Yeah, I know- 2011 is over.  I just didn’t get a chance to write these down at the end of the year.  Still, I read a few books last year that really stood out to me, and I wanted to share them.  In no particular order…

Abraham, by Bruce Feiler (History/Religion)
Not only does the author have a cool first name, but his writing is pretty spectacular.  I listened to him read this book on CD last spring on a drive up to Denver, and it was totally engaging and thought-provoking.  Feiler wanders around in the Middle East splicing tales from his travels with reflective vignettes about Abraham drawn from the three faith traditions he is vaunted by: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  I really just like Bruce’s voice for narrative, his retelling of history in an investigative way, and the way he looks at Abraham as if he is inspecting a jewel, holding it up to the light and turning it to see its varying cuts and colorations. Bruce and Abraham were good company on the road, and this New York Times bestselling author writes an entertaining and enlightening book.  I need to read more by him.

Captivating, by John and Stasi Eldredge (Religion/Christian Living)
On the heels of my immersion into literature on Christian manhood that began at the start of 2011, frequent visits to John Eldredge’s website led me to see that he, author of the popular Wild at Heart man’s manual, and his wife had written a parallel volume that investigated the intricacies of the feminine soul.  Picked up at a time when I had just poured my heart out to someone I adored, I found in Captivating a lot of incredible insights about how God designed a woman’s heart, and what she longs for and responds to as she moves through life and interacts with the world, her family, and her husband.  In a distillation of the book, the Eldredges’ underscore that a woman was created to be experienced as beautiful, with a soul that is ever unfolding and that desires to be a source of wonder and delight in being known.  The book contains a lot of practical thoughts for men trying to understand their women, and for those practical thoughts and insights, I loved this book.  It is a companion to volume to Wild at Heart in my mind, and it is probably tied for Book of the Year for me.

The Prodigal God, by Tim Keller (Theology)
This is the year I discovered Tim Keller, and I understand all of the praise he has received about his books.  This book in particular, though, grabbed me because it is a short interpretation of the parable of the Prodigal Son, except that it is recast as a telling of the Gospel, and Keller’s point in the book is that not just one, but both of the Father’s sons were prodigals in this gospel story.  Keller focuses on the second son in the famous parable, and identifies him as the self-righteous religious person who hangs around the ranch and enjoys the fruits of being at home, but who has a heart that is as lost as that of his brother’s who grabbed his inheritance, headed to Vegas, lost his wad, and fell into homelessness.  Keller speaks sternly to the modern Christian who plays the churchman role well, but who, like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, lives under the influence of legalism and pursues self-righteousness while in the guise of being a believer.  Keller warns the modern Christian to live each day anew from grace, and to cultivate a heart of responsiveness to God, and to lose the empty piety found in the life of a legalist.  Such men claim to seek their Father’s heart, while in reality they seek their own interests. I loved this book because it underscored the Christian’s need to see the massive gulf that separates one from God, suggesting that it really is only by grace that we come to experience Him, and that all of our efforts to cross that chasm by ourselves would be futile. Keller asks modern believers to humble themselves and to get back in touch with God and His plan for the world, and he reminds us that the second brother, the pious brother, would have been a good brother if, when his brother left and did not come home, the pious brother would have packed himself a bag and also left home, setting out to find his sibling so that he could bring him home. Keller points out Jesus did this- Jesus played the good brother- by coming into the world to bring his siblings back home to their Father.  And this is a role we are supposed to play as members of His body, as His disciples. A convicting little book for you.

Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall (Health & Fitness/Running)
Starting from the question “Why does my foot hurt?”, author McDougall travels around the United States and North America to learn about running, runners, and ultimately finds himself in Mexico witnessing one of the greatest spectacles in distance running (and in any sport) when world-class American athletes meet the barefoot runners of the Tarahumara Indians for a supermeet in the Mexican outback.  McDougall’s journey from novice runner to participant in this super race is an engaging tale peppered with unique personalities that is told with passion and spirit.  Given to me by my friend Ben prior to our October Chicago Marathon run this year, the book was great fuel for thinking about what people can do athletically with their bodies, and it was good pre-marathon material for the mind.  A fun read, this book was my favorite entertainment book of the year, and it is a must read for anyone who likes to run, as I have learned, having talked to many runners over the summer who seemed to have either heard of, had, were reading, or had just finished the book when I talked to them.

A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, by Donald Miller (Christian Living)
If Captivating grabbed my attention for its discussions about the design of a woman’s heart, Miller’s book grabbed my attention for its appeal that I ask myself, like the author does, if the life I am living would make a great story.  When, after the success of his book Blue Like Jazz settled down,  Miller was approached by a filmmaker with a request to make his book, a biography of some of Miller’s life, into a film, Miller consents to the project. But as scriptwriting commences, Miller takes a moment to think about how enthralling his life really is, and he concludes that his life is not as great a story as it could be.  And that it should be.  As the film project commences, Miller reviews his life and thinks about it in terms of a story, considering what it would take to make that story truly worth sharing- and his reflections lead him to make some drastic life decisions and changes, that make him a better and stronger person.  In the process, he writes about what he changes and does and learns, and as he shares these items with us, he also asks us, the reader, if we also want to live a life that is the best possible story we could hope for- and he encourages you and I to make similar changes in our lives.  Because God wants the same rich lives for us as well.  My friend Wendy shared the book with me after she devoured it. Encouraging, reflective, light-hearted and inspiring, I loved this book as well and gave away a number of copies of it to friends at Christmas.  This book is a book that will help you to see that you have a better story to tell with your life, and it will compel you to make changes in your life.

These are the five books I really loved in 2011.  I can’t remember- I may have only read these five books this last year.  But in my opinion, they were all excellent reads.