January 2023
- The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club #1) - Richard Osman. I loved this one. A nice way to start the new year reading this delightful, lighthearted murder mystery. Quirky, fun characters and funny in a thoroughly British sort of way. I look forward to reading more of this series.
- Tress of the Emerald Sea - Brandon Sanderson (F). One of the best I've read from Sanderson.
- The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time: Decoding History's Unsolved Mysteries - Brad Meltzer (NF).
- The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald (F). I read this again because my daughter is reading it for school and I wanted to remind myself about the story. The really weird thing is, while reading it, I realized I had completely forgotten most of the book, and it was like I was reading it for the first time almost, and I had totally forgotten the main plot of this story, like I didn't remember that Gatsby had known Daisy before and that's the whole point of the book, the whole you can't live in the past, can't go back to the past idea. I also, for some reason, had it in my head that Gatsby killed himself in the end. So, I kept asking myself, "Did I even read this thing before?" I know I somehow managed to get through school without reading it, but I am fairly certain I read it some time later because it's one of those "everyone needs to read this, it's part of our culture" books. But, wow. I certainly didn't read it very thoroughly that first time.
- Fetching Raymond (A Ford County Story) - John Grisham (F). I don't know if it's cheating on my Goodreads reading challenge to count this one since it's really more a novella, only 48 pages long. So I'll just have to read past my reading goal. :-)
- Sixth of the Dusk - Brandon Sanderson (F). Another short one, but these last two Sanderson shorter books I've read were really good. He's a good storyteller.
- The Winners - Fredrik Backman (F). This was a powerful finale to the Beartown trilogy. Backman did not disappoint, and has become one of my favorite authors.
February 2023
- The Tenth Justice - Brad Meltzer (F). This one was just ok. It is obviously his first book, and he definitely hones his craft in later books, but this one won't be on my favorites list. It wasn't bad, just not as good as his later work.
- Harlem Shuffle - Colson Whitehead (F).
- Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith From Fear - Jinger Duggar Vuolo (NF). Highly recommended. Hoping to write a blog post on this one soon.
- The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club, #2) - Richard Osman. I enjoyed this second book in this delightful series.
March 2023
- The Maid - Nita Prose (F). I enjoyed this one. It was an interesting, quirky mystery, told from the point of view of a sweet, neurodivergent young woman, and I found it intriguing to experience her view of the world. The author did an excellent job showing, not telling, and as a reader you could often read between the lines and understand things in a way that the narrator could not, which really helped to see how difficult it was for her when she had trouble reading social cues and understanding people's motives. I love the message of friendship and loving people well enough to make room and compassion and understanding for what we may see as differences. Well written, enjoyable story.
- The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club, #3) - Richard Osman (F).
- Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit - Matthew Barrett (NF). Matthew Barrett is able to write about a complicated subject and make it accessible to the lay person, and I very much appreciated this book. Much to think about and remember. I love how he is able to clearly articulate what a biblical and Nicene understanding of the Trinity is, and I especially appreciated the discussion about EFS and how that subtly shifts away from a proper understanding and teaching of the Trinity, as I recognized a lot of what I have been taught through the years, especially regarding gender roles and submission, that I have been trying to disentangle as I seek to rightly understand these things in light of who God is and what the Bible really teaches.
- The Rose Code - Kate Quinn (F).
- The Maid's Diary - Loreth Anne White (F).
- Saints and Scoundrels in the Story of Jesus - Nancy Guthrie (NF).
- Messy Grace - Caleb Kaltenbach (NF).
April 2023
- A Murder of Crows (Nell Ward Mystery, #1) - Sarah Yarwood-Lovett (F).
- To Seek and to Save: Daily Reflections on the Road to the Cross - Sinclair Ferguson (NF).
- Body of Proof: The 7 Best Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus - And Why it Matters Today - Jeremiah J. Johnston, PhD. - (NF).
- The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England - Brandon Sanderson (F).
- Why Does God Allow Evil: Compelling Answers for Life's Toughest Questions - Clay Jones (NF).
- A Cast of Falcons (Nell Ward Mystery, #2) - Sarah Yarwood-Lovett (F).
May 2023
- Pride: Identity and the Worship of Self - Matthew Roberts (NF)
- Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel - (F). This was really good. I chose to read it because I found a more recent book from this author that I thought looked interesting, but one review said that book is even better if one has read this and one other book first, so I immediately checked them out from the library for my Kindle. I enjoyed how she wove the story line all together, alternating between the current time and flashbacks, but not in a confusing way, and showing the reader how the characters' lives intersected, even when the characters may not have ever known it. This was one of those books I had a hard time putting down. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
- The Glass Hotel - Emily St. John Mandel - (F).
- A Mischief of Rats (Nell Ward Mystery, #3) - Sarah Yarwood-Lovett (F).
- Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel - (F).
June 2023
- The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Sparks (F).
- Swan Light - Phoebe Rowe (F).
- Dead Even - Brad Meltzer (F).
- A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini (F). Wow. This was such a good book. Stories about Afghanistan absolutely break your heart, and I loved the characters.
July 2023
- The First Counsel - Brad Meltzer (F).
- Hamnet - Maggie O'Farrell (F).
- All the Forgivenenesses - Elizabeth Hardinger (F).
- The It Girl - Ruth Ware (F).
- Call the Canaries Home - Laura Barrow (F).
August 2023
- The Covenant of Water - Abraham Verghese (F).
- Nathan Coulter - Wendell Berry (F).
- Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn't: The Beauty of Christian Theism - Gavin Ortlund (NF).
- Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of Revelation - Nancy Guthrie (NF). I loved this. Such a refreshing and beautiful study through Revelation.
September 2023
- David Copperfield - Charles Dickens (F).
- The Spanish Daughter - Lorena Hughes (F).
October 2023
- Christ from Beginning to End: how the Full Story of Scripture Reveals the Full Glory of Christ - Trent Hunter and Stephen Wellum (NF). This was an absolutely beautiful walk through the Bible and the glorious revelation of Jesus. I loved this book and have much to continue thinking about.
- The Last Devil to Die (Thursday Murder Club, #4) - Richard Osman (F).
- Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver (F).
- Trust - Hernan Diaz (F).
November 2023
- The Spy Coast (The Martini Club #1) - Tess Gerritsen (F).
- Where the Light Fell - Philip Yancey (NF).
- Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity - Alisa Childers (NF).
- Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell (NF).
December 2023
- When We Were Enemies - Emily Bleeker (F).
- The Berry Pickers - Amanda Peters (F).
- Stepping Heavenward - Elizabeth Prentiss (F).
- Hello Beautiful - Ann Napolitano (F).
- The Christian Manifesto: Jesus' Life-Changing Words from the Sermon on the Plain - Alistair Begg (NF).
- Long Chills & Case Dough - Brandon Sanderson (F).
- Shutter - Ramona Emerson (F).
- The Question Habit: The Art of Building Resilient Relationships With God and Others One Question at a Time - Mandy Pallock (NF).
