Fiction
6. Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
Bazell, a doctor, has churned out a deliciously evil debut novel. A young medical resident who just happens to be a former hit-man finds his witness protection status in jeopardy during a very bad day. Leonardo Dicaprio is slated to play the lead in the movie.

5. Under the Dome by Stephen King
This is a love it or hate it novel. Count me squarely in the love it camp. Despite the fact that this book clocks in at just under 1100 pages the story never lets up. I find this to be King’s best work since The Stand.

4. Far North by Marcel Theroux
Not the singular event that The Road was, this dystopian thriller is full of post-apocalyptic goodness.

3. The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Forget overwrought teen romances. This is the vampire story of the year.

2. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
The National Book Award Winner for 2009 is a poignant tale of heartbreak and redemption. I was torn between this and Tropper’s novel as my top choice for the year. Set against the backdrop of Philippe Petit’s tightrope walk between the Twin Towers in 1974 McCann deftly weaves a tapestry of lives touched by circumstance and disappointment.

1. This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
It is very rare that a book will have me laughing out loud on multiple occasions. Tropper’s hilarious tale of a dysfunctional Jewish family sitting Shiva for the nonreligious patriarch had me continually in stitches.

Nonfiction

5. In Praise of Doubt: How to Have Convictions Without Becoming a Fanatic by Peter Berger
As one who eschews certainty from both religious fundamentalists and militant atheists, I found Berger’s short piece to be a breath of fresh air.

4. Jesus Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don’t Know About Them) by Bart Ehrman
Doubt and I are well acquainted. As a result, I love Ehrman’s work even when they make me uncomfortable. Some view him as a enemy to Christianity. However, I see him as a former Christian who painfully longs for those days of faith to return. However, there are issues that confront him and must confront us as well.

3. Columbine by Dave Cullen
A detailed and eye-opening account of one of the defining moments in recent American history.

2. Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi
This just might be one of the best written and honest sports memoirs ever written. I was always an Agassi fan even when I was frustrated by his seeming unwillingness to live up to his vast potential. This book does not shy away from answering the questions that swirled around him during his career.

1. Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
What is told as a straight narrative of one man’s experience in post-Katrina NOLA is a stunning story with tremendous social and political weight.

Christian
5. Jesus Was a Liberal: Reclaiming Christianity for All by Scotty McLennan
4. The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Church’s Conservative Icon by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan
3. A People’s History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story by Donna Butler Bass
2. An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor
1. Adventures in the Spirit: God, World, Divine Action by Phillip Clayton
There are several books that have been foundational to my theological understanding: Mere Discipleship, Politics of Jesus, Inescapable Love of God and The Ragamuffin Gospel to name a few.
This book holds an equal place with each of those titles. Clayton’s work is very complex, very dense and meaty. Especially when he delves into the concept of emergence. This is an attempt to dialogue with science and create a theological structure that makes sense.
I appreciate Clayton’s willingness to put all theological beliefs on the table for discussion in his claim that the possibility of the impossibility of faith claims must be considered. For there to be the dialogue that needs to take place amongst scientist, theologians, philosophers, etc. there must be the willingness to admit that we are in a midst of hypothesis and emergent knowledge. What lies beyond is yet to be fully determined.
What results out of this foundational work is an emergent dipolar open panentheism that employs portions of process theology that treats science with respect and seriousness. This work does a great job dealing with the issue of god’s agency in this world and avoids the faulty assumptions of christian apologetics.
This is a must read. I know that I will return to it over and over as I continue to refine my theological underpinnings.