My Favorite Books of 2021

Here is a list of my favorite books of 2021. I read 75 books, less than last year due to unexpected travels and doing life in two countries. I have a few new genres on this list. Some I didn't rate 5 stars on Goodreads, but I felt they belong here because they introduced me to new ideas and caused me to think deeply of the subject and/or spurred me on to read further. 

 There are quite a few that I half-expected to love because their authors are among my favorites.  No fiction made it on my top 10, but I've included some favorites under Honorable Mentions below. (Full disclosure: the titles are affiliate links to Amazon.)

I hope you will find this helpful. 

1.  None Greater by Matthew  Barrett - another excellent book on the attributes of God. What makes this different from the others is its emphasis on the godness of God, i.e., those qualities that make God this transcendent, mysterious Being, who is beyond man's comprehension, yet has made Himself knowable to us, though not exhaustively. This book has to be read slowly and meditatively, and would make a great companion to one of my favorites last year, Gentle & Lowly.

2. Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman - this book is one of the most eye-opening works I've read in the last several years. Though written decades ago, the book's observations addressing the dangers of the television are fittingly applicable to today's problems with our society's dependence on our electronic devices. Consequently, the general population has a short attention span, cannot distinguish truth from lies, and are addicted to entertainment. 

3. Surviving Religion 101 by Michael Kruger - this is not only good for parents to read with their teenagers, but I recommend adults who work in the secular field to read it also. It affirms why Christianity is not only true, but that it is rational. It is a firm ground to stand on no matter what ideologies we may face in the world. 

4. The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson - the title refers to both the CRISPR gene and Dr Doudna who discovered how to manipulate it to change genetic codes for various reasons, both good and bad. It is a fascinating look at the history and science behind this new technology in gene editing, and the subsequent ethical issues we must now face from the use and abuse of this powerful tool.

5. Rescue at Los Banos by Bruce Henderson - this is about the perfectly executed raid in Los Banos, Philippines by US soldiers and Filipino guerrillas in WW2 to rescue over 2,000 civilians imprisoned by the Japanese. The author's previous works have appeared on my top list before.

6. Fault Lines by Voddie Baucham - this is another enlightening book for me. Though I have been aware of the problems of the Social Justice Movement and Critical Race Theory, this book covers the history of these ideologies and explains why they are problematic, especially as they infiltrate the church.

7. Expository Thoughts on the Gospels (Mark) by JC Ryle - I knew this would be in my favorite list before I even started reading it, just because it is a book that explains the Gospel of Mark by a beloved author. The ebook is free to download from Amazon and Monergism.

8. The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell - a riveting book on the inception of the Air Force from pre-WW2, and the group of pilots who had the dream and obsession to fight wars with precision bombing in order to lessen causalities. The book is all that, plus so much more. I read the Kindle and listened to the audio version as well. I definitely recommend the latter as it includes actual audio clips of the quotes in the book.

9. Anticipating the Advent by Will Varner - it unpacks the context surrounding the Nativity story. Dr Varner explains how the OT prophecies are fulfilled in Christ and brings characters to life, all the way from Adam and Eve. I highly recommend this book, not just for advent reading, but for a better understanding of the significance of the Incarnation of the Word for the world.

10.  Becoming Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn - the author, despite some annoying writing flaws, has served Elliot fans by writing this biography. It includes facts about their life that I didn't know about. By talking about their frailty and weaknesses, the author made them more endearing to me who has been encouraged by their obedience to the Lord. I recommend it to those who have been blessed by Ms Elliot's life and works.

Honorable Mentions:

Untangling Emotions - my favorite Biblical Counseling book, especially helpful for me as a mom of 3 girls.

Mossad - real life action-packed stories of the most daring operations of the Israeli spy agency.

Project Hail Mary - my favorite fiction this year and it happens to be science fiction. It got slow in the middle, but I love how it ended!

I Am a Filipino - a cookbook that also talked about the history of the Filipino cuisine. It educated me about my own culture and cannot wait to give it away to my girls someday.

 

My Favorite Books of 2020

As expected, history/biography books dominated my favorite list in 2020. Out of the 90 books I read, 33 were history/biography and a handful of them were about Winston Churchill. It seemed I was drawn to more fiction in 2020 than previous years. From the 33 fiction books, 11 were classics. Sadly, the modern fiction choices were mostly disappointing; some I didn’t even bother to finish.

The books about current events/culture study were all excellent. And under the Christian category, a few were outstanding and life-changing, but some fell short. Here are my top books of the 2020, arranged by genre. I've added affiliate links to Amazon.

 

Knowing Christ - as a sequel to an old favorite, Knowing Jesus, this is a modern classic. I especially enjoyed reading it with my book club and discussing our Savior with my sisters in the Lord.

Gentle and Lowly - this made it to the top lists of many Christian authors and bloggers I follow, understandably so. I read it slowly and meditatively throughout the year. The truths found here about the heart of Christ, my Savior, for sinners and sufferers, have been a great reminder what a treasure we have in Him.

Parenting with Words of Grace - a book I didn’t think I needed to read, this offered not only parental advice, but a constant reminder of the glorious gospel, and how it applies to parenting and discipleship.

The Splendid and the Vile - the historical account of the Blitzkrieg attack on London by Germany in World War 2. What struck me about this book is how the Brits kept their lives as normal as possible, despite the constant danger. 

Sons and Soldiers - the story of a group of young men who fled persecution in Europe to America, then later returned to Europe to fight the Nazis. I had not heard of them before and their amazing contribution to win the war with their language skills and familiarity with the habits and worldview of their enemies.

Franklin and Winston - the historical account of the friendship between Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill during WW2. I do not envy these two great men who made difficult decisions to make that resulted in the deaths of their people; but make them, they had to do. This book made me appreciate and wish for principled men who would lead their people with integrity and courage.

Churchill: Walking With Destiny - though a little long, it is an excellent biography of Churchill. I have read a few other books about him, but this is my favorite so far as it provides a fresh and insightful look into the character of the most admired (and hated at the same time) man in the 20th century.

Destiny of the Republic - this is the story of President Garfield’s assassination attempt and our nation’s rallying together as doctors, inventors and scientists tried to save his life. It covers a short biography of Garfield, the history of germ theory and the science to apply it.

The Thirteenth Tale - It’s a gothic novel, not a typical genre I’m drawn to, reminiscent of Jane Eyre. The author is now one of my current favorites. Her storytelling skills just grabbed me by the heart. I just want to have tea with her characters and give them a hug. 

Black Rednecks and White Liberals - after reading Mr Sowell’s engrossing book, I questioned myself why I waited this long to read his works. He taught me new things and made me think differently of current events, history and the possible solutions to our current societal problems.

The Madness of Crowds - This timely, brilliant book was written by a gay atheistic conservative journalist. It is a great assessment of the irrationality of our society. If you are like I am, who have been scratching my head at the banality of the cancel culture, intersectionality and identity politics, you would find this book helpful.

Dominion -  I learned so much just reading the Preface. The author is far from being a Christian apologist, but he affirmed so much of the truth that Christian authors like Francis Schaeffer and Charles Taylor have made famous in their own works. Mr. Holland wrote an honest look at the universal good influence Christian principles have had on our society.