Jesse Koepke

Another year of reading has passed! It feels like just a few weeks ago I was writing up 2016’s reading list and now here’s the next one upon me ;) But the good news is, I’m way ahead of the curve for next year’s list!

This is the eighth list I’ve put together, starting in 2010, and I have really enjoyed doing it. It makes my reading throughout the year feel a bit like a challenge, and it also serves as a catalog of books I liked, new authors I found, and books I’m looking forward to reading. I’m excited to keep doing this for a long time.

So without further ado, here are the books I read in 2017:

1. 2/15–6/30: Date Your Wife, by Justin Buzzard
2. April: Cherish, by Gary Thomas (audiobook)
3. April: The Coffee Break Novelist, by Kevin O. McLaughlin (ebook)
4. 5/13–8/9: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling (ebook)
5. 6/2–6/28: The Ghost Box, by Mike Duran (audiobook)
6. 6/28–11/1: Scoundrels, by Timothy Zahn (audiobook)
7. 7/18–8/9: The Juggling Author, by Jim Heskett (ebook)
8. 7/18–12/3: Invest Like a Pro, by Jesse Mecham (ebook)
9. 8/10–8/29: How to Write a Damn Good Mystery, by James N. Frey (ebook)
10. 8/30–11/13: One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp (audiobook)
11. 9/14-10/29: Four Seasons of Marriage, by Gary Chapman (ebook)
12. 9/29-10/17: When Work & Family Collide, by Andy Stanley (ebook)

New Things In Reading

2016 was amazing because I got to experience reading with my wife, and in 2017 I got to experience it with our daughter! I didn’t list all of the kids books we read together, although maybe I should have. And while I don’t have any specific parenting books on my list, Katie and I were constantly reading articles and different things to become better parents. I’m so thankful for all of the resources available these days! I can’t imagine trying to learn all of this before the internet.

One other thing you may notice on the list is the prevalence of digital books. Most of my reading is now done on-the-go, whether during short breaks at work or sometimes in bed after the family has gone to sleep. Because of that, it just made sense to read Kindle books—and even more so when I rediscovered the library! I’ve used the library for years, but have really gotten into the digital part of it, via Overdrive. I stinking love libraries and I was able to read several books this year because of them.

My favorite part of reading this year was getting to do it next to my wife and daughter once we had gone to bed for the night. I have spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours reading in bed since I was a kid, but now when I do it I get to hear the gentle breaths of my family beside me. When I finally turn off my phone for the night and roll over, its their faces I get to see. It feels amazing, and I am so thankful.

Favorite Books

Fiction

I only read three fiction books this year. I got through the middle of a fourth, Den of Thieves by David Chandler, but I wasn’t able to finish it. I think because it was a print book and I rarely had time to sit down and read like that. I just got Den of Thieves from the library for Kindle, so I’m planning to finish that in 2018.

Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn was the first Star Wars book I’ve read and it was great. It also had the best narrator I’ve ever heard. Marc Thompson did at least 15 different voices and somehow they were all unique. Shout-out to my brother Garrett for giving me that audiobook.

At first I was hesitant to read Mike Duran’s The Ghost Box, as it’s a supernatural thriller, something I don’t normally read. He nailed the L.A. detective noir feel, though, and it was a fun listen.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the biggest book I’ve ever read on my phone, but it was definitely enjoyable. My only hang-up with the book is I don’t get the significance of _______ being the half-blood prince. It didn’t seem to change anything in the story—but I’m sure that’s been debated already ad nauseum.

Family & Marriage

There is a treasure trove of books out there on marriage, family, and being a dad, and I just ate them up this year. Basically I recommend all of the books I read this year. Here are a few thoughts on them:

Cherish by Gary Thomas is a must-read for any marriage. Through the paradigm of cherishing your spouse, Gary calls us even deeper than simply loving our spouse. The Lord used it multiple times after listening to the book to strike my heart and force me to ask, “Am I cherishing my wife in this moment?” So good. I think this is going to become one of my read-every-year books.

When Work & Family Collide was a timely book for me to read. In being an employee and also having personal projects to work on, while also being a husband and dad, having things in the right priority is really important. Andy Stanley nails that discussion by giving a challenge to men to keep their family first and practical ways to do it. I have a feeling I’ll come back to this book a lot over the years.

Four Seasons of Marriage was a very practical and helpful book from Gary Chapman. Knowing what season you’re in as a couple is really important and Gary gives tools to change it or stay in it is really important.

Date Your Wife by Justin Buzzard is a small book about the need for and how to craft a game plan for pursuing our wives, and it’s fantastic. Growing deeper as a couple isn’t automatic, especially in our busy society, and Justin gives a provoking call-to-action for men to purposefully pursue their wives, along with practical steps on how to do so.

Others

My wife recommended One Thousand Gifts to me, and while it was a bit flowery for my male brain, it presented a really great paradigm of thankfulness that was such a good reminder. The big thing that stuck out to me was seeing communion, a frequent practice in the Christian life, as giving thanks to Jesus. I had always seen it as remembering what He did on the cross—which of course it is. But coupling that remembrance with thankfulness creates a heart of gratitude that I want to continue to cultivate. (I also want to continue to ask my wife for recommendations:)

How to Write a Damn Good Mystery (pardon the swearing) was the best writing book I read last year. I’m exploring how to write adventure stories, good adventures always have mysteries at the heart of them. James gave helpful tips on how to think about characters, plots, and clues that will be helpful in my writing.

Books to Read in 2018

Over Thanksgiving, my older brother Jeremy mentioned he keeps a list of books to read. I’ve usually had a few in my head but I’ve decided this year to keep a running list of books I plan to read. So far there are over 20, which given my record from last night year might be impossible, but you never know till you try, right?

I’d like to read more books on parenting and especially raising girls. Marriage of course will be a continuing topic, as well as writing books to keep growing in my craft. I’d also like to read more history and theology, which I haven’t done as much in recent years. And lastly, maybe a fiction book or two. I’ve been thinking about reading a Clive Cussler book, because he does a lot of real world adventure and I’ve never really read anything from that genre. And Brandon Sanderson has released the third Stormlight book in his epic series, Oathbringer, so I’m looking forward to reading it.

I suspect I’ll read more ebooks and audiobooks this year. It helped tremendously in 2017, and while I love a physical book, the practicality of digital helps me actually get books done (case in point: Den of Thieves). Also, my wife got me a Kindle Paperwhite for Christmas, so bring on the reading! (Thanks so much, babe :)

So there you have it! Another year down and another to come. And it’s not even January February March yet :)

Here’s to more reading!