My Top Book Reads of 2019...So Far

Summer is when people are looking for a good book to take on vacation and I often get requests for a recommendation from what I’ve read so far this year.

Above are the books I’ve read this year. 20 books in all. I’m not quite on the same pace of a book a week as last year but pretty close.

People often ask me how I pick what to read.

I pick based on…

-What I will be teaching on next year
-Something I’m curious about
-A recommendation
-An area I need to keep focused on.

What areas do I need to keep personally focused on?

-My marriage
-Parenting skills
-Leadership skills
-Public Speaking
-Personal Finance

I’m always looking for recommendations in those areas so I can sharpen my ax.

What areas do you need to keep focused on?

Each of the books in the above picture are worth your time, but below are the clear winners to me!

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. This was the second book I read this year and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Everyone should read this book because we all will be faced with difficult end of life medical choices that we haven’t been prepared to answer. One of the author’s points is that the medical community isn’t really equipped to answer the most important questions you’ll have either. The goal of medicine is to save lives or prolong it for however long is medically possible, but often keeping your organs functioning isn’t exactly what you envision for your end of days. I was shocked to read that in some cases those with terminal cancer lived 25% longer with hospice than with chemo and the quality of life was vastly better. What is your real goal? Is your goal to squeeze every extra second out of your body regardless of quality of life or is it to go out peacefully at home surrounded by your loved ones? How do you define “quality of life?” Everyone of us will die, everyone of us will have a grandparent, parent, and possibly a spouse die before we do. We will more than likely be called on to answer difficult quality of life questions on the behalf of our loved ones. What if you could have those difficult conversations now? What if you helped your loved ones know your wishes and were able to keep them from unnecessary guilt about a choice they had to make while you were in surgery? If you only read one book this year, pick this one. It would make a great audio book. It’s written by a surgeon who has walked this path with many patients and with his father…who was also a surgeon.

The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy. This book is a classic now in the personal finance genre, but I had never read it. (Little known fact one of the authors was a professor at the University of Albany right here in my back yard!) A fascinating point the authors make is the motivation which created wealth in one generation was the very thing that caused it to disappear in the second generation. The first generation wanted to provide their children with a different and easier life than they had growing up. Easier usually meant stuff and not having to sacrifice or do without…like they had to. The things they want to eliminate were the very things that created wealth for the first generation. How do you really set your kids up for success? Another big takeaway is that what makes someone financially wealthy isn’t how much they make, but how much they save. Worded slightly differently…Your net worth isn’t based on what you make, but on what you save. Lots of people can appear “rich” because they have nice things, but if you were to dig a little deeper their net worth is “poor” or more in line with someone who earns considerably less. It’s a balancing act to give your children a better life, but at the same time not to kill healthy ambition. It’s also a balancing act between making memories and saving for an unknown future. If you’re reading this blog there’s a good chance you are the very person who needs to read this book. You’ve worked hard to get to where you are so how do you make sure you’re helping your children and not hurting them or your grandchildren. Every message we receive in culture is spend, spend, spend. We never hear the message “save.” It’s one of the reasons I try to read a personal finance book every year to keep me focused on a future one day I’ll be living in. Choices are now results are later. If you need to get motivated again to save read this one.

Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires, The Respect He Desperately Needs. Eggerichs’ work is a classic in the marriage enrichment genre, but alas I hadn’t read this one either. Good marriages don’t just happen especially when opposites often attract. Opposites naturally look at everything differently. In the beginning most people value those differences but over time we can begin to discount and resent those differences. Eggerichs’ looks at how each gender needs one main thing. Men need respect and women need love. Because we often try to meet needs the way we want our needs met we can create a crazy cycle in our marriage. I’m sure you have all kinds of questions about how it can be that simple or if it is even true…read the book. I wouldn’t say this is the best marriage book or my first recommendation, but it’s a good one to add to your tool kit. If you are ready to get off the crazy train of you and your spouse constantly hurting each other I highly recommend this one. What was the last thing you did to become a better spouse? Why not start here?

The Hiding Place. I visited Israel earlier this year and one of our stops was at the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. It was such a moving experience. Outside of the museum they have trees planted in memory of those who helped save lives. Corrie Ten Boom has a tree. I knew most of her story, but I wanted to be reminded of it. The book recounts how Corrie and her family hid Jews in their home, ran an underground network that helped save 1000’s of lives all throughout Holland, and how she survived a Nazi concentration camp. I didn’t know it until the end of the book, but I started reading it on Corrie’s birthday! The book starts off slow, but stick with it.

Four Views on Hell. Seriously? I know. I know. When I was in Israel this year we were by the Valley of Gehenna something that Jesus referred to. Is that all Hell was/is as some have said? You probably have some questions too! It’s one of the beliefs of historical Christianity that’s kind of embarrassing for Christians today. Yet, at the same time most people wouldn’t think Hitler belongs in Heaven either. Interestingly, none of the authors deny the existence of Hell the debate is over the function, purpose, and duration. I absolutely loved the format of this book. Each author presented their view and then the other authors responded. For me, two of the four viewpoints were shaky at best. One of the viewpoints I was shocked how much scriptural evidence was for it. It’s been a long time since a theological discussion actually made me choke up. At one point during this book I had to set it down because I was so moved and overcome with the love of God for me. It’s a quick read and well worth your time. (“Watch your life and your doctrine closely.” -1 Timothy 4:16)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff. My wife loves Chip and Joanna Gaines and after reading this book I do too! It’s a funny, feel good book! I appreciate their love for their town and each other. If you’ve ever started something you’ll appreciate their hard work and the ups and downs. Perfect beach book!

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It. People are raving about this book. I learned lots of great negotiating tactics and more importantly learned to recognize them being used on me…especially price anchors. If you’re looking for a simple, clear path…I’m not sure this is it. It’s a lot to remember, but then again I don’t negotiate every day. The next time I do, I’ll certainly review this book beforehand.