“Have you read all these books?”

I often field this question from guests who see my library. I never know quite what to say. For me, to read is to live—I can’t imagine life apart from books. Books have shaped me in countless ways; take any book off my shelf and I can tell you the ways in which my thinking has been challenged, my imagination sparked, or my spiritual life revived. I’ve marked the passing of the years with books acquired and read, marked up and sticky-noted, cataloged and arranged. Serving as TGC’s book review editor for seven years only increased my love for books even as it multiplied the volumes on my shelf. At this point in my life, I’ve stopped apologizing for my ever-growing library and embraced what Umberto Eco calls the “antilibrary.” As Nassim Taleb explains,

The library should contain as much of what you do not know as your financial means . . . allow you to put there. You will accumulate more knowledge and more books as you grow older, and the growing number of unread books on the shelves will look at you menacingly. Indeed, the more you know, the larger the rows of unread books.

The antilibrary reminds us of all that we don’t know as we talk to the living and, in the words of W. H. Auden, break bread with the dead.

Each year our editors, along with dozens of outside judges, review nominations from publishers using four criteria:

• offers gospel-centered argument and application;
• includes faithful and foundational use of Scripture, both Old Testament and New Testament;
• fosters spiritual discernment of contemporary trials and trends; and
• encourages efforts to unite and renew the church.

With so many titles published each year, it’s an exciting challenge for us at The Gospel Coalition to take stock of the best Christian books across 12 categories. We’ve changed things up a bit this year: we’ve done away with honorable mentions and instead added the “Award of Distinction” in addition to the winner for each category. Using this list as a tool kit, we encourage you to pick up a book or two (or 24!)—and take advantage of discounts from our online bookstore. Even if you’re like me, with an ever-growing pile of unread books, don’t be embarrassed. Embrace the antilibrary life.

Congratulations to the winners of TGC’s 2022 Book Awards!

Ivan Mesa
Editorial Director

P.S. — Our books coverage is an important part of our work at TGC. Whether in recommending worthwhile new titles or critically engaging unhelpful books, we seek to publish reviews that serve the church. If you’ve benefitted from this area of our ministry over the past year, would you consider making a donation to TGC? Thanks in advance for your consideration!