2019 in books, in the books.

In the name of going back in time to cover all of the 2020 news that hasn't been broadcasted yet, I thought today I'd share my 2019 In The Books list.  I got quite a bit of good reading done last year, plus I have posted my book list every year since 2010, so it would be a shame to not finally get this up.

It was interesting to go back and see the themes that pervaded my reading choices throughout the year: lots of books on Christian mothering and homemaking.  (It's important to remember that these things are learned skills.  They aren't purely instinctive, and in fact, God says the opposite in Titus 2 - we must be taught these things, implying that we won't know if we're not explicitly taught.  And if there is no one in our physical proximity teaching us, we're all the more responsible for seeking out continuing education on these subjects.)  

I also noticed that I read lots of works by entire families - Edith and Francis Schaeffer, as well as their daughter Susan Schaeffer Macaulay; Doug and Nancy Wilson, and their kids Rebekah Merkle and N.D. Wilson.  It's so enlightening to see the family beliefs and values become three-dimensional this way.  I also read a lot on health and pregnancy/postpartum.  (Shocker, as I spent the first half of the year in these stages.)  And, as always, plenty of fiction and memoirs sprinkled in to keep my reading momentum going, and just for pure delight.

Without further ado, here's what I spent last year reading on my own:

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

2. Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson

3. The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

4. Slow Medicine by Victoria Sweet

5. Praise Her In the Gates: The Calling of Christian Motherhood by Nancy Wilson

6. Popes and Feminists: How the Reformation Frees Women from Feminism by Elise Crapuchettes

7. Eve in Exile (And the Restoration of Femininity) by Rebekah Merkle

8. The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother by Heng Ou

9. The Lifegiving Table by Sally Clarkson

10. The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer

11. Scotts Lawns: Your Guide to a Beautiful Yard

12. Nurturing the Family: The Guide for Postpartum Doulas by Jacqueline Kelleher

13. The Adrenal Reset Diet by Dr. Alan Christianson

14. The Fourth Trimester by Kimberly Ann Johnson

15. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

16. Mothering the New Mother: Women's Feelings and Needs After Childbirth by Sally Placksin

17. The Little Oratory: The Beginner's Guide to Praying in the Home by David Clayton and Leila Lawler

18. Anger: Taming a Powerful Emotion by Dr. Gary Chapman

19. A Charlotte Mason Education: A Homeschooling How-To Manual by Catherine Levison

20. What is a Family? by Edith Schaeffer

21. Seasons of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson

22. Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern

23. East of Eden by John Steinbeck

24. The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell

25. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

26. Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern

27. Live a Beautiful Life by Alexandra Stoddard

28. The Tapestry by Edith Schaeffer

29. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

30. Why Children Matter by Douglas Wilson

31. Mere Motherhood by Cindy Rollins

32. Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols

33. How Should We Then Live? by Francis Schaeffer

34. The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

35. For the Family's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

36. Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition by Karen Glass

37. Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt

38. Keep a Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliott

39. Especially Father by Gladys Taber

40. Hints on Child Training by H. Clay Trumbull

41. Organizing Your Day by Sandra Felton and Marsha Sims

42. The Lifegiving Home by Sally and Sarah Clarkson

43. Keeping House: The Litany of Everyday Life by Margaret Kim Peterson

44. The Story of the Trapp Family Singers: The Story Which Inspired the Sound of Music by Maria
Augusta Von Trapp

45. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

As always, my very, very favorite books of the year are in bold, and I would highly recommend them.  I'm literally begging you to pick one of these to put on your goals list for this year!  (I'll get some affiliate links added in later today, to make browsing my list a little easier if you're looking for something to read yourself!)

And the chapter books and plays I read along with the kids:

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

4. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

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

6. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

7. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

8. The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

9. The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

10. The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

11. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

12. Children of the New Forest by Frederick Marryat

13. The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald

14. The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

15. The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling

16. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

17. 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson

18. Dandelion Fire by N.D. Wilson

19. As You Like It by William Shakespeare

20. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

21. Robinson Crusoe (unabridged) by Daniel Defoe

22. The Door Before by N.D. Wilson

23. Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney

Did you read anything good this year that I should put on my goals list for this year?  Tell me what it is... and WHY I should read it!