I will briefly acknowledge that it has been just over a year since I posted anything in this space. No reason. No excuse. Just didn’t write as much this year, and the writing I did was private processing rather than public sharing. For no one’s sake but my own, I will remind myself that taking a break from something, even something I love, is perfectly acceptable and any weird ounces of failure, guilt or other junky voices saying that real writers don’t take breaks can kindly step aside. I am here today, and today I feel like writing. So, hello again.
I will tiptoe gently back into this space with a cozy topic. Books. Which ironically was the topic of my last post a year ago, so it feels appropriate to go ahead and quote myself, right?
“Looking back on the books I’ve read during the past twelve months is my favorite way to close out a year. Books have always been linked to moments and memories for me, so as I scroll through my Goodreads account, it’s a sweet little walk through the past year.”
So here it is. My top reads, my favorite read alouds with my kids, and a few misses.
Favorite Books
Demon Copperhead: My last book of the year and certainly one of my favorites. The writing is extraordinary. Kingsolver is a master of storytelling in a raw, unique, painful, and beautiful style with so many lines that took my breath away. I will long remember Demon and this cast of characters.
All My Knotted-Up Life: I am a long-time fan of Beth's Bible studies. When my son asked me who Beth Moore was, I responded, "She is the person who has taught me the most about the Bible." And I should have added, she is the person who taught me to love the Bible.
As usual for me, I read about half this book and listened to about half of this book. I adore Beth's voice and the way she tells a story, so the audio was an absolute delight. The vulnerability, honesty, and pain of this book is so beautiful and such a gift to the reader. Beth's knowledge and love of Scripture pushes me to keep opening my Bible and keep learning. Even in all the messiness of her story, she proclaims the goodness of Jesus, but not in a sappy, obligatory way. I am so thankful for Beth, her Bible studies, books, and this memoir is certainly another great gift to her readers.
Carrie Soto is Back: I was hesitant to pick this one up at first because I really didn't like Malibu Rising, but I'm so glad I did! I was hooked from the beginning. This book wasn't what I expected in all the best ways. Carrie is an unforgettable character, and I didn't want her story to end. Movie, please.
Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun: I LOVE this series, and just like the first 2 books, I flew through this one! My only frustration was that I didn't realized there are more books coming out, and now I have to wait until next year to find out what happens!
Celebrities for Jesus: I was hesitant to listen to this one. I want to be informed about ways Christians are misrepresenting Christ, but books like this can easily make me cynical, and I don't want that. I thought this book was well done, told very matter-of-factly, rather than purposely tugging on emotions. The content is heartbreaking, but I thought the author handled the facts and her opinion with integrity and wisdom. This is an important topic, and this book gave me a lot to think about.
The Last Flight: I was hooked from the beginning! This was a unique plot, and the suspense was just the right amount for me—someone who scares rather easily.
Habits of the Household: Books like this give me so much great content to think about and discuss with Stephen! I love being challenged to think intentionally about the habits of our house, all filtered through a lens of grace and not perfection. This book was practical, humorous, and covered in Gospel-centered truth. A great read!
Lessons In Chemistry: This one barely needs a review it was so popular book this year. This book was such a delightful surprise. I didn't really know what it was about going in, and the pink, chick-lit looking cover is misleading. It was quirky and humorous, timely, and so different than anything I've read. Elizabeth Zott is a memorable character in all the wonderful ways, and I really enjoyed this book.
The Tech-Wise Family: Excellent book about a topic that is really important to me. I have strong feelings about phones/TVs/tablets and am constantly thinking about how to best guide our family to use them in beneficial ways without wasting our real life scrolling. I thought this book had practical ideas and also extreme examples; however, I was not put off by the more radical ideas. In an area like technology, and specifically phones, most of us are just doing what everyone else is doing—picking up our phone hundreds of times each day for mindless entertainment. This addiction has lead us to a point where we need extreme and perhaps radical guidelines if we're going be choose a better way. Highly recommend!
Take My Hand: One of my favorite books of the year! This book beautifully and painfully humanizes big issues like government overreach, reproductive rights, and health literacy. A heartbreaking book but so important and so powerfully written.
Fourth Wing & Iron Flame: Oh man. What to say about these two? It has been a long time since I was this captivated by a series, unable to put them down, neglecting my responsibility just to read one more chapter. I feel sad I will never get to experience reading these book for the first time ever again. From the very beginning Fourth Wing gave me major Hunger Games vibes-which is maybe why I loved it so much! I guess the surprise of my reading life this year is that books about dragons soared (pun intended!) to the top of my favorite books list. I’m hooked. But I feel compelled to give a disclaimer: these books are steamy. Very. Steamy.
Favorite Read Alouds with the Kids
This year held some special classics like Charlotte’s Web with Milo, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with Andrew. I also went back to a favorite from when I was in fifth grade and read Cages with Charlotte. However, the absolute stand-outs of the year were The Wild Robot series with the boys and The Lion of Mars with Charlotte.
A Few Misses
Happy Place: Oof. What happened? I loved the other Emily Henry books I've read, but this one was rough, and I struggled to finish it. I didn't care about any of the characters, and their friend circle was annoying rather than endearing. Plots that hinge on a miscommunication frustrate me as I wait hundreds of pages for the characters to finally clear things up. The last 100 pages were overly dramatic, even for this genre—I mean, airport chases, brain surgeon to pottery, really? I felt bummed this one was such a miss for me.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow: I wonder what I would have thought of this book had it not been so hyped up. I was #822 on the library wait list and was so excited when it was finally my turn. So many people told me you don't need to love video games to love this book, but I'd say that a general enjoyment and basic level knowledge of video games would certainly enhance your love of this book. I thought it was just fine. The beginning was good, the middle was slow, and the end got better but could have been about 100 pages shorter. I struggled to finish and was glad when it was over.
Start with Hello: I wanted to love this one. Every ounce of my heart agrees with the message of this book, and Martin's passion for her neighbor is so evident, beautiful, and inspiring. Unfortunately, the writing felt choppy and all over the place for me. Each chapter had so many sections and subheadings that felt disjointed. I ended up skimming the last couple chapters. The table of contents was my favorite part. I thought the chapter titles conveyed the heart of this book in a clever and thought provoking way. I know so many people who loved this book that I'm left feeling like I missed something. Maybe I need to try another one of Martin's books.
The Christmas Pig: I am adding this one to the list prematurely because we haven’t finished it yet. I starting reading this aloud to the kids in December, and we are slooooowly chugging along—mainly because I don’t like it and have little excitement to pick it up each night. We’ve come so far that I will finish (plus Andrew really loves it), but it has been rather disappointing.
As always, hit me up with your recommendations and feel free to come at me with all the reasons you loved Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I can take it.
Happy reading.