The Bookshelf
ChrisHubbs.com

The 69 books I read in 2017 year in books

Cover of The Punch Escrow.

The Punch Escrow

by Tal M. Klein · published 2017 · read 2017-12-30
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of The Quantum Spy.

The Quantum Spy

by David Ignatius · published 2017 · read 2017-12-26
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds.

How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds

by Alan Jacobs · published 2017 · read 2017-12-25
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency.

The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency

by Chris Whipple · published 2017 · read 2017-12-23
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God: The Scandalous Truth of the Very Good News.

Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God: The Scandalous Truth of the Very Good News

by Brian Zahnd · published 2017 · read 2017-12-19
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Zahnd’s response to the Puritan and Calvinist view of a wrathful God. He paints with broad strokes, but his overall argument is compelling. If you’ve listened to his sermons over the past couple years this content will sound very familiar.

Cover of The Force.

The Force

by Don Winslow · published 2017 · read 2017-12-17
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of Nevertheless.

Nevertheless

by Alec Baldwin · published 2017 · read 2017-12-15
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of The Dark Net.

The Dark Net

by Benjamin Percy · published 2017 · read 2017-12-13
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of Spiritual Radical: Abraham Joshua Heschel in America, 1940-1972.

Spiritual Radical: Abraham Joshua Heschel in America, 1940-1972

by Edward K. Kaplan · published 2009 · read 2017-12-11
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Over Sea, Under Stone.

Over Sea, Under Stone

by Susan Cooper · published 2007 · read 2017-12-09
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of A History of Modern Palestine: One Land, Two Peoples.

A History of Modern Palestine: One Land, Two Peoples

by Ilan Pappé · published 2006 · read 2017-12-04
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
An even-handed 20th century history of Palestine. Very readable and engaging.

Cover of The Berlin Project.

The Berlin Project

by Gregory Benford · published 2017 · read 2017-11-23
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Fascinating alt-history of the Manhattan Project and WWII written by a nuclear scientist with first-hand knowledge of many of the characters in the book. The line between fact and fiction feels blurry for quite a while before things clearly move to the “alt”.

Cover of Autonomous.

Autonomous

by Annalee Newitz · published 2017 · read 2017-11-19
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover placeholder for Boneshaker.

Boneshaker

by Cherie Priest · published 2009 · read 2017-11-12
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of City of Stairs.

City of Stairs

by Robert Jackson Bennett · published 2014 · read 2017-11-11
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O..

The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.

by Neal Stephenson · published 2017 · read 2017-10-19
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of Point of Contact.

Point of Contact

by Mike Maden · published 2017 · read 2017-10-15
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of Price of Duty.

Price of Duty

by Dale Brown · published 2017 · read 2017-10-08
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of The Switch.

The Switch

by Joseph Finder · published 2017 · read 2017-10-05
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Cover of Abraham Joshua Heschel: Prophetic Witness.

Abraham Joshua Heschel: Prophetic Witness

by Edward K. Kaplan · published 1998 · read 2017-09-30
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Parable of the Sower.

Parable of the Sower

by Octavia E. Butler · published 2000 · read 2017-09-18
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Khrushchev: The Man and His Era.

Khrushchev: The Man and His Era

by William Taubman · published 2004 · read 2017-09-13
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of The Art of Curating Worship: Reshaping the Role of Worship Leader.

The Art of Curating Worship: Reshaping the Role of Worship Leader

by Mark Pierson · published 2010 · read 2017-09-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Made me think more about the intent of worship and planning for it than any book I’ve read in a while. Good stuff.

Cover of A People's History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story.

A People’s History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story

by Diana Butler Bass · published 2009 · read 2017-08-28
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of Getting Religion: Faith, Culture & Politics from the Age of Eisenhower to the Era of Obama.

Getting Religion: Faith, Culture & Politics from the Age of Eisenhower to the Era of Obama

by Kenneth L. Woodward · published 2016 · read 2017-08-25
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of A Colony in a Nation.

A Colony in a Nation

by Chris Hayes · published 2017 · read 2017-08-20
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
A fair description of the problems of an uneven system of policing and justice in America. No real clear proposed solutions, but sometimes just clearly describing the problem is a sufficient start.

Cover of The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II.

The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II

by Svetlana Alexievich · published 2017 · read 2017-08-17
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Brutal, heartbreaking oral history of Soviet women who fought in WW2. Hard to fathom but painfully detailed. War is hell.

Cover of Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony.

Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony

by Richard Bauckham · published 2008 · read 2017-08-13
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Movies Are Prayers: How Films Voice Our Deepest Longings.

Movies Are Prayers: How Films Voice Our Deepest Longings

by Josh Larsen · published 2017 · read 2017-08-08
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of The Doors of the Sea: Where Was God in the Tsunami?.

The Doors of the Sea: Where Was God in the Tsunami?

by David Bentley Hart · published 2011 · read 2017-07-28
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of A Closed and Common Orbit.

A Closed and Common Orbit

by Becky Chambers · published 2017 · last read 2023-03-18
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Really should be 4.5 stars. Even more enjoyable than the first book in the series.

Cover of The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris.

The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris

by David McCullough · published 2012 · read 2017-07-21
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic.

Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic

by Sam Quinones · published 2015 · read 2017-07-15
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

by Becky Chambers · published 2016 · read 2017-07-13
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America.

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America

by Richard Rothstein · published 2017 · read 2017-07-08
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Dry reading but the facts themselves are brutal.

Cover of Walkaway.

Walkaway

by Cory Doctorow · published 2017 · read 2017-07-06
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover placeholder for Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

by Bryan Stevenson · published 2014 · read 2017-06-28
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of The Givenness of Things: Essays.

The Givenness of Things: Essays

by Marilynne Robinson · published 2015 · read 2017-06-20
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover placeholder for People to Be Loved: Why Homosexuality Is Not Just an Issue.

People to Be Loved: Why Homosexuality Is Not Just an Issue

by Preston Sprinkle · published 2015 · read 2017-06-18
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of The Imperfect Disciple: Grace for People Who Can't Get Their Act Together.

The Imperfect Disciple: Grace for People Who Can’t Get Their Act Together

by Jared C. Wilson · published 2017 · read 2017-06-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich.

Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich

by Norman Ohler · published 2017 · read 2017-05-26
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of The Shadow Land.

The Shadow Land

by Elizabeth Kostova · published 2017 · read 2017-05-21
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life.

Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life

by Tish Harrison Warren · published 2016 · read 2017-04-30
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of Boeing Versus Airbus: The Inside Story of the Greatest International Competition in Business.

Boeing Versus Airbus: The Inside Story of the Greatest International Competition in Business

by John Newhouse · published 2007 · read 2017-04-29
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Dorothy Day; The World Will Be Saved By Beauty: An Intimate Portrait of Dorothy Day.

Dorothy Day; The World Will Be Saved By Beauty: An Intimate Portrait of Dorothy Day

by Kate Hennessy · published 2017 · read 2017-04-28
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Disappointing. Maybe if you're already familiar with Dorothy Day this is a good insight into her home life and family. But if (like me) you knew nothing about Day coming in, there's precious little explanation of what she did or how she became such a revered figure.

Cover of Born to Run.

Born to Run

by Bruce Springsteen · published 2016 · read 2017-04-21
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of The Silk Roads: A New History of the World.

The Silk Roads: A New History of the World

by Peter Frankopan · published 2016 · read 2017-04-15
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of The Madame Curie Complex: The Hidden History of Women in Science.

The Madame Curie Complex: The Hidden History of Women in Science

by Julie Des Jardins · published 2010 · read 2017-04-09
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of Faithful Presence: Seven Disciplines That Shape the Church for Mission.

Faithful Presence: Seven Disciplines That Shape the Church for Mission

by David E. Fitch · published 2016 · read 2017-04-02
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of A Natural History of the Piano: The Instrument, the Music, the Musicians--from Mozart to Modern Jazz and Everything in Between.

A Natural History of the Piano: The Instrument, the Music, the Musicians—from Mozart to Modern Jazz and Everything in Between

by Stuart Isacoff · published 2012 · read 2017-03-25
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

by Kelly Barnhill · published 2016 · read 2017-03-24
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Before the Fall.

Before the Fall

by Noah Hawley · published 2016 · read 2017-03-23
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus's Crucifixion.

The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus’s Crucifixion

by N.T. Wright · published 2016 · read 2017-03-19
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover placeholder for Dune.

Dune

by Frank Herbert · published 2005 · read 2017-03-12
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of Last Year.

Last Year

by Robert Charles Wilson · published 2016 · read 2017-03-09
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Interesting premise, solid execution. Entertaining story.

Cover of The Believer.

The Believer

by Joakim Zander · published 2017 · read 2017-03-08
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Well, that was timely enough to be a little scary.

Cover of City of Dreams: The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York.

City of Dreams: The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York

by Tyler Anbinder · published 2016 · read 2017-03-03
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of The Big Screen: The Story of the Movies.

The Big Screen: The Story of the Movies

by David Thomson · published 2012 · read 2017-02-25
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Now: The Physics of Time.

Now: The Physics of Time

by Richard A. Muller · published 2016 · read 2017-02-12
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Instrumental: A Memoir of Madness, Medication, and Music.

Instrumental: A Memoir of Madness, Medication, and Music

by James Rhodes · published 2017 · read 2017-02-11
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Man, that was intense.

Cover of A Wretched and Precarious Situation: In Search of the Last Arctic Frontier.

A Wretched and Precarious Situation: In Search of the Last Arctic Frontier

by David Welky · published 2016 · read 2017-02-11
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover placeholder for The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion.

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion

by Jonathan Haidt · published 2012 · read 2017-02-09
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover placeholder for The Whistler.

The Whistler

by John Grisham · published 2016 · read 2017-02-04
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Cover placeholder for Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House about the Future of Faith in America.

Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House about the Future of Faith in America

by Michael Wear · published 2017 · read 2017-01-28
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Bounty.

Bounty

by Michael Byrnes · published 2016 · read 2017-01-26
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover placeholder for A People's History of the United States.

A People’s History of the United States

by Howard Zinn · published 2005 · read 2017-01-19
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Zinn is clearly not trying to be evenhanded, but this volume is a great counterbalance to any standard American history. Engagingly written, still timely.

Cover of Introduction to the Old Testament.

Introduction to the Old Testament

by J. Alberto Soggin · published 1989 · read 2017-01-15
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of How to Survive a Shipwreck: Help Is on the Way and Love Is Already Here.

How to Survive a Shipwreck: Help Is on the Way and Love Is Already Here

by Jonathan Martin · published 2016 · read 2017-01-12
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Broken Trust.

Broken Trust

by W.E.B. Griffin · published 2016 · read 2017-01-07
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Griffin continues to drag out his series. An entertaining story, but really just a light afternoon read.