my top 10 reads of 2024

Mental health, decade-spanning sagas, and how to be a Christian in today's world

I read 130 books in 2024. This is not bragging or attempting to assert myself over those who read less. I am never trying to compete with anyone, including myself. I just like to read and I’m in a season of life where I can read a lot of books.

A few days I ago I shared my least favorite reads of 2024, but today I’m going to share my top 10 reads. I had originally planned to share all of my 5-star reads in one post, but there were 42 of them, and it felt overwhelming for you and for me. Instead, I’ve broken that group down into four separate groups—my top 10 overall, and then my 5-star fiction reads, my 5-star nonfiction reads, and my 5-star spiritual reads. Look for those in your inbox in the coming days.

#1: A Quiet Mind to Suffer With: Mental Illness, Trauma, and the Death of Christ by John Andrew Bryant

This was one of my last reads of the year, and when I went to choose my 10 favorites, I didn’t waste any time deciding which one was at the top. I started reading this book not knowing what I was getting myself into, and 40 pages in I realized I was going to have to go back to the beginning and read much. more. slowly. It is a spiritual memoir of the author’s experience with OCD, including ending up in a psychiatric ward and then attempting to regain some amount of normalcy. I highlighted most of the book, but here is one paragraph in particular that stopped me in my tracks.

This patient, quiet trust, because it grasps the crucified Christ, is itself a crucifixion. In order to get along, to be present in my own life, to worship regularly, to love somewhat well and somehow get through the day, I have been called to enact by Christ a trust that feels like dying. A patient, quiet trust that feels wrong just as often as it feels right. I have learned, and am still learning, that trusting Christ is one of the ugliest and most uncomfortable things we’ll ever do. The trust that grasps Christ—even and especially if it is patient and quiet—is a splendid, wounded, trembling, crying thing. We can have this patient, quiet trust and still be upset. We can have it and still be miserable. We can have it and still be in great uncertainty and tension.

#2: The Anxiety Audit: Seven Sneaky Ways Anxiety Takes Hold and How to Escape Them by Lynn Lyons

I was introduced to Lynn Lyons through her podcast, Flusterclux (be careful when you say that out loud). I was looking for resources to help one of my kids and accidentally found the podcast, which turned out to be one of the happiest accidents of my life. I was immediately engrossed in her no-nonsense, matter-of-fact approach to anxiety. One of the things she says often on the podcast is that anxiety is not about the content; it’s about the process. Whether you’re anxious about snakes or school or the future or airplanes, it’s the way you approach your anxiety that matters. When I found out she had written a book, I listened to the audiobook for free through my local library. About two-thirds of the way through, I realized I was going to need to have a hard copy to go through it again and really absorb it. I’ve now read through it two other times with friends this year. It is not a Christian book, but it is one of the best books on anxiety I have ever read. It gives you a language to talk about it and to identify unhelpful patterns in yourself—and then it gives extremely practical help on what to do to move forward.

#3: The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves by Curt Thompson

I read this right on the heels of The Anxiety Audit, and the two books together turned out to be a suckerpunch in the best possible sense. I had a very narrow view of what shame was, but Thompson’s expansive exploration of what shame is and how it affects us opened my eyes to my own heart. I also discovered the connection between anxiety and shame in my own life, which is something I’m continuing to unpack.

#4: On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living by O. Alan Noble

If you or anyone you know has ever struggled with chronic or situational depression, this book is worth reading. I have struggled with postpartum depression, with situational depression, and with hormone-related depression for the last 20 years off and on. I never felt more hopeful than when I read this book.

#5: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

My top fiction read of the year was this epic saga. It covers one family in India over multiple generations. The character development was impeccable, the way all the different plot lines tied together was meticulous, and it was also an amazing insight into the development of medical science in the 20th century.

#6: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

This book has been out for years, but I just never got around to reading it. I finally did this year, and on one hand, I was sorry I waited so long. But then I also wished I had never read it so that I could experience reading it again for the first time. I really wasn’t sure how a book that takes place entirely in a hotel in Moscow over decades could be interesting, but I was quickly proved wrong. I shed tears multiple times while reading this one.

#7: Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen

This book is perfect if you’re feeling a little too happy and optimistic about life and want to be taken down a notch or two. It is dark. There is no happy ending. It is a nonfiction book, but the author sets up a scenario in which North Korea has sent a nuclear bomb to the United States. She outlines what would happen after that and describes in excruciatingly detail the effect of radiation on people and the earth in general. If you’re wondering why in the world anyone would want to read this, then this book is probably not for you. But I couldn’t put it down.

#8: Ghosted: An American Story by Nancy French

I think I can credit this book with being part of the reason why I decided to start this Substack. I am no Nancy French, but I appreciated the way she talked about her own writing and felt encouraged that she’s not really a celebrity, but that she managed to tell her story in a way that caused me to examine not only myself but the people around me.

#9: The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta

I was painting my now-reading closet when I listened to this one, and I remember almost spilling paint when he talked about something that happened to him at the church he grew up in. Parts of this book seem almost too far-fetched to be true, but if you are a Christian and have been part of a church since 2020, you won’t be surprised. I found it honest and nuanced and a challenge to all who consider themselves evangelicals.

#10: James by Percival Everett

Rounding out my top 10 is another fiction book. This book tells the story of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of the slave Jim, who actually goes by James. It is a subversive look at aspects of the classic novel that we take for granted, and I found myself in tears by the end of it. I highly recommend the audiobook (it counts, I promise!).

What was one of the best books you read in 2024? Please let me know if I should add anything to my TBR for 2025!