One of my goals for 2020 is to read 45 books this year. That equals 3.75 books per month. Some months might have two books, others five, others four or one or whatever. But either way I’m confident in my goal and excited to share what I read. Here’s what I read in June:

1. The Meaning of Marriage by Tim & Kathy Keller is easily one of the best books I’ve re-read this year. I’ve written about it before and how helpful it is in understanding what marriage actually is vs. what culture (even Christian circles) teach us about it. It’s seriously recommended for anyone and everyone so read it. You will not be disappointed.
   Rating: 4.5/5
   Pages: 288
   Genre: Nonfiction - Christian

2. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins kind of snuck up on me, as far as anticipated reads go, not like the Harry Potter days where I was lined up at Barnes & Noble waiting. And while I found the Hunger Games wildly disappointing as far as endings go, I’m still intrigued enough with Panem to want to understand how and why they got to where they are. I also LOVE a good prequel and backstory so to take a trip down President Coriolanus Snow’s memory lane was interesting and enjoyable. The book ended in a slight cop-out and definitely was a little obvious in it’s callbacks to the original series, but ultimately I enjoyed it and would recommend to any OG Hunger Games fans. If you’re not familiar with the story you may be confused by some things.
   Rating: 3.5/5
   Pages: 540
   Genre: Fiction - Young Adult

3. The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms was on Kindle Unlimited and that’s really my only reason for reading it. It was okay. About as deep as a Hallmark movie but without the fun holiday theme. If you want an easy romp around the park, go for it. But wouldn’t really recommend.
   Rating: 2.5/5
   Pages: 328
   Genre: Fiction

4. The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby also one of the best books I’ve re-read this year and vitally important for all Christians to read. The Color of Compromise outlines the Church’s complicity in racism in America. It is painful, sobering, and educational. It’s written with such grace despite the obvious pain behind the retelling of these horrible stories and it also provides practical steps towards reconciliation and reparations. An absolute MUST read for every white Christian. The most sobering part for me was realizing that to be a member of the KKK, you had to PROVE your status as a Christian. We need to recognize that a group that is the definition of evil also claimed Christ. And we need to be ready to stand up against racism even at cost to ourselves. “Complicit Christianity forfeits its moral authority by devaluing the image of God in people of color. Like a ship that has a cracked hull and is taking on water, Christianity has run aground on the rocks of racism and threatens to capsize—it has lost its integrity. By contrast, courageous Christianity embraces racial and ethnic diversity. It stands against any person, policy, or practice that would dim the glory of God reflected in the life of human beings from every tribe and tongue.”
   Rating: 5/5
   Pages: 256
   Genre: Nonfiction - Race

5. Relationship Goals by Michael Todd. I read this as a conscious effort to diversify my reading. I’ve read a lot of dating/marriage/relationship books this year and primarily they are written by white men, although I suppose Francis Chan is another exception. I’ve also watched a lot of Michael Todd’s preaches on the topic and really appreciate his honestly, candor, and references that are a little younger and more relevant to me than some of the other books. While the content wasn’t groundbreaking or new to me, I really appreciated his approach, how he honored singleness, understands the Biblical order of marriage, and was gracious but firm in how to approach God honoring dating, etc.
   Rating: 3.5/5
   Pages: 208
   Genre: Nonfiction - Marriage