn’t Roaring, It Was Weeping by Lisa-Jo Baker

Lisa-Jo’s memoir shows how easily anger, unforgiveness, and pain are passed from one generation to the next. Her honest and stark telling of her recognition that she was passing on the same was a haunting reminder that I too am capable of mean and unacceptable behavior. 

2024 Book 27: Biblical Lovemaking by Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum

A Hebrew Scholar walks through the Old Testament scriptures of The Song of Solomon (aka Song of Songs) unpacking the meaning of the story, showing both its literal and cultural interpretations. A wonderful companion book to someone wanting to understand The Song of Songs.

2024 Book 28: On Getting Out of Bed by Alan Noble

If you’ve ever pulled the covers back over your head and not wanted to face the day, this is a must-read.

If you’ve ever questioned the value of your life, this is a must-read.

Alan is honest and forthright about the difficulties of this life and gives hope for how to make it through the hard and painful days.

2024 Book 29: Forgive by Timothy Keller

Most of us are told to forgive but aren’t told why we should or how we should. Keller does a masterful job of thoroughly exploring the what, why, and how of forgiveness, as well as reviewing the history and roots of forgiveness, the various, and often competing, ideologies and philosophies of forgiveness, what is taught about forgiveness in the main religions of the world. As with his book that I read earlier this year (#8), this book is transformational and life-changing, and I will definitely read it again.

You can always find my previous reading lists here.

I have a stack that I'm currently reading through, 

but I always want to hear from you about 

what I need to add to my must-read list, 

especially biographies/memoirs, spiritual development,

soul care, and cultural thought-leadership.

Happy reading!