This was the year that I reached the point, as C.S. Lewis would say, that I realized I am old enough to enjoy fairy tales again. I read and thoroughly enjoyed all four books of The Wingfeather Saga, which is rich with redemption and faith themes. I also re-read some of The Chronicles of Narnia books, a classic favorite of mine. I made it through the first four books of Harry Potter, and I have been enjoying the action and adventure mixed with some magic and mystical wonder. I started the Green Ember books and love this sweet story of a rabbit community fighting for what is right and true and good. I read some nice wholesome Christian romance (which can be surprisingly difficult to find) in At Love’s Command, The Ladies of Harper’s Station series, Forgiving Paris, and The Ransome Trilogy (all of these are a bit predictable, but sometimes you need a quick and enjoyable read). I finished the last of The Restoration Chronicles, which is a series that covers the exile and return from exile of ancient Israel. People warned me that I would cry if I read Where the Red Fern Grows, and while it was a sad and unsettling ending, it was not the tear-jerker I expected it to be. The Book of Lost Names, however, had me in tears as it recounts the fictional tale of the heroic efforts of a small group to try and save Jewish children from the Nazi regime. Jane Eyre was my classic of choice for the summer, and it certainly has the same humorous romantic touch that make Jane Austen’s books so dear to me.
This year I tackled several heavy books. The Creaking on the Stairs was an emotional read about childhood abuse and one man’s journey to finding faith and reconciling what he learned about God with his horrific experiences as a child. A Sacred Sorrow actually paired nicely with this book and others I read this year because it walked through what it looks like to cry out to God from a place of grief and find healing in that lament. Behind the Beautiful Forevers was indeed a heartbreaking account of what it is like to live in India’s slums. Messy Grace tackles an approach to LGBTQ+ issues and tries to show what it looks like to engage with both truth and love. War and Genocide is a historical account of World War 2 and the Holocaust. It explores how and why it happened and it showed me, as books like this often do, just how easy it would be for our culture to allow this to happen again, which is precisely why these books need to continue to be written and read.
Confronting Christianity was a little disappointing for me. It wasn’t as rigorous as I had been hoping it would be, though the answers were solid. I thought I was going to agree with more of Fault Lines than I did. I was surprised at how much this book rubbed me the wrong way and felt like it was lacking necessary nuance.
Adorning the Dark was deeply impactful. Largely because of reading this book, I have picked up more artistic endeavors this year than I have since high school. Ten Words to Live By was a fairly quick read, although it was convicting and uncomfortable. An Unhurried Life poked at my tendency to fly through life without slowing down to enjoy time with my Lord.
Memoirs and Biographies made up another huge portion of what I read this year. Night is an autobiographical account of a boy in Auschwitz. Becoming Elizabeth Elliot introduced me to a hero of missions, holding her up as a role model while also unafraid to address her flaws. The Boy on the Wooden Box is the true story of one of the Jewish boys rescued by the daring plan of Oscar Schindler. A Bookshop in Berlin is the true story of a Jewish woman’s harrowing journey through the war as she tried to stay alive and out of prison camps.
In addition, of course, I read many books for school. Some of the highlights for me: Culture Care, Reading Revelation Responsibly, The Reason for God, Living at the Crossroads, A Light to the Nations, The Mission of God.
Up next, I’d like to finish A Hunger For God, and the rest of the Green Ember series. I’m also planning to continue to work my way through the Harry Potter books. Of course, I have more WW2 and Holocaust-related books on my shelf. People to be Loved, Discipling Nations, Truth Over Tribe, and The Gospel Comes with a Housekey are at least some of the other books I hope to get to in 2024.