What I Read in 2016

It's that time again - the year in review, IN BOOKS! 

I don't feel like I fared as well as I did last year, but as I starting tapping out my list I realized I just plain forgot about some of the books I'd read, and I have a few more unfinished reads that last year. It's been no secret that this has been a tough few months for me (and all of humanity, I think), so we're just going to call it that 4th Quarter, 2016 was just a hard stretch to slog through for lots of people for lots of reasons. Books included. But it all evens out in the end,

On to the fun part, though - the actual books!

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Back when I was on my game and trying to keep up with my reads quarterly, I did some good in-depth reviews of the individual books in The Parting Breath Series, The Name of the Wind Series, and Everyone Brave is Forgiven. Links are included - because no one needs me to re-write what I've already written!

What I Read

The Parting Breath Series | Monica Lee Kennedy

Most Highly Recommended
This entire series, in my opinion, deserves a spot next to or above every other New York Times Bestseller I've ever recommended. Whether or not you usually "like" fantasy (I normally don't), the writing perfection, storytelling, world-building, and character development of this series -- all of it is beyond excellent. Good enough to reach a very wide spectrum of readers. Clean enough for mature young teens, too. Spread the word on this one, people.
The Land's Whisper - previous review
Eyes in the Water - previous review 
The Forbidding Blue - The third and final book went in a different direction than I expected, but in a good way. It was beautifully long, full of adventure, and the writing was just as strong and captivating as the first two books (if not moreso). An incredible ending to a top-notch series.

The Kingkiller Chronicles | Patrick Rothfuss

Most Highly Recommended
This series sits right next to The Parting Breath Series in my number one spot this year, especially the first book. It's another fantasy (I know, what have I become?!) recommended to me by a "book friend" from our church. He said it's his favorite and I understand why - again with all the incredible world building and character development, making the story and characters feel both incredibly real and timeless despite the fact that it's fantasy. My only cautions on this one: not for younger teen readers, and there is no release date yet for the third book (and the second was published years ago) so you'll be left hanging in agony with me. But I still think it's worth it to read the first two now.
The Name of the Wind - previous review
The Wise Man's Fear - previous review 

The Clifton Chronicles  | Jeffrey Archer

I read the first two books - they were exciting, though the writing wasn't as high-level as I prefer and the characters were a little shallow; see previous review. Recommend if you want a light, quick read with fun plot twists and cliff-hangers that spur you on to the next in the series. There are seven total.

Everyone Brave is Forgiven | Chris Cleave

Recommend with Reservations 
Reservations because of the unique writing style and ending (see previous review). I still want to talk to someone about the ending because months later, I'm still all ugh about it. Let me know if you've read it!

Story of a Soul | Thérèse de Lisieux 

Most Highly Recommend
Pure gold. That is all. (See previous review).

Dear Mr. Knightley | Katherine Reay

Recommend
This was a really enjoyable read overall. It's about a grown orphan who receives a writing scholarship from a secret benefactor on the condition that she keep him updated through writing letters. Other than the overall premise being slightly ridiculous and unrealistic, and the fact that it took a good chapter for the author to reveal that it was set in modern-day America instead of 19th-century England, I definitely liked it. But I'm quirky and annoyingly picky like that. Thumbs up for all the references to Jane Austen and other classics throughout, and I thought the main character development was decent too. Recommend.

The Shoemaker's Wife |Adriana Trigiani 

Recommend
Also an enjoyable read. I'd put it in the same category as Dear Mr. Knightley - some really charming parts even though the writing was a slightly mixed bag. I rolled my eyes at some phrases but definitely stopped to appreciate others. The plot focuses on two main characters growing up in an Italian mountain town and convent, who eventually find themselves in America as different events in their lives unfold. I was annoyed a few chapters in when the plot suddenly got a little seedy, and some of the character dialogue/expressions of emotion throughout felt a bit contrived which made them seem more shallow at times (mostly the beginning). I also took issue with the writer not always defining the passage of time very clearly. But it was absolutely redeemed by the exciting twists and turns and sheer length of the plot, which covered the entirety of the main characters' lives from childhood through adulthood with all of their adventures and fateful meetings over the years. All of this combined made for an intriguing read, and I spent more than a few days of Christmas break ripping through it even though I didn't intend to. I also like that it's inspired by true events.

The Velvet Room | Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Highly Recommend
(re-read) This was my mom's favorite book growing up and became mine as well when she gave it to me sometime in middle school. Reading it again reminded me of all the reasons I first loved it. The story centers around a migrant girl during the Great Depression who arrives at a plantation for work and discovers a hidden delight, which leads her to a bit of mystery. It's as timeless and delightful as the children's classics we love at any age, like A Wrinkle In Time and Anne of Green Gables. I let my own Little Miss start reading it recently and it's been fun getting to talk to her about it.

Listened To

[This is where I stop and qualify my "reading experience." Sometime this fall I heard a few ads for Audible, so I asked friends for audio book recommendations. I wanted to be able to keep up with my "reading" while running (that hasn't happened) or doing dishes or cooking dinner (which has definitely happened!) or any number of other things that I find unpleasant. My theory is that listening to a book I like will make me more inclined to tackle those unsavory tasks. In the process of asking, a friend told me about Hoopla, which is a free audio book app linked through your local library card, so I immediately downloaded it.]

Anne of Green Gables Series | Lucy Maud Montgomery

Highly Recommend
("Re-read") Speaking of Anne of Green Gables...when I saw it on Hoopla, I knew I had to start there. Of course I'd read and watched it growing up, but only really remembered the highlights. I started listening and couldn't get enough. I'd forgotten just how delightful the writing is and how fully and entertainingly developed Anne's character is. I found myself listening on long drives, then on shorter drives, then cooking dinner, doing dishes, you name it. When I finished the first book I moved immediately on to Anne of Avonlea and then Anne of the Island.

The only downside to my Hoopla experience: the narrator changed between the first book and the second two books, and then the series stopped there. The selection on Hoopla just isn't that great compared to a paid subscription like Audible, I imagine. So I downloaded Anne of Windy Poplars via Kindle and got stuck there because suddenly my "reading" was again limited to the time between all of the things I need to do [aka the middle of the night when I need to sleep]. I haven't bit the bullet on Audible yet because I'm a cheapskate, but my experience has firmly convinced me of the value of the audiobook camp.

Re: Watching Anne of Green Gables
I'm hoping we'll find some time to watch the original series soon. We watched the new one that came out over Thanksgiving and it left me feeling the same way I do about the old BBC Pride and Prejudice vs. the "new" Keira Knightley film: the remakes are pretty little attempts, but clearly there's only one. Clearly.

Currently Reading

Listed in order of what's keeping my interest the most - basically I haven't gotten past the first chapter in most of them, so I'm not able to make a recommendation yet, but I'm banking on my '4th chapter rule' when I usually get pulled in (except for The Road to Jerusalem. I'm further in that one and it's just a sloooow read). 

The Crystal Cave | Mary Stewart 

Recommended to me by the incredible author of The Parting Breath series; it's the story behind Merlin (as in the wizard - from King Arthur, Knights of the Round Table, The Sword in the Stone, etc.).

Anne of Windy Poplars | Lucy Maude Montgomery

The Changeling | Zilpha Keatley Snyder 

Written by the same author as The Velvet Room - I didn't realize she'd written so many other books, so I decided to try another.

The Road to Jerusalem | Jan Guillou 

The story of the Knights Templar. This is the first book of the trilogy; it's interesting, just slow and occasionally tedious in terms of the writing and tone, so it's been more of a marathon than a sprint for me. Rather formal language, translated from Swedish if you catch my drift. I have a feeling it will build well, though.

The Swiss Family Robinson | Johann D. Wyss 

Because you always need a classic on your list.

Read-alouds With Kids

Little House on the Prairie  | Laura Ingalls Wilder 

Still slowly and happily working our way through. Recommend, of course.

The Green Ember | S.D. Smith 

Thoroughly enjoying this one so far. Recommend.

Spiritual Reading

Interior Castle | St. Teresa of Avila 

Highly Recommend.
Talk about a straight-shooting, hard charging girl who gets straight to the heart of the matter. Simple and insanely powerful so far.

Discernment of Spirits Podcasts  | Fr. Timothy Gallagher 

Highly Recommend
So I know I'm dancing on the edge with this one because it isn't a book or even an audiobook, but it's a real, true gem. I think everyone--religious, merely "spiritual," or otherwise, should be introduced to this approach to spirituality. It's a series of 16 free podcasts, less than 30 minutes each, that essentially teach us how to recognize and understand how God moves and speaks to us in the ordinary, everyday moments of our lives. The podcasts are given by Fr. Tim Gallagher, who has spent his life re-packaging into layman's terms the teachings of Saint Ignatius of Loyola [called the 14 rules of Discerning the Spirits]. They are just as simple to listen to and understand as they are eye-opening. It's like being taught how to pray in the most intuitive of ways.

I've never been one to feel like God was speaking directly to me or giving obvious signs, or when I'm in a spiritual slump think that there actually something I can do about it - learning about the Discernment of Spirits through these podcasts has 100% changed all of that. It felt like I'd been blindly staring at one of those Magic Eye pictures for years, only to have someone walk by casually and say "hey, just turn and look at it this way." And voila--the whole picture immediately materialized. [Note: the first two podcasts introduce/give background, and the First Rule is introduced starting with the third podcast.] If you're any form of living, breathing human, I highly, highly recommend.

Put Down

Church of Spies  | Mark Riebling

Don't Recommend
I desperately wanted to like this one. I really did. It's another WWII book that I heard about on a radio program and it sounded fascinating; the premise (that I heard on the radio) surrounded the true story of German Jesuits who lived in close proximity to Hitler and worked to sabotage him, including obtaining the blueprints to his compound by causing a sewage leak, causing Hitler to turn around and sue them, allowing them to walk out of court with the blueprints. Sadly, it was so heavily footnoted and fact-riddled and lacked so much overview/plot pull that even the first two chapters were a giant slog. The brief summary I heard on the radio was far more exciting. I think it was just the wrong writer for the story and I'm sad because I feel like, if done well, it could be such a great read. I felt better recently talking to a friend whose super-smart history buff husband read this book and also had a hard time with it; she recommended another one that I'm excited for, The Shadow of His Wings (see below). 

Kristin Lavransdatter |Sigrid Undset

Take It or Leave It
I tried right at the start of 2016. The writing was way too tedious for me to get into at that point. Maybe I'll try again someday. 

Want to Read

The Shadow of His Wings | Fr. Gereon Goldmann 

The memoir of a German seminarian drafted into Hitler's SS Army. Recommended by my friend whose history buff husband also struggled through Church of Spies (I felt so validated!) but then read this one and loved it. I'm intrigued!

An Introduction to Ignatian Spiritual Exercises | Fr. Timothy Gallagher 

Recommended by my favorite/most trusted priest. I got it as a stocking stuffer (thanks Santa!) and will be starting it on January 1st as part of my prayer pledge in January.

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Now tell me what to add to my list, por favor!!! As you can see, it's dreadfully short. Bonus points for well-written WWII fiction I haven't heard of yet. Wink wink.

What were your favorites this year? Happy reading in 2017, friends!