I usually make it my personal ambition to read at least one book a month. This year I have done terribly. I have only read 7 books. I have friends whose goal is to read one book a week! 😱 Make sure you have friends who are better than you! A friend of mine called Catherine was on book number 62 two weeks ago! And those are physical pages, not audiobooks. I once heard that Barack Obama does an average of 52 books a year. And George Bush does 75. But don’t let them stress you. These double digiters basically own Thanos’ time stone 😂
In my defence, I did few books this year because book number 7 was very long and too emotional to read. I took breaks to cry, reflect and sigh after every chapter. Book number 6 was very reflective and couldn’t be rushed. Book 5 had me taking notes after every page. After all, it’s not about the number of books you go through, but the number of books that go through you. So here are the seven titles I read in 2024.
BOOK 1: Spirit-controlled Temperament by Tim Lahaye
Tim does a good job finely defining the sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic temperaments. He does this while showing how the Christian life can be tempered by the Holy Spirit to maximize on the pros of the temperaments and learn not to be comfortable in their weaknesses.
BOOK 2: Living Fearless by Jamie Winship
Jamie is a model of courage. From working as an American police officer facing dangerous gangs in the cities to security work in the terrorist territory in the Middle East, Jamie shows how the Rhema voice of God has guided him to save lives and make decisions that can only be understood by faith. This book encouraged me that God is still actively speaking today.
BOOK 3: Five Essentials for Lifelong Intimacy by Dr. James Dobson
Classic James Dobson! James bears his marriage life in this small book and shows how he has enjoyed years of intimacy by working on his own marriage. A marriage that works is one where the work is done.
BOOK 4: Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald
You are not who you are in public. You are who you are in private. And with time whatever is private will come out in public. Ordering your private world is a necessity for anyone who desires to truly be godly, not just have false appearances.
BOOK 5: Atomic Habits by James Clear
I hardly recommend self-help books, but this one I do a hundred percent! Atomic Habits is the most practical book on behaviour change that I have ever read. His lessons helped me ameliorate the teachings I give on porn addiction recovery. I also put his wisdom to the test and I saw remarkable changes in my own life. The second half of my 2024 was more productive thanks to James Clear.
BOOK 6: How and When to Tell Your Kids About Sex by Stan and Brenna Jones
A very practical parenting book for Christians. The authors are clear, winsome, practical and committed to the basic truths of the scriptures. This year alone, I have been invited by several schools and churches to conduct parenting workshops on children and sexuality. This book confirmed that what I have been teaching parents has been relevant and necessary. However, I am afraid that American culture has infiltrated the book’s message to the extent that the authors shy away to support some biblical truths that the world will hate. Some parts feel politically correct. Having written three books on biblical sexuality, I am tempted to write another one for parenting.
BOOK 7: Britain’s Gulag 🇬🇧 by Caroline Elkins
The hardest book I have ever read. This books details the UK’s civilising mission in Kenya in the colonial era. It is also a long book. This book can take you three months to read on account of its length and detail. It is by far the most detailed historical record on Kenya’s colonial past. I had to read and reread several sections. The author did her research so well, you would think she is a Kenyan. Prepare yourself though. You are going to read difficult details on what the white coloniser did to black Kenyans. Details of the torture include but are not limited to: Detention without trial, payless labour, cigarette burns, tearing out the scrotum and forcing men to eat their own testicles, shoving hot boiled eggs into the vagina of women, electrocution, tortured with snake bites and scorpion stings, burning skin slowly with a steady flame, battery, bludgeoning, lynching, being tied on a car and being dragged alive on the road until one died, dogs mauling black men to death, being drowned in cattle dips, forced to eat faeces and drink urine, forced to listen to sermons, sodomy by British homosexuals, chopping off fingers for writing letters etc. This book will help you understand why our politics has been ridiculously rotten for the past 60 years. It helps you understand the church in Kenya. It also helps you understand why Kenayns generally don’t hate white people and coexist with them easily despite the past. Several white men sacrificed their good standing with their own people to ensure that black Kenyans got justice and independence. Also it helps you see why black Kenyans in power oppress their fellow Kenyans. The ruling black chiefs, the history of the homeguard and how they tortured their fellow black Kenyans will make you undertand the inequality we have today. The book will be harder to read if you are a Kikuyu. Don’t say I didnt warn you.
Looking forward to an intellectually challenging 2025! What books did you read in 2024?