Many of you know that I love to read, but unfortunately, I don't read as fast as I wish I did. Also, things like jobs and dinner get in the way some times. So I only made it through eight books last year, but I want to share with you what I did read in case you are looking for something new! I always love to see what everyone else is reading, so if you have suggestions post them in the comments! You can also check out last year's list here.
These are listed in the order I read them, not according to any sort of preference.
1) Unseduced and Unshaken by Rosalie de Rosset
This isn't something I would normally pick up, but I read it for a book club and I actually learned so much! The tagline is "The place of dignity in a young woman's choices." It is edited by a Moody professor, and while I don't know if I 100% agree with everything she said, I would recommend it in a heartbeat because she did a great job of emphasizing the importance of intentionality and mindfulness in everything we do. I want to reread it.
2) Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskill
This is a good 650 page novel spanning many years and set in 1830s England. Gaskill was a contemporary of the Brontes and Charles Dickens. If you like Jane Austen, you will love this novel. Like others from that period, I loved it because of it's depth in subtlety. Often the pace seems slow but you can't help but be sucked into the novel because the everyday thoughts and emotions of the characters are so incredibly relatable.
3) The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
Oh Pat Conroy. How I love and hate you all at once. His work captivates me but it also doesn't quickly leave me because of the intensity of the evil and sorrow. This one is dark, but expertly crafted and fascinating. It tells the story of a low country family through a series of flashbacks as the protagonist works through it all with his sister's psychiatrist. If you are not easily shaken, I would definitely recommend this because it makes you think so much and is such a work of art. However, you have been warned.
4) Life Together by Deitrich Bonhoeffer
I flew through this classic, which happens to be the first thing I've read by Bonhoeffer. Sometimes I think he gets a little intense about things that are his own opinion rather than founded in Scripture (for example, that you may ONLY sing in unison in church and anyone who sings harmony is out of line.) But if you can take those things with a grain of salt and read for the overarching principles this book will open your eyes to the place and practice of Christian community in a way that can't help but be impactful. Ironically, I probably enjoyed the chapter on solitude the most.
5) Spiritual Mothering by Susan Hunt
I think I cried almost every time I read this book. It is about "The Titus 2 Model For Women Mentoring Women." I read it and The True Woman below as part of my preparation to teach Susan's curriculum for high school girls to a group from my church. Maybe that's why it moved me so deeply, because I saw in it what so many women gave to me and saw my opportunity to do the same for the next group. Some cultural references are definitely 90s (it was published in 1992), which creates for a few laughs. But overall I want to give it to every woman I know and I want to be best friends with Susan Hunt because her writing is so real and so clear and so bold.
6) His Needs, Her Needs by Willard F. Harley, Jr.
I read this on the recommendation of a woman from my church in Auburn who I really respect. I know that people can write this one off because Dr. Harley definitely sees his method for having a happy marriage as the right way. But, I respect that because he developed it over years of practicing as a marriage counselor, and he sells it. I don't take is as a perfect formula for marriage, because I don't think the main purpose of marriage is having our needs met. However, I did think it was extremely insightful and helpful on a very practical level and it does really help you think about how to love your spouse well. So, I would recommend it in a heartbeat, as long as you read it with Keller's The Meaning of Marriage or something along those lines.
7) The True Woman by Susan Hunt
This was the other book I read as part of the leaders curriculum for the Becoming a True Woman While I Still Have a Curfew study. I loved this one as well! I want to read everything she has written. Above all I love that she pushes women to the Church time and time again. It is a beautiful picture of embracing God's calling to us as women and using that to usher in his kingdom.
8) Notes from a Tilt a Whirl by N.D. Wilson
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which I borrowed from a good friend. It is different that what I usually read in that it was about philosophy, in a way. It was mainly just about getting a big picture view (which is ironically often brought about by close attention to detail) of what God is doing in the world and of being in awe of it. I liked it so much that I actually want to buy it so that I can read it again. Also, I didn't know until after I finished it that he is Doug Wilson's son (although I'm clearly pretty dense because I knew they both lived in Moscow, Idaho and I thought that was weird. Ha!) I bring that up to say that it doesn't read AT ALL like anything Doug has written so don't let that influence your decision on whether or not to pick it up.
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