The Best Books I Read in 2024
written by Pastor Bob DeAngelo
I recently told a friend
the key to reading is to read books that you are keenly interested in
Don’t just read to read; read to learn about subjects that you have an itch to learn about.
2024 was another year of great reading for me. I completed my doctorate degree early in 2024, meaning that I enjoyed a little more flexibility with my reading.
Again, I try to read a variety of subjects—theology, history, biography, fiction, leadership, self-help, success stories, and whatever else captures my attention.
In 2024, I set a goal to read 52 books.
On December 31st, 2024, I finished my 56th book.
Here are my favorites from what I read in 2024:
1. Theology that Sticks: The Life-Changing Power of Exceptional Hymns
by Chris Anderson
I don’t know if this title jumps out to you as a must-read, but I would ask you to trust me on this one.
This was my favorite book I read in 2024, and it changed the way that I look at the power and ministry of music.
Early in the book, Anderson challenges the reader to quote just one line from a sermon by John Wesley. (Most people can’t; I am among them.) Then he challenges the reader to quote a line from a song written by John Wesley.
While you may not know which songs Wesley wrote, think about
“And Can It Be”
“Arise My Soul Arise”
“O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing”
“Christ the Lord is Risen Today”
and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”
This is why the title of the book, Theology That Sticks is so appropriate and accurate. It is an astounding thought to consider that when a five-year-old learns a song, there is a very good chance that when that five-year-old turns fifty, he will still remember the words to that song.
2. Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals
by Michael Hyatt
“There’s a huge difference between I’m going to try to make something happen and I’m going to make something happen. The first one is almost like saying, ‘I’m going to give it a go. If it works, great. But until I see the end result, I am not going to commit.’ The problem is it won’t happen until you fully commit.”
Here’s one more quote that stuck out to me:
“I can do just about anything I want. I just can’t do everything I want.”
For me, this was my second favorite book I read in 2024.
I am always looking to improve my habits, my processes, and the clarity of what I am prayerfully pursuing in my life. This book was a tremendous help for me, and several thoughts from Your Best Year Ever have found their way into how I approach 2025.
3. Sam Walton: Made in America
by Sam Walton and John Huey
I love this quote from the book. Walton calls this “Rule Number 1” for building your business (or anything you choose to pursue in life):
“Commit to your business. Believe in it more than anybody else. I think I overcame every single one of my personal shortcomings by the sheer passion I brought to my work. I don’t know if you’re born with this kind of passion, or if you can learn it. But I do know you need it. If you love your work, you’ll be out there every day trying to do it the best you possibly can, and pretty soon everybody around will catch the passion from you—like a fever.”
I know that people have varying opinions on Wal-Mart, but no one can deny the success of a reasonably simple man from middle America who relentlessly worked to build his business from scratch and who has affected every one of our lives.
4. Clear Winter Nights
by Trevin Wax
I don’t read a lot of fiction (a pattern that I hope to see change in my reading habits). Part of the reason for this is that I am not always sure where to find good fiction. I did some googling, searching for fiction books that Christian writers enjoyed, and this one surfaced repeatedly (included being recommended by Randy Alcorn, one of my favorite fiction writers). Clear Winter Nights is Christian fiction with a message. I enjoyed it very much and read the entire book over the course of two days.
In Clear Winter Nights, Chris Walker is a young man in his early 20s whose life, faith, and relationships are in turmoil. A weekend at his grandfather’s home helps to bring some spiritual clarity and changes the course of his life.
5. Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History
by Tim Challies
I routinely read both print and Kindle books; this is one where you will want to get the print version.
Challies took three years, traveling around the world on a quest to view and learn about thirty-three significant objects connected to the Christian church. Challies takes his readers on a journey through Christian history in an engaging manner.
A few examples of these artifacts: “The importance of graffiti on an ancient jail cell” and “the creedal significance of a carving on a museum statue.” Epic includes objects and their significance from twenty-four countries and six continents.
This was a fun and educational book.
6. Death by Meeting – A Leadership Fable…About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business
by Patrick Lencioni
You say, “I don’t regularly conduct meetings.”
Stay with me here! (Think family meetings, meetings around the dinner table, planning vacations and trips!)
Even if you don’t regularly conduct meetings, I think you will enjoy this book.
I loved it!
Most of this book is written as an engaging story, almost a page-turner. Then, the writer finishes by providing concrete thoughts about the running of “dreaded” meetings.
I enjoyed this book, and I learned a lot from it.
“The best news of all: for those organizations that can make the leap from painful meetings to productive ones, the rewards are enormous. Higher morale, faster and better decisions, and inevitably, greater results.”
7. Infidel
by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
This was not an entirely easy book to read, but I found it incredibly intriguing.
Ali grew up as a young woman in strict Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. As she was supposed to be traveling to Canada to finalize an arranged marriage to a Muslim man, Ali disappeared into Western society and fled to the Netherlands. Ali integrated into Dutch society and was eventually elected to the Dutch Parliament.
This is her story of deconversion from Islam to embracing the “freedom” of atheism as she eventually renounced her Muslim upbringing.
As a fascinating afterword to her story, in 2023, Ali, an intellectual admired even by her friend, atheist Richard Dawkins, converted to Christianity. You can see her compelling perspective as she eventually realized that her fascination with Western culture was entirely connected to Western culture’s roots in Christianity…
8. How to Memorize Scripture for Life: From One Verse to Entire Books
by Andrew Davis
How to Memorize is short and direct, and you can read it in about an hour.
Andrew Davis highlights a largely forgotten practice for believers who have aged out of the Scripture memory that is included in many church children’s programs.
He will challenge you with the benefits of Scripture memory, and then he provides a very specific and concrete plan for how to make it a life habit.
If you are a Christian who has stopped intentionally memorizing the precious Word of God, you will benefit from this book!
9. Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Extreme Ownership is a unique leadership book written by two Navy Seals who fought in some of the most intense battles during the Iraq War. Each chapter starts with a first-hand account of a battle in Iraq and then concludes with the illustrated leadership principle and an application to business and life.
While I am not a military veteran, I enjoyed reading this book and learned clear leadership principles that strongly impacted me.
10. Welcoming the Future Church: How to Reach, Teach, and Engage Young Adults
by Jonathan Pokluda
Pokluda is a former College Pastor (he is now a lead pastor at a different church) who used to lead a ministry called The Porch. He is an excellent writer who is easy to read.
In Welcoming the Future Church, Pokluda arrests the reader’s attention when he makes the argument that Jesus’ plan for the spreading of His kingdom…was to enlist the help of twelve young adults!
“And if you’re not reaching them (young adults), there is no future for your church. I’m not trying to be harsh here; it’s really just a math problem. If young adults aren’t joining and leading in your church, eventually your church will die. Or at the very least, it will miss out on an opportunity to impact and unleash the most influential generation the world has ever seen.”
How is that for a challenge?
11. The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions . . . and Created Plenty of Controversy
by Leigh Gallagher
My family tried out our first Airbnb several years ago, and now when we travel, we often explore this route first. Airbnbs often provide more space, privacy, and a unique experience.
This is an interesting story of how Airbnb got started in San Francisco, California, where the idea came from, how it looked at the beginning, and how this company exploded into a worldwide concept.
12. My Dear Hemlock
by Tilly Dillehay
Most Christians (and many non-Christians) are familiar with C. S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters. More recently, Randy Alcorn followed up Lewis with a gripping updated version of demon correspondence called Lord Foulgrin’s Letters.
Late in 2024, two ladies in our church informed me that Tilly Dillehay had written a book with a similar idea…but from a woman’s perspective.
In My Dear Hemlock, the object of the efforts of the two corresponding demons is a woman. So, this book is a thought-provoking account of how the forces of darkness might understand and influence a lady in current times.
Even as a man, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
13. Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout
by Cal Newport
Cal Newport is a well-known author of books on productivity and has written numerous books on the subject. In Slow Productivity, Newport challenges David Allan’s circulated book Getting Things Done and encourages readers to look at things differently.
Newport’s book builds on three big ideas:
- Do fewer things.
- Work at a natural pace.
- Obsess over quality.
Maybe my biggest takeaway from Slow Productivity is that people who accomplish big things in life do not plan one year at a time (which has been my habit in recent years). Their goals and eventual accomplishments require that they dream five and ten years ahead…and plot their actions accordingly.
When I read a book that changes the way I think, I call that a valuable investment of time, and that was true of Slow Productivity.
14. The Soulwinning Church: Six Keys to Fostering a Genuine Evangelistic Culture
by J. A. Medders and Doug Logan
The term “soulwinning” has not been used as much in recent years as it was back in the late 1900s, but this book seeks to encourage its readers to live out this concept.
“He that winneth souls is wise.”
(Proverbs 11:30b)
I remember once being a part of a youth pastor’s conference, and a speaker talked about outreach and evangelism. The speaker encouraged every youth ministry to have someone who routinely would remind the people in the ministry, “Don’t forget about outreach!”
That is what Medders and Logan look to do here. This book is not overly long—and it is not deep—but it is full of straight-talk admonition.
“We want to refuse to be satisfied with the sheep trade market. Gaining members from a church down the street, swapping saints, sharing the pie is not the advance of the Gospel. In Matthew 28, Jesus calls us to make disciples, not move disciples. We want to see a renewal of the missional drive and evangelistic culture in our churches, surrounded as we are by those who are lost without Christ.”
As I do each year, I thoroughly enjoyed many of the books that I was able to read in 2024.
But I do want to say that the very best book I read and studied last year was the world’s best-seller, the Bible, which I believe is the Word of God.
In 2024, I spent most of the year in the Bible book of Philippians, and God continually taught me about
“Jesus-fueled joy…all the time”
my theme for the book of Philippians
When God revealed Himself, He sent His Son, and He wrote a book for us.
What a gift that book is, the precious Word of God!
This article is part of an almost-annual series by Pastor DeAngelo. Here are the posts from previous years.
Friendship seeks to offer materials that will uplift, educate, and equip believers. We choose the resources we provide or recommend with care and ensure that they align with our doctrinal statement. However, we may not agree with every aspect of each resource, and we encourage you to evaluate everything according to the authority of the Bible.
Disclaimer: Friendship Baptist Church does not receive any compensation for books linked in this article.