My Favorite Books of 2023
My Favorite Books of 2023
The history, theology, and sports books that captured my interest in 2023.
Books are a great gift. They can challenge our thinking, change our lives, take us to another world, help us see the world from another person’s point of view, and instruct us about the world in which we live. I read 57 books this year, which is not as many as I’ve averaged over the last few years, but enough that a book had to stand out in my mind to make this list.
This is not a list of the best books written in 2023, but rather a list of my favorite books that I read this year. I try to read widely, but my primary interests are history and theology, as you’ll see from this list. No novels that I read made the list this year. I read several, but none that I enjoyed as much as the books that grace this list.
Theology and Church History
Resurrection Hope and the Death of Death by Mitchell Chase
If you listen to Christians talk at a funeral, you quickly realize that many of them do not have a good understanding of the Christian hope. Chase shows that our future hope is not becoming angels, eternal fishing, or floating on clouds playing harps. Instead, we look forward to a bodily resurrection when Christ returns to make all things new.
Quick Note: This book is in the “Short Studies in Biblical Theology” series and I have benefitted from every volume that I have read so far.
Timothy Keller by Collin Hansen
I never met Tim Keller and only heard him speak in person once, but his writing and preaching discipled me from afar. Collin Hansen gifted us a beautiful biography of Dr. Keller in the same year we told him goodbye. He tells the story of Keller’s life and faith while also pointing out the people, books, and movements that shaped him into who he was.
I once heard someone say that you should take any author you really like and read the authors that they read. It helps you understand what shaped them and takes your understanding of their thought even deeper. Alan Jacobs has done this beautifully with C.S. Lewis, a man who influenced millions of Christians through his writings.
The Religion of American Greatness by Paul Miller
Have you noticed that politics has taken on an increasingly apocalyptic tone and that devotion to a political party has become a barometer for measuring the strength of your faith? Paul Miller delves into the roots of this issue in his exploration of Christian Nationalism. If you want to understand how we arrived at our current moment, this is a great place to start.
The Imperfect Disciple by Jared Wilson
Sign me up to read everything Jared Wilson writes. His books drip with the reality of life and the beauty of God’s grace to us in Jesus Christ. In this work, Wilson shows how we faithfully follow Jesus, in spite of all of our sin and imperfections. I walked away with a renewed gratefulness for God’s overwhelming grace and a desire to honor the Savior who gave his life for me.
History
Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
This is the inspiration for the miniseries of the same name. Ambrose tells the story of Easy Company in beautiful detail from their training in Georgia through their discovery of the Eagle’s Nest in 1945. It is impossible not to be moved by the bravery of these ordinary citizen soldiers. Perhaps the line that best sums this up comes from Dick Winters. When his son asked him if he was a hero in the war, he said he wasn’t a hero, but he served in a company of heroes.
Pillar of Fire by Taylor Branch
This is the second volume of Branch’s three-volume work on the Civil Rights Movement and covers the years 1963-1965. He narrates the heroism of the men, women, boys, and girls involved in this movement while also showing the tensions that many of the leaders faced behind the scenes. Any understanding of where we are now as a nation begins with understanding how we got here. Branch is a great starting place for grappling with this important stage in American History.
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larsen
Very few leaders in the last century have faced a challenge as daunting as Winston Churchill did when he assumed the office of Prime Minister after Germany’s conquest of France. Larsen tells the story of Churchill rallying a nation in the face of insurmountable odds and keeping their spirits up when they faced the full fury of the German Air Force night after night.
Sports
Blood in the Garden by Chris Herring
I was an avid NBA fan in my teen and college years, which started in 1991 and ended in 1999. These years coincided with some of the best and most colorful years in basketball history. Depending on where you lived and who you cheered for, the 1990s Knicks were either heroes of that era or villains. This book was a trip down memory lane for me and told a lot of behind-the-scenes stories I had never heard.
The Last Folk Hero by Jeff Pearlman
Bo Jackson was one of the last great athletes to grow up in the era before everything was recorded and put online for posterity to enjoy. This allowed the stories of his athletic prowess to reach mythic proportions. Pearlman interviewed everyone from Jackson’s childhood to his Minor League teammates from rehab assignments after he injured his hip. Through it all, he paints a stirring portrait of the best athlete any of us will ever see.