Books are like food. They become a part of you. So, read well, not (necessarily) much. Read for your soul.
Mere Christianity – C. S. Lewis (1952)
Lewis was a master at putting big ideas into simple words that make you go, “Ah-ha.” Clear, sane, and surprisingly warm: a great “shared basics” book for believers and skeptics alike.
The Pilgrim’s Progress – John Bunyan (1678)
Classic Christian fiction that has sold more books than any book outside the Bible.
Confessions – Augustine of Hippo (397)
The longest prayer you will ever read. Seriously. The whole book is written to God. He died in 430 and is probably the most influential Christian in history, outside the Bible.
The Cost of Discipleship – Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1937)
He defied Hitler and the Nazi regime, and this book is a bracing call to costly, real-world discipleship.
Knowing God – J. I. Packer (1973)
A defining evangelical classic: it says a lot without saying too much, balancing glorious doctrine with reverent worship.
Desiring God – John Piper (1986)
Will make you want to find real joy and satisfaction in God, and helps you see obedience as joy, not just duty.
The Cross of Christ – John Stott (1986)
If any book slows you down on the Easter story, it’s this one – unpacking the meaning of Christ’s substitutionary death and why the cross is the center of everything.
The Pursuit of God – A. W. Tozer (1948)
Short, searching chapters that make you want God more than gifts from God.
Orthodoxy – G. K. Chesterton (1908)
Not a simple read, but a marvellous work: Chesterton feeds you steak in every sentence, like a long walk with a brilliant sometimes quirky friend.
The Holiness of God – R. C. Sproul (1985)
Restores awe: God is not “a bigger version of us,” He is holy – and that changes everything!
