Erika Recommends: Best Books of 2021

Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff by Myquillyn Smith (Home Decor)

This is a kind of ‘theology on the ground’ book, and was one of the most practically helpful books I read this year in terms of getting our house ready for hospitality! Myquillyn Smith’s ‘system’ to making your house ready is based on the idea that a hospitable home is not a perfectly polished, finished home, but a home that makes space for others. Her system is more like a method to tackle the physical space so the atmosphere of the space allows for conversation, relationship, and hospitality. If you want to give your home an atmosphere without adding more stuff, read this book. If you don’t have any sense of style but want more warmth, read this book. If you know what you like and haven’t had trouble making it but want to learn how to manage with less stuff, read this book. (*Another great book by Smith is her other book on seasonal decor using this same premise called Welcome Home: A Cozy Minimalist Guide to Decorating and Hosting All Year Round!)

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear (Practical)

This might be a good read for the new year, if you’re into setting New Year’s Resolutions. Of course I am totally the kind of person who sets goals, but I struggle with follow-through. James Clear shows you how to structure your goals and aims so that you can actually accomplish them. His philosophy is based on the idea that small things done consistently and over time really do have a much bigger impact than we think. While I don’t use everything he recommends, there were a number of practices and procedures that have been particularly helpful, and I’ve found much more ‘follow-through success’ this year than in past years.

The Every by Dave Eggers (Science Fiction)

While fiction doesn’t often make up a significant percentage of my reading, this one was clever, funny, and very sobering. There were many smart stand-alone passages that would inevitably make me turn to Joel and say, “Can I read this to you?” This is the sequel to Egger’s The Circle, but unlike most sequels, this is better than the first, and doesn’t require the first to be enjoyed! Being that this is not a novel written by a Christian, I will give a caution for language and mature themes.

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (Biography)

This is a ‘can’t put it down’ kind of book. While this is a history book, there is nothing dry about it! Brown does such an excellent job painting the picture of his subject without give so much detail you’re finding yourself skipping pages to get on with the story. And, not only is Brown a good writer, the story, itself, of these boys is fascinating. I listened to it, and it was a great one to listen to while doing dishes, walking, or driving in the car.

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel (Biography)

It never occurred to me that longitude was so pivotal to movement on the globe, nor did I realize that longitudinal measurements were not consistently used until the mid-18th century when the right time-keeping machine had been invented! This was a very interesting read that not only helped me understand what I didn’t even know I didn’t know or understand, but it was a interesting account of the invention of clocks, watches, and life on a ship in the 15-18th century ships. Another good one to listen to while doing other chores!

Competing Spectacles: Treasuring Christ in the Media Age by Tony Reinke (Theology)

This is another book well-subtitled! In some ways, this is a theology of media, or a theology of ‘how to use your eyes’. I actually read this once by myself, and then with Joel, and both times I walked away with something new to consider. Reinke is particularly articulate and informed, so his examples and explanations are both relevant and Biblical. You will walk away with a better appreciation for the gift of sight and a greater longing to fix your eyes more fully on Christ

12 Ways Your Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke (Theology)

You may think this book is an argument for tossing your phone in the trash. It’s not. I really appreciated how fair and balanced Reinke’s evaluation of our phones in today’s world in light of the Biblical Text. In it, he lays out twelve specific ways our phone use affects us, both positive and negative, physical and spiritual, and then lays out a series of questions to help you determine where and what needs to change or be adjusted to better steward the gift of technology for the glory of God.

Watchfulness: Recovering a Lost Spiritual Discipline by Brian G. Hedges (Theology)

If you know me well, you’ll understand what I mean when I say this book is 2020’s version of Gentle and Lowly. I think everyone ought to read and consider what Hedges has to say about the spiritual discipline of watching. He’s structured it around the What, Why, How, When, and Who of cultivating watchfulness. If you’re taking stock of your spiritual life and want to consider an unbelievably helpful discipline that is rarely taught or discussed, this is a book to pick up and consider!

The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible by Michael S. Heiser (Theology)

And lastly, if taking a deep dive into Biblical cosmology (or Worldview) interests you (and even if it doesn’t), this is single-handedly one of the best books I’ve ever read. More than even Gentle and Lowly! This book will make sense of all those random passages in the Bible that you don’t really know what to do with (like Psalm 82, or the Nephilim, or the Tower of Babel) and show you a whole other level of the glory of God found right in scripture. While I don’t agree with everything in it, this book really made my heart warm towards the beauty of scripture and the sovereignty of God!