I'm going to limit my recommendations to six books, in which I think anyone will be a better human being for having read and contemplative the questions they should raise in your life.

1. Heaven, by Randy Alcorn, is the definitive book on what the Bible says about Heaven. Randy is very clear about what is directly from scripture and also areas in which he draws conclusions or speculates based upon the text. You might be very surprised to find out things you thought were true about Heaven that couldn't be further from the what the Bible teaches. Randy also addresses issues we ponder, like... what will our bodies be like? Will we eat and drink? Will animals, including our pets live again? Will there be arts, entertainment, and sports in heaven? And much more...

2. The On-Purpose Person, by Kevin McCarthy. Kevin is a friend and does a great job, through a modern parable, showing us how to invest our time, talents, and assets in what's most important, exchanging burn-out for balance, feeling satisfied instead of stressed and nurturing a growing sense of being On Purpose.

3. Season of Life, by Jeffrey Marx. A book about what it means to be a man of substance and impact. It is a moving story that will resonate with athletes, coaches, parents - anyone struggling to make the right choices in life.

4. Radical, by David Platt. What does it really mean when Jesus said, "Take up your cross daily...?" A very challenging look at the lifestyle Jesus had for his followers versus the American Dream.

5. Spiritual Disciplines For the Christian Life, by Donald Whitney. What does it mean to embark on a lifelong quest for godliness? Freedom. The reward of discipline.

6. Sailing Between the Stars, by Steven James. The paradoxes of life.

1. Blink & Three, by Ted Dekker. Ted Dekker can weave some real thrillers together. In my opinion, Blink and Three are his two best and will keep you up late trying to see what happens next. I guarantee you'll enjoy them. He has also written a masterful triology - Black, Red, and White. While Ted has put out 2-4 books a year after these, I haven't found them to be up to par with these five.

2. Deception, by Randy Alcorn. Deception is actually the third in a trilogy, which started with Deadline and then Dominion. It's three different suspense thrillers about three friends and each book is told from the point of view of a different friend. I suppose you should read them in order, but Deception is actually my favorite due to the sarcastic wit of the detective who tells the story. The combination of laugh out loud humor coupled with a suspenseful crime made this a fun read.

3. The Shack, by William P. Young. This book sold the most copies of a self-published novel in history for a reason. It's created controversy in church circles due to the way Jesus is portrayed as a black, African woman, but to that I would say, "It's fiction!" The story is heart wrenching, thought provoking and intriguing. I can attest that it is one of the few books in which I cried...several times.

4. Shoe Fly Pie, by Tim Downs. Dr. Nick Polchak, aka the Bug Man, is a forensic entomologist. This is the first in a great series. Each book stands alone, but if you're starting out, I recommend you Google the order and read them that way. Like the book Deception, noted above, the Bug Man has a sarcastic wit that will have you laughing throughout, while wincing at the description of bug invested corpses he is investigating while solving complex crimes. Others in this series: Chop Shop, First the Dead, Less than Dead, Ends of the Earth, and Nick of Time.

5. American Assassin, by Vince Flynn. Mitch Rapp is the American James Bond. Vince Flynn wrote 14 books in this series before passing away from cancer at the young age of 48 last year. Fortunately his estate hired author, Kyle Mills, to continue the character. His first book was Term Limits, which he initially self-published and sold out of the trunk of his car. It quickly caught on and he's sold millions of copies of the Mitch Rapp series. If you are squeamish to some torture or "in the field" language, then you might want to skip this series, but if not, I guarantee you will be hooked and lose lots of sleep!

6. The Pawn, by Steven James. Like Randy Alcorn, James is another author who shows up in both my non-fiction and fiction recommendations. Special Agent Patrick Bowers is the protagonist in this chilling thriller, as he tracks down a psychopathic serial killer (along the lines of Silence of the Lambs). The series continues with, The Rook, The Knight, The Bishop, The Queen, Opening Moves and The King. Not for the faint of heart.

7. Plum Island, by Nelson DeMille. Wounded in the line of duty, NYPD homicide cop, John Corey is convalescing in rural eastern Long Island, when he is drawn into a local murder. DeMille’s series with detective John Corey is the perfect combination of thriller and humor. The first-person sarcasm will have you laughing out loud. The series includes: The Lion’s Game, Night Fall, Wild Fire, The Lion, The Panther, The Book Case, and Radiant Angel.

8. The Terminal List, by Jack Carr. I read the first 5 books in Carr’s series about Navy Seal, James Reece, before Amazon Prime made it into a series. A great character, with a story line that will keep your blood pumping. Series includes: True Believer, Savage Son, The Devil’s Hand, and In the Blood.

9. The Gray Man, by Mark Greaney. This is another espionage thriller series, in which I had read 11 of his novels before Netflix made the first one into a movie. Others in the series include: On Target, Ballistic, Dead Eye, Back Blast, Gunmetal Gray, Agent in Place, Mission Critical, One Minute Out, Relentless, Sierra Six, and Burner.

10. Hunters of the Red Moon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I believe this is the only Science Fiction book I have truly enjoyed. Written in 1973, it was one of the books that inspired my imagination as I began writing fantasy novels. Based upon a number of books, like The Hunger Games, I believe it has probably influenced quite a few others.

11. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by J.K. Rowling. Ground breaking in how it is written, ignoring all literary rules with adverbs used as adjectives in almost every sentence. A fun and suspenseful series... even for adults.

12. Ryann Watters and the King's Sword, by Eric Reinhold. Shameless self-promotion. A modern-day Narnia, set in the United States... Mount Dora, Florida to be exact.