Books Read

I wanted to compile a list of books I recently read (recently meaning last week or last month or last year, haha)

1. Hudson Taylor by Christina Vance. I believe this is the version I read over the summer in Uganda (that I borrowed from a missionary) but I'm not 100% sure. But Hudson Taylor's life of mission was so inspiring.
2. You and Me Forever by Francis Chan. In this book, Francis and Lisa Chan speaks about marriage in light of eternity. If you're interested, you can read the book here. Here's an excerpt: "I know this is supposed to be a book about marriage, but forget about people for a moment. Let's focus on something bigger: God. Focus on something more important: your relationship with God. This relationship is far more critical than your marriage, and it's everlasting...we all need to prioritize our eternal relationship with our Creator above all things. Besides, until you relate properly to God, you won't be much help to anyone else." Francis Chan also emphasizes the importance of living a mission-focused life, which was really convicting.
3. Hot Lights, Cold Steel by Michael J. Collins, M.D. I just finished reading this book today! I'm amazed by how Dr. Collins documented his 4 years of residency in great detail. It was really eye-opening to read the 4 years of residency he experienced at the Mayo Clinic, one of the most prestigious hospitals in the US. This except was written even before the first page of the book, but I really liked it. "We start here, and we go there. But it's not that simple, is it? Our paths may be circuitous or direct. We may gaze excitedly ahead, or cast our eyes regretfully behind. Until we reach our destination it exists only in our own minds. It is what we have imagined it to be. And yet we tend to neglect the journey, which is real, in favor of the destination, which is not. For too long I neglected this journey. It was an obstacle to be overcome, an ordeal to be endured; for I had never chosen the journey, I had chosen the destination. But now that the journey has ended, I have discovered that here isn't so important after all. I find myself looking back with particular fondness for how I got here."
4. I Hope It's Not Hereditary by Jedidiah Hartley. This was a compilation of stories of Bob Hartley's childhood/teenage/college years along with stories from Jedidiah's point of view. The stories are crazy, hilarious, and intriguing to read. There are some crazy stories, but I would say the climax of the biography was when God met Bob - how much God loved Bob despite what he did. When I read the book, I was amazed by how God met him and how God used strangers to help Bob come to know who God was. Bob Hartley's life continues to inspire others and is FULL of hope! The book really helped me to have hope for others.
5. The Reason for God by Timothy Keller. This was my first book I read by Timothy Keller. Honestly, it was kind of hard to get through and I don't exactly remember the content of it, but I remember some parts of it being interesting.
6. Everything I Learned in Med School: Besides All the Book Stuff by Sujay Kansagra, M.D. I had to return it to the library before I could finish it, so I only read half of it, but it was really good. A short book with with a lot of insight. It made me realize that the field medicine will always have a hierarchy even when you're in med school and even when you're a doctor. 

Here are the books I read in the last year (majority of the books in the last semester). I would love to hear what books you have read and if you have any book recommendations! Currently I'm planning to read Into Africa, a biography of David Livingstone (a missionary to Africa).