In 2021, I read 100 books. I’m a pretty curious person, so I tend to read very widely, and this list reflects some of that. These aren’t in any particular order, but if you are looking for book recommendations you will find these well worth your time. Enjoy!

The Productivity Project, by Chris Bailey

Productivity is one of those buzzwords that’s often misunderstood. One of my core values is making the most of life, and I’ve read quite a few books on that topic. For me, this has been one of the most helpful. I explained the main concepts I learned from this book in this article.

12 Rules for Life, by Jordan Peterson

This is the first interaction with Peterson that I’ve had, and I can see why he’s so popular. There’s plenty I don’t agree with in this book, but it gave me frames of reference on how to think about the world that I didn’t have before.

Living Forward, by Michael Hyatt

Buy this book. You’ll thank me later. In a nutshell, it gives the tools for stepping back and analyzing life in a way that was very helpful for Patricia and I. We took our first sabbatical in 2021, went to Austria, and spent a week going through this book. Get a copy, step back from the daily grind, and give yourself time to absorb its concepts. It’s well worth it. I discussed some of the lessons we learned in this article.

Atomic Habits, by James Clear

Habits are the cornerstone of how we spend our time and mental energy. Building the right habits can have massive impact on your life. This book was so good I read it twice last year.

Jesus and John Wayne, by Kristin Kobes Du Mez

I live in America, and over the last few years things have gotten complicated and weird with many of the churches here. This book, more than any other I’ve found so far, helped me understand the history and ideology driving many of the bizarre behaviors we’re seeing in the modern American church, especially when it comes to evangelical involvement in politics and conspiracy theories. Jaran and I discussed this book on an episode of our podcast.

Extreme Ownership, by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

This was my third time through this book, which is about leadership and healthy team dynamics. I’m involved in a number of trainings for international aid workers, and many of the leadership principles in this book I have adopted for classes I teach. Someday I’ll do a full podcast episode on this one; it’s well worth the time.

Deep Work, by Cal Newport

A practical guide on how to be more careful with our work and the distractions that try to derail what we are trying to accomplish in life. I discussed it in this podcast episode, and my brother and I explored how it applies in everyday life in this podcast.

The 4-Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss

A classic in the world of productivity, I have to say this did live up to its hype. There are some parts that are a bit dated, but the overall principles I found helpful throughout the 2021. I read this right in a transition phase in the nonprofit I helped start, and this gave me invaluable tools to help me build a more sustainable organization.

Keep Going, by Austin Kleon

Austin Kleon is always a good idea when it comes to creative work and encouragement for those working in the arts/humanities. This book helped inspire me to get this website done.

Unlimited Memory, by Kevin Horsley

The human brain is fascinating, and this book helped me understand how, with a little work, anyone can develop an incredible memory. There are underlining principles that, once learned, can greatly extend the mind’s ability to remember information. This ended up being an inspiration for my brother and I’s podcast. We discussed this book there, and frequently talk about ways we’re learning to build a better brain.

Simply Christian, by N. T. Wright

In 2021 I discovered the works of N. T. Wright. I’ve found his way of communicating about the Bible has helped me see new angles of what Christianity is about. This book is one of the best I’ve found that clearly and concisely explains the core of Christianity, and why it makes sense. Well worth the time.

The Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

This should be required reading. This book deeply impacted my view of human nature and history. I am continually astounded that I had never heard about what Stalin did with the Gulag; how could I have no concept of the roughly 20 million people who died in the Gulag in the name of a Communist utopia, a utopia that only brought about the most insane nightmare the modern world has seen? Solzhenitsyn’s descriptions of good and evil in the heart of every one of us is invaluable. Read this book, but be forewarned: it is bleak and shows the worst that humanity can do to itself.

If you found this interesting, I released several podcasts on my favorite books, and on how to build a better reading habit.