This year was a pretty good book year for me. The greater time at home, combined with huge painting projects and my subscription to Audible, allowed me to enjoy a fair amount of books this year. Next year my goal is to read 44 books--since I'm turning 44 years old. :) (I originally got this idea from Nancy Kelly; her list for 2020 is located here.)
I'll highlight my top picks, then post the entire list below! An asterisk means it's a book I would recommend. Most of the books I read this year are asterisk-worthy. I don't count my Bible reading, my devotionals, and my liturgical readings--I cycle through many of the same things each year.
The Yearling, by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
I had never read this book before, and I picked it up off the bookshelf on a whim earlier this year. Soon I was absolutely spellbound; I was transported to the brushy hot woods of Florida. I was eking out a bare subsistence with the Baxter family. I was completely immersed in Rawlings' wonderful prose, her exquisite descriptions of the fauna and flora of Florida, and the heart-wrenching coming of age story that this book presents. Out of 5 stars, I give it 10. I adored this book. My husband read it after I did, and he felt the same way!
Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger
It's hard not to love Leif Enger's prose. He is a masterful craftsman of the English language. This is another coming-of-age story, of a sort, and is beautifully-written with a genuinely funny narrator. And of course, there's Swede. Everyone has to love Swede. Enger's incorporation of straight-up miracles into his story elevates this book into a spiritually-inspiring tale of love and sacrifice and faith.
Middlemarch, by George Eliot
The beauty of Middlemarch rests in its characters. (Of course, Eliot was a great writer, too!) Oh! The characters were so rich! I listened to this book while painting a lot of furniture over the summer. I was on tenterhooks some of the time. I loved it so much that my husband gave me a beautiful copy for my birthday, along with the George Eliot film collection! I finished the book on a warm day in the flower beds, and had to put my tools down and just look at the sky as I listened to the very end. I just loved it! I look forward to reading another George Eliot book this year.
The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom
The true story of the indefatigable Corrie Ten Boom, whose Christian family sheltered Jews in the Netherlands during World War II. Unfortunately, the Nazis discovered the Ten Boom's hideout. Corrie spent time in Ravensbruck concentration camp. While there, she and her sister led Bible studies and tried to bring the light of Christ to a dismal, horrific place. The stories of their time there are amazing! This will be required reading for my teenagers. I appreciated her story so much that I immediately read Tramp for the Lord after I finished this book. That is also an excellent, wonderful story of her faith and her ministry after the war.
How Not to Die, by Dr. Michael Greger
Agree with Dr. Greger or not, but no one can argue with his thorough, research-based approach to nutrition. I'm a nerd. I loved it. Dr. Greger presents study after study on various ailments that plague humans, and in many of these studies, one clear solution to the problems is....eat more whole foods, especially plants! This is common sense, yet so many people in our Western culture eat far too many processed foods and/or meats. Dr. Greger divides foods into green light, yellow light, and red light foods. The greens are whole, unprocessed plant foods. Yellow light foods are slightly-processed plant foods or whole, unprocessed animal foods such as yogurt, fresh eggs, etc. Red light foods are highly processed plant foods or animal foods such as bacon, lunch meats, and so on. I appreciate his approach, which is to encourage people to eat abundant quantities of green-light foods, and limit yellow light foods....and eat red light foods as seldom as possible! I am of the opinion that it's best for our mental and physical health to live a life of thoughtful balance, so I personally would never cut out entire food groups (unless I had a medical condition!). I love that he isn't an all-or-nothing thinker when it comes to diet, but he still presents solid research and evidence that following a plant-based, whole foods diet is a great way to experience increased health and well-being.
Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson
This is a book about access to justice, and as an attorney, it was right up my alley. It's a book about justice, mercy, and redemption. (There is a film by the same name. I haven't seen it.) I read the book after seeing pastor Tim Keller interview the author. Bryan Stevenson presents stories of the cases he has worked on as a criminal defense attorney representing some of the most outcast members of society. The primary focus is the story of Walter McMillan, who was sentenced to die for a crime he did not commit. But Stevenson also touches upon the stories of children, some as young as 13, who are sentenced to extraordinarily long prison terms after brief and disturbing childhoods with scanty parental guidance or support. I appreciated it so much, and it's another one that I am putting on my list for reading and discussion with my (older, nearly-adult) teenagers when the time comes.
Ourselves, by Charlotte Mason
This is one of those "I wish I'd had it when I was 15 years old" kind of books. Peppered with timeless wisdom, this is a book that Mason wrote for adolescents, but it's absolutely invaluable to adults. Absolutely worth your time. I read it as part of a Living Education Lesson session. I plan to read it with Finn when he is in 9th grade--next year!
Those were my top picks this year, but I also read a lot of very good other books. Here's the full list!
2. Goodbye, Mr. Chips* (a sweet, short book, nice winter reading!)
3. The Slight Edge (Jeff Olson)(he's preaching to the choir with me, but a good book if you need motivation)
4. The Element (Ted Robinson)
5. Mere Christianity (CS Lewis)(parts of it)*
6. Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)
7. Peace Like a River (Leif Enger)*
8. The Orchard (Adele Crockett Robertson)* (an interesting book about a woman who tries to save her family's orchard during the Great Depression)
9. Daddy Long Legs (Jean Webster)(this is a book I loved as a teenager, and I wanted to re-read it again as an adult. It's cute.)
10. The Journals of Father Alexander Schmemann* (another ongoing book that I'm in no hurry to finish. I love it!)
11. Spoken from the Heart (Laura Bush)* (audiobook)
12. Patina Farm (Brooke and Steve Gianetti)* (just a beautiful book)
13. The Little Book of Hygge (Meik Wiking)
14. Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art (Madeleine L'Engle)*(I'm not done yet, but this is going to be a top pick of 2021, I am sure of it!)
15. Middlemarch (George Eliot) (audiobook)*
16. The Hiding Place (Corrie Ten Boom)*
17. Tramp for the Lord (Corrie Ten Boom)*
18. Under Our Skin (Benjamin Watson)*
19. How Not to Die (Michael Greger)*
20. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Agatha Christie)*(good if you enjoy this genre; it's not my favorite genre, but this one is a classic!)
21. I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith)(a re-read)
22. Awaking Wonder (Sally Clarkson)(I'm not done with this one yet)
22. Awaking Wonder (Sally Clarkson)(I'm not done with this one yet)
23. The Yearling (Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings)*
24. Discipline (Elisabeth Elliot)*
25. The Dutch House (Ann Patchett) (audiobook)
26. The Story of a Whim (Grace Livingston Hill)
27. French Country Cottage (Courtney Allison)(beautiful photos)
28. Running for My Life (Lopez Lomong)*
29. Ourselves, Our Bodies and Our Souls (Charlotte Mason)*
29. Ourselves, Our Bodies and Our Souls (Charlotte Mason)*
30. Just Mercy (Bryan Stephenson)(audiobook)*
31. Deep Work (Cal Newport)*
32. The Common Rule (Justin Early)*
33. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)*
34. Christmas at Fairacre (Miss Read)* (a sweet Christmas story)
35. Modern Etiquette Made Easy (Myka Meier)*(I love Myka's fresh take on etiquette, one of my own favorite topics)
BONUS: Books I Read To or With my Children (not counting poetry, some school books, Bible....):
BONUS: Books I Read To or With my Children (not counting poetry, some school books, Bible....):
1. Tumtum & Nutmeg (Emily Bearns) (such fun little stories! Annie and I read them together and often had to read "just one more chapter" to see what happened to these two adorable mice)
2. Coriolanus (Shakespeare)
3. Johnny Tremain (Esther Forbes)(I actually read this on my own and loved it, while Finn was reading it)*
4. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)(cried off and on all the way through, and as an adult, furiously wrote down some of Marmee's wonderful wisdom)*
5. The Golden Goblet (Louise Jarvis McGraw)*
6. Anne of Green Gables (LM Montgomery; on audio book)(not done yet!)*
7. Understood Betsy (Dorothy Canfield Fisher)*
8. Old Mother West Wind (Thornton Burgess)
9. Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare)
10. The King of the Golden River (John Ruskin)*
11. A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)*
Here are my previous lists:
Happy reading!
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