A few years back one of my friends encouraged me to keep a list of all the books I read each year, and post the list, with commentary, in January of the next year. This year I decided to include the list on this blog, partly because it was a good year. There really wasn't a book that I didn't enjoy, and some that were simply exceptional. I've highlighted my top four, though I think I could recommend just about any of these. I hope you enjoy the commentary (I may have gone a bit long on a few), and I'm open to suggestions for 2014!
Drop Dead Healthy (A.J.
Jacobs) –A.J. Jacobs delivers another winner. I’ve found his books to be
interesting, informative, and hilarious, and this one is exactly that. Using
his one body as an experiment, Jacobs tries to discover the way one can become
as healthy as possible. From trying fad diets, to talking to a range of
experts, to listening to the advice of his rather crazy aunt, Jacobs tries
everything, focusing on a different part of the body each month. If you’ve been
wondering about ways to be healthier, I’d recommend this book because Jacobs
has done the research for you. Actually, I’d just recommend this book to
anyone, period.
Midnight’s Children (Salmun Rushdie) –I didn’t know much about
India’s history before I began reading this story, and it was fascinating to
learn about it, even through a fictionalized account. This book was a rather
odd mix of fantasy, history, and even sci-fi, but I really liked it. It was
creative to say the least. I would recommend reading it, especially if you have
any interest in learning about India during the 20th century, but
you should know that it will probably be unlike any other book you’ve read
before.
A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) –My sisters and I
grew up watching the 1995 film version of this story and I was excited to
finally read the book. It’s quite a cute little story. Maybe it’s not very
realistic (the endings of the book and the movie are slightly different, but
both involve a bit of a miracle), but I don’t care. It’s a book for children
and it’s precious and inspirational. Read the book and/or watch the movie. Just
make sure you have some tissues.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Jonathan Safran Foer)
–This one was fine. It was just a bit… odd. Having done my thesis on memories
of WWII in both Germany and America, I did like how the book calls attention to
the horrors the Germans, including civilians, experienced during the war,
especially in Dresden, and I thought it was interesting how their experiences
and are contrasted with the Americans on 9/11. The thing that really got me was
the sex. I wasn’t expecting any in what I had thought, wrongly, was a book
geared more towards children. I think the author intentionally made those parts
as awkward and uncomfortable for the reader as possible and… yeah. It was.
Christians
Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites… And Other Lies You’ve Been Told (Brad Wright, PhD) –I worked at a lecture
Dr. Wright gave at Gordon College and many of his comments were intriguing to
say the least, so I got this book to learn a bit more. I’m very glad I did. Dr.
Wright is a sociologist who takes common perceptions of Christians (they’re
hypocrites, they divorce more than non-Christians, the youth are leaving the church,
etc.) and uses statistics to see what the evidence actually says. In many ways
the book was encouraging by showing how many studies, particularly those by the
Barna group (famous for the divorce and youth leaving the church studies), are
sensationalized, inaccurate, biased, or just poorly done, which leads to a more
negative picture of Christianity than is warranted. By taking a closer look at
the data, Dr. Wright demonstrates more clearly where Christians have things
right, and where we could use some work. It’s both encouraging, challenging, and
one I think more people should read. In fact, it’s a book I wish I could give
to every pastor and young pastor, especially in evangelical denominations, if
only so that I no longer have to hear inaccurate and/or misleading statistics bandied
about at church. Lastly, this book wins extra points for including a XKCD comic
in the beginning. Genius! Read it. Be challenged.
One Thousand Gifts (Ann Voskamp) –This is probably a book I’ll
revisit again sometime in my life. I’ve had so many people recommend it and
tell me how much they loved it, but I didn’t quite feel the same passion. I
thought it was a good book, and that it was both challenging and encouraging,
but it might make more of an impact on me at another point in my life. The
focus was on thankfulness and how cultivating a heart of constant gratitude
(for the good as well as the bad) can not only bring you closer to God but
improve your life as a whole, which was excellent, though that’s not quite what
I struggle with at the moment. I still took away some good lessons and
thoughts, and could certainly recommend this book to others. Just know that the
writing is a bit poetical because it took me a while to get used to that.
Morning and Evening (Charles
Haddon Spurgeon) –This year seemed to be the year of daily devotionals (for the
whole year as well as particular seasons), and Morning and Evening was an excellent part of that. I often found
myself challenged by Spurgeon, and highlighted so much as I read. One of his
quotes is even on my bedroom wall now. I also made quite a few notes, as there
were times that I thought he was maybe pulling more from the text than was
warranted, but I typically found his applications sound. The one real downside
to this book is that it, and Spurgeon, is certainly a product of its time, and
clearly depicts an anti-Catholic stance that I found troubling at the least.
The November 5 entries were particularly painful. It was sad to see so much
prejudice and even downright hatred from someone who in so many other ways
strove for Christian unity and fellowship. I’d still heartily recommend this to
anyone.
I Want to Live These Days with
You (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) –This was such a great introduction to Bonhoeffer
for me. It’s a book of daily devotionals drawn from all of his writings. Each
month has a theme, and each day features a passage to fit that theme. I usually
don’t like to permanently mark up my books (part of why I like highlighting and
taking notes on my Nook), but I couldn’t stop myself with this one and found
myself underlining and marking so many favorite comments or thought provoking
insights. Now to pick just one of his works to read straight through.
Blood Work: A Tale of Murder
and Medicine in the Scientific Revolution (Holly Tucker) –I found this book
because I listen to the podcast Stuff You
Missed in History Class and I’m quite glad I did. Blood transfusions are so
commonplace today that it was surprising to read how controversial they were at
first and how interesting the stories of those first transfusions were. The
book ties in politics, religion, and scientific competition to give a complete
story of a major scientific breakthrough that was completely squashed for 150
years. The initial processes of transfusion were astounding to me (frankly I’m
surprised that more people didn’t die) and I don’t think I ever realized how
many factors played a role in bringing about this medical breakthrough. While
the author does have a rather blatant message to get across regarding the dangers
to stopping research in a controversial area, and I don’t think her comparisons
to today’s debate over embryonic stem cell research are completely justified, I
still found the story intriguing and thought-provoking.
Anna Karenina (Leo
Tolstoy) –This was my big book for the year, and it is a beast of a book. It’s
also phenomenal. It’s tough to sum up because describing it as a book about a
woman’s downfall after she becomes an adulteress just doesn’t do it justice.
It’s a study of Russian society, class and gender differences, faith, and, most
importantly the different expressions of love. While Anna is the title
character, her story is just one of many love stories exploring all types of
love from the purely carnal to the love of friends to the love of family and,
ultimately, to the pure love of Levin and Kitty. Frankly, I wasn’t really a fan
of Anna, especially by the end, and I probably would have been happier if the
book had just focused on Levin instead, but it was still interesting to see Anna’s
progression and how her life and choices affected so many around her. Levin was
the true hero of the story though. I’ve only seen one film adaptation, the Joe
Wright one. I know many people did not like it, and it probably could have been
better, but I think they did a decent job of catching the spirit of the novel
and I can honestly say that it was a simply beautiful film. Just don’t watch
all the deleted scenes because one completely ruins Levin and is not at all
based on the book.
Divergent series (Veronica Roth) –This
series was recommended to me because I liked The Hunger Games, and it does have similar theme of a dystopian
world where one girl changes everything. It is also quite good, though I think
it struggles in a similar way to The
Hunger Games in that the third book goes in a very different direction from
the first two and it’s almost as if the author struggled to find a satisfactory
ending to the series. Still an interesting read.
On the Threshold (Christina Tarabochia and
Sherrie Ashcraft) –I’m admit right off the bat that I’m a little biased since I
happen to know the two lovely authors, an awesome mother and daughter team.
I’ll try to be objective though. A little bit into the novel, I thought I had
it figured out and knew exactly where it was heading. In a few respects I was
right, but in others I was pleasantly surprised to find the story going in some
unexpected, or at least less predictable, directions, and even the journey to
the anticipated endings was enjoyable. It was a lovely book and I can heartily
recommend it.
Redeeming Love (Francine Rivers) –I’ve
had this book recommended to me so often it’s ridiculous. A modern-ish
retelling of the story of Hosea set in California during the gold rush, it’s
quite excellent. Yes, there are times when you think the characters are idiots
or the story is a bit sappy, but it’s still a lovely story of redemption. If
you like this sort of thing, read it, and have tissues for the end.
Dune (Frank Herbert) –This is a classic
sci-fi book I’d often heard about, but had never found time to read. I’m very
glad I finally did. The author poured incredible detail and effort into writing
it and it shows. The background stories of the characters, politics, and even
the planets have a depth I feel is too rarely seen. I may not have agreed with
some of the implications of this fictional universe, but I cannot deny that
they were well thought out and thought provoking. I look forward to reading
more about Dune, and recommend this to anyone who likes well-written sci-fi.
Also, now I get to make nerdy jokes with my coworkers about our “spice” whipped
cream.
Partials and Fragments (Dan Wells) –I wanted to wait until I’d read the third
book so I could give a review of the whole trilogy, but, unfortunately, the
third book has not yet been released, so here goes. Yet another dystopian
trilogy with a female protagonist, this time set in a world where mankind has
been almost completely wiped out after a war with their own creations, the
Partials, which was followed by a plague that kills infants shortly after
birth. I enjoyed that the protagonist was studying medicine and that, while the
two books thus far have very different settings, they have kept the original
ideas and flow, so I think it will be easier for the author to wrap up the
trilogy than it was with the Hunger Games
or Divergent series. I’ve liked
them so far, but jury’s out until I’ve read the whole trilogy.
Quiet:
The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking (Susan Cain) –This was by far one of my
favorite books of the year, possibly the favorite. I recommend that everyone
read it. Period. I could recommend it simply because it is interesting,
well-researched and informative, but I think it is important for everyone to
read because I think that it can really help society as a whole by improving not
just relationships, but also by making us stop to think about what character
qualities we value. This book will help both extroverts and introverts
understand, and appreciate, the qualities that characterize introversion, and
make it clearer how extroversion and introversion complement each other. To sum
up: Do you think you’re an introvert? Read it. Think your child/a child you
teach is an introvert? Read it. Do you ever interact with introverts? Read it.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (Rick
Riordan) –You know when you need a break from reading school books or
excellent, but deep, books in your spare time? When you want to read something,
but don’t want to have to think too hard? Well, this is the series I took up to
fill that role. The books aren’t amazing nor did they change my life, but
they’re entertaining and easy to read, so I enjoyed them. Plus, it was fun to
use all that Greek and Roman mythology I learned while attending a classical
high school (though this did mean the plot “twists” were usually obvious early
on).
Lent for Everyone, Luke, Year C: A Daily
Devotional (N.T. Wright) –This year was the first time I’ve tried going
through a daily devotional for Lent. Gordon College did a pretty good one my
senior year, but it was it was a few readings each week and not one each day. I
greatly enjoyed it. N. T. Wright is always excellent and thought-provoking to
read. It was a new way of experiencing this season and I think it’s something
I’ll repeat next year. In fact, this devotional is what inspired me to find
daily devotionals for Advent.
Good News of Great Joy: Daily Readings for
Advent (John Piper) –This year I did two daily devotions for Advent. The
one by Dietrich Bonhoeffer goes until Epiphany so I’m still going through that
one, but I enjoyed the one by John Piper as well. It was free online, which was
a big motivator for me to read it, but I found it insightful and a good
complement to the Advent season.
On Mt. Hood: A Biography of Oregon’s
Perilous Peak (Jon Bell) –This was a book I just started reading because
the library recommended it and it was available on the Nook. It was a pleasant
surprise. It was not only quite interesting and informative, but it made me
want to go out and conquer all the mountains of the world!... or at least Mt.
Hood. This book made me fall even more in love with Oregon and its trademark
peak. Plus there were fun tidbits like the fact that Timberline is the only ski
resort in the US with year-round skiing, and Mt. Hood is the second most climbed
mountain in the world. Good book for anyone who enjoys spending time in
nature/on mountains, or simply someone who loves Oregon.