The Desperate Pastor Blog: Best Books Read in 2009

One of the things I enjoy about each year's end and a new year's beginning is the opportunity to look back on the previous year's reading, and plan the coming year's reading. I'll blog in a day or two about my reading plan for 2010, but first I want to reflect on my favorite books of 2009, of the 69 I read throughout the year. Just to give an idea of what that literary journey was like, it included thirteen leadership (and ministry) books, five classics (by Wells, Dumas, Shakespeare, and Verne), one history, three memoirs, eight children's books, seven contemplative or devotional books, and one collection of poems, among other classifications.

And so, here are the ten I enjoyed most. The list is led by a surprise discovery, one that I absolutely adored, exploring the mystical meanings of each letter in the Hebrew alphabet, according to Lawrence Kushner. And, for anyone who would like to know more about why a particular book is on the list, those marked with a † have been reviewed on this blog. Simply search for the title, or go to the category sidebar and click on "Book of the Week" to display all the book reviews and just scroll down until you find the one you're looking for. Also, each book's title is linked to the Amazon or Christianbook. com listing for that title, so you can learn more, read reviews, or purchase the book online.