My top picks from the over 130 books I read last year.
You may find old books here but if they're on this list, then they were new to me! In no particular order.
Note: I've been doing this since 2008 — check the label cloud in the sidebar for "Best of" to see other lists.
2024 BEST BOOKS
Dominion:
The Making of the Western Mind
by Tom Holland
As Tom Holland says, "What today we term "the West" is less Christianity's heir than its continuation." One of the most even-handed approaches to Christianity I've ever seen. Utterly fair and a great read.
(Full review here.)Team of Rivals
by Doris Goodwin Kearns
Abraham Lincoln was already at the top of my admired people list. However, I found a lot in this book that gave me a fuller picture of the man himself. Most of what I learned was simply admirable.
Linnets & Valerians
by Elizabeth Goudge
My brief take is that in many ways it makes me think of E. Nesbit's tales such as The Magic City, The House of Arden, and The Treasure Seekers. Like those, this book takes recognizable fantasy beats and weaves an entirely new and enchanting pattern.
The Power and the Glory
by Graham Greene
Strongly recommended by my daughter Rose and I can see why. It is quite grim and depressing for 3/4 of the book. Then it takes off like a firecracker and puts everything together in a way that blows your mind by the end of the book. Simply magnificent.
We Solve Murders
It has all the qualities that makes the Thursday Murder Club series so much fun while being completely different. Super entertaining.
Scum of the Earth
by Alexander C. Kane
This book looks at alien invasion from the point of the collaborators, the turncoats who wholeheartedly cooperate with the subjugation of the human race to a life of fear and misery. Echoes of 1984 abound but there are opportunities for redemption that transcend doublethink.
Lord of a Shattered Land
by Howard Andrew Jones
Sword-and-sorcery in a world based on the Carthaginians and the Romans, raised to a high level of storytelilng. With many monsters that Lovecraft would approve of.
How the Church Has Changed the World, I-IV
by Anthony Esolen
Esolen ranges across time and around the world to show us the many ways that the love of Christ has been expressed by the Church through history — in art, song, customs, and people. Each book has 24 essays and they make wonderful daily reading.
Teresa of Avila: God Alone Suffices
by Jean Jacques Antier
I wanted a big book about a big saint including historical context. This book filled the bill. I really felt immersed in Teresa's life. It was very inspirational as well as being informative.
Above Suspicion
by Helen MacInnes
This is both an exciting spy story and an interesting look at the pre-war Germany. This book was written as the Nazis increased power and published in 1941. It seems surprisingly true to life.
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