What I read in 2014

I loved linking up with Haley over at Carrots for Michaelmas so much last year that I just had to again this year! I'm also doing it for selfish reasons, of course, so I can scour the posts of all the other linkers to help build my book list for 2015!

I got a little more organized this past year and made folders to keep track of everything on my Kindle:

Just kidding, it's really a trick to make it seem like I have fewer titles on there so I don't feel as guilty connecting to the store "just to look" and then "maybe download a few more...you know, if they're free." (They never are).

But back to the list. I've put an asterisk next to the books that were on my list last year to read in 2014 so I could keep track of how many I've followed through with--and if they were good recommendations. Looking over the list, I'd say I did pretty well! Hopefully the list for next year will be as successful...

Finished:

Faith:

• 33 Days to Morning Glory - Michael E. Gaitley* - A beautiful friend sent this to me last year; my husband and I read it together, and I used it to renew my consecration. I love, love love the theological elements and explanations that Mr. Gaitley brought into it from the perspective of four different saints...it was so incredibly accessible and readable. (Which is saying something, since I give up fairly easily on moderate to tough reads). I can't wait to use it again this coming summer and be able to digest some of the teachings even more.

• Something Other Than God - Jennifer Fulwiler* - (also a technically a memoir) - Also loved Jen's Intellectual-Atheist-to-Catholic conversion story. Made me laugh, cry, laugh until I cried...and I definitely tore through it like good fiction. Which is to say in about a day. I would expect nothing less from Jen after reading her blog, of course, but it was great and I wanted more and I wanted to cry when there wasn't more.

Autobiographies/Memoirs:

• The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived The Holocaust - Edith H. Beer - This true story of how a Jewish woman suffered and ultimately was able to survive the worst holocaust in history is simple incredible. She writes in the first person, and as unimaginable and horrifying as her story is in some senses, it is also remarkable and redeeming. It reads very much like fiction after a few chapters, but also gives a very good sense of the time period, the social shift and upheaval, and the tenuous relationships that existed on both sides. I truly could not put it down by the end. 

Fiction/Classics:

• The Invention of Wings - Sue Monk Kidd*  - Written by the same author who wrote Secret Life of Bees, this one was on my pre-order list. It centers around the relationship of a slave and her owner-turned-abolitionist throughout their lives in the deep South and the story is told alternately from both of their perspectives. I had no idea until I started reading that the book was based on a true story, with the main character being one of the first and most influential abolitionists of her time. I loved the writing, as I always have, I only wished for a bit more meat between the chronological jumps in their lives. I loved that she continued the story well into their adulthood, but I was just selfish in wanting every detail in between...which probably would have made it twice as long of a book. I wouldn't complain about that, of course, but I could see how it would be a problem for a larger target market. So I just had to be satisfied with what I got. Hopefully she'll have another book on the horizon soon!

• The Penderwicks Series - Jeanne Birdsall - I don't care that these were written with your average tween girl audience in mind; I loved them.Also tore through them each in about a day. They were delightful, refreshing, and I can't wait to read them with my daughter when she's old enough! 

• The Book Thief - Markus Zusak - This, in my humble non-expert opinion, was a masterpiece in both the style of writing and the plot itself. It took a few pages to get past the ambiguity and the unique writing style, but once I did I was sucked in for good. Let me tell you, for as dark as one could expect a book to be that's written from the perspective of the Grim Reaper observing an orphan in WWII Germany, it was exceptionally redeeming. Still dark in many ways, but I believed every single interaction and relationship and detail. Truly phenomenal writing. I haven't decided yet if I'll spoil my appreciation of the book by watching the movie, but if I do it will probably be awhile.

• All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr - I guess my Kindle sensed a theme in my desired literary conquests, because it showed this as a recommended read one day when I was searching for something on the online store. Another page-turner set in WWII France, told from the perspective of both a blind French girl who must flee her home in Paris, and a German orphan boy recruited to be a Nazi Soldier because of his brilliant engineering mind, whose paths ultimately cross at the height of the Allied invasion. It pulled me right in, and I really enjoyed the writing style (though the present tense took some getting used to), and at first it even seemed light enough to maybe read with the kids eventually. But as the story wore on, the realities of wartime were depicted more and more graphically; by the end I decided it would best suit high school or older. I once again got annoyed somewhat with the gaps in the story left by chronological jumps; it was clearly part of the author's style but I'm a selfish reader and I want all the details all the time so that the book never ends. Such is life. A great novel that I would read again, though!

Currently Reading:

Faith:

• Walking With God - Jeff Cavins and Tim Gray - So I'm reading this book (more like being taught it) as part of my role leading a high school small group at church. It's the book version of the Bible Timeline bible study by Jeff Cavins, and it is seriously blowing my mind. Of note: I've wanted to do the timeline Bible study ever since I caught a small bit of it years ago when my parents did it. Well, this year, our youth minister chose the study to go through on a deeper level with all of the adults so we have a good basis of understanding for what we teach to our small groups. Let me tell you, I am eating up every nanosecond. I never thought that the first two tired verses of Genesis that I've known since infancy could carry so much depth! Highly recommended if you are looking for a good Old Testament study that helps you understand the connection between the Bible in a historical context as well as all sorts of crazy historic symbolism that will make your eyes bug out of your head. 

• Witness to Hope: The Biography of John Paul II - George Weigel*  - I started this a few months ago; it had an engaging start, but I think between the initial pause to hash out historical context and all of the unpronounceable Polish words, I let myself get distracted (despite George's attempt to help me out with the pronunciation guide--by the end I was laughing at my complete inability to 'get' it, even with my knack for other languages). I'm sure once I pick the book up again and allow myself a few pages, I'll have no problem getting back into it.

Autobiographies/Memoirs:

• Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust - Immaculée Ilibagiza* - This is my current can't-put-down. It is gripping. The themes are so eerily similar to those of The Nazi Officer's Wife, and echo many sentiments of All the Light We Cannot See and The Book Thief, of course, being that they all depict the state of disbelief and turmoil of their time, and the almost laughable propaganda (that was tragically not only still believed, but acted upon by millions). I don't know what it is about these stories that is so magnetizing to me, but I think it has something to do with how the human spirit can somehow elevate itself to still achieve such beauty and wisdom, transcending even the most deplorable and evil of circumstances.

• Twelve Years a Slave - Solomon Northup - I took a break from this one a few months ago; as with the other books, it was equally intriguing and appalling, but I was taking it slower because of the more formal 19th-century language. The historical significance of Solomon recording his own story and the publishers maintaining the original work speaks volumes, but the formal tone and world choices do make for a little bit of a dry read.  I'll be coming back to it for sure, though.

Fiction/Classics:

• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame - This is a very pleasant little book...it doesn't pull me in like other fiction or reads-like-fiction memoirs, but it is an entertaining story that's always good for a little light reading, easy to break from and pick back up. I'm about 3/4 of the way through it.
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer - I'm thoroughly enjoying the dry English wit in this one. The title seems an unlikely one for a New York Times bestseller, and you might be raising your eyebrows like I did if you haven't heard of it yet. I learned about it from a friend, and of course being that it was set in Post World War II Era England (are you noticing a theme here?) I put it on my list. I still don't technically own it, but on the first day ever that all three kids were in school and I had three golden hours all to myself, I gave myself the gift of Tattered Cover. [Only the best bookstore ever, come to Denver and you'll understand!]. I was elated that they had the book, and I tiptoed off with their single copy to a creaky upholstered Victorian armchair in the philosophy section and snuggled in for the morning with my cup of Chai. It was delightful. It's been a few months, but I haven't forgotten the book and can't wait to get back to the story. My next trip back will be to buy it for good, of course!

Self-Improvement/Writing Reference:

• The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook - Edmund J. Borne* - I keep it in a prominent place. I page through it occasionally. But I'm convinced at this point that I need to move on to the real deal (i.e. someone to work through it with me/push me) because the presence of a workbook has changed approximently zero point zero percent of my anxiety or behavior. Sigh.

In the queue for 2015:
(It's deceptively short so far, but only because I'm
leaving lots of room for all the recommendations
I'm going to be jumping on here in a moment!)

Faith: 

• The Little Oratory: A Beginner's Guide to Praying in the Home - David Clayton and Leila Marie Lawler - Because I can't base an entire post on the idea and insitute it in our home properly without eventually reading about my awesome inspiration in full! I mean really, who does that?

• Small Steps for Catholic Moms - Danielle Bean and Elizabeth Foss*  - This book is written in a daily devotional/call to action format. Technically I read some of it last year, and was doing well keeping up with it until the fall but then got out of the habit. I hope to start again in the New Year to make it part of my daily routine!

Self Improvement: 

• Recommendations wecome. Clearly I have some work to do in this department...

Fiction/Memoirs/Adventure:

• Papillon - Henri Charrière* - Yep, still on my list to read from last year! Maybe I'll get to it next...
• Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay - Another WWII-era novel set in France. (Imagine!) Because my dear friend who recommended it to me knows me far too well. It's already on my Kindle!

Pleasure/For the Kids: 

• Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling  - Also still on my list from last year. [My comment then: No, you may not shoot me after I announce that I have never read/seen any part of the Harry Potter Series. It never grabbed my attention when they first came out, but I figure since my kids are getting older I should be well-versed in the literature they'll soon be begging to read.] My comment from this year: in all likelihood, this is what I'll actually read next. I just want to pick a really good time when I don't have too many important commitments, because I have a feeling that once I start the first one, I will get no sleep and neglect all sorts of duties until I read the last word on the last page of book number seven. (You think I'm kidding...).

And with that, I'm off to peruse every last post from all the other bookies in Haley's link-up to beef up my to-read list!

Cheers to a well-read 2014, and happy reading to all in 2015!
P.S. Recommendations always welcome!