History & Current Issues
The Reformers and Their Stepchildren, by Leonard Verduin
While you may disagree with Verduin’s compassionate view of the many branches of Reformed Protestantism, you’ll probably agree that this is a gripping read if you’re interested in church history. I learned so much from this book! It was actually on my booklist last year and didn’t get read until this past January.
12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You, by Tony Reinke
A must-read in today’s digital culture. Each chapter dips into a different facet of how a smartphone—or, more accurately, its apps—affects you. I found the chapter discussing the science behind why social media apps are so addictive especially insightful. Take a look at the topics in the table of contents:
- Addicted to Distraction
- We Ignore Our Flesh and Blood
- Craving Immediate Approval
- Losing Our Literacy
- We Feed on the Produced
- We Become Like What We “Like”
- Loneliness
- We Get Comfortable in Secret Vices
- Losing Meaning
- Fear of Missing Out
- We Become Harsh to One Another
- We Lose Our Place in Time
Easy to read and yet at times hard to digest.
A Cry for Justice, by Jeff Crippen and Anna Wood
This eye-opening book is, I think, a necessary read for anyone who takes a counselor’s or pastoral role in the church. I think it’s also a good read for someone like myself—a church member who needs to realize what abuse is and how an abuser can hide under the mask of a “pillar of the church.” Too often, the abuser remains in a church while the abused spouse must leave because she (or he) has “destroyed” her marriage by leaving the abuser. We shouldn’t countenance any form of abuse, nor should we stand up for abusers!
A note: I disagree with the author’s position on remarriage after divorce, and he refers readers to other books on the topic rather than thoroughly examining the Scriptures himself. But even though I disagree with his conclusions in this area, I still found this book incredibly helpful and recommend it to thoughtful readers.
Eve in Exile: The Restoration of Femininity, by Rebekah Merkle 
What does biblical femininity look like? I read this book back in the spring, while I was still pregnant with our second child. It was exactly what I needed to read as I looked for meaning in repetitive, ordinary tasks.
With wit and humor, Ms. Merkle traces feminism to its roots, showing that it has no rightful place within the Christian church. She also examines oppressive past ideals of womanhood (such as the Victorian ideal) and our right to leave those behind. While I found the first half of the book incredibly interesting (especially as a former feminist), it was the second half that sparked my imagination and gave me great encouragement. The author calls upon stay-at-home wives to exercise their freedom to learn, to create, to do great things at home. She doesn’t see staying at home as an excuse to watch television but rather to do more than you could have done for your family if you were working outside the home. Work is a beautiful calling. (By the way, she also doesn’t discourage working outside the home. She simply shows the home to be a beautiful place in which to work.)
Spiritual Growth
Packer addresses the apparent contradiction of two truths: human responsibility and God’s sovereignty. And he urges us to “let God be wiser” than we perceive ourselves to be, acknowledging that Scripture upholds both truths and so must we, despite our inability to fully understand them. Because human responsibility before God is a terrifying reality, we are constrained by the love of God to evangelize always, presenting a free call of salvation to all. And because God is sovereign and works in the heart of man, we can trust that He will save some of those who listen to the gospel. He alone can bring a dead heart to life.
The Gospel Comes with a House Key, by Rosaria Butterfield
While perhaps not edited to the same glossy polish as Butterfield’s Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, this book is timely and convicting as much as it is encouraging. Hospitality, she shows, has many facets. None of them are the magazine-idea of “entertainment.” Rather than being saved for show, our homes should have open doors and be constantly in the service of the gospel, open in particular for those God has placed in our own neighborhoods. Butterfield uses her own life as an on-the-grounds example for how this can (and perhaps should) look in ordinary life. (Or, as you’ll read often in this book, “radically ordinary.”)
The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
We conservative evangelicals owe much to Bonhoeffer’s thoughts on “costly grace” vs “cheap grace,” the importance of obedience, and following Christ by dying to our selves. While I cannot recommend this book without reservation (the chapter toward the end on the huge importance of baptism used stronger language than I think safe—we aren’t saved by baptism, and he didn’t clarify that). Whether this strength of language was by intention or because something was lost in translation, I don’t know. But I do think the first two sections of the book (a call to die to self and follow Christ and then an exposition of the Sermon on the Mount) are definitely worth your time and reflection.
Perhaps the most moving quote from the book: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
A Little Book on the Christian Life, by John Calvin
This little book simply describes how a Christian should live, according to Scripture. Honestly, one cannot read this without wondering why Calvin didn’t always obey his own teaching. We have to acknowledge that he was a human who made human mistakes and who yet had an astounding grasp of Scripture. This book is a selection from his writings that is a lovely gem of love and truth.
Free Grace and Dying Love, by Susannah Spurgeon
If you’re looking for a month of daily reflections upon God, the purpose of suffering, and living a joyous life, this devotional by Mrs. Spurgeon is perfect. “The soul that has learned the blessed secret of seeing God’s hand in all that concerns it, cannot be a prey to fear, it looks beyond all second causes, straight into the heart and will of God, and rests content, because He rules.”
The Loveliness of Christ, by Samuel Rutherford
Beautiful reflections on Christ, His glory and beauty, and the worth of living for Him without shrinking back. Rutherford had a great impact upon Charles Spurgeon and many, many other theologians and preachers.
“Let not the Lord’s dealings seems harsh, rough, or unfatherly, because it is unpleasant. When the Lord’s blessed will bloweth cross your desires, it is best in humility to strike sail to him and to be willing to be laid any way our Lord pleaseth: it is a point of denial of yourself, to be as if ye had not a will, but had made a free disposition of it to God, and had sold it over to him; and to make of his will for your own is both true holiness, and your ease and peace.”
The Whole Christ, by Sinclair Ferguson
What is the Marrow Controversy? And why do we care? Can law and the gospel of grace be reconciled?
A call to abide in Christ as He truly is and to avoid the extremes of legalism and antinomianism. Ferguson tends to oversimplify the case of those who disagree with his Covenantal view of Scripture, but has written here a compelling reflection on Christ and His completed work on our behalf.
Biography/Memoir
Biography of Robert Murray M’Cheyne, by Andrew Bonar
This book, available for free download online, was written by a contemporary and friend of M’Cheyne’s. M’Cheyne’s life, once committed to Christ, became one of ever-increasing devotion and worship to God. May all Christians be as single-hearted!
Night, by Elie Wiesel
“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” Elie Wisel’s powerful memoir records what can happen when people look the other way (as so many non-Jews did during the 1940s), when they think the horror will never come their way (so thought the Hungarian Jews just days before they were all taken to concentration camps as part of the Final Solution near the end of World War II). A short, painful and yet beautifully written look into the worst mankind can do. I’m glad I finally read it, if only because if we forget the past, we are “doomed to repeat it.”
Heroes, Iain McMurray
Gay Girl, Good God, by Jackie Hill Perry 
I don’t know that I’ve ever read a book with a stronger voice than this one. You can almost hear Perry’s voice rising from the pages, rhythmic and very near her spoken word poetry. If you aren’t familiar with spoken word, this memoir may seem a bit awkward in its wording at times. But if you have ever heard her speak, you’ll feel the power.
Home Life: Marriage & Parenting
The Mission of Motherhood, by Sally Clarkson
I can hardly recommend this book enough for mothers who are struggling with the daily grind of being a parent, particularly for one who stays at home. Mrs. Clarkson emphasizes reaching the hearts of our children and prioritizing knowing them and loving them as they are, instead of just accomplishing a to-do list. Motherhood can and must be seen as a glorious calling rather than as drudgery.
Christian Marriage, by D. M. Lloyd-Jones
My husband listened to some of the actual sermons, available online, since he usually prefers to listen rather than read this type of instruction. Both the sermons and the edited writing are excellent.
Loving the Little Years, by Rachel Jankovic
I completed this very brief read in a single day, picking it up and reading a little more each time I nursed a newborn. Its encouragement and bracing pick-me-up for moms was exactly what I needed at the time. Don’t waste time feeling sorry for yourself; let the dust settle and move forward with a happy attitude, taking your little ones with you. Probably the most helpful piece of advice she gave (p. 43) was to use the 20-minute rule.
“If things started seeming really out of control, I would look at the clock and note the time. Then I would tell myself that in twenty minutes this would be over. If I just kept my head down and did the work, twenty minutes was all I needed…The storm would have passed in twenty minutes if I was cheerfully getting things done.” I’ve been using the 20-minute rule whenever I get overwhelmed, and it’s true. The situation has always changed for the better in 20 minutes.
The Lifegiving Home, by Sally Clarkson
Several friends recommended I read this book last year, and I’m so thankful I bought a copy. This book will be one I read again and again. Mrs. Clarkson reminds me of a modern-day Edith Schaeffer, who loves to bring beauty of all kinds into her home and share it with others. I loved contrasting her flowery, lovely take on hospitality with Rosaria Butterfield’s no-nonsense, keep-a-pot-of-lentils-on-the-stove view. It’s such a joy to see how God uses different personalities to do His work.
If you’re looking for inspiration for managing your home and family well, I absolutely recommend you add this book to your reading list. (Another enjoyable read: The Lifegiving Table, by the same author.)
The Duties of Parents, by J.C. Ryle
For a Puritan book, this one is extremely succinct. In just a few chapters, Ryle sums up the calling and duties of Christian parents. Definitely worth your time.
Education
The Well Trained Mind, by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer
I feel much better informed about the classical method of home education after having read this book. My version of home education will probably involve greater emphasis on modern languages (less Latin, more Spanish and perhaps a language my child is interested in) and music, and I question the need for some of the memorization or extra original-source reading. (Unless you have a very science-minded child, it may prove quite the uphill battle to get him to read books by Galileo and Copernicus in addition to his regular science textbook, experiments, etc.) However, the writers are much more practical than my preconceived notions had pictured them. They allow room for individual interests and a changing schedule. Their push for academic excellence is, at the least, inspiring. If you’re considering different educational philosophies, this book is an excellent place to spend your time.
Montessori at Home: A Complete Guide to Teaching Your Preschooler at Home…, by Heidi Anne Spietz
While one couldn’t say reading this book produces a clear understanding of all the Montessori philosophy of education, it is a very practical book full of ideas for teaching your 3-5 year old at home. I enjoyed the ideas for teaching art and learning about the environment, in particular. (Why not teach your 4-year-old the difference between an isthmus and a peninsula?) Montessori’s methods for very young children make learning fun. Note: I was uncomfortable with the repeated use of “self-actualization” as a stated goal for young children.
A Charlotte Mason Companion, Karen Andreola
This book is a fun and updated look at Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy and how it can be applied in modern times. Ms. Mason didn’t have access to the same resources we do; Andreola shows us how her ideas work today. While not every chapter is necessary to read while forming your educational philosophy (she has a chapter on outside games, for instance), many are very helpful and inspiring. So much easier than reading Charlotte Mason’s volumes on education!
What are you reading?
As always, I love to hear what books others are enjoying. Which books, fiction or nonfiction, have changed your life? Which books do you think are most helpful for mothers? For Christians? What books have brought you joy during the past years? Let me know! I’m working on next year’s booklist!
You might also enjoy my booklist from last year: