A list of 40 books to read in my 40s. These are books I’ve chosen to re-read because they were meaningful at a point in my life and I want to revisit them now here in midlife, and books I received as recommendations from people I respect and admire deeply who I asked for suggestions. If a book title on this list is a different color it means I’ve finished it and you can click on the title to see my reflections on that particular book, who recommended it to me, why I chose it, and what I took from it at this season in life.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (a re-read)
Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist (a re-read)
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (recommended by my aunt Carolyn Hanson and my former pastor Dan Baumgartner)
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (a re-read)
Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott (a re-read)
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi (a re-read)
Fidelity by Wendell Berry (recommended by my former pastor Dan Baumgartner)
Out of Sorts by Sarah Bessey (one I’ve always meant to read but hadn’t yet!)
Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry (a book I’ve always meant to read)
Tattoos on the Heart by Father Greg Boyle (recommended by my dear friend Amy Souza and a re-read for me)
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (recommended by my former professor of youth, family and culture, Dr. Kara Powell)
We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nahisi Coates (recommended by my dear friend Jennifer Kumar)
The Brother’s K by David James Duncan (a re-read)
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (a re-read)
Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans (recommended by my mentor Dianne Ross and a re-read for me)
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (a book I’ve always meant to read)
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (a re-read)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle (recommended by my mentor Dianne Ross)
Walking on Water by Madeline L’Engle (recommended by Erin Moon, a writer and podcast host I respect immensely)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (a re-read)
The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning (recommended by my friend Amy Souza and a re-read for me)
Christy by Catherine Marshall (recommended by my dear friend Miranda Stewart and a re-read for me)
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller (recommended by my friend and “book twin” Jill Wolff)
Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist (a re-read for me)
Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen (recommended by Erin Moon and a re-read for me)
The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker (recommended by my former professor Dr. Kara Powell)
My Grandfather’s Blessings by Rachel Naomi Remen (recommended by my friend and mentor Julia Sensenbrenner)
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (a re-read)
Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad (recommended by my former professor Dr. Kara Powell)
The End of Your Life Bookclub by Will Schwalbe (recommended by my friend and book twin Jill Wolff)
Hamlet by William Shakespeare (a re-read)
East of Eden by John Steinbeck (recommended by Erin Moon and a re-read for me—although I don’t remember anything about this one for some reason!)
A Mid Summer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare (a re-read)
An Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner (recommended by my friend and fellow book lover Leslie Greer)
Leaving Church by Barbara Brown Taylor (recommended by my friend and mentor Dianne Ross)
Shame & Grace by Lewis Smeads (recommended by my dear friend Miranda Stewart)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (a re-read)
Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor (a book I’ve always meant to read)
Very Good Lives by JK Rowling (recommended by my sister Megan Backman)
The Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (a book I’ve always meant to read)