It was a good year of reading! I finally passed the 100 books mark for the year! I also got in some extra fiction reading over the Christmas break! I did not start reading fiction again until several months into the year, and then I really had it. I read some bad books this year, some good ones, and some really great ones. It might be recency bias, but all in all, I would say that I read some of the best books of the year this month. What a gift! Without further ado, here's my last reading list for 2024:
97) Finally a Family by Carolyne Arsen—I really like this author! As a foster parent, she probably understands stories of love, loss, and redemption almost as well as anyone, and this is another great one. In it, now parentless Hannah Kristoferson goes to the ranch of Sam Westerveld, a man she called Father, but has not seen for years. Sam willed her half of his farm, if she would only stay on that farm for six months. Sam's nephew Ethan is none too happy about the arrangement, but can do nothing about it, rather than let Hannah on the property and contest the will if he wishes. What follows is a touching story about Hannah finding the truth out about Sam and his lack of contact, and about Ethan discovering that Hannah is anything but the city girl he thinks. The end of this story took me a bit by surprise, and caused some tears to roll down my cheeks, but it was worth it! Finally, Hannah begins to understand love, that she is not alone, and that God has been working in her life even in its most painful of times.
98) What If It’s Wonderful: An Invitation to Release Your Fears, Choose Joy & Find the Courage to Celebrate by Nicole Zaswoski—Man, I wish I had written this book, but then again, I don’t. The author went through a lot of pain to get here. A licensed marriage and family marriage therapist herself, Zasowski writes beautifully of her own struggles with joy. She writes of learning to pursue celebration as a matter of practice and spiritual discipline. She examines both obstacles to celebration, as well as reasons for it. Zasowski’s integration of faith and scripture are top notch, and this book is truly beautiful. What if it’s wonderful? This book certainly is!
99) The Bachelor Baker by Carolyne Arsen—The plot of this story lie is pretty obvious. Resistant bachelor Brian Montclair will fall for his new boss Melissa Sweeney, despite not wanting to work in her bakery. This is more to this story, though, about finding worth beyond work and security beyond success. Parts of the story are nearly tear-jerking, and though the story ends, in my opinion, a bit abruptly, there is some thought-provoking stuff still baked in there.
100) Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing An Intentional Life by Lara Casey—I have read a lot of books this year, but I wanted to read something intentional for book 100. This fit the bill. In the book, Casey chronicles her own struggles with busyness and perfectionism. Using anecdotes from her own life and metaphors from gardening, she explores lies that keep people from flourishing and truths from God that can set people free to flourish. Each chapter contains thought provoking questions, as well as a section entitled “Grace from the Garden.” Although I am not a gardener, this book resonated in my weary lifestyle and made me want to be more intentional about the way I live. Jury is out on just how to do that, but for now, the reminder that God’s grace is always all-sufficient, is good grounds from which to start.
101) Heart of the Family by Margaret Daley—Man, this was a good book! More about forgiveness than anything, it follows the path of Pediatrician Jacob Hartman, a man who cannot forgive himself for a past mistake and social worker Hannah Smith who cannot forgive the person who killed her brother. The end of the story brings in Hannah's mother as another player in the saga. This book addresses hard things like abuse, foster care, substance use, and more, all with a redemptive arc. Isn't that the heart of the family? Jesus came to earth as a baby in a family to redeem and save so that he can adopt us into his larger family. What a gift, and what a blessing to read a story that points to that gift!
102) Differently Wired: A Parent's Guide to Raising an Atypical Child with Confidence and Hope by Deborah Reber—This book is not quite what I expected. More parent regulation than parenting tips, it combines Reber's own story of raising her exceptional son with tidbits and pieces of advice from both experts and other parents. The bulk of the book is 18 tilts, that is, different ways to operate when having a differently wired child. I think this book is helpful, even if not what I expected, and maybe that is the tilt. Differently wired children and people are not what is expected, but are exceedingly valuable and beneficial to society.
103) Holiday Homecoming by Jillian Hart—Kristin McKaslin grieves the early death of her sister Allison, while Dr. Ryan Sanders grieves the death of his father. Both struggle to let go. Both try intermittently, and most of the time, at opposite times, to comfort one another. The steel cages around their hearts prevent them from doing so, however, even though they continue to meet time and time again in their Montana hometown. This is a sweet book, filled with grief and sorrow, but filled with hope as well. I only wish that the end had lasted a little longer. It seemed a bit abrupt for a book about homecoming. Maybe that is the way it is supposed to be, though, because in the end, this life on earth will be but an abrupt period to eternity with Jesus who redeems and makes all things new.
104) The Most Beautiful Thing I’d Seen: Opening Your Eyes to Wonder by Lisa Gungor—Lisa Gungor grew up in a Christian home, but one that had its fair share of dysfunction as well. This book chronicles her upbringing, her marriage to Michael Gungor and some of their musical career, their foray into atheism, and her return to spirituality. Gungor has some pertinent points to make. She writes creatively and poignantly about learning to look for and see beauty in the world. Her writing of God as “Divine Mother” and late chapter about sexual abuse did not sit well with me, however. I respect Gungor’s vulnerability in sharing her story as it is, but for me, it overshadowed the beauty of the story. Therefore this book gets a, “Pass” recommendation from me.
105) All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese—This book took me a bit to get into. Social media influencer Molly McKenzie is just so cliché and the book reads a bit slapstick. But then the book gets serious, with Molly getting involved as a mentor with foster kids at The Bridge program. There are tear-jerking moments and plenty of quotes worth writing down. There is drama and suspense and romance, a really well fleshed out story. Things do work out in the end, mostly, but man, there is a lot to say about what really matters in this book. With nods to Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) and trauma work, I would say that the author has done her research. Needless to say, I already checked out the second book in the series, because if I could end up getting so much from this one, what more can I get from the next one? This is not just fiction, but ministry!
106) All That It Takes by Nicole Deese—Nicole Deese's storytelling abilities shine in this sequel to All That Really Matters. Molly's longtime assistant Val Locklier is the star of the story, but the supporting characters are strong as well. Told once again from two viewpoints, this story packs a punch in terms of determination, perseverance, and redemption. It's not just Val's story that gets redemption, but also the story of Molly's brother Miles McKenzie, and Carlee, a woman Val meets. Complete with twists and turns and life lessons that make readers ponder, this is a 9/10 on my book scale, and few pieces of literature have what it takes to get that!
107) My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade—Hockey player Matt Jarreau quit his life after his wife Beth died of a brain tumor. He quit hockey, quit laughing, quit living. All he did was work on house restorations, something that gave him some purpose, but no life. Kate Donovan is a tired social worker in Redbud to help her grandmother renovate their family's old home at Chapel Bluff. When Kate feels led by God to reach out to Matt, she does, but at great costs to herself and to him. Will she choose to obey God, or let her stubborn heart and its wants take over? And what about Matt? Will he return to the Lord, or continue to push him away? This is a serious book, to the point of bringing on tears, one that can lead to a lot of personal thought and intuition. There are some mature concepts, so this is definitely a romance for adults, not for youth, but its meaningful, and oh, so worth reading! Be prepared for some comedic relief along the way, too, as Kate's grandmother Beverly and her cohort of elderly friends are seriously quite the hoot. Becky Wade's skillful weaving together of so many elements certainly leaves me ready to read more of her stories!
108) From the Start by Melissa Tagg—Colton Greene is a washed up foster kid who became a successful pro football player, but then bombed that, too. Kate Walker once won an Emmy for screenwriting, but that was years ago, and she hasn’t sold anything recently. Colton and Kate meet at Kate’s Maple Valley family home. Colton is there because he needs to get out of the public eye and is friends with Kate’s brother. Kate is worried about her father. It seems serendipitous that Colton needs a writer for his memoir, and he and Kate team up to get it done. From the start, they have chemistry, but they also have a lot of pain. They both have to realize what it means to submit their dreams to God and let Him be their starts. This is an engaging, moving drama, perhaps made more realistic because of the author’s dual role as a leader for a homeless ministry and an author (as well as her experience reporting and news writing). For readers seeking Christian romance with substance, From The Start is a great place to start!
109) Truth for Life by Alistair Begg—This was our 2024 devotional. With a verse of the day, and some commentary on the topic, as well as with additional daily reading, this was somewhat of a cross between theological and practical devotionals. I wish the devotionals had more of a common thread (connections between each one), but overall, this was a good read, and one I could see us repeating another year.
110) The Bible—It was another read through the Bible in a year for me. This year, my husband challenged me to change the way I read the Bible, so I went with the through the Bible in a year plan from our daily devotional. This plan included an Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading, and a short passage that went along with the devotional reading. Alistair Begg, the devotional author, included several questions to ask during each day's Bible reading. I quickly realized there were too many questions, and focused on what each passage told me about God. Learning about God is good, and certainly a purpose of reading the Bible, but for me, I felt like it kept me from looking at the larger scope of each passage. Also, the reading plan skipped around between books of the Bible with no rhyme or reason that I could ascertain. This confused and frustrated me. The Bible is good, and I want to love to read it, so needless to say, I am going to try a new plan for next year. This year's plan just was not for me!
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