A reading plan for 2014

I have been working on a very structured reading plan for this year.  I have read a lot of books each of the past 2 years (50 and 75) but I hadn't specifically planned out which books I wanted to read.  I hadn't taken much time to consider what I was spending most of my time reading.

This year I wanted something more concrete.  I wanted something more planned and intentional.  I wanted to be stretched spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, and stylistically.  I wanted a reading list that would help create biblical change in my life, would deepen my wisdom when looking at the world, would make me a better reader, and would make me a better writer.

With these goals, I set a goal of 35 books--less than the past two years, but more challenging and intentional.  I also started writing down some specific criteria that would help me reach my goals as a reader this year.  That meant that, of the 35 books I would read this year, I wanted:

• 1 classic novel
• 1 YA novel
• 1 re-read of an all-time favorite
• 1 book on a science related topic
• 1 ancient history book
• 1 modern history book
• 1 Patristic Christian book
• 1 youth ministry book
• 1 children's ministry book
• 1 missions book
• 1 scholarly biblical book
• 1 book on a subject I have never studied before
• 2 books on the same subject from differing perspectives
• 1 book recommended by my pastor (Chuck)
• More Christian than non-Christian books
• Avoid primarily popular and new books (trendy isn't always best)

There were a few other criteria along the way (did it sound remotely interesting?), but those were some of the big ones.  And so I have started reading, but have also been slowly working on forming a 35 book reading list for this year.  It is finally ready, and I am ready to share it with you.

My 2014 reading list:

1. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
2. Divergent by Veronica Roth
3. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
4. Darwin's Black Box by Michael Behe
5. Vanished Kingdoms by Norman Davies
6. Ostkrieg by Stephen Fritz
7. On Social Justice by St. Basil the Great
8. Hurt by Chap Clark
9. Children's Ministry Volunteers That Stick by Jim Wideman
10. The Insanity of God by Nip Ripkin
11. Jesus & The Victory of God by N.T. Wright
12. How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler
13. Life on the Vine by Philip Kenneson
14. The Jesus Way by Eugene Peterson (recommended by Chuck)
15. Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
16. The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
17. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
18. Radical by David Platt
19. Sex Is Not The Problem (Lust Is) by Joshua Harris
20. Praying God's Word by Beth Moore
21. Dragon's, John, and Every Grain of Sand by Shane Wood
22. The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
23. Worldliness by C.J. Mahoney
24. When I Don't Desire God by John Piper
25. Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi
26. God, Marriage, and Family by Andreas Kostenberger
27. How I Changed My Mind About Women in Leadership by Allen F. Johnson
28. Selected Poems by Walt Whitman
29. Prodigy by Marie Lu
30. Multiply by Francis Chan
31. A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer
32. A Grace Disguised by Gerald Sittser
33. New Testament Exegesis by Gordon Fee
34. Scribal Culture and the Making of the Hebrew Bible by Karel Toorn
35. New Proofs for the Existence of God by Robert Spitzer

So that is my list.  Have you read any of these books?  Which ones are you interested in reading?