I read five works of fiction this year, and 45 non-fiction books. I hope to bring a little more balance between the two this year, as well as some poetry (more poetry was my goal last year, but it was overshadowed by my enthusiasm for studying about my son’s impending formal education).
Here are my favorites from 2009:
The Creative Family, Amanda Blake Soule
A Charlotte Mason Companion, Karen Andreola
Bird By Bird, Anne Lamott (A reread)
Gilead, Marilynne Robinson
Jayber Crow, Wendell Berry
Freedom of Simplicity, Richard Foster (A reread)
A Homemade Life, Molly Wizenberg
Weapons of Mass Instruction, John Taylor Gatto
This Momentary Marriage, John Piper
Don’t Waste Your Life, John Piper (A reread)
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
I consider Don’t Waste Your Life & Freedom of Simplicity essential reading for people who are…living.
Here are some books on my Want To Read in 2010 List:
Oliver Twist & Great Expectations (Reread), Charles Dickens
Pride & Prejudice & Emma, Jane Austen
Follow Me to Freedom, Claiborne
The Normal Christian Life, Nee
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Don Miller
For the Children’s Sake/Family’s Sake, Macaulay
Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, Chan
Writing Down the Bones, Goldberg
The Mission of Motherhood
Anne Lamott’s new novel, Imperfect Birds
Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman
St. Augustine’s Confessions (Maybe. Perhaps I’m just saying this to impress myself.)
More Wendell Berry: Poetry, Essays, and Novels
More Piper
C.S. Lewis (It’s been a while)
And I want to try these guys: Bonhoeffer, Schaeffer, Bunyan, Nouwen
Does anyone have suggestions for what specifically to read from the authors at the end of the list? How about poetry? I thought about grabbing the copy of Garrison Keillor’s “Good Poems” from the library and starting there (I do enjoy me some Writer’s Almanac), but I honestly haven’t read much poetry since Jewel was my hero and Edgar Allen Poe was assigned in English Class. I’m not sure if I’ll be a good reader of poetry: I like to read a thing all at once, enjoy it or not, and be done with it. (This is also why the Bible is tough for me.) Anyway, comments appreciated!
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January 2, 2010 at 10:40 pm
GretchenJoanna
My favorite poets are Richard Wilbur and Dana Gioia. You can check out some of their poems on my blog; they’ll have the poetry tag. Did you read Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis? It’s powerful. It looks like you are going to have a rich year!
January 3, 2010 at 12:04 am
happywoman
C.S. Lewis- I read The Screwtape Letters back in the day, and got a lot out of it (though I don’t much remember it now).
I like your idea of doing a book list for the year. I just might do the same.
Oh, and Writing Down the Bones is awesome.
January 4, 2010 at 3:32 pm
Tammy
I really liked “The return of the Prodigal” by Nouwen and “Song of Songs” and “Sit, Walk, Stand” by Nee…
January 4, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Jen
Read children’s poetry. It doesn’t try to be grown-up or vague, sometimes rhymes (which is the fun of poetry!) and is easy to grasp. Oh, and you can share it with O and anyone else you want without feeling bad about reading it or sorry you selected that particular book.
And, I would add Rudyard Kipling’s “Just So Stories” to your list. My kids ADORE it and beg to be read to from it.
January 5, 2010 at 11:09 am
Nicole
Nouwen has a lovely book called “Open Hands”, and C.S. Lewis’s “The Screwtape Letters” is delightful.
January 5, 2010 at 11:24 pm
Granny
Book for fun: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, 2009. Protagnist reminds me just a tiny bit of a younger Rachel.
Library description:
Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce is an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison. In the summer of 1950, a series of inexplicable events strikes Buckshaw, the decaying English mansion that her family calls home. A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp pinned to its beak. Later, Flavia finds a man dying in the cucumber patch. For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw.
And if you read 52 pages and don’t want to finish it…that’s ok!
January 17, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Rachel
Thank you to all for the recommendations…will check them all out!
January 28, 2010 at 8:47 am
Joanna
I enjoyed looking over your reading list and have read many of the same books!
There is a great little book by C. S. Lewis called “Letters to children” you might be able to find it on Abebooks.com. I gathered so many quotes and insights from that book.
Confessions was hard to read at first and then I discovered that there are many translations, some are harder to read than others. After some research my husband and I chose one translated by Philip Burton it is part of the Everyman’s library.
If you like Piper, Lewis, Augustine..I think you would love Brother Lawrence, The practice of the Presence of God, it reads like poetry and is incredibly deep.
You will love P&P, C.S. Lewis said he read it every single year, and that it only got better each time. Jane Austen is incredible!
Anyway I am happy to have found your blog and hope you have a great day!
blessings-
JO
January 28, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Andy
I recommend The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis. Also, I emphatically second Return of the Prodigal Son by Nouwen, and also his Life of the Beloved.
January 30, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Rachel
Awesome Joanna, thanks for the suggestions, and for reading!
And thank you to Andy too. Emphatic recommendations are always observed accordingly.