2021 READING CHALLENGE

In 2021, I am attempting to conquer the Christian Reading Challenge posted by Tim Challies. It covers a wide variety of genres and topics to expand our minds and hearts. You can track my progress here and see my thoughts in blog posts throughout the year. When I complete a book, I will put the title in parentheses following the category.

A Book Published in 2020 or 2021 (The Great Secret: The Classified World War II Disaster that Launched the War on Cancer by Jennet Conant)
A Memoir or Autobiography (Confessions by St. Augustine)
A Classic Novel (Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck)
A Book by or about a Pastor or a Pastor's Spouse (Brownlow North: His Life and Work by K. Moody Stuart)
A Book About a Book of the Bible (Alive in Him: How Being Embraced by the Love of Christ Changes Everything by Gloria Furman)
A Book Published by Zondervan
A Book with the Word "Gospel" in the Title (The Gospel According to Satan: Eight Lies about God that Sound Like the Truth by Jared C. Wilson)
A Book with an Image of a Person on the Cover (His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis)
A Book about a Current Social Issue (The Gathering Storm: Secularism, Culture, and the Church by R. Albert Mohler)
A Book for Children or Teens (Who Was Helen Keller? by Gare Thompson)
A Book about Theology (All Things For Good by Thomas Watson)
A Book about Christian Living (Help! I'm Married to My Pastor: Encouragement for Ministry Wives and Those Who Love Them by Jani Ortland)
A Book of Your Choice (The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff)
A Book Written by a Puritan (Select Practical Writings of Robert Traill by Robert Traill)
A Book Recommended by a Family Member (A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards by George M. Marsden)
A Book about Social Justice
A Novel that Won the Pulitzer Prize (Beloved by Toni Morrison)
A Book with 2 or More Authors (Gospelbound: Living with Resolute Hope in an Anxious Age by Collin Hansen and Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra)
A Book with at Least 400 Pages (Is Atheism Dead? by Eric Metaxas)
A Book by C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien (The Pilgrim's Regress by C.S. Lewis)
A Book that Has a Fruit of the Spirit in the Title
A Book on the New York Times Bestsellers List
A Book about Prayer
A Book about Theology (Nature's Case for God by John Frame)
A Book about Christian Living (Will They Stand: Parenting Kids to Face the Giants by Ken Ham)
A Book of Your Choice (The Loveliness of Christ by Samuel Rutherford)
A Book from a Theological Viewpoint You Disagree with (Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis)
A Book by Someone Whose Ethnicity is Different from Yours
A Book that Won an Award (Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi)
A Book about Leadership (Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs to Knows by John C. Maxwell)
A Book by Charles Dickens or One of His Contemporaries (A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens)
A Book of Poetry (The Road Not Taken and Other Poems by Robert Frost)
A Book Based on a True Story (The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate)
A Book with an Illustration on the Cover (Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman)
A Hardcover Book (Letters by Samuel Rutherford)
A Book with 100 Pages or Less (How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics? by Jonathan Leeman and Andy Naselli)
A Book with a One-Word Title (Educated by Tara Westover)
A Devotional Book (30 Days or Longer)
A Novel Set in a Country that Is Not Your Own
A Book about Music (The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner)
A Book of Christian Fiction (The Chance by Karen Kingsbury)
A Book about Joy or Happiness
A Book by a Female Christian Author (The Pastor's Wife: Strengthened by God's Grace for a Life of Love by Gloria Furman)
A Book Whose Title Comes from a Bible Verse (The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes)
A Book by an Author 30 or Younger
A Self-Improvement Book (How Successful People Think by John C. Maxwell)
A Book Set During WWII (The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman)
A Book You Own But Have Never Read
A Book about Abortion (Abortion by R.C. Sproul)
A Book about Theology (The Whole Story of the Bible in 16 Verses by Chris Bruno)
A Book about Christian Living (The Wisdom Pyramid: Feeding Your Soul in a Post-Truth World by Brett McCracken)
A Book of Your Choice (Faith in the Time of Plague edited by Stephen M. Coleman and Todd R. Rester)
A Book about Philosophy or Psychology (8 Great Smarts by Kathy Koch)
A Book of History or Humor (1939: A People's History of the Coming of the Second World War by Frederick Taylor)
A Book about Public Speaking or Productivity
A Book about Food or Finances (In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan)
A Book about Sports or Art (What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami)
A Book about Relationships or Forgiveness (The Gospel and Parenting by Various ERLC Contributors)
A Book about Parenting or Retirement (Parenting by God's Promises: How to Raise Children in the Covenant of Grace by Joel R. Beeke)
A Book about Adoption, Foster Care, or Singleness (Adopted for Life by Russell D. Moore)
A Dystopian Novel or a Book of Comics (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)
A Mystery or Detective Novel or a Book with Magic
A Book about Theology or Sin (The Mortification of Sin by John Owen)
A Book about Christian Living or Atheism
A Book You Don't Want to Read But Think You Should (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari)
A Book about Business or Poverty
A Book about Science, Astronomy, or Worldview (The Icepick Surgeon by Sam Kean)
A Book about Evangelism or Revival (Puritan Evangelism: A Biblical Approach by Joel R. Beeke)
A Book about the Natural World or Climate Change (Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus)
A Book about Church History (Seeing Beauty and Saying Beautifully: The Power of Poetic Effort in the Work of George Herbert, George Whitefield, and C.S. Lewis by John Piper)
A Book that Challenges Your Thinking on a Divisive Topic (Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell)
A Book by a Male Conference Speaker (A Gentle Answer: Our "Secret Weapon" in an Age of Us Against Them by Scott Sauls)
A Book by a Female Conference Speaker (Ten Word to Live By: Delighting in and Doing What God Commands by Jen Wilkin)
A Book about Suffering (Joy in the Sorrow by Matt Chandler)
A Book by Your Favorite Author
A Book You Have Read Before (The Wisdom Pyramid by Brett McCracken)
A Book about Homosexuality or Transgenderism
A Christian Novel (Someone Like You by Karen Kingsbury)
A Book about Theology (The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel)
A Book about Christian Living (Ephesians for You by Richard Coekin)
A Book of Your Choice (Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer)
An Author's Debut Book
A Book about a World Leader
A Book about the Bible (Taking God at His Word by Kevin DeYoung)
A Book about a Country or City
A Book Set in the Middle East
A Book from the MENSA Reading List for Grades 7-8 (The Story of My Life by Helen Keller)
A Book by or about a Martyr
A Book Written by a European Author (Devoted to God's Church: Core Values for Christian Fellowship by Sinclair B. Ferguson)
A Book about a Controversial Subject (The Secular Creed: Engaging Five Contemporary Claims by Rebecca McLaughlin)
A Book about Language (The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way by Bill Bryson)
A Book More than 100 Years Old
A Book Your Pastor Recommends (Pastors and Their Critics: A Guide to Coping with Criticism in the Ministry by Joel R. Beeke and Nick Thompson)
A Book Written by an African Author
A Book about One of the Seven Heavenly Virtues
A Book that You Borrow from Someone or Somewhere (The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell)
A Book about Spiritual Disciplines
A Book You Have Always Wanted to Read (1984 by George Orwell)
A Book about Race and Christianity
A Book Written in the 21st Century (Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan)
A Biography, Memoir, or Autobiography (Helen Keller: A Life by Dorothy Herrmann)
A Book about Theology
A Book about Christian Living (Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray)
A Book of Your Choice (Killing the SS by Bill O'Reilly)

2021 READING CHALLENGE

A Book Published in 2020 or 2021 (The Great Secret: The Classified World War II Disaster that Launched the War on Cancer by Jennet Conant)

A Memoir or Autobiography (Confessions by St. Augustine)

A Classic Novel (Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck)

A Book by or about a Pastor or a Pastor's Spouse (Brownlow North: His Life and Work by K. Moody Stuart)

A Book About a Book of the Bible (Alive in Him: How Being Embraced by the Love of Christ Changes Everything by Gloria Furman)

A Book Published by Zondervan

A Book with the Word "Gospel" in the Title (The Gospel According to Satan: Eight Lies about God that Sound Like the Truth by Jared C. Wilson)

A Book with an Image of a Person on the Cover (His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis)

A Book about a Current Social Issue (The Gathering Storm: Secularism, Culture, and the Church by R. Albert Mohler)

A Book for Children or Teens (Who Was Helen Keller? by Gare Thompson)

A Book about Theology (All Things For Good by Thomas Watson)

A Book about Christian Living (Help! I'm Married to My Pastor: Encouragement for Ministry Wives and Those Who Love Them by Jani Ortland)

A Book of Your Choice (The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff)

A Book Written by a Puritan (Select Practical Writings of Robert Traill by Robert Traill)

A Book Recommended by a Family Member (A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards by George M. Marsden)

A Book about Social Justice

A Novel that Won the Pulitzer Prize (Beloved by Toni Morrison)

A Book with 2 or More Authors (Gospelbound: Living with Resolute Hope in an Anxious Age by Collin Hansen and Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra)

A Book with at Least 400 Pages (Is Atheism Dead? by Eric Metaxas)

A Book by C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien (The Pilgrim's Regress by C.S. Lewis)

A Book that Has a Fruit of the Spirit in the Title

A Book on the New York Times Bestsellers List

A Book about Prayer

A Book about Theology (Nature's Case for God by John Frame)

A Book about Christian Living (Will They Stand: Parenting Kids to Face the Giants by Ken Ham)

A Book of Your Choice (The Loveliness of Christ by Samuel Rutherford)

A Book from a Theological Viewpoint You Disagree with (Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis)

A Book by Someone Whose Ethnicity is Different from Yours

A Book that Won an Award (Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi)

A Book about Leadership (Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs to Knows by John C. Maxwell)

A Book by Charles Dickens or One of His Contemporaries (A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens)

A Book of Poetry (The Road Not Taken and Other Poems by Robert Frost)

A Book Based on a True Story (The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate)

A Book with an Illustration on the Cover (Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman)

A Hardcover Book (Letters by Samuel Rutherford)

A Book with 100 Pages or Less (How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics? by Jonathan Leeman and Andy Naselli)

A Book with a One-Word Title (Educated by Tara Westover)

A Devotional Book (30 Days or Longer)

A Novel Set in a Country that Is Not Your Own

A Book about Music (The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner)

A Book of Christian Fiction (The Chance by Karen Kingsbury)

A Book about Joy or Happiness

A Book by a Female Christian Author (The Pastor's Wife: Strengthened by God's Grace for a Life of Love by Gloria Furman)

A Book Whose Title Comes from a Bible Verse (The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes)

A Book by an Author 30 or Younger

A Self-Improvement Book (How Successful People Think by John C. Maxwell)

A Book Set During WWII (The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman)

A Book You Own But Have Never Read

A Book about Abortion (Abortion by R.C. Sproul)

A Book about Theology (The Whole Story of the Bible in 16 Verses by Chris Bruno)

A Book about Christian Living (The Wisdom Pyramid: Feeding Your Soul in a Post-Truth World by Brett McCracken)

A Book of Your Choice (Faith in the Time of Plague edited by Stephen M. Coleman and Todd R. Rester)

A Book about Philosophy or Psychology (8 Great Smarts by Kathy Koch)

A Book of History or Humor (1939: A People's History of the Coming of the Second World War by Frederick Taylor)

A Book about Public Speaking or Productivity

A Book about Food or Finances (In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan)

A Book about Sports or Art (What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami)

A Book about Relationships or Forgiveness (The Gospel and Parenting by Various ERLC Contributors)

A Book about Parenting or Retirement (Parenting by God's Promises: How to Raise Children in the Covenant of Grace by Joel R. Beeke)

A Book about Adoption, Foster Care, or Singleness (Adopted for Life by Russell D. Moore)

A Dystopian Novel or a Book of Comics (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)

A Mystery or Detective Novel or a Book with Magic

A Book about Theology or Sin (The Mortification of Sin by John Owen)

A Book about Christian Living or Atheism

A Book You Don't Want to Read But Think You Should (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari)

A Book about Business or Poverty

A Book about Science, Astronomy, or Worldview (The Icepick Surgeon by Sam Kean)

A Book about Evangelism or Revival (Puritan Evangelism: A Biblical Approach by Joel R. Beeke)

A Book about the Natural World or Climate Change (Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus)

A Book about Church History (Seeing Beauty and Saying Beautifully: The Power of Poetic Effort in the Work of George Herbert, George Whitefield, and C.S. Lewis by John Piper)

A Book that Challenges Your Thinking on a Divisive Topic (Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell)

A Book by a Male Conference Speaker (A Gentle Answer: Our "Secret Weapon" in an Age of Us Against Them by Scott Sauls)

A Book by a Female Conference Speaker (Ten Word to Live By: Delighting in and Doing What God Commands by Jen Wilkin)

A Book about Suffering (Joy in the Sorrow by Matt Chandler)

A Book by Your Favorite Author

A Book You Have Read Before (The Wisdom Pyramid by Brett McCracken)

A Book about Homosexuality or Transgenderism

A Christian Novel (Someone Like You by Karen Kingsbury)

A Book about Theology (The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel)