Saturday, August 15, 2009

Fall '09 Must Reads!


Growing up, my dad would always say, "There are a lot of good books out there. Don't waste time with those. Read great books." He is right. I heard somewhere that over 400,000 new titles were released last year...400,000! You'll never be able to read all those titles, and it can be hard to know what to read when there are so many choices. To help choose wisely, I always try to find out what is coming out before it releases so I can decide what I want to grab. With a flailing economy, people are buying books less and choosing carefully, so I figured I would give you the five fall books I can't wait to read. In no particular order...

1. Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of The Holy Spirit by Francis Chan. Fans of Chan's bestselling book, Crazy Love, have been chomping at the bit for a second title. Finally, they will get what they want. This book will no doubt be a huge hit, and if it is half as good as his last one, it will be an amazing read. (Releases September 1, 2009)

2. Words from The Fire: Hearing the Voice of God in The 10 Commandments by R. Albert Mohler. There isn't a more foundational topic for Christian ethics than the 10 commandments, and there isn't a more brilliant theologian to tackle it than Albert Mohler. Pastors should be especially attracted to this book. (Releases September 1, 2009)

3. Scouting the Divine: My Search for God in Wine, Wool, and Wild Honey by Margaret Feinberg. It's no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Margaret's work, but this one is even better than I expected. I finished the advance copy in a weekend, and it has changed the way I read the Bible forever. Margaret's stories of discovery and deep Biblical truths will warm your heart and blow your mind. (Releases October 1, 2009)

4. Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters by Timothy Keller. Church planter Tim Keller came roaring onto the scene a number of years ago with The Reason for God. This book, which is about the sin of idolatry, is sure to be powerful and an instant hit. (Releases October 20, 2009)

5. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life by Donald Miller. His NY Times bestseller Blue Like Jazz made Don Miller an instant celebrity; this book makes him a human being. I received a copy a few weeks ago and rediscovered how great a writer he is. A Million Miles is a memoir filled with humor, pain and great takeaways that will undoubtedly connect with Miller's cult following. (Releases September 29, 2009)

So, there is my list. Is there something I missed? Any of these interest you?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

hm..not familiar with any of those authors....

thanks for sharing.

Jonathan Merritt said...

Really? Wow.

You are in for a literary treat then. When you read some of these, drop me an email and let me know what you think.

Anonymous said...

Definitely looking forward to books 3 and 5!

Jonathan Merritt said...

Why not 1,2, or 4.

Anonymous said...

JM.

Why do I get a twitter log in request every time I come to your blog?

Jonathan Merritt said...

Honestly, I don't know. But, I am about a week or so from the launch of my new website, which will include a blog, so I haven't been real motivated to figure out what's going on.

Anonymous said...

Haven't heard much about #'s 1, 2, and 4 until now. But I think I will check them out.

Anonymous said...

Isn't Shane Claiborne coming out with a new book in the fall, too? That's another one to add to my list!

Jonathan Merritt said...

Yes, he does, but I am not sure it is going to be a whole lot different than his other stuff. I'm anticipating it, but it didn't make my top 5.

Jm