123) So Close to Amazing by KariAnne Wood—A tale from the creator of the blog Thistleberry Farms, this is the tale of KariAnne Wood's imperfect leap of a move from Texas to Kentucky. Filled with some heartwarming stories and tongue-in-cheek humor, this is an easy read, but not one that I found particularly meaningful. The DIY projects with each chapter seemed cute, but not me, either. Maybe if I would have enjoyed this book more if I had a connection to the author, but I don't.
124) Prodigal Daughter by Patricia Davis—Melissa Hamilton made some mistakes, and now she has come home to face her family and deal with them. She is trying to make a life change, but not everyone believes her. Then there is a rival newspaper trying to take advantage of her story. Along the way is Richard McNeil, her family's attorney, and a man whose friendship, and more, she craves, but thinks she cannot have. This book reminds me a bit of Atonement Child in its exploration of unplanned pregnancy and consideration of adoption. Aunt Lettie and her wisdom give it a special spin. This is a tear-jerker of a tale, and a strong witness to the gospel, with the entirety of the Parable of the Prodigal Son written out in the book's pages. This is a great, complex story for all who struggle, question God, want to make their way home, or want to keep on in assurance of their eternal home, despite the sorrows of this life.
125) Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Half-Marathon Training by Heather Hedrick, MS, RD—While this books contains some dated information (2005), when it comes to a beginner's guide, this is a good one. It is less a specific training plan for the half-marathon, and more holistic advice about starting and maintaining a healthy running journey for any distance. With information about adapting to weather, preventing injury, strength training, nutrition, and more, this book can benefit beginners, but also more experienced runners as well.
126) A Christian Marriage Book: 52-Week Devotional for Wives by Tamara Chamberlain—This really was a solid devotional! Each two page entry (one for each week of the year) focused around a specific scripture and aspect of marriage. Each devotional ended with either a question to reflect on or a prayer to pray. Covering a gamut of topics from prayer to communication to intimacy, this is an accessible book that can help women pursue godliness in their marriages.
127) Nothing to Prove: Why We Can Stop Trying So Hard by Jennie Allen—This book got me, hard! Allen says she wrote it in three weeks after conviction to do so, and man, it shows! After vulnerably sharing her own struggles trying to be enough, Allen unpacks passages from John that show that only Jesus is enough, and only by leaning into and pursuing Him can we have enough to fulfill our callings. With heart piercing questions at the end of each chapter, as well as a discussion guide at the end of the book, this would make for great individual or corporate study. Being convicted is not comfortable, but man, try as hard as you might, I don't think you'll get away reading Allen's book without a good dose of it, and in the best Jesus-way possible!
128) The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making by Alana Chermila—I enjoyed this cookbook! Part food memoir, part pantry staple guide, this book includes 11 "aisles" of recipes, explaining how to make everything from the basics to Twinkies from scratch. The author makes a small nod to cooking at home being healthier, but otherwise writes of it as a habit of life. As she writes in her concluding chapter, “Food is always about so much more than food itself—so many aspects of how we live are expressed on our plates.” While I think that there are times and places for packaged and prepared foods, I agree that eating food made at home is generally more enjoyable, and this cookbook could help make that a reality for more and more people.
129) Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott—I’m not really sure how I got to this book. Maybe a social media post? Maybe a podcast? The title drew me in. I like books about life and all of its struggles. This book was a struggle for me to read, though. Philpott is an excellent essayist/memoirist. I related to some of what she shares about life and worry and love. I appreciate her empathy for humanity. Her writing, however, falls flat for me. The greatest meaning she finds in life is love, which is great, but without everlasting love, meaningless. She swears sometimes, which bugged me. I wanted to like this book, really, I did (which is partly why I finished it). I think I’ll wait for more from my favorite Christian memoirist, Shauna Niequist, than read more from this author.
130) The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days by Kate Bowler—This is another gem of a book from anti-prosperity gospel, Duke Divinity School professor, podcaster, and cancer survivor Kate Bowler. Each of the 100 blessings she writes acknowledge the "hard" of life while encouraging searching for God in the midst of them. Outside of a few uses of swear words, the blessings resonated with me greatly. As a bonus, the book contains plans for Lent and Advent reading. This book is a keeper! Get it today!
131) On the Burning Edge by Kyle Dickman—Nineteen hotshots died in Yarnell, Arizona June 30, 2013 in one of the worst firefighting disasters to date. What went into their deaths is more than meets the eye, as is the formation of the unit and the dynamics in it. Following the crew from its inception to its demise, this book narrates intimate details of each hotshot's life, as well as perspectives on the tragedy that occurred. Based on interviews with family members of the deceased, a month's long stint in Prescott, and extensive research, this is a fact-checked AND captivating story. Think Unbroken, firefighting style. If you live in or around Arizona and know of this tragedy, read for perspective. If not, it is still a thought-provoking, even if tragic, read about camaraderie, fires, the state of the forests, and firefighting.
132) My Lost Brothers by Brendan McDonough with Stephan Talty—This is the story of Brendan McDonough, aka Donut, the lone survivor of the fire that took nineteen Granite Mountain hotshots. In is own words, McDonough tells his story, or growing up fatherless in California, of doing and selling drugs in and after high school, and of becoming a hot shot as a last ditch effort to save himself. He writes of how the hot shots became his family. He tells how Eric Marsh helped him learn to control his anger, and how other men on the team taught him to be a good father. He implicates no one in the tragic turn of events that took the lives of his “substitute family.” Rather, he writes of the survivor’s guilt that plagued him, of believing he had to do it all, of the lawsuits that prevented him from talking, and of the emptiness and thoughts of suicide. Hot shotting had saved him from it once, and only a therapist who saw him in a bar and arranged for him to go to therapy saved him from it again. In his conclusion, McDonough acknowledges that hot shotting is a dangerous profession. He shares ideas to make it safer, like giving hot shots GPS locators, increasing resources to fight fires (eg airplanes and helicopters), and the formation of a wildland firefighter’s union. These things haven’t happened, but he hopes they will, in memory of his brothers, and the others like them who have also lost their lives trying to save the lies and livelihoods of others.
133) Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter by Randy L Schmidt—While I am not a fan of Karen Carpenter, my dad was, and after hearing a series of podcasts about Carpenter's life on the podcast, You're Wrong About, I decided to read this book. An intense study of Karen's life, from the early years, to her tragic early death, this book unveils both her talent, and her pain; her desire for true love and quest for it, and ultimate failure to find it. It uncovers her long struggle with anorexia nervosa, first discussed as Irritable Bowel Disease, and later developing into full-fledged purging anorexia, with a use of laxatives that is thought to have ultimately lead to poisoning her to death. This book is both a tribute to Karen Carpenter and a warning, a warning to love those close to you, and to express that care before it is too late. Many seem to think Karen could have lived had the care and love she craved come sooner. Perhaps that is an oversimplification. Perhaps not. We will never know.
134) Savor: Living Abundant As You Are, Where You Are by Shauna Niequiest—I read this devotional once before, and this year, my husband and I read through it together, cooking the recipes in the book as well. Upon second reading, I have to say that the devotional strike me just as deeply. I do need to slow down and savor life. As for the application of the devotionals, I realize now that they are more female oriented. (Sorry, husband!) Some of the recipes are a bit gourmet, but we adapted them and enjoyed them as they were.
135) The Bible—I can't really write a review for this one, other than to say that it is God's Word and worth reading and studying. Once again, I used the One Year Bible plan for my reading. It really works for me. I especially appreciate the online links for reading when I am traveling and might not have my actual paper Bible with me.
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