Intentional Living

My Year in Books…

When the life gets tough, I turn to books. As a child, I retreated into fictional worlds to avoid the hard stuff, whenever I could. It has been the same through every age of my life. As a teen, I fell into series set in the old west, medieval Europe, the antebellum south, and many others. This year, I have retreated into the pages of books to process grief, cancer, and aging. Books continue to help me through.

In 2018, my goal was to read 50 books. According to my list, I read 52. This year, I found that my reading list fell into just a few categories. These categories seem to match the challenges of my life.

Spiritual Memoir
In the aftermath of my cancer diagnosis and the trauma of surgery and recovery, I longed to connect with others who faced shocking turns in their life story. I turned to two books by other cancer survivors. These books offered a sense of perspective to my challenges, and normalized some of my experience. I was grateful to hear I wasn’t alone.

  • Everything Happens for a Reason by Kate Bowler
  • When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

I also longed to linger with folks whose faith had been challenged, and who found their way through. Barbara Brown Taylor’s beautiful prose helped bring me back to the world and to the spiritual significance of my ordinary life. Her book, Learning to Walk in the Dark, offered me a chance to consider the gifts that can only be found in the darkest part of the journey.

  • Leaving Church by Barbara Brown Taylor
  • An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor
  • Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor
  • A Grief Observed by CS Lewis
  • Acedia & me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer’s Life by Kathleen Noris

Crossing the threshold to my fifth decade, challenged me this year as well. I read about familiar struggles, and other women’s journey toward contentment in this unfamiliar landscape.

  • Magical Journey: An apprenticeship in contentment by Katrina Kenison (A)
  • A Year by the Sea by Joan Anderson
  • Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

I am always interested in the lives of other women. I am especially intrigued by those whose lives and faith are different from my own. These books offered a glimpse into worlds I know little of, and yet there seem to be themes I am intimately aware of.

  • The Skeptic and the Rabbi by Judy Gruen (A)
  • The Ministry of Ordinary Places by Shannen Martin (A)
  • I am Hutterite by Mary-Ann Kirkby

Strong women facing difficult circumstances
This category brought an array of stories to encourage and inspire me to just keep going. These women, fictional and real cheered me on from their own stories and helped me find connection and hope along the way.

  • Elenor Oliphant is Fine by Gail Honeyman (A)
  • My Grandmother Asked me to Tell You She is Sorry by Fedrik Backman (A)
  • Educated by Tara Westover (A)
  • Olive Kitteridge by Olive Strout (A)
  • How to Walk Away by Katherine Center
  • The Book of Essie by Meghan Weir (A)
  • In this House of Brede by Rumor Godden
  • What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (A)
  • Winter Garden: A Novel by Kristin Hannah (A)
  • The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (A)
  • Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
  • Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (A)
  • The Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly (A)
  • War Brides by Helen Bryan
  • The Reckoning: A Novel by John Grisham (A)
  • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’engle (A)

Living and dying well
For obvious reasons, living and dying took on new depth and reality this year. I found strength and resolve in the pages of these books which challenged me to think about the long trajectory of my life, my impact, and the legacy I hope to leave behind.

  • Cutting for Stone: A Novel by Abraham Verghese (A)
  • The Sea by John Banville (A)
  • City Bakers Guide to Country Living by Miller
  • Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center (A)
  • A Full Life; Reflections at Ninety by Jimmy Carter (A)
  • Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren
  • Emma by Jane Austin (A)
  • Circe by Madeline Miller (A)
  • The Song of Achilles: A Novel by Madeline Miller (A)

Soul Care-
Along with a new focus on my body, I have been thinking about how to care for my soul this year. I’ve dug deeply into themes around resting, soul care, and spent some time pondering the Bible, liturgy, and advent.

  • Soul Keeping: Caring for the Soul by John Ortberg (A)
  • Rhythms of Rest by Shelly Miller
  • Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans
  • The Eternal Current by Aaron Niequist
  • The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp
  • Devotions by Mary Oliver
  • Joyous Body: Myths and Stories of the Wise Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes (A)
  • I’d Rather be Reading by Anne Bogel

Fantasy & other—
Dragons, other worlds, and strange landscapes provide a ready escape for me. I am always grateful that there are stories about dragons, and strong warriors, and brave women to remind me that unbeatable odds don’t mean the end of the story. In fact, that is a great place to begin.

  • The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
  • A Natural History of Dragons by M Brennan (A)
  • Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
  • Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
  • Origin by Dan Brown (A)
  • Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (A)

Overall, I have a few favorites. These are books that challenged me, stayed with me, and caused me to see life differently.

  • Cutting for Stone: A Novel by Abraham Verghese
  • What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
  • Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor
  • Elenor Oliphant is Fine by Gail Honeyman
  • Rhythms of Rest by Shelly Miller