“You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
There is a small area of this world around which you can draw a circle and declare, “Mine.” It is comprised of your thoughts and reactions. That’s it. You control you, and little else. That’s why life is 10 percent what happens to you, and 90 percent how you respond to it.
Taking ownership of this simple truth changes everything. One way to start taking responsibility for everything within your circle is reading. Fill your mind with the fuel it will need to face down life and overcome the poor state of circumstance you will most often encounter. I know of no other activity that will transform the way you think and respond to life’s troubles like reading. That’s why reading is an indispensable part of my daily life.
Below are the best books I read in 2019. The list contains books scattered across the literary landscape and a few quick thoughts from me on my thinking about each. I hope you enjoy the list below, and that it proves helpful to your picking up a book for your personal growth or a gift for someone special.
Terminal List & True Believer by Jack Carr
Jocko Podcast #183 introduced me to the story of former Navy Seal Jack Carr. After retiring from the Seal Teams Carr transitioned to his new career as an author. I read his first book, The Terminal List, soon after listening to this interview. It is a fantastic thriller from beginning to end. Thankfully his second novel, True Believer, came out on the heels of my discovering Carr’s story and writings. The prologue and glossary alone are worth the price of his books. The story accompanying them makes them the icing on the cake.
Usually, I’m late to the party. Most of the time I find out about a good writer ten to fifteen books into their career. Not this time. I stumbled upon the work of Jack Carr at the right time. I look forward to taking this journey by following his writing and the story of his character, James Reece, one book at a time.
Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
This is one of the best books I read in 2019. David Goggins’ story of hardship and suffering is one for the record books, literally. This book will help you grasp the truth that the suffering we want to avoid is often the best thing for us. It is one of the greatest gifts God can give you. Through suffering, you transform you from who you are today, into who God wants you to become tomorrow.
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
Few books generate the depth of impact nor the generational staying power C. S. Lewis accomplished with Mere Christianity. In producing this work Lewis gave the world a most special gift. It touches the core idea of what it means to follow Jesus in a manner remaining evergreen for all time. Mere Christianity's quality bids the reader to return often to drink his fill.
I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist & Stealing From God by Frank Turek
I discovered the ministry of Dr. Frank Turek earlier this summer and it has been a wonderful addition to my life. Earlier this summer, I read Turek’s first book, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist. It was a fantastic book filled with helpful insights. His second book, Stealing From God, is no less remarkable. It details how the atheist worldview and atheists by extension have to steal from the theistic worldview to make their case.
Chop Wood Carry Water
“You must learn to fall in love with the process of becoming great.” That’s exactly what this book seeks to entice you to do; fall in love with the process. Goals are nice, but the process is where you live. If you don’t learn to love it, you’re in for a miserable go of it. While misery is part of the process, you’ll need to learn to love it too. Embrace it like a warm blanket and watch your shift in mindset take you on new adventures.
Come & See by Todd Wagner
The story of this book is the story of Christ’s church. In it, you find the path to embodying the principles and mandates of Scripture. It accomplishes what so many other books fail to. It draws from the pages of the Bible instead of making a point and hanging Bible verses upon them like ornaments on a Christmas tree. Read this book and have it change the way you not only view the Church but how you live as part of it.
Martin Luther by Eric Metaxas
The greatest flaw within the heart of man is our desire for glory. This one sinful trait leads us into trouble without fail. In fact, it is the poison tree producing all the poison fruit in our lives. Few things unite mankind like our quest and longing for a name that lives on beyond our short time upon this earth. We like Agamemnon in the film Troy, want our names carved in the stone. Fortunately for our souls, time and history are not conducive to the inflating of our egos. History is littered with figures who accomplish mighty things, only to remain in the dustbin– forgotten and unadorned as their deeds demand.
Martin Luther lived the most consequential life of the past 500 years. Much of what we experience in the world today comes to us directly as fruit from the tree of his mighty life. Luther did not live the perfect life, but the life he lived he lived for God’s glory–and in so doing turned the world upside down. It is a sad state of affairs that history remembers men for their shortcomings, rather than promoting them for their triumphs. It is this myopic focus upon Luther’s sins I blame for generations of men and women remaining ignorant of the impact his life has upon their own.
Metaxas’ pen masterfully sets the life and times of Martin Luther before your gaze in a fashion worthy of your attention and admiration. His undertaking to do so provides a new generation a retelling of the life most directly shaping the world they inherit.
The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday
“The things which hurt,” Benjamin Franklin said, “instruct.” That which causes you the greatest difficulty, pain, and suffering teaches you the most. It’s one of the most avoided and ignored laws of life. Most want to skirt the pain and in so doing the lessons embedded within. That’s the overarching message Ryan Holiday drills into your mind as you turn page upon page. “Where one person sees a crisis,” Holiday said, “another can see opportunity.”
The Successful Novelist by David Morrell
I enjoy a good book on the craft of writing. There is a small section of the bookshelf beside my desk containing a small handful of books devoted to the subject. These books are regularly pulled from their place on the shelf and cited for help in whatever project I am working on.
Honorable Mention
Mindset by Carol Dweck
Transformed by Remi Adeleke
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Seven Men by Eric Metaxas
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Writing About Your Life by William Zinsser