My husband and I are always recommending books, so I thought it would be fun to put together a list of books we recommend over and over again.
A recent conversation with a friend who lives overseas doing medical mission work inspired this list.
She wanted some book recommendations, so we discussed the books my husband and I loved.
I compiled a list of books for her that we enjoyed and that I thought she could easily find in ebook form.
When I looked over the list, I realized that it was more than just a list for her; it was a list of both fiction and nonfiction books we recommend over and over again.
I thought it would be fun to take the list I made and turn it into a list to share with you.
If you are a long-time reader, you will probably recognize some of these books. They are the books we talk about all the time, not only in person but here as well.
If you were to have a conversation with my husband and me about our favorite books, these would be the books we would share with you.
I hope you find a book or two to add to your to-be-read stack!
Nonfiction Books We Recommend
Forty Autumns by Nina Wilner– A real-life story that follows a family through multiple generations that lived on both sides of the Berlin Wall.
Midnight In Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham. My husband and I both enjoyed this one. It is the story of what happened during the construction of the Chernobly nuclear plant and the city surrounding it, the build-up to the accident, and the months and years after the disaster.
The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre – Russia, Britain, and The U.S. during the Cold War. Add in spies, double agents, the KGB, MI6, and the CIA, and you have a book that I could not put down.
Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson – This book is part true crime, part odd history, and part science and wildlife. My husband and I loved this one and have recommended it to quite a few people.
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe – The Sackler family (the family that helped bring on the OxyContin crisis) and how they changed medicine. It mixes medicine, science, ethics, and true crime. This is another book that both my husband and I enjoyed.
Endurance by Alfred Lansing– This book was published in the 1950s and is still popular today. It is the true story of a journey to Antarctica.
It is an excellent book about survival and leadership. My father-in-law gave us this book years ago, and I think it is time to reread it.
Empire of Ice and Stone by Buddy Levy – This is about a 1913 voyage in the Arctic Ocean between Alaska and Siberia. We really enjoyed this adventure book.
My husband calls it the anti-Endurance book because it is about what happens when a leader cares more about fame and fortune than he does the people he is supposed to be leading.
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann – This book has been very popular over the last few years, but if you haven’t read it, it is great. It is a true crime story of the Osage Nation and Oklahoma. It is an excellent but sad true-crime book.
Two Nonfiction Authors We Recommend
Between everyone in my family, I think we have read almost everything these two authors have written.
Erik Larson Books
We love Erik Larson so much that I put together a whole list of Books By Erik Larson. He writes nonfiction in a way that makes history come alive.
Adam Makos Books
Adam Makos is another nonfiction author whom our family loves. I have only read one of his books, but Gracelyn and my husband have read them all.
He is another author that we love so much I put together a list of Adam Makos Books.
Fiction Books We Recommend
The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan– Mark Sullivan is American, but this book is based on his family’s story of being farmers in Ukraine during Stalin and pre-WWII. I loved this one because I knew very little about Ukraine at the time.
A Shadow In Moscow by Katherine Reay – This is a historical fiction book set during the Cold War. It is historical fiction but also has a mystery because it is about spies, etc. I loved this one.
The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay– This is another Cold War novel by Katherine Reay. It is set in the 1960s, when the Berlin Wall went up, and the late 1980s, when it came down. This is another Katherine Reay book that I loved.
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate – This is based on the true story of an orphanage in Tennessee that was selling children.
I loved this book, or at least as much as you can love a book that deals with such horrific things. Lisa Wingate wrote about this in such a well-done way. I read this book quite a few years ago, and I still think about it.
Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate – This is another Lisa Wingate book that I loved. It is set in Oklahoma and has a dual timeline of 1909 and 1990.
The author grew up in Oklahoma, and she knows Oklahoma well. I enjoyed her writing and descriptions. The book is not about real people but is based on actual events.
The Charles Lenox mystery by Charles Finch – This is one of my all time favorite mystery series. It is considered a historical mystery series.
If you like mystery series, this is a fun one that two of my kids and I have read. It is set in Victorian England and is what I would consider clean mystery because it doesn’t have a ton of graphic details.
Christian Books We Recommend
Becoming Elisabeth Elliot and Being Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn – These two books are about the life of Elizabeth Elliot and were authorized by her daughter. I loved them. I wrote a long review of these books. If you are an Elisabeth Elliot fan, I highly recommend them.
In the Lord I Take Refuge by Dane Orland – This has a devotional for every Psalm, but is not a dated devotional. It is easy to pick up and down.
I have given this to so many people as a gift. It is an excellent gift for someone going through a difficult time.
Kiss the Wave by Dave Furman – This is one of my favorite Christian books on pain and suffering.
Dave Furman is a missionary to Dubia and suffers from a neurological disease. He writes so well from both the pastor’s and the sufferer’s perspectives.
Being There by Dave Furman – This is another Dave Furman book that I love and have given to many people. This is an excellent book on being there and supporting those going through difficult times.