100 Books

Last year, my bestie read 100 books and posted about it. I thought to myself, I'd like to do that someday. I thought maybe I'd try to read more this year, but then I realized that if I read about two books a week, I could make 100. Game on! Lo and behold, I did make it, and even earlier than I expected! More on the actual process later, but for now, here are some of my top picks from the books I've read so far.

Christian Literature:

That Sounds Fun: The Joys of Being an Amateur, The Power of Falling in Love, and Why You Need a Hobby by Annie F. Downs—This was such a fun book to read—seriously! In it, Downs chronicles her own search for fun, for a return to Eden, as she calls it. She writes of her own personal struggles with PCOS, allergies, a puppy, getting quarantined due to the pandemic, loving and losing, AND finding joy amidst it all. Reading feels like talking to a familiar friend, and readers come away, refreshed, encouraged, ready to sink in, slow down, and live life more fully because—that sounds fun!

I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working by Shauna Niequist—This is perhaps the most raw writing yet from Shauna Niequist. She shares of personal pain (without getting too personal) and how she is learning to befriend it for perhaps the first time in her life. She writes of home and friendship and faith and how she is learning and relearning them. She shares about the glimmers of hope and joy she continues to look for and seek, even amidst a dark season of life. She describes practices like painting that she is learning to do for her healing, not for productivity. She writes of therapy and marriage and church. Each chapter is a story in and of itself, but the book is a story, too, a story of growth and aging and humility and healing. Post COVID-19 pandemic, I can’t think of a much better book to read.

Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work by Tom Nelson—This is one of the best books I have read about work in a long time! Refusing to divorce sacred from secular, Nelson suggests that all work done by Christians can glorify God and benefit human flourishing as a common grace. Work is a place of discipleship and transformation. With a prayer and questions at the end of each chapter, this book could make for a great group study. It is comprehensive, too, even covering things like temptation and unemployment. Not hard to read, but challenging in its content, I think this is a book for every believer, seriously, because the work of every believer matters!

Cooking

Rise and Run: Recipes, Rituals and Runs to Fuel Your Day: A Cookbook by Elyse Kopecky and Shalane Flanagan—Health forward without being diet-y, this is a truly great cookbook, and beautiful, too! (More so in real life—spoiler alert, I bought it.) Written by a college runner and professional marathoner who are friends, this cookbook includes information about prehab, mindset, and even contains a full marathon training plan. There are lots of superhero muffin recipes (a signature recipe from the authors), along with tons of other great recipes that could multipurpose for anytime-of-the-day meals. Yes, the recipes use ingredients like almond flour and coconut flour, but they also use butter and plenty of fat. The goal of the authors is to fuel training, not fund diet culture. Not every recipe has a photo, but many do, and the cookbook truly has a beautiful layout, as well as an ample index. As hinted, I bought this cookbook, and when it arrived in person, it was larger and even more beautiful than expected. This one is going to be worth the purchase, I think, and judging from the fact that this book once again made the bestseller list, I think many others agree!

Running

80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster By Training Slower by Matt Fitzgerald—Balancing story, science, and specific application, this is a book for recreational runners ready to get more serious. Technically, anyone could read it, but I think those who have run for a while and want to get better could benefit most. In the book, Fitzgerald shares the science behind 80/20 running (80% easy, 20% hard), people who have benefitted from it, and even, how to apply it. I think I would need the book, as well as a heart monitor, and/or coach to truly apply 80/20 principles, but this book did convince me of the detriments of constant moderate running, and motivated me to move towards more polarized training.

Self-help

Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find - and Keep - Love by Amir Levine and Rachel S. F. Heller—Probably the most insightful book I have read about relationships yet, this book covers the many facets of adult attachment and how they play out in partnered relationships. Written by two Israeli-Americans, a psychiatrist and a therapist, this book shared research is understandable and applicable ways. The authors state that humans are biologically wired for attachment, and “dependency is a fact; it is not a choice or a preference." The authors clearly define secure and insecure (anxious and avoidant) attachment types and give case studies on how these dynamics play out. From this book, I learned that anxious types engage in protest behaviors when attachment feels threatened, while avoidant types engage in disengagement strategies when closeness feels threatening. Ironically, anxious and avoidant types often get together, wreaking havoc in the long run, if couples do not work on their dynamics. Thankfully, “attachment styles are stable, but plastic.” The authors provide ways to both assess and address insecurity through self-assessment, self-reflection, and then effective communication with one’s partner. Knowing oneself and communicating needs for connection or space can do wonders at quieting protest or detachment behaviors. “Remain true to your authentic self,” the authors conclude. “Playing games will only distance you from your goal of finding true happiness.” Every person will be attached. The questions are to whom, and how that will happen.

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski PhD and Amelia Nagoski DMA—This was a good book, except, that it is highly political. The authors state their feminist, anti-patriarchy agenda several times, and it really permeates the whole book. I think that’s what they intended, but it definitely detracts from the message. The message is that connection can keep women from burning out. Connection to their bodies through completing the stress cycle and resting (42% of the time!) helps connect women to themselves. Connection to meaning gives life purpose. Connection to others reduces isolation and loneliness. I applaud the authors for wanting to empower readers. I just wish they were selling the empowerment message without so much of the agenda.

Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang—Part science, part historical survey, this book is about rest and why it is good for us, and probably not for the reasons readers think. The author writes a lot about the idea of active rest, that is resting through taking breaks, walking, exercising, and engaging in what he calls “deep play.” The author asserts that work and rest are not opposites, and in fact, the best work happens when people intentionally rest. The author gives examples of how rest has paid off, from Darwin to Bill Gates to the writer of the hit musical Hamilton. Less of a how-to and more of a “why-to” book, this is an engaging read that really does make a case for the value of rest. Now to get some!

Theology

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller—This is truly a great book! In it, Keller reasons that there is a God. People inherently know it, but they end up disbelieving. Disbelief in God is a leap of faith, too. A well-researched, good read for Christians and non-Christians alike, Keller argues that the answer is not to abandon God, but to have a more biblical, Christlike faith. Amen!

9 Common Lies Christians Believe And Why God’s Truth is Infinitely Better by Shane Pruitt—This is truly one of the best Christian books I have read in a long time! Besides debunking trite Christian sayings, Pruitt dismantles heresies like the prosperity gospel, addresses cultural issues, and teaches theological truths. The book holds interest as it weaves in stories from Pruitt’s personal life and occasionally, a little sarcastic humor reminiscent of Bob Goff. With questions that follow each chapter, this could also make for a great individual or group study.