My Top 10 Books for 2012

I read a lot of books this year, as my theme for the year was “learning”. I read some books that were bad, some that were good, and some that were great. I highly recommend them all.

1. Neighbors and Wise Men by Tony Kriz

This book is a life-changer.

2. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

This was one of the first books I read that were more liberal in their approach to Christianity, and I learned so much and I love it. Highly worth reading.

3. Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller

This one is probably even better than "Blue Like Jazz" but "Blue Like Jazz" is my favorite because it spoke to me so deeply.

4. Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell

I'm almost done reading this one, but it's totally changing how I view the Bible!

5. For the Beauty of the Church by W. David O. Taylor

This was a great read about the value of the arts in worship, and it was the inspiration for my dissertation on learning styles and worship.

6. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

This is an awesome and elaborate work of fiction and provides great social commentary and a lovable character who has an appearace that is not socially acceptable and yet she is an intelligent, professional woman. 

7. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Steig Larsson

This is the second book in the Millennium trilogy and it was almost as good as "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo". It's a great read and full of suspense.

8. On Writing by Stephen King

This is Stephen King's memoir on writing, as well as a short manual for writers. I found it in the thrift store for a quater and it was excellent and a very enjoyable read, in fact it inspired me to pick up some of his novels at the thrift store also, although I have not read them yet.

9. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

This is the story of two anorexic young women. One of them dies and one of them feels like she's in between life and death. Laurie Halse Anderson is a fascinating young adult fiction writer and she writes about current issues that teens struggle with. 

10. The Bible Made Impossible by Christian Smith

This book challenged my thinking about the Bible a lot. It is deep and heavy, but for me it was worth the read.