AndrewGilmore.net

What I Read in 2024: 3 Books You Might Enjoy

Three of my favorite books from 2024, plus I'm giving one of them away!

AS HAS BECOME an annual tradition here at AndrewGilmore.net, I'm recapping the books I read this past year I think you will find intriguing. Many times I approach this assignment with skepticism, wondering if the exercise is mere self-indulgence, but I keep typing for two reasons.

First, I love knowing what other people are reading. I can't leave a conversation with my bibliophile colleagues or friends without inquiring about his or her latest read. Even on the beach or at a coffee shop, I try to spy book titles peaking through the finger lattice of public readers. So, my thinking goes, if I possess insatiable book curiosity, you might as well.

Second, I enjoy the giveaway tied to this tradition. Yes, the activity is somewhat self-serving in that you must surrender your email address to enter the drawing. But, as always, you can remove yourself from the list at any time with one click, no questions asked. Marketing strategy aside, I take pleasure in the act of generosity, and by sharing books I enjoyed I hope to form a bond—however tenuous—with the recipient.

This year, I am switching things up a bit. You must opt-in to be entered in the drawing. In years past I would draw a name from my existing list only to receive silence in response to the email notification. Whether the winner had no knowledge of the contest, ceased checking his email, or lay comatose in a county hospital I knew not. Therefore, even those currently on my email list must sign up for the contest. To do so, enter your email below and click "Enter the Contest."

If you're new around here, the winner, drawn at random, will receive one of the following books for free, plus a copy of my latest book, You're Utmost Is Not Enough: Trusting God When Life Doesn't Make Sense, in your preferred format.¹

On to what I read.

Three Books You Might Enjoy

I had a consistent reading year by my standards, completing eight books while starting a few others that I did not enjoy and abandoned. As usual, nonfiction dominated the landscape; just two of the octet were fiction. Nevertheless, I dedicated a good portion of my autumnal reading to a thick anthology of short stories—one I look forward to finishing.

With the constant bustle of life, it seems I must always fight my exhausted brain for reading time. Yet I never regret the minutes I spend reading, and I need only pore over my TBR list to generate some internal giddiness at all of the wisdom, knowledge, enrichment, and entertainment awaiting me on my bedroom bookshelf or overstuffed Kindle library.

Here are three books I read in 2024 I think you might enjoy.

"I would be silent and die": How Integrity Shapes Life's Toughest Trials

A preview of February's email-only article.

Engin Akyurt

LIFE HAS A way of beating us down at times, doesn't it?

When events don't transpire as they should and when life seems unfair, the temptation to give up our integrity can be tantalizing. Life hasn't been good to me, so why should I continue to do what is good and right?

Such a response, while common, is short-sighted.

In this month's email-exclusive article, we're continuing our examination of Job. We ponder how in the world he was able to hold fast to his integrity when he had seemingly no reason to do so.

Every month I publish an exclusive article for my email subscribers, and if you'd like instant, free access, fill out the form below. (If you are already a subscriber, check your inbox!)

Here's a snippet of this month's exclusive:

EVERYONE FACES ADVERSITY. If you're not in the throes of suffering at the moment, you'll have your day soon. Encouraging, right?

Of course, some—seemingly at random—experience a disproportionate amount of tragedy, but no matter who you are, adversity lies waiting. Such is the result of living in a fallen world. In writing these words, I do not mean to discourage or depress you. I'd rather pretend nothing bad will ever happen. But ignorance in this case is not the proverbial bliss. Instead, armed with the knowledge that grief might be en route, we can steel ourselves for the coming storm.

"How?" You might ask.

While we've dissected nearly every angle of Job's story, he says something interesting in chapter 13—a subtle phrase but one worth examining.

Want to read the rest?

Just enter your email address to join the list, and I'll send it to you right away:

I send two to three emails per month, but you can unsubscribe at any time.

See you next month!

Keeping the Faith: How to Find Strength When You Run out of Answers

No matter how studied, you will eventually run out of answers.

Greg Rakozy

BEARING THE IMAGE of God has its perks.

We are capable of creativity, one of the Almighty's key traits. In the history of humanity, God first appears as creator, materializing the universe with mere words. When you read a novel, watch a thrilling film, or explore some architectural marvel, you enjoy the product of creativity.

Language is another differentiator among created beings. You're reading a message which is an encoding from your past (my present) containing my thoughts. As you read these words, your mind decodes them to derive meaning. It's an incredible transaction and a talent we share with our creator.

A third perk (among others) is our ability to reason and think in the abstract. God has granted us the gift of intellect. We can consider alternate realities, we can reverse engineer, and we can understand cause and effect.

And yet, as smart as we may think we have become, this third perk can also manifest as a curse.

The Unparalleled Gift of Gray Hair

A preview of August's email-only article.

Tim Mossholder

WHEN YOU PONDER growing old, you might not be inclined to celebrate.

Instead you might feel anxious or despondent. Perhaps we can chalk up these common responses to the premium our society places on youth.

But old age, King Solomon argued, is a precious gift.

In this month's email-exclusive article, we'll examine Solomon's words on turning gray and why old age is actually good news.