Every year, I try to read a few books. I tend to default towards thrillers, action, and historical novels, but also like to add some variety. I grew up devouring novels by Alistair MacLean and Frederick Forsyth, and regularly find myself going back to that genre. When I can, I read Dutch translations. I do most of my reading in the evenings. At that time of day, finding the comfort of my home language means I can enjoy most books more.
Next to that, I read a lot of children’s books with my kids. Even though I’ll only check those in “once”, you can assume that each of those have been read dozens of time and that I know several off by heart.
While I also occasionally read books connected to my work in leadership, tech, and support, I often find that those books are very often just unfounded opinions with little evidence. When I do find books that provoke my thinking, I do tend to refer to them regularly.
Further, I have a theology background. While I rarely read theology and philosophy these days, I do try to venture to my old stomping ground occasionally.
Finally, the Franco-Belgian comic books scene is quite distinct and unique compared to for example what you find in the U.S.A. I’ve learnt to read with Jommeke, and I still regularly reread stories of Asterix, Largo Winch, De Blauwbloezen, and Blacksad*, to name a few.
*I’m aware Blacksad is Spanish.
Here are my reading lists of the past years—since I’ve started using Goodreads. For each year, I’ll share the pic of the book I enjoyed the most. If you are looking for suggestions: those would be it.
2024
In the first part of 2024, I barely read. Our son had just been born, and I was simply too exhausted to make sense of letters on a page.
That changed around August, when I started the most recent two books in Ken Follett’s Kingsbridge series, followed by Bernard Cornwell’s Arthur series, and I finished the year with a focus on reading all the Harry Potter books. I had once bought the last three in a store in Belgium and had never gotten to reading the first four.
The fourth instalment in the Kingsbridge series, which is the prelude to it, The Evening and the Morning, is the book I enjoyed the most.
2023
In 2023, I mostly read comic books and children’s books.
As for my recommendation, it’s a hard choice between Julia Donaldson’s Room on the Broom, which is my favourite book of hers, and David Van Reybrouck’s Congo: The Epic History of a People.
I’ve opted for the latter. Having lived in South Africa for a decade in 2023, Congo brought me in a humbling connection with my home country’s horrible colonial past. I had read his Revolusi about the Indonesian history—and the colonial past of The Netherlands—the year before, but Congo hit closer to home.
2022
During my sabbatical, I revisited Agatha Christie. None of those stood out, but I did enjoy them. I also read Frank Herbert’s Dune for the first time and read several children’s books.
While I was overwhelmed by David Van Reybrouck’s Revolusi, my recommended book for 2022 would be Anthony Doerr’s Cloud Cuckoo Land. I’m yet to find an author who writes with such beauty and attention to cadence as Doerr.
2021
During my parental leave, I continued my Bernard Cornwell streak and read the whole Sharpe series. Next to that, I read a bit of theology and some children’s books. I further also revisited Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, which I had last done in high school.
James S.A. Corey’s Leviathan Wakes blew my mind; I read it since I had loved the TV show so much. The same goes for Albert Camus’ The Plague, a book I had heard so much about. While it was a challenging read at times, venturing into it during the COVID-19 pandemic brought this book scarily close to home.
If I would recommend one book, however, it would be Nicola O’Byrne’s The Rabbit, The Dark, and the Cookie Tin. I read it to Mila countless times and I still marvel at the sky when doing so. We’ve gifted the book a few times to friends since getting it as a gift ourselves from my brother and his wife.
2020
In the year that Kim was pregnant and Mila was born, I read quite a bit of Bernard Cornwell. While I think both The Saxon Stories and the Sharpe series can be quite repetitive, I enjoyed exploring the historical side this way. I found myself frequently looking up names and places.
I also explored some theology with Emmanuel Katongole’s The Sacrifice of Africa as my highlight. Next to that, Kim and I listened to some biographies as audiobooks while road tripping. Michael McIntyre was rather disappointing, Amy Poehler better, and Tina Fey‘s best of what we listened to.
No book really stood out in 2020, but I would recommend Rémy Ngamije’s The Eternal Audience of One as a coming of age with a nice touch of magical realism.
2019
I read quite a variety of books in 2019. Next to exploring topics like feminism and racism, I read several of books that had been on my wishlist for ages: Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche’s Americana, Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Jeroen Olyslaegers’ Will, Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and Harry Mulisch’s The Discovery of Heaven.
While I’ve read some of the critical reviews of Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility, it would still be my recommended book. I still regularly find myself reflecting on some of its principles in both my work and personal life.
2018
As for which book to recommend, this is the first year since I started using Goodreads that it’s impossible to choose. Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See is probably the most beautiful novel I’ve ever read. Both the cadence and the use of words support a stunningly crafted story.
Emmanuel Katongole’s Mirror to the Church on the other hand is one of those books that has shaken my theological thinking. In it, Katongole explores why the Rwandan genocide could happen in a country that was considered the most Christian in Africa to expose the danger of nationalism and tribalism carrying heavier weight than human care.
Read both!
2017
In 2017, I read a bit of theology, with Vinoth Ramachandra’s Subverting Global Myths, and the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu’s The Book of Joy as the highlights.
Next, I also revisited a bunch of Alistair MacLean novels, read quite a bit of Ken Follett and of Jack Higgins.
While Mark Shaw’s Hitmen for Hire was special as Kim was a researcher on it, and Antjie Krog’s Country of My Skull made a massive impact in me understanding South Africa’s Apartheid history, my recommended book would be Leo’s Betelgeuse, a stunningly creative graphic novel that explores interstellar colonisation with raw human emotions and relationships.
2016
My life on Goodreads started in 2016. I read quite a bit of my old field—theology—and my new profession—leadership and tech education.
Next to that, I also finally got to reading two classic American graphic novels: V for Vendetta and Watchmen.
My favourite read of the year, however, was James K.A. Smith’s You Are What You Love. I’ve been a fan of Smith’s reading ever since I discovered him during my theology studies, and You Are What You Love—which I reviewed here—is one of his best. It forms an antidote to the cognitive Christianity and consequent anthropology I grew up in, and still—as I’m writing the first version of this page almost a decade later—shapes my thinking.