The Best Books from 2024
A drop of ink may make a million think (Lord Byron)
It’s the end of the year, and time for one of the most anticipated posts at From Daniel’s Desk. While I continued to read a great deal this year, few of my reads ended up on this year’s best books list. Many of the books I read were technical works (often Biblical commentaries), and only a few of these are the kind of books that end up on a reading list.
As always, if you need more recommendations, take a look at the lists from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018.
How to Use This List
As always, a recommendation of any book on this website is not a complete endorsement. I try to alert readers to objectionable content, but always recommend discernment. ‘Reader Discretion’ means that there is content that some readers may dislike or find objectionable. However, this is just a general guideline, so don’t rely too heavily on it. Click the picture of the book to visit its page on Amazon.
I use the following grading system:
- 5 Stars: A book that is profound, paradigm-shaping, or exceptional in some way.
- 4.5 Stars: A book that nearly reaches five-star level, perhaps very well written, but not paradigm-shaping.
- 4 Stars: A great book, well worth reading.
- 3 Stars: An average book, useful for the interested reader.
- 2 Stars: A book with some good points, worth skimming for the interested reader.
- 1 Star: A low-quality book.
(1) Reading Moses, Seeing Jesus: How the Torah Fulfills its Goal in Yeshua (Postell, Bar, et al.) 5 Stars
We often think of Moses as a great leader, patriot, and lawgiver of the Hebrew nation, but do we think of him as a prophet? This epiphanic volume shows how the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) prophesies Israel’s eventual apostasy from God and future Messianic restoration. Reading this book gave me an entirely new appreciation for the Torah and a far deeper understanding of these books. It is well worth reading for anyone who cares to understand the Bible.
Regrettably, this book is not in print. However, you can buy the Kindle version on Amazon for 99 cents!
(2) Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage (Alfred Lansing) 5 Stars
I re-read this book after having first discovered it years ago. Despite knowing the story and knowing exactly how it would end, even my re-reading was spellbinding. I couldn’t put this book down! It’s the true story of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, launched in 1914. Despite hoping to cross the continent of Antarctica, the expedition didn’t even manage to get to land before their ship was frozen in place and then crushed by the pack-ice. What followed was an epic saga of survival as the men struggled to live on a frozen sea, survive its melting, and find help at a distance of 800 miles of rough seas. This is the ultimate true adventure story.
(3) Romans – Second Edition (Thomas Schreiner) 5 Stars
This is a technical commentary, and not really a book that one sits down to read. Nonetheless, I’ve had the pleasure of studying the book of Romans in the Bible, with this book as a guide, over the last three years. It is a technical book, filled with grammatical analysis and heavy usage of Greek. It has helped me develop a deep understanding of the book of Romans and a far broader conception of God and his grace. I’m incredibly thankful for this book and recommend it to anyone who is willing to give it the time that is required to work through it!
(4) Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results (Shane Parrish) 5 Stars
One of the most important skills in life is the ability to think clearly. This is the best book I know to help people think about thinking, and how to do it well. This is not a book that is necessarily ‘profound’ in terms of unique insights. Instead, it contains a very solid description of the mechanics of good thinking, and it helps you avoid the dangers of imprecise thinking. Sometimes this is just what we need – a solid book that brings together the very best of what we already know and how to do it well. For many people, this book will be the first time that they have ever really thought about how to think well; for others, it is a solid reminder to avoid the dangers that they already know of, but sometimes forget about.
(5) The Theodore Roosevelt Trilogy (Edmund Morris) 4.5 Stars
This trilogy consists of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Rex, and Colonel Roosevelt. They provide an in-depth picture of one of America’s greatest presidents. But Roosevelt was far, far more than just a president. I was amazed by how much this man did with his life. He was a historian, soldier, author, politician, explorer, rancher, husband, father, and more. He shaped American politics, lived the ‘strenuous life,’ and founded his own political party. Yet he was a man who suffered extreme loss without being broken by it. This deep dive into his life is sure to inspire you and cause you to think about what you are doing with yours.
(6) The Message of Jeremiah (Derek Kidner) 4 Stars
After slogging through Jeremiah in each of my yearly Bible reads, I picked up this book to try to make sense of one of the more difficult prophets. Kidner’s work allowed me to appreciate Jeremiah and read him with a never-before-experienced delight. Suddenly Jeremiah not only made sense, but also held my attention. Kidner’s commentary is more devotional in nature, but still academic; it is short and concise, and it shows that the prophet’s message is very applicable to our present day.
(7) The Path to Being a Pastor: A Guide for the Aspiring (Bobby Jamieson) 4 Stars
This book, given to me by my pastor, is filled with very helpful advice for those who aspire to the pastorate. Such an aspiration can seem theoretical, but this book provides clear and simple direction for those who are heading this way. I was helped by this book and heartily recommend it for others who have this aspiration.
(8) Robinson Crusoe (Daniel Defoe) 4 Stars
This is another book that I reread this year. I wanted a good adventure story, and I remembered that it was a good read from the past, and I wasn’t disappointed. Defoe’s novel is considered by some to be the first English book of the genre, as it follows the protagonist’s adventures through shipwreck and decades of life on a deserted island. It’s also an edifying read: during his isolation, the main character comes to a realization of his spiritual needs and, through reading the Bible, he develops a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Note: Be careful not to find an abridged version, as many modern versions will remove the spiritual backstory of this book.
(9) How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen (David Brooks) 4 Stars
I’m always on the lookout for a book that will help me add tools to my social toolbelt, and this book does a good job of it. Brooks talks about how to converse well with others, but I was particularly benefited by his sections on seeing people in their suffering – a topic that is not normally discussed in books of this sort.
(10) The Intellectual Adventure of Ancient Man: An Essay of Speculative Thought in the Ancient Near East (Frankfort et al.) 3 Stars
On the one hand, this is an incredibly formative book in explaining the world of the Old Testament. On the other hand, it is very technical and not the sort of reading that many people would enjoy. It’s a series of essays on how ancient people thought, how they interpreted the world, and what constituted ‘philosophy’ in the time before Plato and Socrates. The insights that this book provides are significant. I feel I understand the background of the Old Testament much better after reading. With that said, the section on Ancient Israel is questionable for its attempt to read secular ideas into Scripture. Solid Biblical students with an interest in the topic should definitely take the time to read this book.
(11) His Majesty’s Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World’s Largest Flying Machine (S. C. Gwynn) 3 Stars
I’m a huge fan of all that Gwynn writes, and so I was looking forward to the release of this book. I ended up giving it only three stars because it gets somewhat bogged down in the details of airships – details that not everyone will find fascinating. I still enjoyed the story, however, and it’s incredible that despite a horrific safety record, people were convinced that airships were the future of aviation. As this book recounts (in story after gruesome story), airships provided terrifying rides and, often, only one-way tickets. All of this comes to a head in the story of His Majesty’s airship: the absolutely hubristic airship that was supposed to be the greatest flying machine of its time.
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