Category Archives: books

My annual round-up of finished books. The covers pictured are the ones I most highly recommend.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette: A Novel by Maria Semple
Roomies by Sara Zarr & Tara Altebrando
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Desiring the Kingdom by James K. A. Smith
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
The Smartest Kids in the World by Amanda Ripley
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Allegiant by Veronica Roth
An Anthropologist On Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales by Oliver Sacks
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
People of the Book: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks
How People Change by Timothy Lane and Paul David Tripp
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B. J. Novak

Saving Lucas Biggs by Marisa de los Santos
David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
How Children Succeed by Paul Tough
Death by Living: Life Is Meant to Be Spent by N. D. Wilson
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink
Boys and Girls Learn Differently! by Michael Gurian
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Our Town: A Play in Three Acts by Thornton Wilder
Monster by Walter Dean Myers

The End of Molasses Classes by Ron Clark
Your Ten- to Fourteen-Year-Old by Louise Ames and Frances Ilg
No Talking by Andrew Clements
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
The Myth of the Perfect Girl by Ana Homayoun
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers by Randall Munroe
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King

Smile by Raina Telgemeier
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
The Julian Chapter: A Wonder Story by R. J. Palacio
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Lila: A Novel by Marilynne Robinson
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Annual round-up, first the list (in reverse-chronological order), then some analysis.

Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes | Niequist
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking | Cain
The Book of Jonah | Feldman
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever | Robinson
The Great Brain | Fitzgerald
Rob Delaney: Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage. | Delaney
Jeeves & the Tie that Binds | Wodehouse
Mississippi in Africa | Huffman
The Fault in Our Stars | Green
The Good Luck of Right Now | Quick
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage | Patchett
Crazy Rich Asians | Kwan
Seize the Day | Bellow
Once Was Lost | Zarr
Lying Awake | Salzman
Someday, Someday, Maybe | Graham
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist | Cohn & Levithan
Nine Stories | Salinger
Parenting With Love & Logic | Cline & Fay
Liar & Spy | Stead
Love is an Orientation | Marin
She’s Come Undone | Lamb
Camilla | L’Engle
Romeo & Juliet | Shakespeare
The Burgess Boys | Strout
Dear Girls Above Me | McDowell
The Art of Family | Bria
Insurgent | Roth
Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing | Lloyd-Jones
Divergent | Roth
Death of a Salesman | Miller
My Name is Asher Lev | Potok
The Complete Stories | O’Connor
More Than Dates & Dead People | Mansfield
I Loved a Girl | Trobisch
Death Comes to Pemberley | James
Go Down, Moses | Faulkner
Telegraph Avenue | Chabon
The Silver Linings Playbook | Quick
Unorthodox | Feldman
The Last Segregated Hour | Haynes
Sticks and Stones | Bazelon
The Giver | Lowry
Pride and Prejudice | Austen
Gilead | Robinson
The Great Gatsby | Fitzgerald

Top 5 New-to-Me Fiction
The Giver | Lowry
Lying Awake | Salzman
Nine Stories | Salinger
She’s Come Undone | Lamb
The Silver Linings Playbook | Quick

Top 5 New-to-Me Non-Fiction
The Art of Family | Bria
Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes | Niequist
The Last Segregated Hour | Haynes
Parenting With Love & Logic | Cline & Fay
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking | Cain

Top 5 Re-Reads
The Complete Stories | O’Connor
Gilead | Robinson
The Great Gatsby | Fitzgerald
My Name is Asher Lev | Potok
Pride and Prejudice | Austen

This was not a particularly good year of reading. It was a chaotic year in general, and my reading rhythms were disrupted. This annual review is a good opportunity to recalibrate and contemplate what I’d like to read in the new year.

A good memoir allows readers a glimpse into another person’s experience and leaves them better for it. The Exact Place recalls Margie Haack’s childhood in the harsh and wild landscape of rural Northern Minnesota. Margie and her husband Denis have a fantastic ministry called Ransom Fellowship. Michael and I have enjoyed their writing on faith and culture for many years, so I had no doubt that I’d enjoy this book, just as I’ve enjoyed Margie’s writing over the years on her blog and in Notes from Toad Hall.

Oftentimes, books set it rural places are idyllically pastoral, a glorification of country life. Though Haack’s childhood had some rural pleasures anyone can admire, she did not shy away from recalling the difficulties of rural poverty. These details made it feel honest and real, but so did the recipes and the happy memories as well.

One of the recurring themes of the book is Margie’s relationship with her stepfather, and her longing to know her biological father, who died before she was born. The tension as she tries to earn his love is palpable and at times, heartbreaking, but it wasn’t so overwhelming that it weighed down the book. It is a part of Haack’s story, but it is not the whole story, and there is certainly redemption to be found when we explore and acknowledge the brokenness in our lives.

The Exact Place is the second book published by Kalos Press, and I am so excited by their work so far. If you buy the print copy, they will give you the ebook for free, fantastic for people like me who appreciate both print and digital mediums for reading. Also, you can lend out your copy of the physical book while retaining your digital copy, just in case you need it.

As childhood memoirs go, this is a lovely and moving work. Though it is spiritual, it doesn’t take itself too seriously and has moments of levity and joy as well as pain and yearning. It’s real and it’s good, just like I expected from Margie Haack. If you like memoirs or are familiar with the Haacks, I highly recommend it to you.  (8.5/10)

I received a free copy of this book for review purposes. The opinion expressed is my own.

Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber was one of the most buzzed about books in my circles in 2012. I enjoyed it, but not quite as much as I thought it would. It would have benefited from more editing, which surprised me as the author is an English professor, but the setting could not be beat. (8/10.)

Every Day by David Levithan is a Young Adult book that just came out. The premise was interesting to me, but the execution wasn’t as good as I had hoped (6.5/10.)

Every year, I read a little Wodehouse. It’s good for the soul. Mike and Psmith did not disappoint, it was my first Psmith novel and it will not be my last. A lot of cricket was described, which I thought would be dull, but it really wasn’t (8.5/10.)

How to Talk to Your Child About Sex by Richard and Linda Eyre is a straightforward book about the subject. Though the authors do not mention it, they are Latter-day Saints, so their suggestions skew conservative though they try to be general and made it easy to customize for various families. Some of the scripts were really unlikely, but still thought provoking (6/10.)

The Exact Place by Margie Haack is a lovely memoir I will review in full soon (8.5/10.)

Love Does is a memoir of sorts, stories and vignettes from the life of author Bob Goff. Goff is an extraordinary man, full of whimsy and heart. Some of the stories made me laugh out loud, others made me tear up. The premise of the book is that love does, love is about action. And I believe that to be true and an encouraging message.

What is a little troubling about the book is that doing for Goff often costs more than time and energy. It costs money, and lots of it. I really struggled with the lack of acknowledging that 99.9% of Christians worldwide could not live as Bob does because they could never spend as Bob does. I have noticed that evangelicalism lately is all about living lives of service and doing amazing things, and I worry that might marginalize those for whom taking a year off to “minister” just isn’t financially possible. If you struggle with contentment, this book might not be for you.

Another concern was the lack of connection to a local church and the skepticism towards typical Christianity. A lot of this is a good thing — I love the idea of a “Bible Doing” group rather than a Bible Study — but the sum of it felt like a lone ranger, individualistic faith rather than the true and deep community of faith that I believe to be the most biblical model.

I enjoyed this book, but it made me want wads of cash so I could do the sorts of things Bob does. And that’s not really the point. I’d love to see someone live an extraordinary, whimsical life of sacrificial love on a budget of $50,000 a year or less. I’d read that book in a heartbeat. Goff’s stories are really interesting and the profits are going to Restore International, so if you are intrigued, I’d say go ahead and read it. (6.5/10)

I received a free copy of this book for review purposes. The opinion expressed is my own.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a moving young adult novel with graphic, difficult content. (7/10)

Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction is a novel in two parts (or two closely-related novellas) written by J.D. Salinger. It’s been a while since I’ve read Salinger, and I enjoyed it, though not as much as Franny and Zooey. (8.5/10)

Hanna Pylväinen’s We Sinners is a solid debut novel I’d recommend (despite some unevenness) to those interested in children coming of age in severe faiths. (7/10)

The End of the Affair was not my favorite Graham Greene, but the writing made it worthwhile to read anyway. (8/10)

I will write a longer review of Love Does in the next week or so, but I had mixed feelings. (6.5/10)

When I started C.S. Lewis’ The Abolition of Man, I realized I’d read it in college, but it was worthy of reading again. (8.5/10)

How Children Raise Parents by Dan Allender is a great framework for thinking about parenting, but could be slightly more practical. I recommend it highly for parents of children in any age or stage. (9/10)

A Curtain of Green & Other Stories was the first short story collection published by Eudora Welty and it was a great read. Some stories are better than others, “The Key” and “A Worn Path” were my favorites. (8.5/10)

Subtitled “Adventures in Loving Your Neighbors,” Margot Starbuck’s Small Thing with Great Love is a choose-your-own-adventure style book about being compassionate where you are. Great ideas but not overwhelming. (8/10)

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a fun little play that everyone should read once. (9.5/10)

Stuart Little by E. B. White was a fun read aloud with the girls. I’ve always been fond of Stuart’s adventures in the city, especially. (9/10)

Like all the Willa Cather I’ve encountered, The Song of the Lark was delightful to read. Her writing is strikingly beautiful, and the story will resonate with artistic people in particular. (8.5/10)

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr is the sort of YA fiction I want Kate and Lexi to read when they are in high school. It’s a story of struggle and redemption and a solid debut novel, though I’d probably start with How to Save a Life if you are interested in reading her work. (8/10)

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is a helpful and encouraging read for any writer. (8.5/10)

Breakfast at Tiffany’s was an enjoyable read, especially as I began to see Holly as a manic pixie dream girl. Capote was an able writer and certainly knew it. (8/10)

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward is a brutal story written in beautiful, poetic prose. It deserves the accolades it’s received and I look forward to reading more from Ward in the future. (8.5/10)