Books I Read in 2019

I've had a tremendous year for reading books.
If I get a chance (no time this week!), I'll write more about the good stuff I got to read, list my "top books of 2019," and share some of the things I've been learning, but here's the full list and a few links to short reviews I produced along the way.

Matt’s Books Completed* in 2019: 1. Palace Council by Stephen L. Carter2. The Civil War As a Theological Crisis by Mark Noll3. Creation and Doxology edited by Gerald Hiestand and Todd Wilson 4. The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie5. Don’t Just Send a Resume by Benjamin Vrbicek [my review]6. The Way of the Righteous in the Muck of Life by Dale Ralph Davis7. The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby8. Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers9. Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges10. Slogging Along in the Paths of Righteousness by Dale Ralph Davis [my review]11. The Reckoning by John Grisham12. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson 13. Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie14. Jesus and the Future by Andreas Kostenberger, Alexander Stewart, and Apollo Makara15. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson16. The Souls of Black Folk of W.E.B. Du Bois17. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler18. The Grass Widow’s Tale by Ellis Peters19. Contemporary Theology by Kirk MacGregor [my review]20. Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler21. Point Man by Steve Farrar22. Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop [a sremon this year inspired by reading this book]23. Unstuck by Tim Lane [my review]24. The High Window by Raymond Chandler25. So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger26. Black City by Boris Akunin27. Anger: Calming Your Heart by Robert D. Jones [my review]28. None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God by Matthew Barrett29. The House of Green Turf by Ellis Peters30. Feels Like Home by Lee Eclov31. Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers32. Psalms 1-72 by Derek Kidner33. Mourning Raga by Ellis Peters34. Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin35. Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammet36. God Is by Mark Jones37. Gay Girl, Good God by Jackie Hill Perry38. 7 Myths About Singleness by Sam Allberry [a big help with this sermon]39. Interpreting Scripture with the Great Tradition by Craig Carter40. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon41. God and the Transgender Debate by Andrew Walker42. A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh43. Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon44. The Pacific and Other Stories by Mark Helprin45. Quietly While They Sleep by Donna Leon46. In Sunlight and Shadow by Mark Helprin47. A Sea of Troubles by Donna Leon48. The Nursing Home Murder by Ngaio Marsh49. Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie50. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson51. J-Curve: Rising and Dying with Jesus in Everyday Life by Paul E. Miller [my initial thoughts, my final evaluation]52. Fearing Others: Putting God First by Zach Schlegel53. Death and Judgment by Donna Leon54. Anxiety: Knowing God’s Peace by Paul Tautges [my review]55. The Eighteen-Carat Kid and Other Stories by P.G. Wodehouse56. Acqua Alta by Donna Leon57. The Knocker on Death’s Door by Ellis Peters58. A Noble Radiance by Donna Leon59. Safe and Sound: Standing Firm in Spiritual Battles by David Powlison60. Welcoming the Stranger by Matthew Soerens and Jenny Yang61. God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel by Costi Hinn62. Fatal Remedies by Donna Leon63. Beyond Authority and Submission by Rachel Green Miller64. God Without Measure: Working Papers in Christian Theology (Vol 1. God and the Works of God) by John Webster65. Radically Different by Champ Thornton [my review]66. Friends in High Places by Donna Leon67. The Mating Season by P.G. Wodehouse68. Psalm 119 for Life by Hwyel R. Jones69. Openness Unhindered by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield70. The Blessed Hope by George Ladd71. The Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar Capon72. Pornography: Fighting for Purity by Deepak Reju73. Suffering and the Heart of God by Diane Langberg74. Open Season by C.J. Box75. The Art of Rest by Adam Mabry [pungent quote and evaluation]76. Wesley on the Christian Life by Fred Sanders77. The Best Gift Ever by Ronnie Martin78. The Triune God by Fred Sanders [second reading, one of my top books of 2017]79. Uniform Justice by Donna Leon80. The Notting Hill Mystery by Charles Warren Adams81. The Songs of Jesus by Timothy Keller82. Psalms 73-150 by Derek Kidner83. Psalms (Tyndale Old Testatment Commentaries) by Tremper Longman

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* As in previous years, these are books I finished reading (or had read to me in Audible) in 2019, not the ones I started or the ones I didn't get done. That list would be a LOT longer! I read a bunch of them for escapist fun, a few for/with my family, and a lot of them just to learn and grow. They aren't listed (perfectly) in the order I read them. Some of them I am reading for a second or third time (or more!).

As I say each and every year--I'm not endorsing these books just because they are listed here. Some of them are really good and some are really bad. Most are somewhere in between. Read with discernment.

Here's the article where I explain why I post these.

Lists from previous years:

2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008 (first half, second half)
2007 (first half, second half)
2006 (first half, second half)
2005 (first half, second half)