I read so many good books this year, it was extremely hard to choose favorites. I literally could not take a single one off this list, so it became 11. Hah! As a bonus, I included some of my favorite read-alouds that I completed with the kids at the bottom.
You might notice a pattern to a lot of my picks; I want exceptional writing if I'm reading fiction, and a rich sense of place. If I'm reading nonfiction (and I probably am), I want it to be engaging, intriguing or making an excellent argument, and accessible. I love reading true stories. I love reading things that end on a hopeful note, or that shine beauty or hope. All of these picks have that. A few of them are Christian spirituality or have that worldview while looking in on culture or literature--that's my English degree coming out, and so while those might not interest the general population, I loved them. I'll briefly list why they're on this list. Here are my favorites!
*Crow Lake by Mary Lawson - Superb writing and depth of characters; setting. I thought the ending was a bit too rushed but didn't dampen the fact that I loved it overall. Placed next to Lief Enger re: style.
*Velocity of Being by Maria Popova - Random, kitchy book with hundreds of different scientists/authors/philosophers/creatives/etc. writing letters to kids matched with random illustrators. LOVED it.
*Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcey - One of the most academic books I read this year, but with excellent arguments that are accessible and very culturally relevant. Please someone read this so I can talk to you about it!
*On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior - English student meets classics of all genres meets Christian worldview meets cultural themes. Here for it.
*Talking to Your Kids About God by Natasha Crain - Such a fantastic book with a great structure. Her writing is very accessible; creating easy-to-understand philosophical or theological arguments with anecdotes or examples. Super practical for parents and kids, aged 10+. Pre-ordered her next book (and I never buy books).
*There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda McGurk - Really lovely to sit with someone who shares your viewpoints, but deep dives and articulates better than you could. I want to visit Sweden someday and see all this in action! Definitely a value of mine that I raised my (younger) kids with this motto.
*The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates - Inspiring, knowledge-filled, hopeful, statistically important and solution based: education for women and girls. Excellent read.
*Attachments by Rainbow Rowell - Just an all-around fun read that included my home state as setting, concert spots I used to go as place markers, and written back and forth (mostly) over email or messenger.
*Fed Up by Gemma Hartley - This book packed a punch on nearly every page for the first 75ish pages. She articulates so well what I'd been thinking/feeling and had no way to explain. For that reason alone (didn't overly focus on practical solutions) it's on this list. Just, yes.
*A Light So Lovely by Sarah Arthur - Sigh. Another Madeleine L'Engle heartthrob book, but the best one I've read so far. Arthur goes in-depth as to why all of the tensions L'Engle held in her life and work were such a shining example of life, art, truth. Almost want to own this one.
*Where the Crawdads Sing by Dehlia Owens - The lushness of place was just gorgeous in this novel. I found the plot to be somewhat predictable but I do love when I can read a fiction book in just a few days. I would re-read this simply for Owens' description of the marsh.
BONUS!
Top 5 Read Alouds with Kids
*Heidi by Joanna Spyri - This could be on the 'adult' list, too, I loved it that much. What a beautiful story of a kind and generous heart bound up in a little girl in the Swiss Alps, and the healing she inadvertently brings to so many.
*Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick - This nonfiction read was so interesting, and so well written for a (younger) audience! I learned so much about Archimedes, and the author really pinpoints exactly how this ancient scientist/mathematician/philosopher/etc. helped our civilization move forward. I left figuring out how I could place all of Bendick's books (others in this series are: Galen, Herodotus, and Galileo) throughout our next 18 months of homeschooling.
*Love Does for Kids by Bob Goff - Sob! If you've never read Bob Goff, start with Love Does for yourself, and then read the kids' version to your children. They are short, beautifully illustrated true stories of the author and his life, and the whimsy, kindness, grace, extravagance throughout.
*Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat - My kids loved this book. It might be their favorite read-aloud from this year. A semi-autobiographical story about a boy who adopts two abandoned owlets in the Canadian prairies.
*Vancouver Kids by Leslie McKnight - Such a great read about our (relatively young) city! This book goes through chronological order from "Time Immemorial" (pre-written word) with Indigenous stories from the local land, all the way through the 2010 Olympics. All these stories are true stories, and tell about a certain person or place from Vancouver. So many of these spots we have been to, and one of the people in the stories, we found out we knew! So fun to read with the kids and excellent living history.
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