My first post of each new year always contains the list of books I read the previous year (2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017). I do it for personal accountability. Knowing I have to post my list helps me stay on track.

The goal in previous years had been to read 1 book per week, but this year I tried to up it to 2 per week.

I didn’t make it. I only read 87, with 17 of them being audiobooks. I was on my 2-per-week pace until the fall. Because of other projects, my time for extra reading all but disappeared.

My favorite books were The Imperfect Pastor by Zack Eswine, which was a re-read for me, and The Art of Rest by Adam Mabry, which I wrote a review of here.

One surprising change this year is that I had the privilege of reading almost 20 books before they were published, with 15 of them being books I did design work on (for example, all the “How-To” books with Sojourn Network). That was fun, and the tiny bit of extra income got reinvested right back into my own writing projects, mostly in editing and cover design.

Speaking of my own projects, when counting up the number of books, you’ll see below that I counted the reading of my own soon-to-be-published books a few times. I felt this was at least sort of legit because I probably read them 5 more times than I’m taking credit for reading them! Editing and proofreading is—apparently—demanding work!

Because of all the extra writing, design work, and helping a friend with his seminary coursework, much of my reading was dictated to me this year. I’m hoping next year I’ll have more time to explore things I’m interested in, such as the dozen Eugene Peterson books I recently bought and hope to work through slowly this spring.

Let me know in the comments what was your favorite book of the year.

*   *   *

1. Selected Blog Posts on the Topic of Pornography (55,000 Words), Part 1 by Various (200 pages)

2. Selected Blog Posts on the Topic of Pornography (55,000 Words), Part 2 by Various (200 pages)

3. White Fang by Jack London (160 pages)

4. Life in the Wild: Fighting for Faith in a Fallen World by Dan DeWitt (128 pages)

5. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson (480 pages)

6. Real Artists Don’t Starve: Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age by Jeff Goins (240 pages)

7. Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem by Kevin DeYoung (128 pages)

8. The Bible: Romans to Revelation, Part 6 of 6 by God (300 pages)

9. Father Fiction: Chapters for a Fatherless Generation by Donald Miller (2224 pages)

10. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson (448 pages)

11. On Pastoring: A Short Guide to Living, Leading, and Ministering as a Pastor by H. B. Charles Jr. (208 pages)

12. Thunderstruck by Erik Larson (480 pages)

13. On Preaching: Personal & Pastoral Insights for the Preparation & Practice of Preaching by H. B. Charles Jr. (160 pages)

14. The Pastor’s Ministry: Biblical Priorities for Faithful Shepherds by Brian Croft (192 pages)

15. 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You by Tony Reinke (224 pages)

16. The Pastor’s Family: Shepherding Your Family through the Challenges of Pastoral Ministry by Brian and Cara Croft (171 pages)

17. Struck: One Christian’s Reflections on Encountering Death by Russ Ramsey (176 pages)

18. Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield (206 pages)

19. Charting the Course: How-To Navigate the Legal Side of a Church Plant by Tim Beltz (112 pages)

20. Journals about blogging (3 issues) by ConvertKit (120 pages)

21. Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture by David Murray (208 pages)

22. Gaining By Losing: Why the Future Belongs to Churches that Send by J.D. Greear (256 pages)

23. Chasing Contentment: Trusting God in a Discontented Age by Erik Raymond (176 pages)

24. The Bible: Genesis to Deuteronomy, Part 1 of 6 by God (300 pages)

25. Unstoppable Force: Daring to Become the Church God Had in Mind by Erwin Raphael McManus (352 pages)

26. Book Launch Blueprint: The Step-by-Step Guide to a Bestselling Launch by Tim Grahl (76 pages)

27. Ephesians For You: For reading, for feeding, for leading (God’s Word for You) by Richard Coekin (224 pages)

28. Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry, Updated and Expanded Edition by John Piper (320 pages)

29. Redemptive Participation: A “How-To” Guide for Pastors in Culture by Mike Cosper (104 pages)

30. The Art of Rest by Adam Mabry (144 pages)

31. Gospel Fluency: Speaking the Truths of Jesus into the Everyday Stuff of Life by Jeff Vanderstelt (224 pages)

32. Fierce Grace: 30 Days With King David by Stephen R. Morefield (212 pages)

33. Eating You Way Through Luke’s Gospel by Robert J. Karris (112 pages)

34. Supernatural Power for Everyday People: Experiencing God’s Extraordinary Spirit in Your Ordinary Life by Jared C. Wilson (224 pages)

35. The Preacher’s Catechism by Lewis Allan (224 pages)

36. Why Pray? by John F. DeVries (240 pages)

37. Saturate: Being Disciples of Jesus in the Everyday Stuff of Life by Jeff Vanderstelt (256 pages)

38. Immeasurable: Reflections on the Soul of Ministry in the Age of Church, Inc. by Skye Jethani (224 pages)

39. The Solace of Water: A Novel by Elizabeth Byler Younts (368 pages)

40. Family Ministry (Gospel-Centered Discipleship) by Greg Gibson and Patrick Weikle (128 pages)

41. The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Anchor (256 pages)

42. Before the Lord, Before the Church: “How-To” Plan a Child Dedication by Jared Kennedy (108 pages)

43. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams & Reaching Your Destiny by Robin Sharma (198 pages)

44. A Peculiar Glory: How the Christian Scriptures Reveal Their Complete Truthfulness by John Piper (304 pages)

45. The Nightingale: A Novel by Kristen Hannah (608 pages)

46. Healthy Plurality = Durable Church: “How-To” Build and Maintain a Healthy Plurality of Elders by Dave Harvey (108 pages)

47. The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? by F. F. Bruce (149 pages)

48. Finding a Pastor: A Handbook for Ministerial Search Committees by Joel Hathaway (128 pages)

49. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss (416 pages)

50. The Supremacy of God in Preaching by John Piper (176 pages)

51. The Bible: Joshua to Esther, Part 2 of 6 by God (300 pages)

52. Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me: A Memoir... Of Sorts by Ian Morgan Cron (257 pages)

53. Walk with Me: Learning to Love and Follow Jesus by Jenny McGill (303 pages)

54. Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture by John Piper (432 pages)

55. John Piper: The Making of a Christian Hedonist (a PhD Dissertation) by Justin Taylor (311 pages)

56. Sabbaticals: “How-To” Take a Break from Ministry before Ministry Breaks You by Rusty McKie (122 pages)

57. Expository Exultation: Christian Preaching as Worship by John Piper (336 pages)

58. Don’t Just Send a Resume: How to Find the Right Job in a Local Church by Benjamin Vrbicek (204 pages)

59. Struggle Against Porn: 29 Diagnostic Tests for Your Head and Heart by Benjamin Vrbicek (171 pages)

60. Leading from Your Strengths: Building Close-Knit Ministry Teams by Eric Tooker, John Trent, Rodney Cox (112 pages)

61. The Lemming Dilemma: Living with Purpose, Leading with Vision by David Hutchens (68 pages)

62. A Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel by Amor Towles (480 pages)

63. The Imperfect Pastor: Discovering Joy in Our Limitations through a Daily Apprenticeship with Jesus by Zack Eswine (272 pages)

64. Grounded in the Faith: A Guide for New Disciples Based on the Apostles’ Creed by Todd A. Scacewater (62 pages)

65. Leadership through Relationship: “How-To” Develop Leaders in the Local Church by Kevin Galloway (106 pages)

66. Raised By Grace: A Family Discipleship Guide by Michael R. Morefield (73 pages)

67. The Bible: Psalms to Song of Solomon, Part 3 of 6 by God (300 pages)

68. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel (326 pages)

69. Who is Jesus by Greg Gilbert (144 pages)

70. The Cross and Christian Ministry: Leadership Lessons from 1 Corinthians by D. A. Carson (160 pages)

71. The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of God’s Mercy by Timothy Keller (272 pages)

72. Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence for Every Believer by J. Oswald Sanders (256 pages)

73. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (128 pages)

74. The Elements of Style by William Strunk (86 pages)

75. Struggle Against Porn: 29 Diagnostic Tests for Your Head and Heart by Benjamin Vrbicek (171 pages)

76. The Writer’s Diet: A Guide to Fit Prose by Helen Sword (88 pages)

77. The Hospitality Commands: Building Loving Christian Community: Building Bridges to Friends and Neighbors by Alexander Strauch (64 pages)

78. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (224 pages)

79. Studies in Words by C.S. Lewis (352 pages)

80. Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons by Tim Russert (320 pages)

81. The Pastor and Pornography (9Marks Journal, Fall 2018) by 9Marks (88 pages)

82. The Art of Rest by Adam Mabry (144 pages)

83. The Bible: Isaiah to Malachi, Part 4 of 6 by God (300 pages)

84. 1 Peter for You by Juan Sanchez (192 pages)

85. Don’t Just Send a Resume: How to Find the Right Job in a Local Church by Benjamin Vrbicek (204 pages)

86. Struggle Against Porn: 29 Diagnostic Tests for Your Head and Heart by Benjamin Vrbicek (171 pages)

87. The Bible: Matthew to Acts, Part 5 of 6 by God (300 pages)