Note: After falling behind on my annual 'Books I Read' posts (or really any book posts) for several years, I was determined to catch back up. It's been a lot of work to track down everything I think I read. I kept finding pictures on my phone of books I had read, library books borrowed and then random notes in my journal and even titles scribbled on forsaken post-it notes on my nightstand. It doesn't matter to anyone except me that I do these book lists, so I will update them as I find typos, additions or broken links.
Surprised by Hope, by N.T. Wright
This was my first time reading N.T. Wright and it took me half a year to read it. But I have copied many portions into my journal and have found myself thinking over carefully some of his ideas. I initially decided to read it because Douglas Wilson in his book Heaven Misplaced, (already mentioned in previous posts) footnoted this book and a respected friend had given us the book already as he thought it was very good. Since I was already thinking about heaven and earth differently than how I had been taught as a youth, I decided to dive in and read Wright's ideas.
"To put it at its most basic: the resurrection of Jesus offers itself... not as an odd event within the world as it is but as the characteristic, prototypical, and foundational event within the world as it has begun to be. It is not an absurd event within the old world but the symbol and starting point of the new world."
Several pages later: "To repeat: the resurrection is not, as it were, a highly peculiar event within the present world (though it is that as well); it is, principally, the defining event of the new creation, the world that is being born with Jesus."
These ideas and many more like it, have really made an impact on how I think of heaven and earth. I will be likely revisiting portions of this book again and again. One area that he touches on is the way heaven is portrayed in our hymnology and it changed what I want to sing. I copied down the suggestions of good Easter hymns he suggests. This book needs its own post so maybe I will list them there with some audio links for the hymns he recommends.
Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery
Sometimes when you take a book with you places to read if you have a moment, you don't read it when you could or because you are out in public with a book, you read it in a distracted manner. This is the book I hauled around with me throughout all of June, even to family camp. Written mostly in letter form by Anne to Gilbert, it recounts the three years she spends teaching English at Summerside High and boarding at Windy Poplars. To use a word my mom likes, recounting in great detail the goings-on from around the town and elsewhere is poignant and hilarious. And while Anne is the heroine as always, she is not depicted as a woman whose plans and efforts come without a hitch. She remains a faithful character to show the fullness of human emotions and foibles. To think that the books in this series might languish on shelves, even if the movies remain cherished, is despairing. Keep reading and rereading them; you've changed since you last read them!
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
In the late 90s, I started working at Barnes & Noble bookstore while going to college. I believe the first book had already been published and it was the second book being released that we were opening at midnight to sell copies to the dedicated fan base. I had no idea what the hubbub was about and the children's head bookseller challenged me to read the books for myself before making a judgment on the witchcraft and wizardry. But I couldn't imagine myself having an interest or approval for this series so I always smiled and said it wasn't for me.
By mid May 2003, I was told by my midwife that I should try a bit of bedrest as I neared the end of my first pregnancy as baby was in breeched position and I was hoping to turn him. I must have bought a copy of the first Harry Potter book, although I don't remember doing that and started reading. I only got a couple of chapters in and then we ended up having Seth earlier than anticipated so I didn't finish the book that summer. I can remember trying to return to it later on in the fall of that year but didn't make much progress and ended up watching the first few movies instead.
This year, Laura asked me if I was ever going to read the books myself so I decided to try the first book again. I enjoyed it very much and the kids and I would discuss my comments and questions at the dinner table but always with Laura not wanting to spoil anything. I've since read Book 2 and Book 3 and I'm enjoying being part of those who have lived at 'Hogwarts'.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
I re-read this in anticipation of Laura reading it for a term in her Year 9. I enjoyed it much more this time than I did back in 2020. It's like I saw with new eyes what the characters represented and how Guy Montag comes to view his work and his life. In one way, it reads like a contrast between those who have intellectual curiosity and those who do not, those who can mentally afford for their ideas to be challenged and changed and those who cannot.
Emily of New Moon (Book 1) by L.M. Montgomery (I found another edition with this endearing front cover so I decided a reread was in order to refresh my memory before I went on with the series)
In the past, I've struggled to really connect with Emily in her poetic flights of fancy and dramatic character. This time I found myself more intrigued by the home life she enters at New Moon with her aunts Elizabeth and Laura and Cousin Jimmy. While she is treated with strictness and often with no understanding to her own particular dramas, she is given a childhood filled with beauty and goodness. Her character expresses what almost all girls have experienced at the hand of other girls and therefore is very relatable no matter the time period. And the story while a bit strange in some of the scenes paints a girlhood replete with joys and griefs to grow from and Emily does grow in her own unique way. I particularly enjoyed this description of their dairy.
Emily Climbs (Book 2) by L.M. Montgomery
One plotline that affects the story arc of Emily is the friendship she has with an older unmarried man who is an outcast mostly because of his disfigured body. It doesn't seem plausible that her Aunt Elizabeth or others would allow her to spend much time with this man, and not alone outside like she does. Especially since the very first time they meet which is to rescue Emily, he clearly sees her as a potential wife as she grows up.
Emily's Quest (Book 3) by L.M. Montgomery
I struggled with this last book in the series, although I read it in about two days. I really didn't like the morose tones of Emily's character and the languishing of the entire book. But I admire Montgomery for keeping the characters in check and by giving them various faults so that no one seems to be taken advantage too much by the other and mistakes are made by all. I don't understand the love story wrap up being given little attention at the very end. Why can't we accompany the lovers to their home together since we were given so many sweet details of the homemaking?
Overall I'm glad I finished this trilogy but the first book will likely remain my favorite.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
This has long remained one of my childhood favorite books and I still have my copy although I've since added several more in paperback editions. I was looking for something light to read last week after caring for some sick family members. So one evening I scoured the chapter book shelves for something suitable and grabbed this. I can't remember the last time I read this book, it could be ten years or maybe twenty or more. So I hesitated only a moment, in case I unwittingly undid all my childhood reading memories with a hasty reread.
Not to keep up any sense of suspense, the reread proved it still is an excellent story and truly timeless although the children could not have done what they did in this modern era. Only one thing kind of annoyed me in way I don't remember before and it was the constant asides usually in parenthesis from Mrs. Frankweiler to her lawyer Saxonberg. She was already recounting the adventure and her role in it, so to keep adding the asides, kept being more like nagging bits that made her sound annoying and not clever after all. But that's not really a complaint, just something that could have been removed and wouldn't have changed a thing for me.
It's a clever and fun story that also celebrates an era of urban living that is a memory for some and a 'period piece' for others.
Louisa May Alcott: Young Novelist by Beatrice Gormley, illustrated by Meryl Henderson
A thrifted copy of an enhanced children's biography of Louisa May Alcott was intended to be a refresher read for Laura on this author and the time period she lived through. I read it first and then after she read it. I encouraged her to try an Alcott book that she had not yet read as a Free Read and she chose Jack and Jill. She said she forgot how funny Alcott can be and was enjoying the book. It looks like I read that one back in 2016, so I could definitely use a reread!
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Laura and I read this aloud together. for her AO Year 9 Literature requirement. We took turns reading about every other paragraph and I kept a schedule of how much we had to read each week in order to finish it in the allotted 36 weeks that her school year runs. At the beginning, we were completely out to sea and I did try to read up a bit on the gist of the plot but only for the early chapters. I didn't want to spoil it for myself or her. And I'm so glad we managed to get into it because it really turned out to be a wonderful story with villainy contrasted with sacrificial love. Along the way, we met the hilarious Jerry Cruncher who now lives in our repertory, always ready for us to pull out and share an inside joke which we do quite frequently. And she just alluded to the hero the other day in conversation and I was quite pleased at how this story has stuck with us both.
The Puritan Hope by Iain H. Murray
I have heard about this book and topic several times and decided it was time to find myself a copy and dig in. This might be the first non-fiction book that I gave myself permission to start in whatever chapter I felt the most able to understand easily. I have since adopted this for a few other non-fiction books I am currently reading and it has helped me make progress in my reading.
As someone who has completely overhauled their theology in the last twenty plus years, reading through theological and ecclesiastical history from the Scotland and England was interesting. From attending a Scottish Covenanter church for a time in Ontario and using the Trial and Triumph book in our homeschool, I had learned about some of the issues and people who were part of church history in the 17th and 18th century which Mr. Murray covers in the first several chapters.
How to Read Slowly: Reading for Comprehension by James W. Sire
I have another chapter in this book to finish, but I'm listing here because I spent a lot of time with this book this year and I really enjoy the teaching style he writes in and the opportunities he gives for you as the reader to try his methods before he walks you through his ideas. This book was part of a series called Wheaton Literary Series and I have at least one other from the list on my wishlist. And now that I am looking through the book as I write this, I realize I want to re-read it again right away.
The Heart of the Dales by Gervase Phinn
How I ever found Gervase Phinn was likely from my days of going to a book sale and bringing home anything that looked remotely interesting. His series of five books recounting the escapades of being a school inspector in Britain is both hilarious and poignant. This is the second one I read and I confess I laughed out loud several times which is always a fun experience as Mr. Phinn gives you the perfect set-up and delivers his lines to have maximum effect. This one is apparently the last one he wrote, so that means I have three more to find out in the wild and bring home to entertain me.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Without actually consulting my blog notes from the first time I read this, I consulted my memory which said that I had named this book as my favorite Austen novel and since I was due for a reread of all of them, I should start with this one and see if I still felt it was my favorite. Many chapters in, while although enjoying the writing of Austen, I felt story fatigue as Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth circled around the drain of their lapsed romance. I finally finished the novel and thought, surely "P and P" must be better than this.
I just checked for my previous 'reviews' of Austen novels from 2013 and 2014 and I didn't name this as my favorite after all!
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
This was such a good reread and I enjoyed every minute of it. At the time, I wasn't interested in watching any of the movie versions but perhaps I will indulge before winter is over and my hibernation finishes.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
Laura has raved about this book for years and I never had even read it once. So this December when we brought the Christmas books out of storage, I figured I would give it a quick read. At first it seemed the Herdmans' children descriptions were so over-the-top it felt forced. but I stuck with it and finished it with a better appreciation of what she was up to in those early chapters. Written for children of course, but very apt for adults to take in as well. Laura feels that only the older movie version might be worth watching. She might be right.
A re-read for me, but other than remembering the main character becomes ill, I needed a refresher on the story. What a wonderful and moving story, with humor and liveliness to balance out the more somber parts. This will be a favorite of mine forever.
I enjoyed this re-read very much. The villains are so villainy in this British gothic story of children working against the wolves. I didn't realize that she continued some of the characters in other books which form a series until I saw them listed on Goodreads. I'm now on the hunt for the sequels.
What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge
I almost always pick up vintage children's books if they are not too pricey because they often prove to be excellent stories. This one was a good read and is the first in the 'Katy' series which I did not know about. Some may find the character of Katy to be a goody-two-shoes but I think the story strikes a good balance between a younger girl having admiration for an older girl in a normal, healthy way and learning to grow up because of that healthy admiration. In recent years, I have noticed myself drawn to people I admire in my small circle and how you often even unconsciously strive to be more like them. Putting this into a story can often make the characters too-good, but for those who haven't been corrupted or unduly influenced by media or hardships, it's a natural response to goodness seen in others.
Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer
I thought this would be a light-hearted re-read, but I realized this time that this story does contain some heavy elements for a pre-teen to interact with. I would likely see this one saved until the high school years but I don't read much Young Adult, so maybe I'm just being sensitive. Lucinda traverses the streets of the city on her roller skates and finds friends in everyone despite some tragic heartaches. The sequel that I'll list next was my favorite.
The Year of Jubilo by Ruth Sawyer
I really enjoyed this story for it's setting, the period depicted and the characters developed. For Lucinda and her siblings to each have their own worries and faults but working together for the benefit of their mother and family needs seems like a forgotten narrative. Set in Maine, perhaps in 1890, the descriptions of the people and the local economy are just as good as the story itself. I'm already looking forward to rereading this one again.
Out of the Silent Planet (Book 1) by C.S. Lewis
I would rename this one as "Out of My Comfort Zone". I think it mostly broke my brain trying to understand it all and in the end, I did see my time redeemed. It was actually the second book in the series, Perelandra, a library loan that officially broke my brain and I had to give up and send it back to the library to await another chance to finish it. Everyone raves about the final book, so I hope I get there!
This one had me thinking so hard, trying to imagine what Professor Lewis must have envisioned. I think I got some of it for my first attempt.
The City of Bells by Elizabeth Goudge
This is the fourth Goudge book I've read and the third I've finished. I gave up on Towers in the Mist for now. I have read The Little White Horse and The Scent of Water.
I stuck with this one and found it an interesting read with some of the characters involved in self-examination and others not at all.
Having the two protagonists devise a play to share the writings of a recluse with the world to see if they can draw him back out into the world seems very Shakespearean. The references to Hamlet made me think that Goudge was using a play the same way Hamlet did, to bring a desired reaction from those it sought. I enjoyed this novel although her style is bit more mystic than I generally like.
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story by Ben Carson, Cecil Murphey
On our way out of our local Habitat for Humanity Restore, they have an area where they dump books marked for free. Of course I almost always look through the selection. That's how I came home with this autobiography of Dr. Ben Carson. This recounting of Dr. Carson's school days from elementary to medical school was an interesting glimpse into his life as someone who knew nothing about him. I enjoyed reading about the counsel and upbringing provided through his mother whose own life sounds nothing short of heroic. The persistence Dr. Carson displayed over everything he endeavored to do from personal study to finding summer jobs was impressive. I didn't even know that high schools ran ROTC programs which provided structure and discipline for those in attendance. The medical cases he discussed in the closing chapters were all very poignant and notable for both his medical knowledge but also his care for the patients and their families. It was also a reminder of how much some families endure due to complex medical situations. Good health is a mercy of God that He gives as He sees fit and lessons through affliction are ultimately for our good.
Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling and the Mystery of Making by Andrew Peterson
I bought two Andrew Peterson's books for Shane since he started buying his albums for us to listen to although I knew of him a bit through his creation of the Rabbit Room and also his children's books. I read this title first and enjoyed his recounting of his journey from his college days into making music and touring with other Christian artists. But it was especially his ideas and advice into writing and creating art that I found insightful and helpful.
The God of the Garden: Thoughts on Creation, Culture, and the Kingdom by Andrew Peterson
After finishing Adorning the Dark, I moved on to this one and felt right away this one was more intense in what he was going to share about himself and his journey to cultivate a home and garden for his family. It felt more like I was reading things written as form of therapy for struggles that he cannot always articulate but that through music, friendships and landscaping, he can work out some of the intensity that he feels. I'm thankful that he can turn poetry and chords into really good music for us to enjoy and sing along to. Giving the intensity, an outlet to worship God through music, gives it a fuller meaning and a taste of the victory that is ours in Christ.
Civil to Strangers and Other Writings by Barbara Pym
A recent secondhand find that I scooped up quickly because in my limited reach I do not come across much Barbara Pym. I read Civil to Strangers quickly through and enjoyed the problems given to each character and the resolutions were all very pleasant and only partly predictable. The rest of the book is full of other writings still unread and awaiting me. And inside the book cover is a list of all Pym's other books I have yet to track down.
Christian Baptism by John Murray
As is often the case, (at least for me) you start thinking about something and studying it and then you find the topic or adjacent ones cropping up in other things you are reading or hearing. In this case, I wanted to examine more the understanding of baptism and in particular infant baptism and this small book is exactly what I was hoping for. (We became Presbyterian and had our children baptized back in 2009, so this is not new to me.)
I started this book and have since come back and restarted it with new eyes on the depth of meaning in covenantal relationships.
From the preface:
"The argument for infant baptism rests upon the recognition that God's redemptive action and revelation are covenantal."
Elsewhere in my reading (An Introduction to Covenant Theology), I am studying the idea of God using covenants to interact with people in ways that I've never thought about before. I'm so pleased that despite already knowing something, there is always some more insight to be gained. Understanding what baptism symbolizes in the Christian faith is a key part for me to understand God's workings more clearly. I have one more chapter to read and then I plan to go back over the other chapters again. The book is less than a hundred pages, so it's very concise.
Silas Marner by George Eliot
I was considering if for Laura's Term 2 Literature and decided to pre-read it since it had been a while since I read it. I found some areas where it was really slow going, but I kept going and found my reward near the end of the novel. The topic of suffering and mistreatment as part of the Providence of God explained by a humble cottage-woman in her own dialect: is there a finer plea for understanding written in any theological treatise?
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
I first read this in 2014 using a library loan and I have since picked up every secondhand copy I have seen for a good price to offer to others in my used books sales. I enjoy it, despite knowing the story wants you to have a heroine in one of the characters that I do not feel especially deserves it. But perhaps because I have other stories that match my values of feminine moral character, I can just enjoy the story without needing to defend it. The movie version is satisfying although it dramatizes some things that the book only alluded to. Actually I just realized since I've never done any film critiques or studies, so really I know nothing about what I should be paying attention to in films.
Here's a quote I really enjoyed this time through the story:
Just as the last picture was being hung on the wall, the German planes flew over and bombed St. Peter Port. Lord Tobias, panicking at all the racket, called the captain of his yacht and ordered him to "Redd up the ship!" We were to load the boat with his silver, his paintings, his bibelots, and if enough room, Lady Tobias, and set sail at once for England.
Britannia Mews by Margery Sharp
When looking at secondhand books, I generally will bring home anything that is clothbound and published outside of North America. This story revolved around a group of homes that were made form former stables and the lives of those who came and went as their fortunes changed. The ending felt a bit of a downer, but true to the main character. The author is more widely known for her series for children called The Rescuers which we have but I've not read. It looks like this book was made into a movie so maybe I will check it out and see if it holds my attention. I would be willing to read her other novels if I found them.
Away From the Vicarage by Noel Streatfeild
Another secondhand find that I picked up intrigued because of knowing the author of the 'Shoe books' although I've only read a couple of her children's titles. This is a sequel to her first 'semi-autobiographical' book of which I haven't read. So now I know about the second part of her life, but not the first. I really enjoyed her writing style and am now on the hunt for the first and third books to finish the stories of her life as well as any others I find.
Rechenka's Eggs by Patricia Polacco
I was looking for something to use in my Sunday School class for Easter Sunday that was a bit different than the usual retelling of Jesus' resurrection as I knew that the children know that story very well.
So I settled on this Russian Orthodox story where an old woman helps an injured goose who begins to heal, but in the process breaks a special egg decoration the woman had been hoping to enter in a local Easter festival. It's a wonderful story that highlights the unique relationship that humans enjoy with the animal world in which we can care for them and they in turn bring delight and comfort to us.
Stories like this are not considered true, but because of the world God has created and sustains, this story could be true. Biblical accounts tell us (both before Christ and after) of supernatural events that can only happen because of the world God has given us. Any story that conveys the goodness, truth and beauty of God's creation, especially His creatures, is a story that teaches us to look in wonder at His work and His purposes.
I gave them the printed image of a goose that I had colored for them to glue onto the colored cardstock and then they were given paper eggs to color however they like to glue next to the goose.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
A re-read for me and I enjoyed it even more the second time! The depth of the characters is satisfying and you feel like you live in the Moscow hotel too!
Also re-read for the umpteenth time the first six books of Jan Karon's At Home in Mitford series. Always a delight to go to Mitford! The early books are my favorite, I think.
And finally because we celebrated a new nephew born in February of 2024, I needed to look at board books again after several years of not keeping up with that market.
Here's a few cute ones I found that I needed to add to our shelves:
And here's the little library collection I put together to Welcome, Baby! Some thrifted and some new!
This was an unsettling read since it involves children going through the difficulties of divorce in a time period where divorce was still relatively uncommon. The setting descriptions are beautiful and the children interactions with the household staff are endearing but the strain of the broken family relationships make the story darker.
