The Christmas book bin next to the tree
As I'm finally getting down to the wire to create any last blog posts about book titles and whatever else, I'm realizing that although I felt I didn't read as much (and my Completed amount says so), I realize I did still manage to finish quite a bit of reading even though it was about 40 titles short compared to other years. I'm okay with that; 2020, the year of unmet expectations!
The lost focus was real. Did any of you experience the inability to read deeply this year? Or did you plunge into the hobby ever-deeper, reading more than you would in a normal year because there was so little to do outside our homes? I hope it was the latter!
The Color of Compromise by Jamar Tisby - This was probably the most interesting and important book I read all year. It's a look at the Christian church in America's complicity role in racism throughout American history. It. Was. Fascinating. Tisby is a Christian who presents the reader with an astounding breadth of research and walks the audience through each time period, and the church's role in it. I feel every Christian living in the US would benefit from reading this book.
Canadian Geographic Nov-Dec. 2020 - I always add these because they take me a few hours and I read them cover to cover. I love learning about Canada's natural landscape, and the people in it. It still feels a bit like a novelty that I live here. I used to love reading National Geographic magazine as a kid. People, history, flora, and fauna are so interesting to me, and this ticks all those boxes, and puts a lot of things into context for me about where I currently live.
Made to Move Mountains by Kristen Welch - This was a book I picked up because I liked Welch's previous books, Raising World Changers, and Raising Grateful Kids, but this one was a bit of a miss for me. Welch is the founder of Mercy House, a non profit that aims to help teen moms with pairing sustainable fair-trade work. It's a fantastic ministry, but this book just didn't feel as fluid as her others, though perhaps I just read it at the wrong time.
Wade in the Water by Tracy K. Smith - This book was the second book of poetry that Smith, a Pulitzer prize winner, wrote, and a bit out of my league. I didn't understand a lot of the poems in this book, and I don't know if that's because of my lost pandemic-focus, or because they were just over my head. I'm perfectly fine accepting that this one was a miss for me, as far as poetry goes. It happens.
The Advent of the Lamb of God by Russ Ramsey - Every year I follow a book through Advent, and this was the book for 2020's Advent. I would say this book would be excellent for a person who has never formally gone through Advent at all, but wants to learn. It was not meaty enough for me, like Hallelujah was last year. It's more of a quick reading, followed by a 2-3 page 'visualization' of context for the reading. I didn't love it, but I thought it was okay.
The Utter Relief of Holiness by John Elderidge - I have always liked Elderidge's books in the past, though in the past few years had really stopped following him and his wife, Stasi's book writing. I saw a newsletter with this book in it, and wanted to look into it. It's very conversational, and a bit radical for how the church preaches and I'm on board with that. It's a very easy read, with a solid message. I have a few books now to catch up on...
Read-Aloud to Kids
The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw - This was our last school book of the year as a read-aloud, and thankfully, one with plenty of action that the kids enjoyed. It completes our Ancient Egypt section of history, and was really good for my kids' ages (11, and 13) as it didn't shy away from abuse and danger, but the main character, Ranofer, always upheld his integrity even when it would have served him to not do so. If you or your kid likes Ancient History, especially Egypt, this gives great details of the time (the city of Thebes) of daily life and special occasions.
A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig - Every year we read a short novel or two over Christmas break together, and this one I found via Read Aloud Revival's Christmas book list. It was quite entertaining; the story behind how Santa Claus came to be, from boyhood to Elfhelm and in his later years, giving gifts around the world. Odd in the way that Roald Dahl or Lewis Carrol would be odd (there's a Truth Fairy who likes to see people's heads explode), but fitting and satisfactory for a Christmas read!
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