Books I've Read 2009
Listed in the order in which they were read - not by importance or preference.
***Heaven by Randy Alcorn - a wonderful Scripture-filled text on what he believes heaven will be like
***The Broker by John Grisham - I'm always a sucker for Grisham books!
***The Associate by John Grisham
*The Handmaiden and the Carpenter - An imaginative look at what Mary and Joseph might have looked like prior to the birth of Jesus. The author strayed too far from the biblical account for me to enjoy this book.
***The Strong-Willed Child by James Dobson - I have a feeling this will become a well-used reference book in our household!
***The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley - A Seattle mom who researched different sleep methods and found a better solution for her family than the standard "Cry it out" method. I used some of her techniques and in 2 months my 11-month-old daughter has gone from multiple night wakings to 0-1 wakings in a 12-hour nightly sleep cycle. Hooray!
**Holding My Breath by Sidura Ludwig - The story of 3 women from a Jewish-Canadian family struggling with finding their own identity
***Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech - A sequel to Love That Dog, the book that chronicles a boy's coming to love poetry through his teacher's influence
***The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, by Jeffrey Toobin. I'm not a big politics buff, but this book fascinated me. I read about half of it before I had to return it to the library...it's pretty thick!
***Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray - an old-school look at practical Christianity. Such an encouraging, hopeful book, broken up into small chapters. I'm reading a chapter every couple of days so I can chew on it all!
***Sheet Music by Kevin Leman - A look at building sexual intimacy between husband and wife. A refreshingly "younger" perspective than some other books I've read on the subject.
***Factory Girls by Leslie T. Chang. A recent study of how girls in China move through factories in an effort to build a life for themselves - breaking from tradition and not returning to their families in rural areas. Really interesting.
***The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. Had to read it after watching the movie...think I like the movie better for some reason.
***Singleness Redefined by Carolyn Leutwiler. Someday I want to write a book like this about my own journey through singleness. I think it would sound much like this! Very encouraging - speaking to the hope there is in Christ regardless of our marital state, and how singles can live for Him even during the lonely times.
***Marley and Me by John Grogan. SO FUNNY! Better than the movie, even.
***Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. I'm on this juvenille fiction kick now. Loved this one. So much symbolism and food for thought - about a girl who stumbles on the fountain of life.
***Also Known as Harper by Ann Haywood Leal. Juvenille fiction. About a girl who wants to write but has to miss school to take care of her younger brother while her single mom takes on extra work.
***Anything But Typical by Nora Baskin. Written in the voice of an autistic boy, this book illuminates some of the struggles these kids face, even as they try to find their "normal."
***Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083 by Andrea White. Juvenille fiction. About some kids who are picked to be on a "Survivor" type reality TV show that reenacts the original fatal expedition to Antarctica.
***A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenburg. Her life through recipes. Yummy and inspiring!
**Cooking with My Sisters by Adrianna Trigiani. After reading A Homemade Life, this was a little disappointing. But still a great family history through recipes.
***Heaven by Randy Alcorn - a wonderful Scripture-filled text on what he believes heaven will be like
***The Broker by John Grisham - I'm always a sucker for Grisham books!
***The Associate by John Grisham
*The Handmaiden and the Carpenter - An imaginative look at what Mary and Joseph might have looked like prior to the birth of Jesus. The author strayed too far from the biblical account for me to enjoy this book.
***The Strong-Willed Child by James Dobson - I have a feeling this will become a well-used reference book in our household!
***The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley - A Seattle mom who researched different sleep methods and found a better solution for her family than the standard "Cry it out" method. I used some of her techniques and in 2 months my 11-month-old daughter has gone from multiple night wakings to 0-1 wakings in a 12-hour nightly sleep cycle. Hooray!
**Holding My Breath by Sidura Ludwig - The story of 3 women from a Jewish-Canadian family struggling with finding their own identity
***Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech - A sequel to Love That Dog, the book that chronicles a boy's coming to love poetry through his teacher's influence
***The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, by Jeffrey Toobin. I'm not a big politics buff, but this book fascinated me. I read about half of it before I had to return it to the library...it's pretty thick!
***Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray - an old-school look at practical Christianity. Such an encouraging, hopeful book, broken up into small chapters. I'm reading a chapter every couple of days so I can chew on it all!
***Sheet Music by Kevin Leman - A look at building sexual intimacy between husband and wife. A refreshingly "younger" perspective than some other books I've read on the subject.
***Factory Girls by Leslie T. Chang. A recent study of how girls in China move through factories in an effort to build a life for themselves - breaking from tradition and not returning to their families in rural areas. Really interesting.
***The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. Had to read it after watching the movie...think I like the movie better for some reason.
***Singleness Redefined by Carolyn Leutwiler. Someday I want to write a book like this about my own journey through singleness. I think it would sound much like this! Very encouraging - speaking to the hope there is in Christ regardless of our marital state, and how singles can live for Him even during the lonely times.
***Marley and Me by John Grogan. SO FUNNY! Better than the movie, even.
***Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. I'm on this juvenille fiction kick now. Loved this one. So much symbolism and food for thought - about a girl who stumbles on the fountain of life.
***Also Known as Harper by Ann Haywood Leal. Juvenille fiction. About a girl who wants to write but has to miss school to take care of her younger brother while her single mom takes on extra work.
***Anything But Typical by Nora Baskin. Written in the voice of an autistic boy, this book illuminates some of the struggles these kids face, even as they try to find their "normal."
***Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083 by Andrea White. Juvenille fiction. About some kids who are picked to be on a "Survivor" type reality TV show that reenacts the original fatal expedition to Antarctica.
***A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenburg. Her life through recipes. Yummy and inspiring!
**Cooking with My Sisters by Adrianna Trigiani. After reading A Homemade Life, this was a little disappointing. But still a great family history through recipes.
Rating Scale
*** Highly Recommended
** A Great Read!
* Don't Bother
I read all kinds of books and am always
interested in finding new authors.
One of my favorite genres is memoir.
I value high-quality writing but will read
books of lesser literary integrity if the
subject interests me.
As a Christian, I approach all books through
that lens, reading with discernment and
looking for some redeeming value
and echoes of the Creator in
every text..not just
"Christian" writing.