2014 Book Breakdown

Number of books read: 111

Number of pages read: 26,510

Mode of reading: Audio (64), Physical Book (36), E-book (11)

Book genres: 
C. S. Lewis Studies: 17
Fantasy/Sci-Fi: 21
Fiction: 7
Non-fiction (other): 9
Spiritual Memoir: 8
Spirituality: 13
Theology: 36

Male/female authorship: 75 male, 25 female.
This is eye-opening and I want to deliberately read more female authors.

31 of the books read were published in the last three years.

I read the most books in one month in June with 15, while only reading 3 in July.

Here is the complete list of the books I read in 2014.


Here were some of my favorites overall:
Abba's Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging by Brennan Manning – I go back to this book over and over again to be reminded of God’s heart towards me.

Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer by C.S. Lewis – so good. You should probably read it. =)

An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor – I loved this so much I listened to it again immediately after finishing it the first time!

Evolving in Monkey Town: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions by Rachel Held Evans (now under a new title: Faith Unraveled: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask Questions) – I read this for the first time in 2012, I think.

Faith Shift: Finding Your Way Forward When Everything You Believe Is Coming Apart by Kathy Escobar – My only regret concerning this book is that I couldn’t have read it a couple of years ago when I was smack dab in the middle of a big faith shift myself! But I still loved it and would recommend it for anyone who finds themselves with far more questions than answers and far more doubt than certainty.

Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail by Robert E. Webber – I want to re-read this soon. I found it helpful in my own faith journey as I relate to so much of what Webber talks about here.

Young, Restless, No Longer Reformed: Black Holes, Love, and a Journey in and Out of Calvinism by Austin Fischer – I’m glad this book exists even though it’s not ground breaking. I had already read most of the arguments in Roger Olson’s book, Against Calvinism, but I’m glad it exists for those who might be more inclined to read this shorter book, and because of the power of hearing how someone used to believe one thing but has now seen the light, so to speak. =)

Letters from a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with His Father's Questions about Christianity by Gregory A. Boyd – Immensely helpful to me with my own questions. I wish I could get everyone to read this one.

The Civil War as a Theological Crisis by Mark A. Noll – This was quite thought-provoking. Rachel Held Evans kept talking about this book so I finally read it and now I see why she mentioned it so much.

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown – I’m already ready to re-read this one. So good.

A Farewell to Mars: An Evangelical Pastor's Journey Toward the Biblical Gospel of Peace by Brian Zahnd - Another one I wish I could get others to read and talk about with me.


Out of the 12 books I read for my first semester in Seminary, these were a few of my favorites:
Ministry in the Image of God: The Trinitarian Shape of Christian Service by Stephen Seamands - This was not just some intellectual theology book, this was very practical in nature as well and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ordaining Women by Benjamin Titus Roberts – I love that argument for ordaining women was published back in the 1800s!

Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton – This was such a good book on incorporating spiritual practices into our lives in different ways. I want to re-read it already!

When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself by Steve Corbett – I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in missions.


(This post was inspired by Cara Meredith.)

So what were some of your favorite books you read this year?