I always enjoy end-of-the-year book lists, whether they’re awards (e.g., from Christianity Today or The Gospel Coalition) or the best books someone read in a given year (e.g., from Russell Moore or my former JBU colleague Jessica Hooten Wilson).
So, I thought, “Why not get in on the fun?”
Here are my favorite books I read this year, both nonfiction and fiction…
Nonfiction
Reading While Black (Esau McCaulley, 2020)
One of the first books I read this year was also one of my favorites — and I read most of it in one sitting! McCaulley’s book is a theological memoir of sorts, reflecting on how his upbringing in Alabama shaped his understanding of the Bible. He simultaneously argues that reading the Bible from the perspective of Black America can illuminate Scripture in 21st century America on a variety of relevant issues. It’s an important work from an emerging voice in evangelical theology.
“Here Are Your Gods” (Christopher Wright, 2020)
We might be tempted to think of idols as far off or irrelevant — after all, who among us has fashioned a bull from melted gold? But in “Here are Your Gods,” Christopher Wright reminds us that idols provide myriad temptations in the lives of Christians, and that a Biblical framework is helpful in combating the dangers of idolatry in daily living. From the personal to the political, Wright’s discussion is applicable to any of us navigating a postmodern (and post-Christian) culture.
Robin (Dave Itzkoff, 2018)
A friend recommended I read Itzkoff’s biography of the late Robin Williams, and I’m so glad he did. I thought I was familiar with Williams’ life and career, but Itzkoff’s book was nothing short of illuminating. He writes of Williams as a larger-than-life and meteoric personality on the one hand, and a deeply insecure and plagued character on the other. Itzkoff draws on hundreds of conversations with Williams’ friends, family, and contemporaries, painting a fascinating and tragic picture of a complicated, one-of-a-kind performer.
You Are Not Your Own (Alan Noble, 2021)
At the risk of overstating things, Alan Noble is a voice our generation sorely needs. In You are Not Your Own, Noble reminds readers that a culture prioritizing self-enrichment and self-discovery is putting its emphasis in the wrong place. Drawing on philosophy, theology, technology, and more, Noble convincingly shows the security and satisfaction of belonging wholly to God in an age marked by distractions and indulgence.
Reading the Times (Jeffrey Bilbro, 2021)
Jeff Bilbro has authored many things over the years—including books on Wendell Berry and Christian ecology—but it’s hard to imagine a more timely and necessary book than his latest. Reading the Times encourages readers to reorient the way we consume media and gather information, coupling Biblical principles like discernment and wisdom to how we make sense of the world around us. It is, simply put, precisely the book we need at this particular moment.
Fiction
Sandcastle (Pierre Oscar Levy, 2011)
A graphic (and graphic) novel depicting a beach where people age rapidly upon arrival, Sandcastle is mysterious, odd, and thought-provoking, inspiring reflections on mortality and free will. The story was the source for the latest film from M. Night Shyamalan, Old, which, from what I hear, doesn’t come close to doing its inspiration justice. If you’re someone who needs resolution to a story, it might be best to skip this one.
The Hobbit (JRR Tolkien, 1937)
I’m embarrassed to admit it, but reading this classic aloud to my children was also my first time reading it. Tolkien’s brilliance in creating worlds and characters both fantastical and believable is astounding. At the heart of the tremendous adventures of The Hobbit are deeply familiar notions of the human condition, resonating with children and adults alike.
Zone One (Colson Whitehead, 2011)
Whitehead, a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his novels The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, turns his talents toward the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse in Zone One. The book cleverly takes place over three days, focusing on a character and his peers charged with clearing a grid of New York City—nicknamed “Zone One”—of zombies in an effort to make the city once again habitable. Whitehead’s skill as a writer is on full display, telling an engrossing story and painting a vivid picture of a world trying (and failing) to hang on.
Hummingbird Salamander (Jeff VanderMeer, 2021)
This is the only book of VanderMeer’s I have read, though I am a big fan of the film drawn from perhaps his most popular book, Annihilation. Hummingbird Salamander is a frenetic, paranoid eco-thriller, with an ending somehow simultaneously outrageous and believable. VanderMeer’s prose takes some getting used to, but once you adjust, it’s a hard book to put down.
Severance (Ling Ma, 2018)
As you can probably tell from this list, I enjoy science fiction, especially apocalyptic fiction. And Severance is among the most innovative works of these genres I’ve ever encountered. Ma imagines a world stricken with a sickness that doesn’t exactly kill people, but nevertheless renders them unable to go on living. Her writing is deeply imaginative and layered, combining distinct yet complementary narratives with ease. Others have noted how reading Severance in the midst of a global pandemic only increased how absorbing the book is. In a year when I read more fiction than ever, Ma’s debut novel was my favorite.