Reading List – Niles Holsinger

I love to read.

Normally I stick to the same rhythm every year with when and what I read. ~~I try to read 3 to 4 books a month, I don’t always succeed, but I try.~~ I read because I enjoy reading. I used to set reading goals, but then it would become more about the goal then the reading and it would lose all the joy.

I usually don’t read any books except the Bible and a selected prayer book during the season of Lent, this is just one way I keep myself focused on that season. I also read the Chronicles of Narnia every year around November or December. I read the Narnia series every year at the same time for two reasons, 1) I really love this series, 2) this is usually the time of the year that my brain is fried and I want to “wind down” my brain.

I tend to read the same genre of books, mostly about prayer, spiritual formation, and church history. I will also throw in the occasional fiction every now and then. I do always seem to read in “chunks”, meaning I will read several books about the same subject, or I will read through a single authors collected works before moving on to the next thing.

I will attempt to read any book someone suggests I should read, but I make no promises that I will finish them.

Favorite Authors & Thinkers

These are the men and women I tend to read more than anyone else. Their books have not only informed me but also “formed” me more than any others.

N.T. Wright
Eugene Peterson
Henri Nouwen
C.S. Lewis
Greg Boyle
Thomas Merton
Richard Rohr
Pete Grieg
Ruth Haley Barton
Richard Foster
Gene Edwards
Brian McClaren
Dallas Willard
Micheal Heiser
Teresa of Avila
Dorthy Day
John of the Cross

Suggested Reading

I get asked a lot about what books I recommend, this is usually where I start. (I read several of these every year)

“Dark Night of the Soul” by St. John of the Cross
“The Way of the Heart” by Henri Nouwen
“The Divine Conspiracy” by Dallas Willard
“Night” by Eli Wiesel
“Falling Upwards” by Richard Rohr
“Humility” by Andrew Murray
“The Naked Now” by Richard Rohr
“Celebration of Discipline” by Richard Foster
“The Pastor” by Eugene Peterson
“The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Henri Nouwen
“A Tale of Three Kings” by Gene Edwards
“The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis
“A Long Obedience in the Same Direction” by Eugene Peterson
“Surrender to Love” by David G. Brenner
“The Ragamuffin Gospel” by Brennen Manning
“People of the Lie” by Scott M. Peck
“A Generous Orthodoxy” by Brian McLaren
“How the Bible Actually Works” by Pete Ennes
“Why Revival Tarries” by Leonard Ravenhill
“Dirty Glory” by Pete Greig

Here is a running list of books I have read that are worth mentioning. The Books in bold are my top picks of that year.

2025

“All In” by Mark Batterson
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling
“Letters by a Modern Mystic” by Frank Laubach
“Mansions of the Heart” by Thomas Ashbrook
“Practicing the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence
“Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership” by Ruth Haley Barton
“The Way of the Heart” by Henri Nouwen
“Practicing the Way” by John Mark Cromer
“Atomic Power With God Through Prayer and Fasting” by Franklin Hall
“The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic” by John Shelby Spong
“Opening to God” by David G. Benner
“Getting Things Done” by David Allen
“The Gift of Being Yourself” by David G. Benner
“Radical Candor” by Kim Scott
“Ancient Wisdom for the Caring of Souls” by Coleman M. Ford & Shawn J. Whilhite
“Letters to a Young Pastor” by Eugene Peterson
“The Tears of Things” by Richard Rohr

2024

“Humility” by Andrew Murray
“Intercessory Prayer” by Dutch Sheets
“The Unseen Realm” by Michael Heiser
“God of the Oppressed” by James Cone
“The Art of Insubordination” by Todd Kashdan
“Not the End of the World” by Hannah Ritchie
“The Windsors at War” by Alexander Larman
“Secrets from a Prison Cell” by Tony Vick
“Guns, Germs and Steel” by Jared Diamond
“Eat This Book” by Eugene Peterson
“Run with the Horses” by Eugene Peterson
“Born Standing Up” by Steve Martin
“The Promise of Sleep” by William Dement
“This is Where you Belong” by Melody Warnick
“The Originals” by Adam Grant
“This Here Flesh” by Cole Arthur Riley
“Essentialism” by Greg McKeown
“Falling Upward” by Richard Rohr
“Barking at the Choir” by Gregory Boyle
“Dirty Glory” by Pete Greig
“Tattoos on the Heart” by Gregory Boyle
“A Tale of Three Kings” by Gene Edwards
“A Church Called Tov” by Scott McKnight & Laura Barringer
“Reviving Old Scratch: Demons and the Devil for the Doubters and the Disenchanted” by Richard Beck
“The Magicians Nephew” by C.S. Lewis
“Leap Over A Wall” by Eugene Peterson
“The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis
“A Horse and His Boy” by C.S. Lewis
“Cherished Belonging” by Gregory Boyle
“Prince Caspian” by C.S. Lewis
“Voyage of the Dawn Treader” by C.S. Lewis
“The Silver Chair” by C.S. Lewis
“The Last Battle” by C.S. Lewis

2023

“Out of the Silent Planet” by C.S. Lewis
“Prelandra” by C.S. Lewis
“Not a Tame Lion” by Terry Glassy
“From Strength to Strength” by Arthur Brooks
“The Creative Act” by Rick Rubin
“Outrage Machine” by Tobias Rose-Stockwell
“Creating Magic” by Lee Cockerell
“Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson
“When Helping Hurts” by Steve Corbett
“Sacred Fire” by Ronald Rolheiser
“Excellence Wins” by Horst Schulz
“Learning Humility” by Richard J. Foster
“Falling Upward” by Richard Rohr
“The Road Less Traveled” by Scott Peck
“The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis
“Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis
“The Silver Chair” by C.S. Lewis
“The Last Battle” by C.S. Lewis
“The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” by C.S. Lewis
“The Horse and His Boy” by C.S. Lewis
“The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis
“The Magicians Nephew” by C.S. Lewis
“The Naked Now” by Richard Rohr

2022

“Vanishing Grace” by Philip Yancey
“The Narrative of Sojourner Truth” by Sojourner Truth
“The Ministry of Intercessory Prayer” by Andrew Murray
“A Tale of Three Kings” by Gene Edwards
“Lord of the Ring: A Journey in Search of Count Zinzendorf” by Phil Anderson
“True Self/False Self” by Richard Rohr
“Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools” by Tyler Staton
“The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness” by Gregory Boyle
“Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship” by Gregory Boyle
“Streams in the Wasteland” by Andrew Arndt
“Faith Unraveled” by Rachel Held Evans
“The Wisdom Pattern” by Richard Rohr
“What is the Bible” by Robb Bell
“Why Revival Tarries” by Leonard Ravenhill
“Atomic Power with God with Prayer and Fasting” by Franklin Hall
“The Power of Place” by Daniel Grothe
“Dirty Glory” by Pete Greig
“Living Without Enemies” by Samuel Wells
“Befriending Silence” by Carl McColman
“Jesus and Non-Violence” by Walter Wink
“When Everything’s on Fire” by Brian Zahnd
“Untangling Emotions” by Alasdair Groves
“The Book of Enoch” by Enoch
“The Two Towers” by J.R.R. Tolkien
“The Fellowship of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien
“Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion” by Gregory Boyle
“The Last Battle” by C.S. Lewis
“The Silver Chair” by C.S. Lewis
“The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” by C.S. Lewis
“Prince Caspian” by C.S. Lewis
“The Horse and His Boy” by C.S. Lewis
“The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis
“The Magician’s Nephew” by C.S. Lewis
“The Way of the Heart” by Henri Nouwen

2021

“The Magician’s Nephew” by C.S. Lewis
“The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis
“The Horse and His Boy” by C.S. Lewis
“Prince Caspian” by C.S. Lewis
“The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” by C.S. Lewis
“The Silver Chair” by C.S. Lewis
“The Last Battle” by C.S. Lewis
“The Naked Now” by Richard Rohr
“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” by J.K. Rowling
“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” by J.K. Rowling
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” by J.K. Rowling
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” by J.K. Rowling
“The Splendid and the Vile” by Erik Larson
“The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” by Frederick Douglass
“Living the Resurrection” by Eugene Peterson
“Prayer in the Night” by Tish Harrison Warren
“Jesus and John Wayne” by Kristin DuMez
“Letters to a Young Pastor” by Eric Peterson
“Faith and Doubt” by Brian McLaren
“Eager to Love” by Richard Rohr
“Strengthening the Soul of your Leadership” by Ruth Barton
“How the Bible Actually Works” by Pete Enns
“The Celtic Way of Evangelism” by George Hunter
“Pursuing God’s Will Together” by Ruth Haley Barton
“The Road Back to You” by Ian Morgan Cron
“Shifting the Nations Through Houses of Prayer” by Rick Ridings
“For the Life of the World” by Alexander Schmemann
“People to be Loved” by Preston Sprinkle
“A War of Loves” by David Bennett
“Joy to the World” by Scott Hahn
“Breathing Under Water” by Richard Rohr
“Love Wins” by Robb Bell
“Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time” by Marcus Borg
“Paul: A Biography” by N.T. Wright

2020

“Sober Intoxication of the Spirit” by Raniero Cantalamessa
“Jesus and the Disinherited” by Howard Thurman
“A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life” by William Law
“The Spirit of the Disciplines” by Dallas Willard
“George Muller:The Guardian of Bristol’s Orphans” by Janet Benge
“People of the Lie” by Scott Peck
“Jesus: A Theography” by Leonard Sweet
“City of Prayer: Transforming Your Communities through Praying Churches” by Try Kent
“Surrendered to Love: Discovering the Heart of Christian Spirituality” by David Banner
“The Gift of Being Yourself” by David Banner
“St. Francis of Assisi: His Life, Teachings and Practice” by Jon Sweeney
“Desiring God’s Will” by David Banner
“Punk Monk” by Andy Freeman
“If the Church Were Christian” by Philip Gulley
“The Way of the Heart” by Henri Nouwen
“The Bible Tells Me So” by Peter Enns
“Restoring the Woven Cord” by Michael Mitton
“Emergence Christianity” by Phyllis Tickle
“A Quaker Book of Wisdom” by Robert Smith
“Following the Celtic Way” by Ian Bradley
“A Farewell to Mars” by Brian Zahnd
“A Generous Orthodoxy” by Brian McLaren
“The Universal Christ” by Richard Rohr
“Everything Belongs” by Richard Rohr
“The Naked Now” by Richard Rohr
“Surprised by Hope” by N.T. Wright
“The Magician’s Nephew” by C.S. Lewis
“The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis
“The Horse and His Boy” by C.S. Lewis
“Prince Caspian” by C.S. Lewis
“The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” by C.S. Lewis
“The Silver Chair” by C.S. Lewis
“The Last Battle” by C.S. Lewis
“The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers” by Amy Hollingsworth
“The Furious Longing for God” by Brennan Manning
“The Ragamuffin Gospel” by Brennan Manning
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling
“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” by J.K. Rowling
“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” by J.K. Rowling

2019

“Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life” by Marshall B. Rosenberg
“The Red Sea Rules: Ten God Given Strategies for Difficult Times” by Robert J. Morgan
“The Pilgrim’s Regress" by C.S. Lewis
“The Boy Crisis: Why our boys are struggling and what we can do about it” by Warren Farrell PhD and John Gray PhD
“The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis
“Punk Monk: New Monasticism and the Ancient Art of Breathing” by Andy Freeman
“The Road Back to You” by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
“The Naked Now: Learning to see as the mystics see” by Richard Rohr
“Orthodoxy” by G.K. Chesterton
“Simplicity: The Freedom or Letting Go.” By Richard Rohr
“The Lord and His Prayer” by N.T. Wright
“Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life” by Henri Nouwen
“Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer” by Richard Rohr
“Making All Things New: An Invitation to the Spiritual Life” by Henri Nouwen
“Everything Belongs to God: Discovering the Hidden Christ” by Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt
“Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life” by Richard Rohr
“Humility” by Andrew Murray
“The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Henri Nouwen
“A Long Obedience in the Same Direction” by Eugene H. Peterson
“The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Own Unique Path to Spiritual Growth” by Christopher L. Heuertz
“How the Bible Actually Works” by Peter Enns
“Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God’s Image” by Dr. Paul Bland and Philip Yancey
“How To Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People.” by Pete Greig
“No Man Is an Island” by Thomas Merton
“Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved” by Kate Bowler
“The Lord of the Ring” by Phil Anderson
“The Jesus Way” by Eugene Peterson
“Blessed Broken Given” by Glen Packian
“Letters from a Modern Mystic” by Frank C. Laubach
“The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

2018

“1984” by George Orwell
“A Tale of Three Kings” by Gene Edwards
“The Forgotten Jesus” by Robby Galaty
“When to Speak and When to Shut Up” by Dr. Michael D. Sedler
“Darkest Hour: How Churchill Brought England Back from the Brink” by Anthony McCarten
“Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies” by Jared Diamond
“Goodbye, Things” by Fumio Sasaki
“Nevermoor, the Trials of Morrigan Crow” by Jessica Townsend
“Start With Why” by Simon Sinek
“Emotional Agility” by Susan David
“Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.” By Daniel H. Pink
“Paul: A Biography” by N.T. Wright
“How Not to be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking” by Jordan Ellenberg
"Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives” by Richard A. Swenson
“The Better Angels of our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined” by Steven Pinker
“What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures” by Malcom Gladwell
“The Art of Thinking Clearly” by Rolf Dobelli
“Dark Night of the Soul” by St. John of the Cross
“Into the Silent Land” by Martin Lairdu
“Dirty Glory” by Pete Grieg
“On Tyranny: Lessons from the twentieth century” by Timothy Snyder
“The Way of the Heart” by Henri J. Nouwen
“In the Name of Jesus” by Henri J. Nouwen
“A Grief Observed” by C.S. Lewis
“A Long Obedience in the Same Direction” by Eugene H. Peterson
“Run with the Horses” by Eugene H. Peterson
“Celebration of Discipline” by Richard J. Foster
“The Pastor: A Memoir” by Eugene H. Peterson
“Red Moon Rising” by Peter Grieg
“The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of God’s Mercy” by Tim Keller
“A War of Loves: The Unexspected Story of a Gay Activist Discovering Jesus” by David Bennett
“Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview and Cultural Formation” by James K.A. Smith

2017

“Shoe Dog” by Phil Knight
“Stuff Matters” by Mark Miodownik
“The Road to Character” by David Brooks
“Jesus Among Secular Gods” by Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale
“In Constant Prayer” by Robert Benson
“The Tao of Bill Murray” by Gavin Edwards
“Against the Wind” by K.P. Yohannan
“The King Jesus Gospel” by Scott McKnight
“Necessary Endings” by Henry Cloud
“Total Money Makeover” by Dave Ramsey
“Finding Our Way Again” by Brian Mclaren
“Praying With the Church” by Scott McKnight
“The Pastor” by Eugene H. Peterson
“You Are What You Love” by James K. A. Smith
“A Tale of Three Kings” by Gene Edwards
“The Circle Maker” by Mark Batterson
“Prevailing Prayer” by D.L. Moody
“Eat This Book” by Eugene Peterson
“Night” by Elie Wiesel
“Red Team: How to Succeed By Thinking Like the Enemy” by Micah Zenko
“The Book of Five Rings” by Miyamoto Musashi
“God and Stephen Hawking” by John C. Lennox
“Does Prayer Change Things” by R.C. Sproul
“An Eyewitness Remembers the Century of the Holy Spirit” by Vinson Synan
“Protestants: The Faith That Made the Modern World” by Alec Ryrie
“Animal Farm” by George Orwell
“The Lord and His Prayer” by N.T. Wright
“The Runaway Species: How human creativity remakes the world.” by Anthony Brandt and David Eagleman
“Surprised by Hope” by N.T. Wright
“The Divine Conspiracy” by Dallas Williard
“Prayer: Finding the Hearts True Home” by Richard J. Foster
"Intercessory Prayer: How God Can Use Your Prayers to Move Heaven and Earth” by Dutch Sheets
“Streams of Living Water” by Richard J. Foster

2016

“Essentialism” by Greg McKeown
“The Way of the Heart” by Henri J.M. Nouwen
“American Icon” by Bryce G. Hoffman
“Humility” by Andew Murray
“Reclaiming Conversation” by Sherry Turkle

“Originals” by Adam Grant
“Crucial Conversations” by Kerry Patterson
“Adventures in Prayer” by Mary Jo Pierce
“Deep Work” by Cal Newport
“How Google Works” by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg *Re-read from 2015 (Probably should be top 5 since it’s the second year I’ve listed it.)
“Sprint” by Jake Knapp
“Finding Eve” by Rita Springer
“The Wisdom of the Desert” by Thomas Merton
“The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Church Monks” by Benedicta Ward
“Sacred Listening” by James L. Wakefield
“Prayer Primer” by Thomas Dubai
“The New York City Noon Prayer Meeting” by Talbot W. Chambers

Honorable Mention:

“Ego is the Enemy” by Ryan Holiday
“Poets and Saints” by Jamie George
“The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” by Benjamin Franklin
“The Leader Who Had No Title” by Robin Sherma
“The Lives of the Desert Fathers” by Norman Russell

2015

“Creativity Inc. : Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration” by Ed Catmull
“Work Rules! : Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead” by Laszlo Bock
“The Year Without Pants” by Scott Berkun
“The Orbital Perspective” By Astronaut Ron Garan
“Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life” by Marshall B. Rosenberg

“Four Witnesses: The Early Church in Her Own Words” by Rod Bennett
“Truely Free” by Robert Morris
“Manage Your Day-to-Day” by Jocelyn K. Glei (Editor)
“Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman
“Creating Magic” by Lee Cockerell
“How Google Works” by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg and Alan Eagle
“Simplify” by Joshua Becker
“Ragamuffin Gospel” by Brennen Manning