Jesse Koepke

Well, look at that. It’s almost time for 2019’s list. Sometimes life gets away from you—or you start reading a bunch of new books and don’t finish up last year’s list. But I still think it’s better late than never! I’ve been posting these lists for several years now, and a year’s reading doesn’t feel complete until I do.

So, without further ado, here are the books I read in 2018:

1. May 2017-4/1: Den of Thieves, by David Chandler (print & digital)
2. 12/29/17-1/11/18: A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War, by Jospeh Loconte (audiobook)
3. 1/4-16: The Craft & Business of Screenwriting, by Ken Miyamoto (ebook)
4. 1/11-12: Sacred Sex, by Tony Evans (audiobook)
5. 1/12-30: Kingdom Marriage, by Tony Evans (audiobook)
6. 1/17-29: Hedges, by Jerry B. Jenkins (ebook)
7. 1/25-UNFINISHED: A Man’s Guide to Work, by Patrick Morley (print)
8. 1/31-3/8: Grace-Based Parenting, by Tim Kimmel (audiobook)
9. 2/1-3/5: The Tombs, by Clive Cussler & Thomas Perry (audiobook)
10. 2/7-20: The Nifty 15, by Honoree Corder and Brian D. Meeks (ebook)
11. 2/9-3/31: Be the Dad She Needs You To Be, by Kevin Leman (ebook)
12. 2/21-22: The Author Startup, by Ray Brehm (ebook)
13. 3/1-3/19: Christian History Issue #78: J.R.R. Tolkien, by multiple authors (audiobook)
14. 3/9-5/31: Positive Discipline: Parenting Tools, by Jane Nelsen (audiobook)
15. 3/9-16: Spartan Gold, by Clive Cussler & Grant Blackwood (audiobook)
16. 3/19-4/8: Atlantis, by David Gibbins (audiobook)
17. 3/19-4/10: Developing the Leader Within You, by John C. Maxwell (audiobook)
18. 3/31-5/25: Boundaries, by Henry Cloud & John Townsend (audiobook)
19. 4/3-UNFINISHED: Oathbringer, by Brandon Sanderson (ebook)
20. 4/4-25: Work Simply, by Carson Tate (ebook)
21. 4/11-8/23: The White Tree, by Edward Robertson (audiobook)
22. 5/1-6/27: Let’s Get Digital, by David Gaughran (ebook)
23. 5/30-6/20: Your One-Year Old, by Louise Bates Ames (ebook)
24. 6/1-21: The Way of the Wild Heart, by John Eldredge (audiobook)
25. 6/22-8/10: The Grace of God, by Andy Stanley (ebook)
26. 7/29-9/5: Write Your Novel from the Middle, by James Scott Bell (ebook)
27. 8/24-11/27: In the Region of the Summer Stars, by Stephen Lawhead (audiobook)
28. 9/12-15: Invisible Ink, by Brian McDonald (ebook)
29. 9/28-11/9: Fun Loving You, by Ted Cunningham (ebook)
30. 11/12-12/1: How To Manage Your Money When You Don’t Have Any, by Erick Wecks (audiobook)
31. 12/1-2: Improve Your Memory Now, by Gary Small (audiobook)
32. 12/3-FINISHED IN 2019: The Art of Adaptation, by Linda Seger (ebook)
33. 12/10-27: Unleashing the Idea Virus, by Seth Godin (audiobook)

Three Things to Notice

A few trends stood out to me over 2018’s reading compared to 2017:

1. I read over double the amount of books, including more fiction than recent years. 
2. All but two books were digital, either ebook or audio. One of the print books I finished because I switched to ebook, and the other one still is unfinished. Being a husband, father, manager, freelancer, and house owner doesn’t leave much time to prop the feet up and read a physical book, however much I may enjoy that experience, so I’m thankful for alternative methods of reading.
3. 24 of the books were read in the first six months of the year. There’s an adrenaline rush of finishing a book before the library’s 3-week due date (side note: I LOVE libraries), and I was over-indulging on that. My wife graciously pointed it out halfway through the year and I was able to slow down and felt much better.

So in all of those books, which were the standouts?

Favorite Books

FICTION

Den of Thieves by David Chandler was my first step back into fantasy after a while, and I followed that up with Edward Robertson’s The White Tree. Both were well written, but Chandler’s was a bit too dark and Robertson’s had a sarcastic and macabre tone. I have the audiobook trilogy of the latter, so eventually I’ll finish it. 

One of my favorite authors, Stephen Lawhead, released a new book, In the Region of the Summer Stars. It felt like classic Lawhead (Celtic, pre-medieval) and it felt like coming home. The story was a bit slow, but good.

Overall, my favorite fiction books were by Clive Cussler. Inspired by a new book series I’m going to write, I ventured into the genre of adventure/treasure hunting. His books The Tombs and Spartan Gold were great fun, especially since they star a married couple. (Mark that up for first married couple fiction I’ve read :) I preferred Spartan Gold (co-written by Grant Blackwood), but both were great. I’m trying to find other names in that genre, but I look forward to more Cussler.

NON-FICTION

My favorite non-fiction book of the year, hands down, was A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War, by Jospeh Loconte. I’ve read several Tolkien biographies and they tend to repeat themselves, but Loconte dug into WWI in more detail than I expected and also clearly laid out the philosophical world of the early 1900s, both in the general public and among literature. Into that world he  brought Tolkien and Lewis and looked at how their writings were a biblical response to it all. A Hobbit is by far one of my favorite books on these authors, second only to Tom Shippey’s A Road to Middle-Earth. I am certain I will be reading Loconte’s book again.

MARRIAGE/PARENTING

Jerry Jenkins talked about how he lives in purity within his marriage in Hedges, and it was really helpful to hear a married father in the faith talk about how he guards his marriage. In an age where marriages are ending left and right, a good marriage is cultivated with intention, and I’ve been thinking about how to do that in my own life ever since.

Grace-Based Parenting and Positive Discipline were two books that gave me a new paradigm for how to respond to and raise children. It’s different from the typical conservative, Evangelical approach, but it also feels like a more understanding way to interact with our kids, rather than just give rules and expect them to be followed. I especially appreciated Tim Kimmel’s approach in Grace-Based Parenting, and I think that’s a book I’ll be revisiting. 

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Work Simply by Carson Tate was a really cool look at work personalities, and how we approach tasks and work and the tools we need to succeed.

Hands-down the best development book I read was Boundaries, by Henry Cloud & John Townsend. Boundaries are often seen as ways to keep people out, but they are really just healthy ways of fighting for your own value, so that your relationships with people can flourish, not end. Every year my wife recommends a book that really impacts me, and this was the one for 2018. I likely need to re-read this often, and we’re excited to help our kids know these principles as they grow up.

WRITING

I read just a handful of writing craft books this year, and my favorite was The Art of Adaptation, by Linda Seger. She is a script consultant who has been teaching about screenwriting for years, and since reading this one I’ve collected a few more of her books. They are all straightforward and give clear advice on making your writing stronger. 

Reading in 2019

There was one side effect that a reader couldn’t see in this list: toward the end of 2018 my thumbs began to develop the pain and soreness associated with tendinitis. I thought it might be the size of my phone (bigger than ever) or the writing of books or text messages I did on it. Once again, though, my wife pointed out (what would I do without her??) that I had done more reading on my phone this year than ever before (both 2018 and 2017 were predominantly Kindle reading). I think that played a huge part in consistently stressing my thumb muscles.

Thus for 2019, I’ve decided to transition all of my digital reading to my Kindle Paperwhite or Fire Tablet. It’s only been about a week 11 months since I made the shift, but my thumbs already feel better and I’m really enjoying the simplicity of reading on a single-use device.