MY 2020 READING

For the first time since I was about 12 I've kept a record of all the books I finished in 2020. Those in bold are my top 10: 

January 

1. Guiseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, The Leopard 
2. Douglas Murray, The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity 
3. Brit Bennett, The Mothers: A Novel 
4. James M Hamilton Jr. Work and Our Labor in the Lord
5. Mary Oliver, Blue Horses 
6. Jan Morris, Conundrum 
7. Tim O'Brien, In the Lake of the Woods 
8. Pablo Martinez, Praying with the Grain: How Your Personality Affects The Way You Pray 
9. Chris Mullin, The Friends of Harry Perkins 
10. Martin Boyd, The Cardboard Crown

February 

1. Paul M Gould, Cultural Apologetics: Renewing the Christian Voice, Conscience and Imagination in a Disenchanted World
2. Andrew Holleran, Dancer from the Dance  
3. Tomasz Jedrowski, Swimming in the Dark 
4. John Mark Comer, Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human 
5. Richard Scott, Soho

March 

1. Emma Ineson, Ambition: What Jesus said about power, success and counting stuff 
2. Charles Moore, Margaret Thatcher - The Authorised Biography (Volume Three): Herself Alone
3. Philip Roth, Everyman 
4. Anne Lamott, Imperfect Birds 
5. David Brooks, The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life 
6. Penelope Fitzgerald, The Gate of Angels
7. William Fiennes, The Snow Geese

April 

1. Kate Fall, The Gatekeeper: Life at the Heart of No.10 
2. James KA Smith, On the Road with Saint Augustine: A Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts 
3. William Maxwell, Billie Dyer and Other Stories
4. William Maxwell, Bright Center of Heaven 
5. Doug Worgul, Thin Blue Smoke
6. Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline 
7. Martin Boyd, A Difficult Young Man

May

1. Olivia Fane, Why Sex Doesn't Matter
2. Julian Hardyman, Fresh Pathways in Prayer 
3. Peter Korn, Why We Make Things & Why It Matters: The Education of a Craftsman
4. Randy Alcorn, Does God want Us to Be Happy? The Case for Biblical Happiness
5. Kenneth Rose, Who's In, Who's Out: Journals - Volume One, 1944-1979 (Edited by DR Thorpe)
6. Stewart O'Nan, Henry, Himself
7. HG Bissinger, Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream
8. Kenneth Rose, Who Loses, Who Wins: Journals - Volume Two, 1979-2014 (Edited by DR Thorpe)
9. Rowan Williams, Being Human: Bodies, minds, persons 
10. Frederick Buechner, The Son of Laughter

June

1. Hilary Mantel, The Mirror & the Light 
2. Garth Greenwell, Cleanness
3. Justin Whitmel Earley, The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction 
4. Elliot Clark, Evangelism as Exiles: Life on mission as strangers in our own land 
5. Stewart O'Nan, Wish You Were Here 
6. Stewart O'Nan, Emily Alone

July 

1. Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment 
2. Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving
3. Martin Boyd, Outbreak of Love 
4. Ben Lindsay, We need to talk about race: understanding the black experience in white majority churches 
5. Martin Boyd, When Blackbirds Sing 
6. Tim Winton, The Turning 
7. Francis Spufford, Golden Hill 
8. Basil Macdonald Hastings, Memoirs of a Child 
9. Tim Winton, That Eye, The Sky
10. Adam Nicolson, The Making of Poetry: Coleridge, the Wordsworths and their year of marvels 
11. Tim Pears, The Horseman
12. Louisa M Alcott, Little Women 
13. John Williams, Butcher's Crossing

August 

1. Wesley Hill, The Lord's Prayer: A Guide to Praying to Our Father 
2. Louisa M Alcott, Good Wives
3. Hermione Ranfurly, Hermione - After to War with Whitaker: the continuing diaries of Hermione Countess of Ranfurly 1945-2001
4. Jessica Martin, Holiness and Desire 
5. Brandon Taylor, Real Life 
6. Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers 
7. Paul Mendez, Rainbow Milk 
8. Jo Ind, Memories of Bliss: God, Sex, and Us 
9. Max Hasting, Did You Really Shoot the Television? A Family Fable  

September 

1. Calvin Trillin, Remembering Denny 
2. Aimee Byrd, Recovering from Biblical Manhood & Womanhood: How the Church Needs to Rediscover Her Purpose  
3. James Salter, A Sport and a Pastime 
4. Tim Pears, The Wanderers 
5. Veronique Mottier, Sexuality: A Very Short Introduction 
6. Grant Macaskill, Living in Union with Christ: Paul's Gospel and Christian Moral Identity 
7. James Lees-Milne, The Fool of Love 
8. Tim Pears, The Redeemed
9. Arthur Ransome, Swallowdale

October

1. Sasha Swire, Diary of a MP's Wife: Inside and Outside Power
2. Tom Holland, Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind 
3. Marilynne Robinson, Jack
4. Cynthia Long Westfall, Paul and Gender: Reclaiming the Apostle's Vision for Men and Women in Christ

November 

1. Arthur Ransome, Secret Water 
2. Paul David Tripp, Lead: 12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church 
3. Lydia Davis, Break It Down: Stories 
4. Barack Obama, A Promised Land 

December 

1. Brit Bennett, The Vanishing Half 
2. Mary Beard, Women & Power: A Manifesto
3. E Randolph Richards and Brandon J O’Brien, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes
4. Beckett Cook, A Change of Affection: A Gay Man's Incredible Story of Redemption 
5. Julian Hardyman, Jesus, Lover of My Soul: Fresh Pathways to Spiritual Passion 
6. Dorothy L Sayers, Gaudy Night
7. Stewart O'Nan, The Good Wife
8. Shaun Bythell, Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops 
9. Andrew O'Hagan, Mayflies 
10. James Rebanks, English Pastoral: An Inheritance 
11. Jon Ronson, So You've Been Publicly Shamed
12. Will Young, To be a Gay Man