To you, reader: whether you are a book lover, a book liker, a slightly-ashamed-but-newly-resolved reader, or an almost non-reader, this is for you. I know. This is a slightly long-ish post. But I cut out a lot. Really. And I agonized over what to include, because I wanted to offer only the best. No, these are not the best books ever (well some of them might be). These are just from my reading this past year. I worked hard and really stretched myself in some categories (like non-fiction, Christian growth, and non-fiction). So here goes: my Top 10 Books of 2013 (otherwise known as Your 2014 Reading List**).
FICTION
Flavia de Luce novels
I start with
these because today I am FINALLY supposed to receive my pre-ordered copy of his
6th Flavia de Luce novel. I refer to them this way because Flavia is
the heroine of his 1950s era Great Britain-in-a-crumbling-estate-setting
mystery novels. She’s an eavesdropping, bike-riding, braces-wearing 12-year-old
with a passion (and unique talent) for chemistry. After seeing a reference for
the first novel, The Sweetness at the
Bottom of the Pie, in WORLD Magazine 6 or 7 years ago, I fell in love with
this series. Books 2-6 have been eagerly anticipated and pre-ordered by me (little fact being that these are the only books I’ve ever pre-ordered). And I’ve
never been disappointed. The list (in case you want to start at the beginning)
is as follows: The Sweetness at the
Bottom of the Pie, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, A Red Herring
Without Mustard, I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, Speaking from Among the Bones, and
finally now The Dead in Their Vaulted
Arches.
(For anyone wondering about the unique titles, they are all from
lines of either poetry, literature, or very old cookbooks – fascinating.)
The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield
While we’re on
mysteries, I must mention Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale. A friend of mine recommended it earlier this
year, and I’d summarize my reading of it by saying that I completely neglected
my house, laundry, husband, and (almost) children for about 3 days while I read
this book. It’s riveting and eerie and completely surprising, no matter how
many mystery novels you’ve read. I’d classify it as more of a gothic-style
mystery, along the lines of a Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. Very Bronte-ish. NOTE: If you have small children, hire a babysitter for a few days when you
plan to read this.
The Good Dream, by Donna VanLiere
I actually first read this
novel in 2012, but I loved it so much that I purchased my own copy, and
accidentally-on-purpose read it again recently. You know, one of those moments
where you’re dusting the bookcases and pull out a book, and oh, just start
glancing through it, find a favorite chapter, spend 20 minutes reading, then
decide to just reread the whole thing. And the dusting doesn’t get done for
another week. (I’m sure by now you must think me a very irresponsible mother
and housekeeper – but I promise it doesn’t happen often.) I have a more
in-depth review of the book here. In
summary, though, I highly recommend this emotional and heart-gripping novel to
all readers, especially Christian readers. Though this is not a Christian
novel, it is one that causes me to rejoice in how I’ve been rescued from the
ravages of sin.
Margot, by Jillian Cantor
This was my most recently-finished novel, dealing with a “what-if” story of
Anne Frank’s sister. What if Margot Frank had really survived? What might her
story have looked like? I requested this book from the library, and it took over 3
months until I finally got it (so after that long wait, I KNEW I had to read
it). Margot was hopeful and sad and
enjoyable and heartbreaking all over. But I’ve always enjoyed imagining “what
if” kinds of stories, particularly at the ends of books I don’t want to be done
with. So Jillian Cantor successfully published a “what if” daydream – kudos to
her. (I did feel after reading this that I knew more about
WWII and the holocaust – probably because it’s a subject I’ve slightly avoided.
And no, I’ve definitely never seen Schindler’s List.)
Hannah Coulter, by Wendell Berry
My last fiction
recommendation, and I’ve saved the best for last. I cannot even begin to share
how much I LOVE this book – love love love!! It is truly one of the great
novels in my reading life. But BE WARNED: What you are (or should be) about to
read is not some Hunger Games type of
mind-gripping, page-flipping novel that you fly through like a can of Pringles.
It is a slow and thought-filled book written by a poet-novelist, with each
sentence being something that you sit there thinking, “Wow. That was so good.
That’s how my brain’s been trying to communicate all of these years. Yeah.”
Like eating a piece of Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake, savoring each bite, and
letting the chocolate layers just sort of drip down your throat, and
afterwards, being so full that you can’t bear the thought of moving or having
to function normally. You'd rather just sit there, slowly digesting, and meditate on the
experience of eating it all over again.
That is Hannah Coulter – the
real-life-love-story that I have been waiting all of my life to read –
something authentic and deep and going beyond just “one person happily ever after
riding off into the sunset.” That’s because Hannah
Coulter is more about community than just one couple. As Hannah, an
80-year-old woman, says of her first husband when they were planning to be
married, “The love he bore me was his own, but also it was a love that had been
borne to him, by people he knew, people I now knew, people he loved. That, I
think, was what put tears in his eyes when he looked at me. He must have
wondered if I would love those people too. Well, as it turned out, I did. And I
would know them as he would never know them, for longer than he knew them. I
knew them old, in their final years and days. I know them dead.” I realize I’m
probably dragging this on a bit, but if you’d like, here's another compelling case for reading Hannah Coulter.
NON-FICTION
Killing Lincoln, by Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard
Trying to break outside of
my box, I disciplined myself by reading a few non-fiction books this year, one
of which was Bill O’Reilly’s Killing
Lincoln. Think history book meets thriller novel. While the information
contained is well researched and accurate, the book reads like a John Grisham
novel. Hopefully that doesn’t discourage anyone – if anything, it should
encourage any other non-non-fiction readers like me to try it. I followed this
up with O’Reilly’s Killing Kennedy,
another fascinating non-fiction novel that really piqued my interest in this
era (and even caused me to start doing some more outside research – weird).
Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me,
by Karen Swallow Prior
Here’s
another piece of Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake for you … or maybe more like a
T-bone ribeye (because this one takes a little bit of chewing). I finally get to
put one in the “memoirs” section (another category I’ve sorely neglected). I’m
not even sure how to describe this. But as a bit of information, Ms. Prior is
Christian, an author, and an English professor at Liberty University; and in
this memoir, she reflects on the impact that books have had on her life,
including her coming to faith in Christ. I know that some Christians have been
disappointed at the seeming “lack of straightforward testimony” that she offers
in this. But I think if you read her accompanying interviews as well as other
things she’s written, you’ll get a better sense of her faith – and the
point of her book. It’s not
an autobiography; it’s a memoir with a specific emphasis – the written word –
and how words, and THE Word, have all shaped her into who she is today.
Intriguing. I wish I was smart enough to write a book like Booked.
BIBLE STUDY &
GROWTH:
A Sweet & Bitter Providence,
by John Piper
I picked up
this book earlier last summer in preparation for a 4-week Bible study with some
teen girls on the book of Ruth. As
usual, I had numerous options to choose from on Amazon, but for me, a lover of
words, I chose Piper (fellow English major that he is). I’m starting to run out
of effusive words to describe all of these lovely books, so I’ll be brief: this
book is wonderful, a great resource for studying this short book of the Bible,
and brings some new perspective on a story I thought I knew well. NOTE: I
used this book along with my former pastor Drew Conley’s 4-part sermon series from sermonaudio.com found here for our study – these two items complimented the
study brilliantly.
Modest: Men and Women Clothed in the Gospel,
by Tim Challies &
R.W. Glenn
As part of a year-long study in our youth group through the Seven Checkpoints for Student Leaders by
Andy Standley, my husband and I recently taught through the topic of “moral
boundaries.” For a few of the sessions, I met with just the girls to talk
through the issue of modesty. I wrote a longer review of this book here, but
simply put, this is a fantastic resource for … everyone. Not just teens. Not
just unmarried women. Not just women. EVERYone. It’s short and sweet, but thorough
and deep – and no, there’s no “guidelines” or “checklist” in here. So if you’re
looking for a quick fix, I’m sorry. Gospel-centered issues tend to take a
little more work than that. So yes, definitely read this. J
The Gospel
Transformation Study Bible
gen. ed. by Bryan Chapell
Last but best, I have a
new study Bible that I’m excited about … but no, have not entirely read yet. But I’ve started. And yes,
I’m really enjoying it. Basically, the study notes for this particular Bible all try to keep the big
picture (aka. the Gospel) as the focus throughout. So for example, as I was
reading through the story of Sodom & Gomorrah the other day, the notes
read, “The interaction between God and Abraham, whereby the hypothetical number
of righteous people in the city is whittled down from 50 to 10, underscores
that God will not destroy the righteous along with the wicked. … The trouble,
of course, is that before God’s eyes none are truly righteous. Yet Jesus Christ
underwent the punishment deserved by fallen people by becoming guilty in their
place (2 Cor. 5:21).” It has been a blessing to read and use. I am thankful to
the ladies at my church for gifting me with this wonderful resource.
And I hope, in maybe some way, these reviews and recommendations were helpful to you and might inspire a new journey in reading for you. If you have any specific questions about any of these books or want information regarding objectionable elements, etc. you are welcome to email me. Thanks for reading! (And yes, if you read this whole post, you can definitely read a book.)
Megan
for The Sisterhood
ps. Stay tuned for a book giveaway.
**DISCLAIMER: Not all parts of all books are completely endorsed by me or The Sisterhood. Reader discretion is always advised.
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