Book List of 2013 (5/30)

     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 20^th 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.