I wouldn't exactly call it a "Top Ten" listing of my rank-ordered all-time favorite books... Nevertheless, I've kept my listing to ten items, and they are all among my personal list of constantly evolving "favorites."

The Bible 

Not only has this book shaped and molded the world and the course of of human history, it has changed and shaped my life in a deeply personal way.  More than just a work of literature or a textbook or a moral guidebook -- I believe that the Bible is the living Word of God, self-described as being"sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.  It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires" (Hebrews 4:12).

The Bible is a unique sort of book in that, while it does present a unified story and a remarkable thematic consistency, it is actually a collection of 66 different books written across a span of 1500 years, with over 40 different authors writing in three separate languages, on three separate continents.  So it doesn't exactly read like a novel, thus I wouldn't really advise a classic cover-to-cover approach toward reading the book.  But it's still a very interesting book -- however one chooses to read it.

I'm constantly learning new things and gaining a deeper appreciation for different sections of the Bible, but typically my favorite parts are the narrative portions -- particularly the Old Testament histories of the nation of Israel and the New Testament gospels (the accounts of Jesus' life).

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The Grapes of Wrath (by John Steinbeck)

One of the great American classics.  I've really enjoyed a couple of Steinbeck's other novels (Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row, most notably), but I had never gotten around to reading this particular book until recently... But man, I'm glad I finally picked it up

It's astonishing to see how timely this book is -- how accurately it describes our world today -- even though its subject matter is Oklahoman migrant workers in the time of the Dust Bowl in the first half of the 20th Century!  Themes of the earth's resources being mindlessly used up, soulless corporations chewing up people to stave off their own extinction, and "regular" people trying to figure themselves out and determine their place in the world in the aftermath... It's really remarkable to see how relevant it is for our current world situation.

I'm even toying with the idea of writing a novel that patterns itself off of The Grapes of Wrath -- sort of a 21st Century adaptation, if you will.  I honestly don't know if that will ever get off the ground, but in any event, The Grapes of Wrath is a very worthwhile book.

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Team of Rivals (by Doris Kearns Goodwin)

I typically prefer fiction to non-fiction -- at least as far as "pleasure reading" is considered.  But this historical account of Abraham Lincoln, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, and Edward Bates (four major American political rivals during the middle part of the 19th Century, leading up to and into the Civil War period) is absolutely fascinating.

Abraham Lincoln was an amazing historical figure.  Did you know that the entirety of his formal education amounted to less than one year's worth of schooling?!?!  He was entirely self-taught (even leading up to taking the bar exam to practice law in the state of Illinois).  And yet, he was brilliant -- not without his faults, of course, but nevertheless brilliant.

I think I also heard that this book was a personal favorite of Barack Obama's during the formation of his Cabinet, after winning the American Presidential Elections in 2008... And I have certainly found it to be compelling enough to second that opinion.

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Trust Me (by John Updike)

I found this book in a consignment shop in Cincinnati, Ohio.  I'd never previously read anything by John Updike -- so I figured I'd give this collection of short stories a try.  And since it only cost something like fifty cents, I figured it couldn't be too much of a risk.

It turned out to be enjoyable -- but not incredible.  Updike has a knack for good description; his scenes are very vivid and colorful, and his characters are interesting.  However, the stories all kind of washed together by the end of the collection:  all upper-middle class New Englanders, on their second or third marriages, drinking martinis and hanging out together at dinner parties (the stories defintely represent something of an era in American history which can best be described by the word "swanky").  If you can find another copy of the book for fifty cents, I might recommend it to you -- but probably not if you'd have to spend more on it than that!

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Haroun and the Sea of Stories (by Salman Rushdie)

This story is fun, imaginative, and clever.  The characters have names like Goopy, Iff, and Butt, and they inhabit a fantasy-world divided by eternal day and eternal night, where people's shadows have their own personalities and everything.  It's crazy, fanciful stuff.  But it works -- because the book is all about the power of story.

My favorite part about the story is the language and the rhythm of it all.  Rhyming schemes and catch-phrases stick with you like a pop song from the radio.  The language has a distinctly Indian feel to it -- but that makes it kind of cool in its own way.

I can't say that "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" is the most profound or thought-provoking book I've ever read -- it's probably not going to change anyone's life -- but it was nevertheless an enjoyable read.

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Charts of Christian Theology and Doctrine (by H. Wayne House)

Only the most die-hard theologians would consider this "pleasure reading" (and I do not consider myself to be among this crowd, incidentally) -- but this is a wonderful reference tool that I've found myself going back to again and again through the years.

The book is not narrative in any way; instead, it's composed of a vast array of charts laying out, in simple uncluttered language, the basic views on dozens of theological debates which have developed through the years.  Various perspectives on the significance of communion... or baptism... or Calvinism versus Arminianism (which proved to be very useful for a recent home group leaders meeting at Zolder50)... or any number of other issues.

This is an excellent reference guide that I would highly recommend.

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The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (by C.S. Lewis)

I've probably read this book a dozen times -- and I still love it.

My kids love it, too.  Elliot, Olivia, and I are actually on our second aural reading (it was their idea to go for the second round, by the way) of the Chronicles of Narnia -- a set of seven books about the "comings and goings" between our world (England, specifically) and a fantasy world called Narnia.  In Narnia, (most of) the animals can talk, mythical creatures like Fauns, Centaurs, and Dwarves take up prominent roles in society, and the King of the Land is a magnificent talking lion named Aslan.

In the past couple of years, a new round of films based on these stories have been made -- and while the films are quite good, they really can't hold a candle to the stories.  Especially if you have kids, you've got to experience these stories for yourself!

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The New Granta Book of the American Short Story (Edited and Introduced by Richard Ford)

This is a huge, fat book -- 756 pages -- packed with a brilliant collection of short stories by various American writers.  Marci got me this book for Christmas of 2007 (if I remember correctly), and I've been slowly chipping away at it ever since.

As something of a writer, myself, I especially appreciate the way that the book has helped me to expand my own horizons -- thinking about different ways to tell stories.  A couple of my favorite stories so far (about half-way through the book) have been "Oh, Joseph, I'm So Tired" by Richard Yates and "The Palatski Man" by Stuart Dybek... but really, each story -- even the weird ones -- have something to offer.

If you like short stories, like I do, then this is a great collection...

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The Ultimate Field Guide to Photography (by National Geographic)

Like so many others who have invested in a digital SLR camera recently, I consider myself to be something of an aspiring photographer.  I can't imagine it will ever become much more than a hobby for me -- but it's an enjoyable pursuit that actually has some immediate value (at least from a documentary perspective, if not from an artistic perspective).

So when I got this book -- a gift from my friends Jason and Lindsay -- I was really excited to find clear, non-technical explanation of the basic tools of photography like aperture, shutter, focus, and lighting.

The book is beautifully illustrated with captivating photographs, and the material from the book is organized in a way that makes it useful both for casual reading and for more immediate reference.  I've learned a lot from reading it.

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Aesop's Fables (by Aesop)

These stories are classic -- an integral part of Western culture for the last 2500 years.  We have figures of speech which come from Aesop (the most immediate example that comes to mind is "sour grapes").  We have archetypical characters that come from Aesop (like the "sly fox").