Books of the Year 2024
My book of the year for 2024 - which is actually four books - was Robert Caro's astonishing biography of Lyndon Johnson. It is one of the books I have most enjoyed reading in my entire life, and I wish I could read it again without knowing what happens. It is not just Caro's portrait of an enormously complicated, often villainous and sometimes heroic man that makes it so compelling; it is also his depiction of mid-century America as a whole, with all its ingenuity and corruption, and his deep dives into the lives of Johnson's rivals and associates in each volume (Sam Rayburn, Coke Stevenson, Richard Russell, John Kennedy, and so forth). Most of all, it is the way Caro uses dramatic irony to his advantage. We know this difficult, brilliant, coarse and often odious man became a Congressman, then a Senator, then a Vice President, and finally a President, but on countless occasions we simply cannot fathom how he managed it, given the internal and external reasons he shouldn't have. Caro uses that puzzle to marvellous effect, and the result is a three thousand page story that truly rips along. I cannot wait for volume five.
History and Philosophy Books (To Make You Think)
Niall Ferguson, Kissinger: The Idealist. Another man whose life spans and parallels the twentieth century, and provides striking insights into it.
Frank Dikötter, The Cultural Revolution. The moral and cultural implosion of Mao’s China, narrated with remarkable clarity and power.
Iain McGilchrist, The Matter With Things II. Every bit as good as volume one, which was my book of the year in 2023.
Robert Caro, The Years of Lyndon Johnson. Book of the Year
Mark Kurlansky, 1968: The Year that Rocked the World. Any guesses as to the book project I’m thinking about?
Exciting and Absorbing Books (To Read at Night or on Holiday)
Katherine Rundell, Rooftoppers. I think this book might have been meant for children, but it’s wonderful. What a writer.
Rory Carroll, Killing Thatcher. A taut and gripping account of the IRA plot to kill Margaret Thatcher and the manhunt that followed.
Tracy Sierra, Night Watching. “There was someone in the house”: the tension starts in the opening sentence and does not relent until the final page.
Maggie O’Farrell, I Am, I Am, I Am. Ten short stories based on the ten times Maggie O’Farrell nearly died. Thoroughly absorbing.
Francis Spufford, Cahokia Jazz. A clever detective story set in a fascinating alternative history of midcentury America.
Christian Books (To Help You Live Well)
Kevin DeYoung, Impossible Christianity. Why the Christian life can be lived faithfully and wisely despite all appearances, actually.
Christopher Wright, Hearing the Message of Ecclesiastes. A penetrating study of one of Scripture’s most thought-provoking and challenging books.
Rachel Gilson, Parenting Without Panic. How to raise loving and brave children in a world where LGBTQ+ questions press upon us from all sides.
Gavin Ortlund, What It Means To Be Protestant. A wonderful defence of Protestant thought and practice in dialogue with Orthodox and Catholic positions.
Kevin Vanhoozer, Mere Christian Hermeneutics. KJV brings his A-game to an often convoluted subject and brings his customary clarity with him.
Christian Books (To Fuel Your Joy)
Jeremy Writebol, Pastor: Jesus is Enough. A warm and uplifting exposition of the seven letters in Revelation, aimed at pastors but relevant for everyone.
John Oswalt, Isaiah 40-66. Magnificent insights on one of Scripture’s greatest books (and the topic for next year’s THINK conference!)
Julian Hardyman, Jesus, Lover Of My Soul. A beautiful exposition of the Song of Songs that is nearly as passionate and unashamed as the original.
Sam Allberry, One With My Lord. Probably the best (and simplest) book I have ever read on union with Christ. Rachel and I fought over it on holiday.
Michael Morales, Numbers 1-19. A marvellous and substantial commentary on a book that lots of us struggle to understand, let alone revel in.
Happy Advent!