Best Books of 2009
In time for Thanksgiving, here’s my Best Books of 2009 list. This isn’t a list of favorite books published in 2009. This is a list of books I read in 2009 that I found the most profit or pleasure in. Below each book is a sentence summing up what I gained from reading the book. See also: Best Books of 2008.
Add to the list, what was your favorite read in 2009?
1. Trusting God by Jerry Bridges
God is sovereign, wise, and good—he can be trusted completely.
2. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
Your body was designed to run, so stop jogging and start running.
3. Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung
God’s will is clear: love God and do as you please.
4. Blink by Malcom Gladwell
Sometimes you should quit thinking so much and just trust your initial instincts.
5. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount by Martyn Lloyd Jones
Jesus presents an entirely new framework for living life (MLJ’s five sermons on worry from Matthew 6 are worth the price of the book).
6. Adrenaline and Stress by Archibald Hart
You need to understand how stress works and how you work in order to do your best work (Hart’s chapter on sleep is worth the price of the book).
7. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Life is a quest requiring faith and friendship.
8. Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome by Kent and Barbara Hughes
The measurements we use to gauge success in ministry are often unbiblical and enslaving, the Scriptures show us how to define true success in ministry.
9. Spark by John Ratey
Exercise may benefit your brain more than your body.
10. A Praying Life by Paul Miller
Prayer is dangerous.
11. A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink
Right-brained thinkers are the ones who will make an impact in today’s world.
12. The Prodigal God by Tim Keller
Christianity is something far more freeing and wonderful, total and comprehensive, than most think.
13. Living in the Gap Between Promise and Reality by Iain Duguid
Abraham’s life was lived in the gap between promise and reality, the place where faith is forged.
14. Into Thin Air by John Krakauer
The guy you think is frozen and dead tonight might surprise you by showing up tomorrow morning.
15. Feelings and Faith by Brian Borgman
Stop being enslaved by negative emotions, learn to cultivate your emotions to honor God.
16. Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite by Charles Farabee and Jim Myers
Many people have died in many different ways in Yosemite.
17. From Fear to Freedom: Living as Sons and Daughters of God by Rose Marie Miller
Hearing one pastor’s wife’s story of moving from fear to freedom inspires you to leave behind orphan-like living.
18. You Can Change by Tim Chester
What you worship and what you think about all day is the key to deep change.
19. Counsel from the Cross by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson
Don’t attempt to care for and counsel people without connecting everything back to the cross.
20. Paul the Missionary by Eckhard Schnabel
Paul’s life still has everything to teach us about realities, strategies, and methods for advancing the gospel.
Add to the list, what was your favorite read in 2009?
JB – You must not have read Russell Moore’s Adopted for Life?
“The Peacemaker” by Ken Sande….I see it in your photo of your bookshelf, has made a huge impact on my life both personally and professionally. It’s a rich book full of wisdom.
My favorite book I read this year: ‘What is the What’ by Dave Eggers, the biography of Valentino Achak Deng, a Lost Boy of Sudan.
I liked What is the What too, it was heavy though. I think my favorite book this year has been Alphabet of Grace by Frederick Buechner.
“The Gospel-Driven Life: Being Good News People in a Bad News World” (Michael Horton)
Great list. If you liked Blink, have you also read Outliers? I thought it was a fascinating book. On A Whole New Mind, isn’t it the right-brainers who are supposed to rule the future?
