John Cheever writes, ” I can’t write without a reader. It’s precisely like a kiss – you can’t do it alone. Throughout my writing experience I have come to believe that you are as good a writer as you are a reader. Each time I read a book, I get moments where I bust into excitement just because of the way an author has written or I gape to a line I have read. I enjoy reading different genres so I cannot say I am tied to one. So far these are my favorite 5 books and why.

1. Bible

This will always be a favorite of mine. If I ever participate in this challenge gain, be sure to find this book on the list. Have you ever read something and it does not matter how many times you read it, it is always new and fresh all the time. The Bible is an all time favorite because it is made up of books that are diverse in genres. In there be sure to find historical books, wisdom and poetic books, prophetic books, synoptic gospels and pastoral letters. Now tell me that you will be bored with all this array of books. Did I mention the countless parables in there will leave you mesimerised at the wisdom of the all time favorite savior, Jesus? Most importantly this book is one in which I always draw hope whenever my world seems to be falling apart.

2. Becoming by Michelle Obama

Unless you have been living under a rock, Michelle Obama is no new name. She is the former first lady of the United States of America between the years 2009-2017. The book ‘Becoming’ was published in 2018 and it immediately become a worldwide sensation. In this book she talks about her roots and how she found her voice, as well as her time in the White House as the first lady, mother and wife. This is a favorite of mine because I look up to phenomenal women and she is one. I got a sneak peek into what it means being a wife and mother in such a position where the world has it’s eyes on you every second. I got to understand that people in these positions too are normal people just like you and me; besides for a brief moment I saw my self walking through the corridors of the White House in this book. I would read it over again and not be tired.

3. Resisting Happiness by Matthew Kelly

First and foremost I was intrigued by the author’s choice of the title. This is a book I read and kept smiling from the beginning of the book to the last page. Resisting Happiness is a deeply personal, disarmingly transparent look at why we sabotage our own happiness and what to do about it. Matthew Kelly writes as though he is torching into your own life and you can not deny the things he articulately points out. Here are the questions he possed in this book and went ahead to answer why. He asked; Are you overwhelmed?Do you procrastinate? Do you sometimes feel like you are your own worst enemy? Are you ignoring your dreams? Have you lost the courage to truly be yourself? Do you feel that your life lacks meaning and purpose? Do you find yourself avoiding the real issues in your life and focusing on the superficial? If you find yourself answering these questions with a yes, then you might need to find yourself this book.

4. Solace in Sorrow by Steve Mbugua Thoithi

This is a book that I have read and it managed to make me cry and smile in the same degree. It felt like an extract from the book of Job in the Bible. In this book this Kenyan author revisits a period he terms trying, a term I feel is an understatement for the things he went through. Imagine battling a mysterious condition that baffles medical professionals and among many things it includes a mysterious height gain. Never in my life had I ever heard of a fully grown adult gaining height from no where. This strange aliment comes in the way of his job, leads him to the surgical table earning him a wrong operation and another to rectify the damage done, leads to abandonment of his friends and so much more. I love this book because it shows the power of God and through sustained prayer and fasting, Thoithi got healing for a medical problem that had eluded medical experts for close to 17 years.

5. Courageous leadership by Bill Hybels

I got to read this book as an assignment for the leadership course that I am doing at Harvest institute. With a 30 years wealth of experience in evangelism leadership, Bill Hybels brings out the aspect of how important leadership in our daily living. In addition to the knowledge he shares in this book, I admired his style of writing. He describes an event to drive his point home in the most simple yet profound way. In this book somewhere, he visualises the events of the aftermath of twin tower bombing in New York on September 11 and you see yourself at that scene through this book. Let me share a sneak peek with you.

On that world-changing morning of
September 11, 2001, Manhattan, New
York, became a war zone. The
terrorists took no prisoners, held no
hostages. Death was the only option
they offered, so three thousand
ordinary people died that day, most
without an opportunity for a final
embrace or even a last good-bye
.”

Bill Hybels is a phenomenal author and you will enjoy his books. This is a sure favorite of mine.

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one” – George R.R.Martin

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