What makes a book worth the time to read it?  There are many different measures for evaluating books.  People have differing opinions.  One person’s masterpiece is another person’s meaningless drivel.  How do we know what makes a book great?

I have a short list of characteristics that I use that helps me choose my reading material.  The goal of my reading is not entertainment, so factors related to entertainment won’t be on my list.  Since I have read only three fiction books in the last 32 years, the characteristics that make a book good fiction won’t be here either.  So what’s left?

My list of what makes a book good to me are clustered around the usefulness of the information.  Here are the characteristics I look for in choosing a book:

• Important Information – is the book on an interesting topic, something that is important enough to read. The most important information on the planet is that which connects us to our God in an intimate and vital communion.
• Readable – Some books are harder to read, but the importance outweighs the difficulty.  Some of the more difficult to read books contain the most important information, so I wind up reading books across a range of difficulty.
• Life-changing – is the information in the book important enough, well-presented enough, and relevant to daily living to the point that it is a life-changing read. This is perhaps the most important factor for me, for if the content is not capable of changing how I live each day, why waste the time on it? Life is too short and too important for that.

With the above list in mind, here is the list of the greatest books I have read up to 2019. This list is a reprint of one I published back then, because these are still very important books. In the next post, I will publish a list of more great reads.

• Absolute Surrender, Andrew Murray.  A must-read book for anyone serious about their faith in Christ.
• The Crucified Life, A.W. Tozer.  Another must-read book, for the same reason.
• Love Not the World, Watchman Nee.  The best exposition on the nature of the world in which we live, and why we must be most cautious as we traverse this life.
• The Breaking of the Outer Man and the Release of the Spirit, Watchman Nee.  Long title for a short book.  This is well-written, and covers a hard subject – the need for our self-life to be broken so the Holy Spirit can live His life through us.  Not for the faint of faith, but true and vital for true discipleship.
• The Power of the Blood Covenant, Malcolm Smith.  The best explanation of the New Covenant we have in Christ.  Ever.  Period.  Must read.  Did I mention that it is the best ever?
• God is Closer Than You Think, Juan Carlos Ortiz.  This book is the logical follow-up to Ortiz’s “Living With Jesus Today,” and completes the picture of what a daily conversational relationship with the Holy Spirit is like.  Both books are intensely practical and immediately actionable.  Both books are must reads, if you can find these out-of-print gems.
• God is Closer Than You Think, John Ortberg. Same title, same topic as the book above.  While not as easy to follow and put into action as Ortiz on this subject, this is still a great book, filled with practical strategies to realize the nearness of your God the Holy Spirit within you.
• Be Still, My Soul, Elisabeth Elliot.  Given to me as a birthday gift, my first E. Elliot book was a winner.  Her take on the sovereignty of our God even in the most difficult of times is life-changing.  No punches pulled, and no pat answers.  Just a great exposition in the idea that “nothing ever happens while God is looking the other way.”

Look for reviews of these books in some of my “Book Review” posts.  In the meantime, get reading!  And check out the next post for an updated reading list. Remember A.W. Tozer’s great advice: “Read less, but read more of what really matters.”