I won’t waste your time with meaningless banter about the importance of reading and how reading can change your life and so on. You’re here because you want to know which books made my top ten list.
I can’t let you off that easy, though. And I can’t let you off because I experienced what happens when you stop reading. I stopped reading, you see. The last two months of the year, I got off track. I quit thumbing the pages of books and started swiping the screen on my phone instead. I swiped and swiped and swiped. And, I kid you not, November and December were the worst two months I’ve had in a long time.
Depression. Anxiety. Sickness.
Oh, Frank. That’s so silly. There’s no connection between health and reading. Except that there is. Multiple studies have shown that there are numerous health benefits to reading. It reduces stress. It promotes a longer life. And - that’s right - it alleviates depression.
So, when I talk about the importance of reading, I’m talking about something that can literally change your life.
Now, then, I’ve said some things about the importance of reading. My conscience can rest. So, here are my top ten books of 2022 (in no particular order, even though I’ve numbered them, but the numbering is arbitrary, an organizational tool for yours truly, unless you like the number thing, then assume it’s a countdown list).
P.S. - I’ve included a complete list of the books I read in 2022 below.
Now, here we go.
10. Wintering by Katherine May
A surprise great book, Wintering is about how to embrace slowness and death and seasons of loss. When I picked this book up, I didn’t expect much. It was the first book I read in 2022, and I knew when I put it down, it would find its way on this list. If you’re struggling with a season of loss, this book is for you.
9. Short Stories by Jesus by Amy-Jill Levine
A fascinating retelling of Jesus’s parables. Levine is a master scholar and storyteller. She awakens us to the radical and provocative nature of Jesus’s teachings. These lessons weren’t for the faint of heart. For anyone who’s cursed with familiarity, you need to pick up this book. You won’t read the gospels the same again.
8. I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
A stirring, gut-punch of a book. Brown shows us how white supremacy has impacted Christianity. She tells her story with great passion and conviction. This is one of those books that changes you.
7. Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown
For starters, this book should be required reading for every pastor and therapist. But that’s just for starters. If I had the power, I would force every human to read this book. It’s that important. Atlas of the Heart is a comprehensive look at the gamut of human emotions, and how they impact our personal growth. Can’t. Recommend. Enough.
6. Did God Kill Jesus by Tony Jones
A book that changed the way I see the cross. For a long time, I haven’t felt comfortable with the classic evangelical take on the crucifixion, namely that God had to kill Jesus so we could have life. But I didn’t have any language to back up my reservations. This book gave me the language I needed. If you’re tired of feeling like you have to earn your place with God, or you’re not okay with God as an angry, wrathful deity, this book is for you.
5. The Way of Integrity by Martha Beck
We’re living a time of profound brokenness. Mental health is on a rapid incline. Chronic illnesses of all types are increasing at an exponential rate. And though there are several factors involved, one factor we probably don’t consider is our integrity. According to Beck, when we lie to ourselves, there’s almost always a health cost. Integrity, she argues, is essential for emotional, psychological and spiritual health. This book was an eye opener for me, a reminder that even little lies can have a big impact on my life.
4. Life Is In the Transitions by Bruce Feiler
This is a book about how to navigate change, how to grow and learn from transition rather than allow it to sink us. Change is inevitable, especially in today’s ever-evolving world. If you don’t know how to handle change well, you will have a difficult life. This book will help you become more resilient, more joyful. Probably the best, most practical book I’ve ever read on change.
3. How God Changes the Brain by Andrew Newberg, M.D.
If you’ve ever wondered how your view of God impacts your brain, then you need to read this book. It’s alarming, a wake up call, to consider how we imagine God. Because, as Newberg shows, your image of God is one of the greatest factors in determining your joy and peace.
2. The Remarkable Ordinary by Frederick Buechner
Frederick Buechner is one of my favorite authors, and this is one of my favorite books he has written. A gentle reminder to pay attention to the small moments. A classic.
1. The Book of Delights by Ross Gay
I found this book when I was at a lull. Spiritually, I was stagnant. And though this isn’t a “Christian” book (does such a thing even exist?), this is a book about spiritual things because this is a book about how to find joy in the small moments. Gay is one of the best writers I’ve come across in a while. His writing is infectious. He will make you laugh. He will make you cry. Mostly, though, he will open your eyes to all the little ways God is present in our midst.
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Here’s a complete list of the books I read in 2022:
Wintering (Katherine May)
Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir)
The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective (Richard Rohr)
The Hidden Life of Trees (Peter Wohlleben)
The Magician’s Nephew (C.S. Lewis)
Telling the Truth (Frederick Buechner)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)
The Horse and the Boy (C.S. Lewis)
Prince Caspian (C.S. Lewis)
I’m Still Here (Austin Channing Brown)
On Writing (Stephen King)
Almost Everything: Notes on Hope (Anne Lamott)
The Violent Bear it Away (Flannery O’Connor)
Bird by Bird (Anne Lamott)
The Midnight Library (Matt Haig)
The Hope of Glory (Jon Meacham)
Short Stories by Jesus (Amy-Jill Levine)
The Body Keeps the Score (Bessel van der Kolk)
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years (Donald Miller)
Atlas of the Heart (Brene Brown)
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself (Joe Dispenza)
The War of Art (Steven Pressfield)
The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Joseph Campbell)
The Obstacle is the Way (Ryan Holiday)
The Way of Integrity (Martha Beck)
The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
Ego is the Enemy (Ryan Holiday)
Sol on Writing (Sol Stein)
Meditations (Marcus Aruelius)
Walking on Water (Madeline L’ Engle)
True Self, False Self (Richard Rohr)
The Happiest Man on Earth (Eddie Jaku)
Sacred Rhythms (Ruth Haley Barton)
Margins (Richard Swenson)
The Largesse of the Sea Maiden (Denis Johnson)
Uncommon Type (Stories) (Tom Hanks)
Happy Go Lucky (David Sedaris)
I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet (Shauna Niequist)
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
The Remarkable Ordinary (Frederick Buechner)
Do I Stay Christian? (Brian McLaren)
The Book of Delights (Ross Gay)
Life Is In The Transitions (Bruce Feiler)
Untamed (Glennon Doyle)
Present Over Perfect (Shana Niequist)
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat (Oliver Sacks)
Secrets in the Dark (Frederick Buechner)
The Bible Tells Me So (Pete Enns)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou)
Did God Kill Jesus (Tony Jones)
Everything That Rises Must Converge (Flannery O’Connor)
How God Changes the Brain (Andrew Newberg, M.D. & Mark Waldman)
To Bless the Space Between Us (John O’Donohue)
Fight Club (Chuck Palahniuk)
The Idolatry of God (Pete Rollins)
Jesus’s Alternative Plan (Richard Rohr)
Present Over Perfect (Shana Niequist)
When Breathe Becomes Air (Paul Kalanathi)
Inciting Joy (Ross Gay)
Learning To Walk In The Dark (Barbara Brown Taylor)
Watch For The Light
God Can’t (Thomas Jay Oord)
Less (Andrew Sean Greer)
The Gifts of Imperfection (Brene Brown)