20 Books to Read in 2019

Looking for an excellent list of books to read in 2019? Search no further, friend. I’m sharing my list of top picks for the year ahead – a mix of fiction and memoir, biographies, auto-biographies and non-fiction old and new, all worthy of your reading minutes in the year ahead. (Some of the link below are affiliate links – more on that here.)

 

About this time each year I settle down with a pen and paper and think about which books I’d like to read in the year ahead. Actually, that’s not entirely true – I typically do this at the beginning of the new year. This year I’m off to a slower start because I forced myself to finish a few of the books I was already reading before looking toward what’s ahead.

This was a hard and good practice, to force myself to be faithful with what is front of me before turning an eye toward what’s ahead. It might not matter so much for the books or the reading, but I know these habits shape me – my patterns shape me – so I will choose, even in the smallest of way, to first shape them.

Anyhow, I have finally arrived with a mostly clean pallet, ready to think through the words I will fill my mind with in 2019.

I don’t take this job lightly. There are an awful lot of good books out there and my reading minutes are limited, so I hunt and I search. I make lists and listen closely to recommendations. I think through where I need to grow, what I need to learn and try to put together a well rounded feast that will nourish and teach, entertain and grow me. 

And lastly, I hold this all loosely. This is a game plan, not a directive. I trump my own suggestions and re-route along the way. Last year I read about half the books on my list and came up with other good ideas mid-year.  We get to do that. But this list feels like a good start.

With that, here are 20 books I plan to read in 2019. Oh, and if 20 books seems overwhelming to you, checkout John Piper’s simple math (and some other great recommendations!) over here.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I’m reading this classic in the most casual form of a book club with two friends. Reading with others is a rich experience, and low expectations (yes, Great Expectations with low expectations 🙂) make this even better.

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis – I read Becoming Mrs. Lewis near the end of last year which renewed my fascination in the work of C.S. Lewis. I actually just finished this one and it was a much easier (and more engaging) read than I expected. No need to be intimidated by this one!

Gay Girl, Good God – If you have heard Jackie Hill Perry speak, you know she wield’s Truth with both grace and authority. I hesitated to pick up this book, because sin struggles are never easy to read about, but the story of His redemption is so strong here. Her writing is clear, but still beautifully creative. I finished this book this week and I am so glad I read it.

Peace Like a River – I was introduced to Leif Enger at the end of last year (one more of the books I made myself finish!) and I loved his artistry with words. I’m signing up for a second round to add some fiction to my year. I’ve heard so many great things about this one.

Evidence Not Seen – One of my broad reading goals this year is more biographies. This one, written by Darlene Diebler Rose about her time in a WWII prison camp, came highly recommended from a reading friend – as in “this is one of my favorite books of all time”. I ordered the book very next day and can’t wait to get to it.

Letters to the Church By Francis Chan. Francis Chan’s simple and yet direct approach never ceases to amaze and convict me. This, his latest book, has been sitting on my shelf since last year and I plan to check it off my list soon.

Give Me This Mountain by Dr. Helen Roseveare – This auto-biography of well-known missionary doctor Helen Roseveare has come highly recommended. Another strong women of faith who I can’t wait to meet.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford – Historical Fiction set in the Pacific Northwest, weaving a story through the heartbreak of the Japanese internment camps of WWII (I didn’t plan this theme!). While not new, this story remains highly rated and I’m a sucker for books with local settings.

Wordsmithy by Douglas Wilson. Each year I try to read at least one book to help challenge and grow me as a writer. This slim read has come highly recommended for its mix of wit, wisdom, simplicity and candor. It’s already on my nightstand waiting for me.

Faithful Women & Their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper. I just learned of this collection of the biographies of 5 incredible women of faith and it is one of the books I’m most excited to read in the year ahead. I have much to learn and continue learning from the brave women who have gone before me.

The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W Tozer – This might well be the most intimidating book on my list this year. Learning about the holiness of God both thrills me and produces fear in me. As well it should.

Sick of Me by Whitney Capps – This book doesn’t release until March, but I’m already looking forward to it. Taking on the trend of vulnerability, Capps seeks to help us align our honesty with Truth. “[showing] us that spiritual growth means being both honest and holy—that we can come to Jesus just as we are, but we cannot stay that way.” Yes, please!

White Picket Fences by Amy Julia Becker. Noted as “a gentle invitation into the challenging topic of privilege” this feels like a book that needs to be read. And I have heard the writing is simply stunning.

Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd C. Douglas – by the same author as The Robe, Magnificent Obsession is hailed as a “dramatic story of both personal redemption and private sacrifice.” It seems like the perfect fiction to add to my list.

It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lisa TerKeurst – Confession: Sometimes I choose not to read super popular books on purpose. I feel like the buzz is often a downhill snowball that that outgrows itself. Not so with this one, I have been told. It’s both popular and solid and I just started reading it yesterday.

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt . Hailed as a modern classic, this memoir (published in 1999) is standing the test of time. The reviews are excellent and it’s about time I read it.

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah – This one feels like a bit of a gamble. I can’t remember who recommended it to me. It just released last year, has an insane number of reviews (didn’t I just say I often steer away from popular books ?) and the waitlist for it at my library drags nearly as long. So I’m in, cautiously.

Suffering is Never for Nothing by Elisabeth Elliot. This book comes with none of the trepidation of the previous pick. Never before published words from the woman who said ““Whatever is in the cup that God is offering to me, whether it be pain and sorrow and suffering and grief along with the many more joys, I’m willing to take it because I trust Him.” Yes. I love the real and honest way Elisabeth Elliot points us to Christ. Releases February 1st.

All That’s Good by Hannah Anderson. I read Anderson’s previous book Humble Roots and loved it. If you want to be challenged in humility, definitely grab that one. This one on discernment seems even more timely. The need for discernment in our culture and in the church, has been heavy on my heart lately.

You Who: Why You Matter and How to Deal with It by Rachel Jankovic. This new release was recommended to me by two different friends in the past week. Jankovic’s books on motherhood were some of my favorites in my early years of mothering so I’m excited to add this one to my list.

Lastly, but most importantly, I’m reading the Bible in a year again this year. Last year was my first time doing this. I was nervous. I didn’t know if I could stick with it. And I wondered if the plan I chose was too demanding. But my biggest goal was to bring my reading minutes into submission. I love to read. I love to make lists and goals for the books that grow and shape me. But more than anything else, I want God’s Word to be the primary Book growing and shaping me. So reading the Bible in a year was a challenge for me to keep the main thing, the main thing.

And it was awesome. Not at first, not overnight – but as a whole – reading the Bible in a year developed a discipline and hunger in me, that I wasn’t expecting. 

This year, I’m already a month in to reading the Bible chronologically for the first time, using this Bible a friend gave me at Christmas. 

No matter where you are with your reading goals for the year or how much Scripture you have read in the past, I want to challenge you to make more Bible minutes a priority in the year ahead. That may look like reading the Bible in a year, or maybe just beginning with a Psalm or Proverb every day, but faithful discipline here will benefit you far more than any other book every written.

(More thoughts on that over here.)

 That’s it for this year, friends. Do me a favor and leave a comment with either a book you are reading or your favorite book from last year. I never stop adding to my list.