T’is the most wonderful time of the year: booklist time!
Everyone is posting the best books they read and that were published the past year, and I am so here for it. Sure, I love the lists by authors, theologians, and friends I respect, but full disclosure: I'll read pretty much anybody's list. (Probably because I'm nosy and like to know what people are reading...)
In that tradition, I want to share my own top 5 list.
Two Notes:
1. These aren't all books that were published in 2019, just ones that I read this year.
2. Some of the books on this list are geared toward 16-and-up. They have some language and mature themes. I believe that in these books those instances are (for the most part) justified and not gratuitous. But I would strongly encourage teenagers to exercise personal discernment and run any book they’re unsure about by their parents.
With that out of the way, let's dive in!
5. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah — This is the best novel I read this year. Long-time followers might remember Kristin Hannah making my best-of list a few years ago with her breathtaking novel, The Nightingale. This new, deeply intense, and wonderful novel by Hannah tells the tumultuous story of a family that moves to Alaska in the 1970’s and all the things that happen in this lonesome land.
4. Flourish: How the Love of Christ Frees Us from Self-Focus by Lydia Brownback — This book was equal parts convicting and encouraging. Lydia Brownback is one of my favorite female authors. She’s straightforward, unapologetic, biblically literate and articulate without any of the stereotypical fluff or frills that can pad books written for women. I love books on humility and this stands out as one of my new favorites.
3. Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife by Peggy Vincent — Okay, this book is not for everyone (or even most people)! Read it only if you want to hear birth stories (and in detail!). Most of them are positive stories and is the first book I’ve read (or really anything I’ve heard) that has made me actually excited to give birth to my baby. (Obviously I’ve been excited for the baby but never for the, ahem, actual birthing process. =P) It sounds crazy, but this book made me laugh, cry, and realize the incredible way God built women’s bodies to carry and give birth to life. Peggy Vincent (the author) is not a Christian (to my knowledge) but I can’t read this book without marveling at my Creator and the way he intricately designed my body.
2. Philosophy of Education by Charlotte Mason — As I’ve mentioned in previous places, I’m super passionate about homeschooling and education in general. I could talk educational philosophies for hours (I’m really fun at parties, can’t you tell?). I believe everyone has an educational philosophy and it’s important for homeschooling parents and teachers to identify what theirs is. I lean pretty heavily toward Charlotte Mason’s (a 20th-century Christian educator from Britain), that borrows philosophies and teachings from a lot further back (even, arguably, Augustine). This book outlines her philosophy of education (if the title didn’t give it away…) and was one of the most impactful for me this year.
1. Educated by Tara Westover — This book was insane. Like, it blew my mind and I started telling everyone I knew about it. My friends who read it also devoured it and we couldn’t stop talking about it. It’s a memoir of a woman who grew up in a survivalist home in Idaho and never stepped foot in a classroom until she was 17. Her family didn’t believe in hospitals, she was never told about the Holocaust, and she was isolated from mainstream society. This book tells the story of her fascinating family, her incredible life, and the education that changed her world.