The Ten Best Books I Read in 2024

For the sixth year running (see below for the past five years), I enjoyed reflecting on the best books I read in the past year, regardless of the year of their publication. 4 novels, 4 non-fiction books, a collection of poetry, and a graphic novel biography. That probably represents my reading fairly well. 

Per usual, the ten books will be followed by a list of honorable mentions and a comment on this year's Newbery Medal winner. Then I'm adding a category for "Best Re-Read", since I don't really know how to rank re-reads, since if it was good enough to read again, it's probably usually a top ten read.

Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary Schmidt

Gary Schmidt has appeared in these lists more than any other author, so I'll continue to bang my drum, arguing that he may be the best living author of young adult books. And my family generally agrees. I read three of his books this year, and this was my favorite. Per the normal, a bright young protagonist finds his way through family struggles via a wise mentor and some cultural artifact, in this case, the game of cricket and other Britishisms. It was the usual brilliant mix of sad, clever, hilarious and redemptive. And it made Toby and Ben and I want to go watch a cricket match last August in Bath with our friend Simon.

Lorna Donne by RD Blackmore

This is one of the great forgotten novels of the last few centuries, with most people thinking Lorna Doone is (only) a shortbread cookie. The story is a sprawling adventure romance in southwest England a few centuries ago when the land was threatened by bandits but upheld by deeply-rooted ordinary goodness and humility. In the end, like most novels of its era, it's mostly about its characters. This was the last book that my good friend James Paternoster recommended to me, and I'm thankful to have had the chance to discuss it with him before his passing. 

The Stranger: Meditations on the Christ by Ben Palpant

This collection of poems was left at Kibuye by Glory Guy, and it was only after I read it that I realized I knew the poet's mom, who used to live in Kenya. The poems are structured in groups following the life of Christ, even if you have to work at it sometimes to find the connection. It took me a while to get into the "rhythm" of his style, but once I did, I found myself often reading the poems to Rachel or the kids. Sometimes there was a particular reason for that, but sometimes you just want to share a good poem.

Moments like these

He rests his oars

And rides the rolling waves. 

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

This may be the book on this list that I keep coming back to the most in my thoughts. Comer is wise and he's very funny and easy to read. This particular read is extremely necessary for our world. A number of the points he makes were ones I had already given a lot of thought to, but he fleshes them out practically, and his focus on slowness was very welcome.

The End of the Christian Life by J. Todd Billings

I'm in the middle of reading my third book this year about death and the Christian life, and it has brought me strange comfort and focus. But that seems to be the message of all three of these books, that thinking well about death is key for thinking well about life. This was probably my favorite, recommended by Matthew Loftus for its tension of Death the enemy and Death the friend.

Lifting the Veil by Malcolm Guite

I've been enjoying Guite's poems for a few years now, but this is the first time I've read anything else of his. It's a short book, brought to my attention by fellow Serger Bob Phillips in the Netherlands. Guite's main point (in my opinion) is that imagination provides a way of knowing and understanding that is additive to reason and rationality, but that Christian faith has misunderstood and de-emphasized this role of imagination. Appropriate to his subject matter, Guite leans heavily on some beautiful artistic examples, and now I'm eager to go back to William Blake again.

The Samurai by Shusaku Endo

Since reading Silence a few years ago, I've been eager to read more Endo, but interestingly, it seems nigh impossible to find ebooks of his works, and thus I've been limited in Burundi. However, this summer while in the UK, Bob Heppe had several of his novels, and I was glad to borrow what is often considered Endo's greatest masterpiece. Like Silence, The Samurai is set is set in the 17th century as Japan is clamping down on Christianity. The plot is thick and the characters are deep. The hope that is offered is beautifully subtle, which of course, can make you imagine that hope is just about anywhere.

The Faithful Spy by John Hendrix

Last year, I wrote about Hendrix as the cartoonist for The Holy Ghost. He has done a number of graphic novel biographies, and I also enjoyed his new one on Tolkien and Lewis this year. The Faithful Spy is about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, particularly about how this German pastor got caught up in a plot to assassinate Hitler. Fascinating, and both very well told and well drawn.

The Medieval Mind of CS Lewis by Jason Baxter

I've read several books about the disenchantment of the world, and they describe that part fairly well. But when they get to the re-enchantment part, they have seemed rather, well, disenchanting. How to re-enchant the modern world? Fiction is certainly an important piece of this, but this book provides a pretty great non-fiction piece, as Russell Moore suggested in his recommendation of Baxter's book. I've read a lot of Lewis this year, and this book is a great exploration of how Lewis was shaped by a medieval world view. But more generally, the book is quite good at describing how the medieval mind viewed an "enchanted" world, providing some great food for thought on a different way to see the world all around us. 

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

When we moved to Africa fifteen years ago as missionaries, this was a major cultural connection point for a lot of people. "Have you read the Poisonwood Bible?" Rachel had read it, but I never had. It's really a fantastic novel. Sweeping, complex story, and fantastic characters. It has its own take on Africa and US involvement in Congo, but it's not essentially anti-Christianity or even anti-missionary. Even though the story didn't feel much like our experiences of Africa, some of the superficial descriptions of Congo felt pretty similar to Burundi.

Honorable Mentions:

The Weight of Glory by CS Lewis (re-read)

Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin

How Far to the Promised Land? by Esau McCaulley

A Burning in My Bones by Winn Collier

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

The Lost Art of Dying by Lydia Dugdale

The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers

I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

Just Like That by Gary Schmidt

The Many Assassinations of Samir, Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri

The Mythmakers by John Hendrix

2024 Newbery Medal Winner:

The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers

Having read and ranked all the Newbery Medal winners, Rachel and I make a point to read the new one every year. This year's book is a great story, and Dave Eggers is an amazing author. But it is a surprising choice, because it's really just kind of a nice story from the imaginative perspective of a dog. Hard to understand why this was selected above all others, but it is a good read.

Best Re-Read in 2024:

A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken

Rachel and I read this for the first time over fifteen years ago, and I've often wondered if I would still appreciate it now. After visiting Oxford this summer, it seemed like a good time to re-read it. Vanauken tells the story of his love for his wife, their adventures together, their unlikely conversion to Christianity while studying at Oxford, their friendship with CS Lewis, and the grief of losing his wife at a young age. It's still beautiful and wise.