Best Books of 2017 - Fiction

This is part three of my annual survey of the best books I read in the past year.  And yes, as this list is evidence, I do read for reasons other than to expand my knowledge or improve my ministry skills.  This list is typical of other years, lots of good sci-fi/fantasy with a few thrillers and mysteries thrown in.  Of course, the best book I read last year is not on the list, because I have not finished yet.  That will be for next year…

Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan. (Legends of the First Empire, vol. 1)  Sullivan had written a number of great books set in the Riyria universe.  This is the first of a new series which is set centuries before his previous books.  Great stuff – I am waiting for my son to read volume 2 so he can lend it to me.

The Aeronauts Windlass by Jim Butcher (Cinder Spires, vol. 1)  I started reading Jim Butcher’s books last year.  The Aeronauts Windlass is the first in a new series featuring an intriguing story, lots of action and cool steam-punk type technology.

The Shadow of What was Lost by James Islington (Licanius Trilogy, vol. 1)  This must be the year for starting new series and then waiting (patiently…) for book number 2 to appear.  Islington is a new author who had created an interesting and unique world.  Volume 1 ends leaving you hanging and waiting for volume 2.

The Witchwood Crown by Tad Williams (Last King of Osten Ard, vol. 1)  Tad Williams’ series Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is among my top 5 favorite epic fantasy series of all time.  This new series picks up where the last one left off, but decades later.  The heroes from the previous series have aged or passed and a whole new crop of heroes have emerged.

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin.  This is a wonderful historical mystery set in the Middle Ages England.  The author’s writing style is a bit difficult to get into at first, but it is well worth it to those who persevere.  Franklin blends a great historical setting with a unique character – a female, medieval coroner – to build a wonderful story.

Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson.  Edgedancer is a novella set in world of Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive.  Written to fill a few plot holes and provide a transition from one major novel to the next, it stars Lift, one of Sanderson’s best (and funniest) characters yet.  Recommended for anyone who enjoys Sanderson’s books.

2^nd Tier books – good but not quite great:

The Emperor’s Blades by Brian Staveley (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, vol. 1)

Blue Labyrinth by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Academ’s Fury by Jim Butcher (Codex Alera, vol. 2)

The Providence of Fire by Brian Staveley (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, vol. 2)

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

The Last Mortal Bond by Brian Staveley (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, vol. 3)

3^rd Tier books – okay, but somewhat lacking:

Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence (Red Queen’s War, book 1)

Ugh – I cannot believe I finished it.  Not recommended.

Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton (a shell of a book, horrible)

The Shards of Heaven by Michael Livingston (I kept waiting for it to get better…it never did.)

Best Books of 2017 - History/Biography

This is part 2 of my annual list of the best books that I read in 2017.  As those of you who know me are aware, I love a good history book.  I read a lot of good ones this year, so many it was a bit difficult to choose which ones stood head and shoulders above the rest.  All my favorite topics are here – a good dose of military history, Canadian history and Arctic exploration, among other topics.

Abraham Lincoln:  Redeemer President by Allen C. Guelzo.  I read Guelzo’s book on Gettysburg last year and was so impressed I ordered his biography of Lincoln.  This is a spiritual biography, which focuses in on his intellectual and religious life.  Guelzo makes no claims that Lincoln was an evangelical Christian as we might understand it, but he makes a strong case that Lincoln’s understanding of God developed and flourished and came to affect many of the decision he made as president.

 

The Darkest Days of the War:  The Battles of Iuka and Corinth by Peter Cozzens.  Cozzens is one of the best American Civil War historians.  This book portrays two relatively unknown battles that were pivotal in the Union’s attempt to occupy northern Mississippi.  Cozzens moves easily between strategic decisions to the average soldier’s experience and back again, giving the reader a powerful picture of these hard fought battles.

Song of Wrath:  The Peloponnesian War Begins by J. E. Lendon.  The Peloponnesian War was fought in between Athens and Sparta in the 5^th century B.C.  Analyzing the first 10 years of the war, Lendon gives us a picture of the origins, history and strategy of this violent conflict, a conflict from which we can still learn lessons today.

Race to the Polar Sea:  The Heroic Adventures of Elisha Kent Kane by Ken McGoogan.  I love Ken McGoogan’s books.  While not as good as Fatal Passage, Race to the Polar Sea is a fascinating account of forgotten American hero Elisha Kent Kane and his will to endure and explore the Canadian Arctic.

The Rise of Germany: 1939-41 by James Holland.  The Rise of Germany is part one of a 3 part series on the story of World War 2 in the west.  (Part 2 is also out, entitled The Allies Strike Back.)  Although I knew much of the history before reading this volume, Holland’s analysis of supply and manufacturing on both sides of the conflict was especially enlightening.

Red Famine:  Stalin’s War on Ukraine by Anne Applebaum.  This a chilling book about what happens when a paranoid dictator chooses to exercise unlimited power.  Stalin’s policy of collective farming was the direct cause of a massive famine in the Ukraine in which millions died.  This book was especially personal because my grandparents were exiled from the Ukraine just before the famine hit.

The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise:  Muslims, Christians and Jews under Islamic Rule in Medieval Spain by Dario Fernandez-Morera.  Just about any modern American history book on the European Middle Ages will argue that Muslim Spain was a bastion of tolerance where Islam, Christianity and Judaism flourished side by side.  Fernandez-Morera’s meticulous scholarship exposes the lie to that assumption, clearly showing that Muslim-ruled Spain was a place of intolerance, slavery and brutal treatment of all who did not bow the knee to Allah.

2^nd Tier reads – still very good, highly recommended.

The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston

Hero of the Empire:  The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard

John A. , The Man who Made Us:  The Life and Times of John A. McDonald, vol. 1 by Richard Gwyn

Nationmaker:  Sir John A. MacDonald, His Life, Our Times, vol. 2 by Richard Gwyn

Armies of Heaven:  The First Crusade and the Quest for the Apocalypse by Jay Rubenstein

Fields of Fire:  The Canadians in Normandy by Terry Copp

Emperor of the North:  Sir George Simpson and the Remarkable Story of the Hudson’s Bay Company by James Raffan

Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe by Laurence Bergreen

To War with Wellington:  From the Peninsula to Waterloo by Peter Snow

The Burma Road:  The Epic Story of the China-Burma-India Theater in World War 2 by Donovan Webster

The General vs. the President:  MacArthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War by H. W. Brands

Shackleton:  By Endurance We Conquer by Michael Smith

Clouds of Glory:  The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee by Michael Korda

Frozen in Time:  the Fate of the Franklin Expedition by Owen Beattie and John Geiger

Operation Nemesis:  The Assassination Plot That Avenged the Armenian Genocide by Eric Bogosian

Churchill and Orwell:  The Fight for Freedom by Thomas E. Ricks

Hue 1968:  A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam by Mark Bowden

Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare:  The Mavericks who Plotted Hitler’s Defeat by Giles Milton

Three Days in January:  Dwight Eisenhower’s Final Mission by Bret Baier

Nathaniel’s Nutmeg:  Now One Man’s Courage Changed the Course of History by Giles Milton

Pubic Enemies:  America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34 by Bryan Burrough

Italy’s Sorrow:  A Year of War, 1944-1945 by James Holland

Catastrophe 1914:  Europe Goes to War by Max Hastings

The Allies Strike Back, 1941-43 by James Holland

Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

The Templars:  The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God’s Holy Warriors by Dan Jones

3^rd Tier reads – good, but somewhat disappointing.

Napoleon’s Wars:  An International History by Charles Esdaile

Marco Polo:  From Venice to Xanadu by Laurence Bergreen

Best Books of 2017: Christian Life and Ministry

As I have done for the past few years, just after the New Year I take stock of the books I have had the privilege of reading in the past year.  My reading generally falls in three board categories:  history and biography, fiction and Christian books for my life and ministry.  What follows is a brief description of the best Christian books I read this year, as well as a listing of the other books that did not quite make the “best” list.

Good and Angry:  Redeeming Anger, Irritation, Complaining and Bitterness by David Powlinson.  I have had struggles with anger and irritation as long I can remember.  Powlinson’s book, written from the perspective of a biblical counselor, does a great job analyzing the problem of anger.  Filled with Scripture, he breaks down what anger is, why we struggle with it, what is good about it and most importantly, how our anger can be redeemed and transformed.

Prayer:  Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller.  Prayer is something many, perhaps all, Christians find difficult at times.  In this book, Keller explores what prayer is and why it is so important.  The book is filled with great insights and ideas that can be put into practice to deepen anyone’s life of prayer.

 A Theology of Biblical Counseling by Health Lambert.  I am somewhat surprised to say this, but Lambert’s book is probably the best book I read this past year.  When I cracked it open, I was anticipating slogging through it in preparation for a conference where he would be the keynote speaker.  What I discovered was a treasure of wisdom and theological insight, providing a firm foundation for anyone who seeks to counsel biblically.

Gospel Fluency:  Speaking the Truths of Jesus into the Everyday Stuff of Life by Jeff Vanderstelt.  Vanderstelt’s books were recommended to me by a friend.  I read his first book, Saturate, and found it good but somewhat smug in tone.  Gospel Fluency is a much more humble read, a book that seeks to help us to be fluent in our gospel understanding so that its truths inhabit everything we do and say.

To the Golden Shore:  The Life of Adoniram Judson by Courtney Anderson.  Although it was a bit hard to get into a first due to the writer’s style, this biography is an incredible portrait of Judson and his radical commitment to the Lord and the people of Burma/Myanmar. 

God’s Word Alone:  The Authority of Scripture by Matthew Barrett.  Probably the second best Christian book I read this year, God’s Word Alone is part of a series on the 5 Solas of the Reformation.  Barrett does a masterful job surveying his topic and his chapters on the authority, clarity, inspiration, inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture were especially good.

 

The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life:  Connecting Christ to Human Experience by Jeremy Pierre.  Another biblical counseling book, The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life analyzes how our human hearts respond to the various challenges and circumstances of life.  The end of the book is filled with much practical wisdom on how to address the heart of a person in the midst of their circumstances.

2000 Years of Christ’s Power, vol. 1, The Age of the Early Church Fathers by Nick Needham.  Needham’s book is the first volume of a 5 volume set on the history of the church.  It is well-written, easy to read and does a great job explaining some of the technical, theological arguments of the day.  Probably my favorite part was his insertion of excerpts from the writings of various church fathers following each chapter.

2^nd Tier Reads (very good books I would recommend, but just did not make the “best” list:

A Christian Leader’s Guide to Leading with Love by Alexander Strauch

The Enemy Within:  Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin by Kris Lundgaard

The Contemplative Pastor:  Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction by Eugene Peterson

The Book that made your World:  How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization by Vishal Mangalwadi

When People are Big and God is Small:  Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency and the Fear of Man by Edward T. Welch

4 Chair Discipling:  Growing a Movement of Disciple-Makers by Dann Spader

Autopsy of a Deceased Church by Thom Rainer

Engaging with God:  A Biblical Theology of Worship by David Peterson

George Whitefield:  America’s Spiritual Founding Father by Thomas S. Kidd

Intended for Evil:  A Survivor's Story of Love, Faith and Courage in the Cambodian Killing Fields by Les Sillars

1 and 2 Thessalonians by Leon Morris (Word Biblical Themes)

Saturate:  Being Disciples of Jesus in the Everyday Stuff of Life by Jeff Vanderstelt

Transforming Your Prayer Life by Bob Beltz

When You Pray:  Making the Lord’s Prayer Your Own by Philip Graham Ryken

Praying the Lord’s Prayer by J. I. Packer

Spirit-Empowered Mission by Arturo Azurdia III

The Imperfect Disciple:  Grace for People who Can’t Get their Act Together by Jared Wilson

You are What You Love:  The Spiritual Power of Habit by James K. A. Smith

3^rd Tier Reads – good but somewhat disappointing

On Earth as it is in Heaven by Warren Wiersbe