Reading List for 2012

Here are the books I’ve read since January of 2012 with my rating for them (5 being the best) and a brief review. Make sure you also check out my lists from previous years, as well as my recommendations on how to become a better reader.

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  1. Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman (4.5). Fascinating look at the effects of the medium of TV on our culture. Make sure you read 1984 by Orwell and Brave New World by Huxley before this book so that you get the most out of the analogies that Postman uses.
  2. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (3.5). Most of the book is a leadership story that encapsulates the principles in the book. The story itself is definitely what makes the book good. The explanation afterward is somewhat dry but it makes sure that each of the concepts is explained.
  3. Insurrection by Peter Rollins (4.5). This is a meaty read—not in the style it is written but in the depth of thought that Rollins invites you into. I love writers like him who challenge the easy thought process that we all fall into and cause us to question the very core of what we believe. We emerge stronger if we are willing to push through the process.
  4. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (4). This is a very long story and there isn’t really a main character to follow. Regardless, it is powerful storytelling and I found myself wrapped into it. I loathed this at times when it meant that I was on an emotional roller coaster along with the characters. It’s a good read though, especially if you are a fan of historical fiction.
  5. Stuff Christians Like by Jon Acuff (4.5). Hilarious. Seriously hilarious. As a fellow PK (preacher’s kid) I can so appreciate the way that Jon taps into the bizarre world of Christian culture and lovingly mocks it to shreds. This one is great on audiobook since Jon reads it himself and even adds in extra commentary.
  6. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (5). This is a fascinating story of a WW2 POW. An incredible, true story of heartache, despair, and redemption. I was surprised how many times I found myself telling people about the story as I went through it. This one gets the rare 5 star rating from me for sure.
  7. Pottywise For Toddlers (3). I’m not going to lie, potty training freaks me out. Michelle and I have read this series of books since our first kid was born and they have proven to be an incredible source of practical knowledge that then creates confidence. Wish us luck.
  8. What Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly (3.5). This is a heady read. There were sections where I found myself trudging through but there were a handful of gems that offered truly insightful ideas. Kelly is brilliant so it’s a challenge to keep up at times.
  9. EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey (3). The strengths of the book lie in Dave’s massive amount of experience and use of stories that fill every point in every chapter. The weakness is the stereotypical business feel of much of the advice. This book is immensely practical. Few ideas will spin your head around, (something that I love in a good book) but many of the ideas will sharpen how you do business—whatever your business may be.
  10. The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht (3). While there were interesting parts at times, I have to admit that I was a bit confused by the story. The style is rich and descriptive but I found it hard to follow and ultimately put together.
  11. A History of the World in 6 Glasses (4). This was a fun and insightful read. It is history told through the 6 dominant beverages of the time and their significance on history itself. If you like history, you’ll like this.
  12. The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker (4.5). The book is a VERY in depth look at why violence has declined throughout history (832 pages in-depth). It is truly a fascinating read but Pinker is certainly not kind to God and religion. His main argument is persuasive and well explained.
  13. Tribes by Seth Godin (4). Like his other books, this is a quick and profound read. Whenever I read his books or his blog I always feel energized to take on the world. This guy is a genius.
  14. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (3). Die Hard with Fairies. It is Harry Potter style fiction and it was actually pretty entertaining. If you get it on audiobook you’ll get the bonus of listening to the Irish accents. It is a battle between a 12 year old mastermind and a fairy military.
  15. Endurance by Alfred Lansing (4.5). Such a good and gripping story. Didn’t quite match up to Unbroken for this year, but wasn’t too far behind.
  16. Dracula by Bram Stoker (4). This is when vampires were cool (before it was about skinny white boys taking their shirts off for junior high girls). Stoker tells this in an incredible pure story fashion through journal entries and letters instead of direct narration.
  17. Tea With Hezbollah by Ted Dekker and Carl Meaderis (3.5). They tell the story of visiting some of the world’s most influential Muslim leaders and getting to know them a bit. They frame the book in the context of Jesus’ teaching about the good Samaritan. Definitely expands your understanding of spirituality and of Muslims in general.
  18. A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink (4.5). This is a terrific book about how the right side and the left side of the brain work. Pink shows how the left side has dominated in the past but we will need to rely more on the right side in the future. For anybody that has ever felt guilty for your creativity, this book is a refreshing read.
  19. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (5). I had read through parts of this book when I was a kid. Now reading it as an adult I’m shocked at how good it is. I shouldn’t be shocked, but it really is that good. I think I’m going to read this yearly.
  20. 11-22-63 by Stephen King (4.5). I’m not much for the scary genre so this was the first book from King I’ve read. I was blown away. It is about time travel and the JFK assassination. Although I’m not interested in the JFK hype, King does a fantastic job with the time travel aspect and it is an absolutely gripping story. So good.
  21. Quiet by Susan Cain (4). Since I’m an introvert I was quite excited to find out about this book. This is the first I’ve ever read diving into this topic and Susan does a great job showing the reader new insights about introverts based on her own research as well as what others have done.
  22. The Giver by Lois Lowry (4.5). This is my second time reading this and it didn’t disappoint. This is such a simple story and yet it absolutely captures me for some reason. I just recently realized that this is the first book of a trilogy so I am going to go through all three of them together.
  23. The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller (3). While it’s not my favorite Keller book by far, it does give some solid foundational ideas for marriage. We discussed it with our Life Group and overall it was beneficial.
  24. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry (1). Totally disappointed with this one. It doesn’t continue the Giver story and instead jumps into another character storyline that isn’t nearly as interesting. In addition, the ending completely disappoints and abruptly ends.
  25. Messenger by Lois Lowry (2). After reading through all of the Giver trilogy, I’m convinced that Lowry must have been one of the writers for the show LOST. That’s because she opens doors she can’t close and abruptly and awkwardly ends each story. The third book at least connects the other two but still drops you off a cliff at the end. I disliked the second two books in the series as much as I loved the first.