My phone became my main source of reading in 2020, in part by intention and in part due to desperation. I intended to replace some of my social media scrolling with reading, and when the libraries closed due to COVID, the Libby app became my sole source of books. I set myself a mandate that I read at least 15 Libby pages a day. It wasn't a lot, but with the other books I read (some bought, some from my shelves, and some from work), I compiled a reading list of 58, more than I have consumed in quite some time. So taking a page from a friend, I thought I'd share the best of these books, the ones I would add to my collection, or already own:
Cookbooks: Eat At Home Tonight: 101 Simple Busy-Family Recipes for your Slow Cooker, Sheet Pan, Instant Pot, and More by Tiffany King—Using simple ingredients and mostly whole foods, King shows readers how to make family dinners work! She posits that family dinners are one of the few times people can meet all five language needs, and I couldn’t agree more. Interweaving cooking and parenting advice with recipes that tackle common dinner challenges, this cookbook has a clean design and was truly a feast for the eyes. With the only downsides being sparse photos and only a few recipes I wouldn’t try (mostly sides and desserts), I can truly call this cookbook a winner. I am ready to buy it right now for myself and for others, in fact!
Runner up: 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget by Lisa Leake— Clean eating, real food. It's all the rage. This cookbook takes the fads, simplifies them into real life principles, and makes them accessible to real life people. Leake doesn't say no processed food. She just says food with five ingredients or less (so cream cheese, ricotta, and straight up canned fruit and beans are okay). She encourages homemade, but understands when the family wants to splurge, and encourages budgeting for that. She shows how to make real, satisfying meals on a budget of $125 or less per week for a family of four. Through example meal plans and grocery lists, as well as costs for all the supplies needed to make recipes, Leake shows how cooking on a budget is achievable. She includes photos for every recipe, making the cookbook read more fun. While Leake's cooking style isn't quite mine, the tips in this book are helpful and encouraged me that living on a grocery budget is doable, and perhaps even enjoyable!
Christian/spiritual: Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die by John Piper (12/23/2020)—In his signature style, Piper once again articulated theological truths in an approachable, yet applicable manner. I had to read a few of these passages twice, but otherwise, I could make my way through reading a few reasons each day. Though I have known Christ and the power of his resurrection for most of my adult life, this book informed and broadened my perspective of Christ’s death and all that it symbolized and obtained for us. Thank you, Jesus, and hallelujah for the cross!
COVID-related: The Coronavirus and Christ by John Piper—This pandemic shocked the world, but it didn’t take God but surprise. Prolific author John Piper reminds readers of this and points to six ways God is working through the pandemic in his new book The Coronavirus and Christ. A wake up call for believers about what really matters, this book is a fast and timely read. The best place to find comfort and hope in these changing times is Christ, and Christ alone. Life and death are in God’s hands, as they have always been.
Runner up: Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky with Connie Burk
Fiction: The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers—Roman Valesco grew up on the streets, and his adult years have been full of bad habits, heartaches, and generally making a mess of life. But then Grace enters, bringing with her hope, but a “hope [that] was deadly” (p. 350). Roman mistreats Grace at first, but then comes to adore her. After nearly dying, (“It took dying before he could learn to live,” p. 461), he comes to know Christ and begins a life reform, a life that seems to have come too late for Grace. But Love. Roman, an illegitimate child who never knew his father comes to know God as Father and love, the emotion that had “always been the enemy, the emotion to avoid” blossoms (p. 467). Although this was a re-read, it kept me on the edge of my seat and I had a hard time putting it down. Rivers definitely has a gift for writing, for redemption!
Marriage: Love and War by John and Stasi Eldredge—Ransomed Heart Ministry leaders John and Stasi Eldredge make a compelling argument in this book that marriage is set in the midst of war. To have a truly fulfilling, God honoring marriage, spouses need to realize that there is opposition to their marriage, and fight against it! Sharing stories from their own marriage, as well as from the marriages of others, this is a real, nitty-gritty, sometimes embarrassingly true-to-life book about marriage. The prose flows, so the reading is easy. Application, however, is not. The only thing I dislike about the book is that it seems to infer at many points that marriage is the only way to grow more in love. I disagree. I do not believe God calls all believers to be married. Look at Paul! God sanctified him without the gift of marriage. Maybe the authors have a different book about singleness, or maybe they don't. Their mission is Christ-centered marriage, and they're ready to go to war for it. In war, there is often no room for side considerations or pursuits.
Runner up: When Sinners Say, “I Do” by Dave Harvey
Non-fiction: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (9/30/2020)—Autobiographer and New York writer Gretchen Rubin found herself dissatisfied with life, so she decided to do an experiment. She decided to do a qualitative research project to see if she could improve her happiness. This book is her documentation. Written from an engaging, first-person viewpoint, Rubin chronicles her journey from day one to day 365. Each chapter covers the topic for the month, along with relevant research regarding why Rubin chose that discipline. In the end, Rubin concludes that yes, she could make herself happier, even if just by focusing on it, being herself, and keeping her “resolutions.” This is an encouraging and interesting read, one all could benefit from, especially in these otherwise stressful and relatively unhappy times.
And on the list to finish in 2021:
How We Love: Discover Your Love Style, Enhance your Marriage by Milan and Kay Yerkovich
Wife in Pursuit: 31 Daily Challenges For Loving Your Husband Well by Selena Frederick
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Readers, what books from 2020 resonated with you? What are you reading in 2021? Please share in the comments section.
Hi Sarah, I love reading book lists. Thanks for sharing some of your top picks. I am interested to hear about the next two books on your list for 2021 when you get to read them. Lately I read mostly fiction, so this past year I read several novels from authors, Joanne Bischof and Denise Hunter - both new to me. I also enjoyed "And the Shofar Blew" by Francine Rivers, as I had not read that one of hers before, and I usually like what she writes. One non-fiction I listened to on audio was "The Path Between Us" by Suzanne Stabile. I found it very interesting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! I'm not sure if I've read the shofar book, and I might have to look into those others authors. I *might* try to read more fiction too, this year.
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