2020, in the books.

Well, 2020 is finito. I would say "hallelujah," and then hire a million angels to turn themselves to gifs and sing about it, but part of me wonders if we might not look back on the 'good old days' of 2020 at some point. Hopefully because of the nostalgia ("'member that time when Todd got to start working from home and we all got a year to cocoon?") and not because this is a tame harbinger of seven lean years to come. Knock on wood.

But whatever the case, I can tell you one thing is certain about 2020: I read some really fantastic books. (A few stinkers, too.) So let me tell you about them.

Me, unwashed and furrowed, expressing my consternation at the treatment of one Young Oliver Twist;  Juni, radiating pure joy because she doesn't understand the implications of what has befallen Young Oliver Twist.  Mostly because she doesn't understand Dickensian English - his sentences are too long, or she'd be more bummed.

First, here they are. Titles in bold are first-time reads that I adored and will likely go back to read again sometime. (Even just looking at this list is making me want to go start Peace Like a River rightthisverysecond.) Titles with asterisks are books I've read before, which means that at some point in the past, they themselves were probably "bolded" books on the list, or I wouldn't waste my time reading them again. So, if you're looking for book recommendations, the bolded/starred books are where I'd start.

1. Forget Me Not: Loving God’s Aging Children by Elisabeth Elliot (1/04)
2. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (1/07)*
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling (1/20)*
4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling (1/28)*
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling (2/2)*
6. Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years by Sarah L. Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth (2/16)
7. Angels in the Architecture by Douglas Jones and Douglas Wilson (2/17)
8. Are Women Human? By Dorothy Sayers (2/18)
9. Feeling At Home by Alexandra Stoddard (2/29*)
10. Liver Detox: Energize Your Life by Rhody Lake (3/1)
11. God’s Hotel by Victoria Sweet (3/2)*
12. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (3/13)*
13. The Bible (finished read-through) (3/14)*
14. The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan (3/21)*
15. The Metabolism Reset Diet by Dr. Alan Christianson (3/22)
16. Castor Oil: Its Healing Properties by Beth M. Ley (3/28)
17. The Lost Continent:Travels in Small-Town America by Bill Bryson (3/29)
18. Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish*
19. Bone of my Bones by Doug Wilson
20. Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
21. Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
22. That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis (5/16)
23. The Miracle of Natural Hormones by David Brownstein, M.D. (5/17)
24. True Spirituality by Francis Schaeffer (5/23)
25. L’Abri by Edith Schaeffer (5/26)*
26. Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck (6/26)*
27. Common Sense Christian Living by Edith Schaeffer (6/26)
28. Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (7/10)*
29. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom (7/11)*
30. The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington (7/17)
31. Out of the Ashes: Rebuilding American Culture by Anthony Esolen (7/23)
32. Anne of Avolea by L. M. Montgomery (7/31)
33. The Art of Natural Cheesemaking by David Asher (8/2)
34. The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells (8/5)*
35. 1984 by George Orwell (8/7)
36.  The Fruit of Her Hands by Nancy Wilson
37. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (8/16)*
38. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization by Anthony Esolen (8/21)
39.  Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery
40. Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Mongomery (9/8)
41. Rooted in the Earth,Rooted in the Sky: Hildegard of Bingen and Premodern Medicine by Victoria Sweet (9/18)
42. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (9/28)
43. Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery
44. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (10/14)*
45. Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington (10/31)
46. The Story of the Trapp Family Singers: The Story That Inspired the Sound of Music by Maria Augusta Trapp* (11/11)
47. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass* (11/14)
48. If I Perish by Esther Ahn Kim (11/16)
49. You Who? Why You Matter and How to Deal With It by Rachel Jankovic (11/16)
50. Heaven Misplaced by Douglas Wilson (12/28)
51. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (12/30)
52. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver* (12/31)

Next, I also did a lot of reading with the family this year, both as part of our schoolwork and as part of our nightly read-aloud time. These are the chapter books or classics we started and finished, in their entirety, together this year.

1. Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
2. The Green Ember by S.D. Smith
3. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
4. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s Farm by Betty Macdonald
5. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
6. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
7. Call of the Wild by Jack London
8. Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
9. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
10. The Incredible Journey by Sheila Bumford
11. The Ocean of Truth by Joyce McPherson
12. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
13. Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
14. Paul Revere’s Ride by Longfellow
15. A Book of Golden Deeds by Charlotte Yonge
16. The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter
17. James Herriot’s Treasury for Children by James Herriot
18. Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
19. Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
20. King of the Golden River by John Ruskin
21. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis
22. Prince Caspian by CS Lewis
23. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis
24. Always Inventing
25. Five Little Peppers and How They Grew
26. The Silver Chair by CS Lewis
27. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
28. Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
29. The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis
30. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
31. The Magician’s Nephew by CS Lewis

Oliver really draws a crowd.  Though only two are required by the Ambleside overlords to sit in on this one, all six conscious children gathered to listen.  Unheard of.

So, as you can see, this was quite the year. I was bummed that I didn't quite beat my record (last year holds my record of Most Personal Books Read in a Given Year, at 54 books) but I still think it was a good showing. I do think that my capacity for reading is influenced by how much time I spend pregnant in any given year, which was "none" both last year and this year. (That's a very strange thought.) So I think that's why I've been able to log such high numbers. I'm grateful for the time of rest and stability, but it's definitely not a trade I'd want to make all the time. It's an indicator that life is too dull if I have that much time to sit around and read all day.

Well, anyway. There it is - my yearly book report!

my ultimate book recommendations for women! (and my "shelf of moms.")

I'll let you in on a little secret: motherhood doesn't come naturally to me.  Despite plenty of experience working in daycares and as a nanny, and having an education degree and experience working in a public school, I am surprisingly not really a 'kid' person.  And besides that, I found myself woefully underprepared to have kids.  I literally had no idea what I was doing when I had Atticus, and that was surprising and disorienting for me.  I thought I'd be more of an expert going into it than I ended up being.

But I think the thing that has been even more surprising and disorienting as I've parented longer is that I am never fully equipped for the job at hand.  I am always navigating something new, functioning at maximum capacity, and finding myself in uncomfortably deep water.  While certain logistics of mothering have become easier for me with time and practice, other things have become more difficult and confusing.  I find that as my kids get older and more numerous, I become more in need of help and support, not less.  

I feel like less of an expert now than I did when I only had a  few young kids.  I have been surprised by this.  What no one tells you is that every mom, everywhere, needs help and advice, whether they know it or not.  No one has it entirely figured out.

I have always been a reader, but a few years ago I realized I needed to be intentional in seeking out godly older women to look to for parenting examples and advice.  Because we were new to our area and our church is very young, I had to start out by choosing a few authors to learn from while I prayed and waited for flesh-and-blood women to come into my daily life. 

So when we installed bookshelves in our dining room last year, I dedicated a shelf to The Moms, so I could always have their counsel close at hand.  

I chose books on Christian parenting, prayer, housekeeping, homeschooling, and Bible study, as well as autobiographical books about family life by women I admire.  This has been an indescribable blessing in the short time I've had it!

The Shelf of Moms.

So today I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite authors, and my favorite works by each.  I am working on reading whole 'canons' by these women, to get as round a picture as possible of their lives and advice.

If you're wanting a quick, concise list of my top picks, without all my commentary on each one, scroll to the bottom.  And just a heads up, these are affiliate links, but no pressure to purchase through these links!

I cannot begin with anyone but Edith Schaeffer.  Her worldview ministry, her dedication to prayer, her passion for homekeeping and family (even in less-than-ideal circumstances) have changed me so much for the better.  She constantly comes up in conversation - "Edith says..." is part of near-daily conversation in our house.

FAR from a complete set of her works, but I'm slowly working on accumulating and reading more each year.

I will warn you, her writing style is unique, and the first few chapters of each book take a bit of commitment, but it's worth it in the end.  If you want to start reading some Edith, I highly recommend L'Abri, which is autobiographical, or The Hidden Art of Homemaking, which is a philosophical, theological and practical treatise on beauty and the importance and how-to of keeping a home.  SOOO GOOD.

Note: I also love reading work by her other family members, which gives an even rounder picture of their home and thought life.  Her husband, Francis Schaeffer, was a prolific author and influential theologian.  I am beginning to work my way through his books as well.  Her daughter, Susan Schaeffer Macaulay wrote a treatise on Charlotte Mason education titled, "For the Children's Sake".

My other favorite go-to author is Sally Clarkson, whom I just love.  (Also, she loves Edith, so I love her even more for that.)  Sally Clarkson's books are so helpful, encouraging, and challenging for me, since I'm not a super relationally-oriented person.  I need help knowing how to love people well, and she is great at teaching that explicitly and by her own example.  

If you want to start with some Sally, I recommend The Mission of Motherhood.

Moving on to topics, rather than authors, I have needed help in the areas of housekeeping and organization.  Many of the books I've read on the topic have been checked out from the library and returned, but these are the ones I found worth owning.

My favorites in this genre are Sidetracked Home Executives, which walks you through how to set up an index card system for taking care of responsibilities daily, weekly, monthly and seasonally; and Organizing from the Inside Out (not pictured), which helps you figure out how to keep organized based on YOUR personal wiring - what works for someone else might not work for you, and this book addresses that.

If you read this, please ignore the chapter on how one of the authors 'organized' her marriage/life by getting a divorce! Also, lots of cheesy illustrations in this one.

I don't do a ton of reading on homeschooling - I get to maaaaybe one book a year on the topic, though I do think I should add one or two more to that this year.  But I find that if I'm educating myself by reading in other areas, I feel less of a need to spend a ton of time reading how-to's.  If education is really just learning how to properly order your affections, then reading in areas of top priority (fiction, theology, biography, homemaking, parenting) educates me, which equips me to educate the kids, without needing to spend a ton of time engrossing myself in school-specific reading.

However, if I'm going to recommend you spend time reading one book on homeschooling, it would be this one, hands-down! Teaching from Rest, by Sarah Mackenzie.

In fact, it was in this book that I received the challenge to pick an author-mentor each year to learn from, which has proved to be great advice!

On the topic of general parenting how-to's, I completely recommend these two books IN PARTNERSHIP.  (Shepherding a Child's Heart, and Give Them Grace.) They give excellent, very practical help for questions on discipline and grace-based parenting.  (Did you know discipline and grace are not opposed to one another?!  Well, you do now.)  

Babywise is another practical parenting book I do recommend, but not without someone you know and trust (who has themselves used Babywise more than once or twice) walking you through it as you read and have questions.  I'd be happy to be that person for you!

In the 'family autobiography' category, I recommend "L'Abri," by Edith Schaeffer (the missionary autobiography of their family of six moving to Switzerland and working together as a family to minister to hundreds - eventually thousands - of people who came to their home); "The Shaping of a Christian Family," by Elisabeth Elliot (the autobiography of growing up as one of six children in a close, solid believing family), and "In My Father's House," by Corrie Ten Boom (the story of how her father shaped her into the woman she eventually became famous for being).

And lastly, on the throne for being the singlemost influential book in my mothering and being a wife, I present you with "A Woman After God's Own Heart," by Elizabeth George.  I read this in a book club shortly after getting married, and have read it probably five or six times since then.  I think of the advice and examples in this book so often.  If you only have time to read one book this year, make this the one!

WHEW!  Are you still with me?  If not, I understand.  If so, you deserve a ribbon and probably some wine.

To recap, here are my favorite books to start with, if you're needing a little inspiration:

The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer

The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

Sidetracked Home Executives by Pam Young and Peggy Jones

Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern

Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie

Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp

Give Them Grace: Dazzling your Kids with the Love of Jesus by Elise Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson

L'Abri by Edith Schaeffer

The Shaping of a Christian Family by Elisabeth Elliot

A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George (<--This is the one I'd recommend you read if you're only going to read one!)

Annnnnnnnnnd there you have it.  My (long) shortlist of books that have meant the most to me in my mothering and homekeeping.

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!

2018 in the books.

It's time for the yearly book report!  Well, report of books.  I love keeping track of what all I've read over the course of the year, and going back and thinking through how each year's reading has shaped me and made me think.

This year, I was able to get quite a bit of reading done.  Probably mostly due to the fact that we didn't move this year.  (Moving years are always pretty dead reading years.)  I'm especially glad to see such variety on this list: memoirs/autobiographies, journalistic endeavors, travel narratives, theology, cookbooks, health resources, fiction, educational philosophy, large family accounts, Christian living, and even finance/business are all genres I gleaned from over the last twelve months!  Nothing like continuing ed and professional development, right?

If you've read this blog for very long, you know I'm really passionate about reading, and about encouraging others to read.  Filling our minds matters.  How we fill our minds matters.  We should  be learning, and growing, and thinking, and being challenged and shaped.  "Walk with the wise, and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm" (Proverbs 13:20) - we are always walking with someone; we need to be selective about who we're walking with, where we're going, and how we're getting there.  Books are an easy, accessible way to find ourselves in the company of the wiser-than-ourselves.

So, without further ado, here are 2018's books!

Asterisks indicate re-reads from previous years; titles in bold are books I read for the first time this year and especially hope to read again someday.  This list doesn't contain books I read aloud to/alongside the kids.

1. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (1/8)

2. The Town that Food Saved by Ben Hewitt (1/27)

3. The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul (2/06)

4. Wild by Cheryl Strayed (2/15)*

5.  The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman (2/23)*

6. Mother and Son: The Respect Effect by Emerson Eggerichs (3/1)

7. The Duggars: 20 and Counting by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar (3/7)*

8. A Mother's Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot (3/21)

9. My Southern Journey by Rick Bragg (3/23)

10. Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck (3/28)

11. The Mighty Queens of Freeville by Amy Dickinson (4/2)

12. If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home by Lucy Worsley (4/17)

13. The Big Tiny by Dee Williams (4/23)*

14. The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs (4/25)

15. Growing Up Amish: A Memoir by Ira Wagler (4/30)

16. The Fourth Trimester by Kimberly Ann Johnson (5/3)

17. My Life as an Amish Wife by Lena Yoder (5/17)

18. The Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison (5/17)

19. The Digital Mom Handbook by Audrey McClelland and Colleen Padilla (5/18)

20. The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler (5/26)

21. Plain Faith by Ora Ja and Irene Eash (6/09)

22. Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L'Amour (6/10)*

23. The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan*

24. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass (6/28)

25. Kim by Rudyard Kipling

26. Blood, Bones, and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton*

27. WomanCode by Alisa Vitti (8/13)

28. Future Men by Douglas Wilson (8/21)

29. Your Healthy Pregnancy with Thyroid Disease by Dana Trentini and Mary Shomon (8/26)

30. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (8/30)

31. Prune by Gabrielle Hamilton (9/15)

32. L'Abri by Edith Schaeffer (9/16)*

33. Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish (9/23)*

34. The Postnatal Depletion Cure by Dr. Oscar Serrallach (9/23)

35. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (9/25)*

36. Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling by John Taylor Gatto (9/27)

37. The Lost Tools of Learning by Dorothy L. Sayers (9/28)

38. What to Expect When No One's Expecting by Jonathan V. Last (10/12)

39. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (10/18)*

40. Graze by Suzanne Lenzer (10/28)

41. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (10/30)

42. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (11/5)*

43. The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking (11/6)

44. God's Hotel by Victoria Sweet (11/14)

45. Standing on the Promises: A Handbook of Biblical Childrearing by Douglas Wilson (11/26)

46. The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

47. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (12/10)*

48. Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper (12/15)

49. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (12/26)*

50. The Silver Lining: A Practical Guide for Christian Grandmothers by Nancy Wilson (12/28)

51. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (12/31)*

(Ugh, I hate that I didn't quite finish the Harry Potter series before the end of the year - the list looks so incomplete!  I finished Deathly Hallows on January 2.  So close!)

I don't have many specific reading goals in mind for 2019.  I find that my ability and attention span waxes and wanes with different seasons, so a year is a long time to plan for.  If I'm biting off smaller chunks of time to work with, I think over the next month or two, I'd like to focus my reading time on deepening my knowledge of and passion for mothering, homemaking, and life planning.  I have quite a few Sally Clarkson books on deck, as well as a couple from women from Canon Press (Nancy Wilson, Rebecca Merkle, Elise Crapuchettes).  I'd also like to find something a bit 'breezier' to turn to when I'm in the mood for some fiction - I'm thinking Little Women?  Any other suggestions?

And that is a glimpse of one specific area of my life I've been working to cultivate!  For more about how I find the time to read this much in the midst of normal, busy life (raising a large family, homeschooling, doing ministry, and juggling regular pregnancies/newborns), check out this post.  (The end of the post also contains links to all of my past reading lists since I started keeping track in 2010!  If you're curious.)

Did you read anything good last year?  Any recommendations you'd make?  Any reading goals you're setting for 2019?

2017 reading log (and book recommendations!)

You guys.  I am so proud of this year's reading list.  I not only crushed last year's accomplishments (eight measly books last year! EIGHT.), but I broke my own personal record.  In my thirty-one years of life, I have never before read this many books in a single year.  I feel victorious.  And, on top of just looking at numbers, I read some really good books.

I have highlighted ones that really jumped out at me, not necessarily because they're the only good books on the list.  (I didn't highlight any re-reads; only first-time reads are in bold.)

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (1/5)

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (1/6)

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper (1/11)

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (1/12)

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (1/13)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (2/2)

Teaching from Rest by Sarah McKenzie

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (3/08)*

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (3/27)*

A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley (4/1)

A Chicken in Every Yard by Robert and Hannah Litt (4/10)

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver (4/21)*

The Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers (4/26)

On Becoming Babywise by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam (5/1)*

An Amish Garden: A Year in the Life of an Amish Garden by Laura Anne Lapp

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells(6/17)*

Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot (6/20)

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (7/1)

A Woman After God’s Own Heart by Elizabeth George (7/2)*

Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend (7/7)

The Heart of a Woman Who Prays by Elizabeth George (7/15)

Seven Women and the Secret of their Greatness by Eric Metaxas (7/16)

A Natural Sense of Wonder by Rick Van Noy (7/18)

Disciplines of the Home by Anne Ortlund (7/21)*

Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung (7/22)*

All the Pretty Things by Edie Wadsworth (7/23)

When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling by R.C. Sproul, Jr. (7/25)*

Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry (7/29)

Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung (8/4)

Grit by Angela Duckworth (8/8)

The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis (8/11)

O Pioneers! by Willa Cather (8/13)

50 Women Every Christian Should Know by Michelle DeRusha (8/26)

Listen! The Art of Effective Communication by Dale Carnegie and Associates (Audio)

Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life by C. S. Lewis (8/31)*

Diastasis Recti by Katy Bowman (8/31)

In My Father’s House by Corrie ten Boom (9/7)

The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan (9/9)

Home Grown by Ben Hewitt (9/21)

A Handbook to Morning Time by Cindy Rollins (9/23)

Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin (9/29)

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson (10/8)

A Simple Way to Pray by Martin Luther (10/12)

Trim Healthy Mama Plan by Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett (10/17)*

Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey (10/20)*

Ragweed by Avi (10/25)

A Love That Multiplies by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar (10/31)

Ten P’s in a Pod by Arnold Pent III (11/6)

Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey (11/18)

Practical Theology for Women by Wendy Horger Alsup*

The Shaping of a Christian Family by Elisabeth Elliott (12/2)

Growing up Duggar by Jana Duggar, et al. (12/15)

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller (12/29)

The Vanishing American Adult by Ben Sasse (12/30)


*Subsequent read-throughs of books I've read before.

There you have it. Fifty-four books! I read seventeen in the first half of the year, and thirty-seven in the second half, after deciding to set some ambitious reading goals. I'm a converted believer: setting goals really does help me accomplish more!

Now, for my absolute favorite "Books of the Year," by category:

On Homeschooling:

Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie.  This one absolutely has the potential to be a perennial re-read.  Biblical, practical and refreshing.  I'd absolutely recommend it to anyone who homeschools, or is considering homeschooling, regardless of method.

On Parenting:

The Vanishing American by Ben Sasse.  I've sung the praises of this book before, but I can't recommend it more highly.  With the scope of an historian, the passion of a senator, and the vested interest of a parent, Ben Sasse covers the history and trajectory of adolescence and adulthood in America (including the role of public schools), and offers tons of practical help in catching a vision for our kids as they grow to adulthood.  I am so excited to read this again soon.

The Shaping of a Christian Family by Elisabeth Elliot.  While this isn't a how-to parenting book, it's a really beautiful look into Elisabeth Elliot's childhood, her parents' marriage, and how they raised their six kids.  I just love the close-up look at a couple worth emulating, who loved God and each other, and whose children all grew up to dedicate their lives to sacrificial service.

Random excellent writing:

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson.  I know I am getting annoying with how much I rave about this book, but I just love his writing.  He's definitely not a Christian, and he uses profanity, so there's that heads up (or incentive?) if you need it.  But the storytelling and humor are excellent.  I'm looking forward to reading more by him in the upcoming year!  I've already checked out every single book of his my library has...

Fiction:

O Pioneers! by Willa Cather.  I don't even know how to describe this.  I don't even know how to summarize the plot without giving anything away.  So all I'll say is this: it was really moving, and I just loved it.



Go read one of these awesome books, and then come back and tell me what you thought!  And, if you've already read some of these, how would you review them?

august reading, and goals for september.

Well, it's the last day of August, and I'm evaluating my success in reaching my reading goals for the month.  I had posted a photo on Instagram of the books I was hoping to get to, and it was a pretty daunting stack.

August reading goals - including a few new books and a few re-reads I'm excited to tackle again.  Wish me luck...and hold me accountable. This stack may be a bit too ambitious.

A post shared by Paige Van Voorst (@theminivanvoorsts) on Aug 2, 2017 at 3:12pm PDT

I'm happy to report that I read most of these books.  I have about ten pages left in "Surprised by Joy," and a small section in the book on Diastasis Recti, so I'm determined to finish them both today to get in under the buzzer before I suddenly find myself in September.  (HOW IS TOMORROW SEPTEMBER, BTW?!)

The one book I didn't get to in this stack was Practical Theology for Women, which I'm not super upset about because I'll start leading through it next month in a book study anyway, so I know it will get read.  And I listened through another book on audiobook that wasn't in the stack - it was my first adult audiobook experience, and it was ironically entitled, "Listen!"  I also finished Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung, which I technically started last month, so it didn't make the stack photo.

So, as long as I can get my act together today and finish the few remaining pages of the two in-process books I've got going, I will have finished eight books this month!

Moving forward on the momentum from the last couple months, I set myself a goal for September:

In My Father's House by Corrie ten Boom

A Handbook to Morning Time by Cindy Rollins

Practical Theology for Women by Wendy Horger Alsup

Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin (my friend Mollie recommended a Risen Motherhood podcast with Jen Wilkin, and I've been hooked ever since!)

H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

The Life of Prayer by Edith Schaeffer

Home Grown by Ben Hewitt

The Middle Place by Kelley Corrigan (my friend Kristy is my go-to friend for book recommendations.  Basically, anything she recommends, I will read.  And luckily, she regularly blogs her recommendations, so anytime I'm looking for a good book, I know where to find suggestions.)

Trim Healthy Mama Plan


So those are my goals for the upcoming month.  I'd challenge you to pick a book or two to finish in September, too!  I love the assertion by Oscar Wilde that "it is what you read when you don't have to that will determine what you will be when you can't help it."  I'd love it if you'd share in the comments what you're reading, or planning on reading soon!

setting a new PR.

Last year, I read a measly eight books.  Total.  The entire year.  2016 numbered among the least productive reading years of my whole life. Which is fine; it was what it was.  But I hoped this year would have a little more to show for it.

I'm happy to say I've already read more at this point than I did all of last year.  That is to say, I've read more books this month than I did all of last year.  (It is our summer break month, and I've been pretty couch-bound with a newborn, so I've had an unusual amount of reading time made available to me by circumstances.)  I'm pretty sure this is a personal record for me, which is super exciting.  I will probably never run a marathon; I may never even run a 5k.  I don't lift weights or do anything remotely resembling athletic effort.  So I'm doing the literary equivalent of whatever you do after you complete a marathon... pass out, I guess?  Yes, this blog post is my nonathletic collapse.  (The good kind.)

Though some of them were started earlier in the year, all of these were completed in July:

1. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (7/1)
2. A Woman After God’s Own Heart by Elizabeth George (7/2)
   
3. Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend (7/7)
   
4. The Heart of a Woman Who Prays by Elizabeth George (7/15)
   
5. Seven Women and the Secret of their Greatness by Eric Metaxas (7/16)
6. A Natural Sense of Wonder by Rick Van Noy (7/18)
   
7. Disciplines of the Home by Anne Ortlund (7/21)
   
8. Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung (7/22)
   
9. All the Pretty Things by Edie Wadsworth (7/23)
   
10. When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling by R.C. Sproul, Jr. (7/25)
11. Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry (7/29)
    

And, as it's still technically July for the rest of the day, I'm going to try to finish my current book, "Crazy Busy" by Kevin DeYoung in time to include it on the list as well.  Partially to get one more in under the buzzer, and partially because I don't like numbered lists with odd numbers of items on them.  They just seem so unfinished.

While I'd love to say this is a sustainable pace, I really doubt I'll be able to come anywhere close to this many books in a month anytime soon.  Maybe if I start listening to audiobooks?  Which might be worth it - I've read a couple posts lately about cultivating a radical habit of reading, which have been inspiring and thought-provoking.

In the Time You Spend On Social Media, You Could Read 200 Books

Reading Wars

Now, knowing me, homeschool will kick in here in a week, I will get exhausted trying to juggle it all, and I will spend my leftover, limited free time lying in a coma on the couch in front of Netflix.  Because, seasons y'all.  But any step in the right direction is a step in the right direction.  (By that I mean reading something, not my Netflix habit.)

Onward and upward.

prepare yourself for a very short list of books.

I do it every year, so I feel compelled to maintain the tradition of posting a list of the books I read over the course of the previous year.  The problem is that this year's list is embarrassing.  Not content-wise; there are actually some really good books on it.  But it's bare-bones.

But whatever, carpe diem and all that.  So without further ado, here is the list of the only eight books I read last year.

1. Martin Luther by Martin Marty (1/13)

2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix  by J.K. Rowling (1/22)

3. L’Abri by Edith Schaeffer (2/07)

4. Cure Tooth Decay by Ramiel Nagel (6/15)

5. Blood, Bones and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton

6. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

7.  The Prize-Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised Ten Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan

8.  Trim Healthy Mama by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison

Some of these were only okay (ahem, there, Marty Martin).  Some were repeat-reads from previous years (Harry Potter, and the Prize-Winner of Defiance, Ohio).  Some were purely informational (Cure Tooth Decay and THM).  Some were downright stellar (Blood, Bones and Butter, and Wild).  And some were literally life-changing (L'Abri).  I suppose I'm glad there weren't any outright stinkers mucking up the list.

I'd like to promise to do better this year.  2017 is the cure-all for the failed bookworm (and any other type of failure), after all.  But, I'm too much of a realist to make any such promise.  This coming year holds many of the same competitors for my time and attention as did last year.  But, I have high hopes!  So, here's to hoping I have a little bit longer list next year.

Any glowing recommendations for books I should read this year?