What are the Books on Your Ideal Bookshelf? (Plus Book Giveaway)

If you only had one bookshelf in your whole house, office or apartment, and on this bookshelf you could display your favorite books you’ve ever read, what books would you choose to display on your bookshelf?

This question was posed to me when I read through a book a few years ago called My Ideal Bookshelf, edited by Thessaly La Force and illustrated by Jane Mount. In this book, "dozens of leading cultural figures share the books that matter to them most; books that define their dreams and ambitions and in many cases helped them find their way in the world” (From Amazon.com book description). I don’t necessarily recommend the book (although it was a fun skim that I borrowed from the library), but I love the concept.

As I wrap-up this series on How to Become a Better and More Discerning Reader (that I started a loooooong time ago), I thought it would be fun to share “my ideal bookshelf” and to hear from readers what would be on their ideal bookshelf.

Several times over the past four years, I have led small groups through this exercise of compiling and sharing the books that have most impacted their lives. Below I will share the books that have had the greatest impact on my life. I would love for you to do the same on Facebook, Instagram, or in the comments section below. As I mentioned in Part 4 of this series (So Many Choices, So Little Time: What Should I Read Next?), one of the best ways to come up with a list of books to read is through the recommendations of others. I hope you come up with a great gift list or summer/fall reading list through from my ideal bookshelf and the recommendations/bookshelves of others.

As a side note, I do believe some of these books will change over time: some will play a bigger role and I will at some point forget what an impact some of the current books listed made on my life.

The 11 Books on My Ideal Bookshelf

1-2. Desiring God by John Piper and Disappointment with God by Philip Yancey. If I read these books today, I'm not sure either would make my list. But, I read both of these books in the summer after our twins were born. This was the hardest season in our marriage: no sleep, no money and a loss of the independence we had each been accustomed to for the first three plus decades of our lives. Both of these books came at the right time and taught me about how big our God truly is. I learned to take my eyes off of myself and to focus on the greatness of God.

3-4. Visioneering by Andy Stanley and If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat by John Ortberg. Just as the first two listed above, I don’t think these books would make my list if I read them today. But, when I read them, they helped push me towards full time vocational ministry. I was scared, confused and didn’t know what to do. Visioneering gave me a vision for the future and ‘Walk on Water’ helped give me the courage to take the steps I needed to take to go into full-time ministry.

5. The Lion, Witch and Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I love the whole Chronicles of Narnia series of seven books. While I did like a few in the series more than others, what I most loved about this series was reading them with my sons. What is a great series became even better as we got to read and experience these classic tales together during bed time reading.

6-8. As many of you know, I’m a marriage pastor guy and I really enjoy reading marriage books for my own edification and to help better lead others. All three of these books changed the ways I think about marriage and the way I live it out at home.

• When Sinners Say I Do, by Dave Harvey is worth it just for the chapter called “Waking Up With the Worst of Sinners." In this chapter, Harvey quotes the apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 1:15 where Paul says, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” I learned in this chapter and verse alone that the biggest problem in marriage is me and if I learned to address my struggles first, our marriage will thrive.

• The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller. Probably my #1 favorite book of all time. I love the way Keller talks about marriage and the purpose and meaning of marriage. I recommend this book for anyone - single, dating, engaged, married, or single again.

• Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. What if God designed marriage not to make us happy but to make us holy? I am obsessed with this question. Talk about a game-changer and paradigm-shifter. Most, okay all, couples get married because they think it will make them happy. What they quickly realize after they say “I do” is that marriage cannot and was not even intended to make us happy. Rather God uses marriage to help make us more like His Son, Jesus.

9. Respectable Sins, by Jerry Bridges. I shared about this one a few times on my blog in the last year. In this book, Bridges shares about some of those less discussed but equally devastating sins we all struggle with. He writes about some respectable sins such as pride, selfishness and anger. We read this in our couple’s community group and learned how to address some of the sins we tend to ignore. If you're interesting in reading more, here is a book review of Respectable Sins and a post I wrote based on one of the respectable sins discussed in the book (The Ungodly Marriage).

10. The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah. I just finished this one a few weeks ago. This was the first historical fiction book I’ve ever read and I’m so glad I read it. If you’re looking for a light, fun read, this isn’t it. But, if you want to read a moving story about a terrible period of our world history, check out The Nightingale. Some have gotten bogged down in the first 1/3-1/2 of the book, but stick through it. Amazing story.

11. Bonus Book: A Tale of Three Kings: A Study in Brokenness, by Gene Edwards. I honestly forgot to include this one in the picture of my ideal bookshelf so it gets placed on the bonus list. This short book and quick read tells the story of King Saul, King David and David’s son, Absalom. The book is a great study of pride, humility and brokenness. This is one I revisit every year or so for the reminders I so badly need.

So there you have it: Scott Kedersha's ideal bookshelf. Please share the books on your ideal bookshelf below, on Instagram or on Facebook. I’ll pick a few winners for some giveaways of a few of the books on my Ideal Bookshelf.