Books! 2019 Reading List

Happy New Year. 59 books. Let's jump right in.

Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl by ND Wilson. Second annual reading. One of my favorites. Ever. Ever ever.
Before the Door by ND Wilson. Fun prequel to 100 Cupboards. And if you are a regular Wilson reader, you might be surprised by some of the dots he connects here!
Man in the High Castle by Philip Dick. Blech.
Unceasing by Susan Macias. An encouraging reminder to keep praying, no matter how old they get!
Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy.
Exulting Jesus in Luke by Thabiti Anyabwile. Jesus is not our model; He is our substitute. YASSS!
Eve in Exile by Rebekah Merkle. I cannot stand books on womanhood. Until now. Merkle takes aim at flawed perspectives of womanhood (both conservative and liberal) and argues for a gloriously Biblical perspective instead. Refreshing and encouraging. This is the only book on womanhood I would buy by the case and hand out.
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. Scout returns home, and...Whoa...I didn't see that coming!
Blaggard's Moon by George Bryan Polivka. Genuinely fun read, reminiscent of  the Wingfeathers. I. loved. this. book.
Legend of the Firefish by George Bryan Polivka. First book in a fun trilogy following Blaggard's Moon.

Winged Watchman by Hilda van Stockum. A read-aloud for my children, the poignant ending made me cry. As in, I had to collect myself before I could continue.
Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxes. Wonderfully readable bio of an amazing man. "On the positive side of things, Heydrich was dead. At the end of May, the albino stoat had been ambushed by Czech resistance fighters while he was riding in his open-topped Mercedes. Eight days later, the architect of the Final Solution fell into the hands of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." (404). Most delicious set of sentences I think I have ever read. 
Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen. Meh.
God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew. Good again!
Identity Theft edited by Melissa Kruger, et al. Series of essays on a woman's identity. Pretty good.
Take Courage by Matt Chandler.
Seventeenth Swap by Eloise McGraw.
The Hand that Bears the Sword by George Bryan Polivka. Book two in the trilogy.
Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. Fourth time through. Best of Lewis's non-fiction.
The Art of Turning by Kevin Deyoung.

Twelve Marks of Great Literature by Jeff Baldwin. Not as helpful as I had hoped.
Storm-Tossed Family by Russell Moore. I loved this book, which essentially covers the gamut of family issues from cradle to grave. Moore is a great writer, often punctuating with humor. Lots of 'listen to this!' moments with my husband.
No Quick Fix by Andrew Naselli. Dispels the myth that Christians have a separate stage of sanctification, following salvation, in which we really mean it this time. Um, that is salvation. Very good. But a lot of charts that were more clutter than help.
Disciplines of Grace by Jerry Bridges. This was around the time my dad died. I think I may have missed a lot.
Battle for Vast Dominion by George Bryan Polivka. Book Three in the trilogy. Enjoyed!
You Who by Rachel Jankovic. GREAT book on identity and all the self-care garbage we have bought into over the years. Our job is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, not find our best us. Boom.
Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop. How to find peace in Biblical lament. I found Part Two especially helpful.
Book of Sorrows by Walter Wangerin. Sequel to the Book of the Dun Cow. Very unusual story but very deep and worth another read. I liked it!
Grace Defined and Defended by Kevin Deyoung. Explains the Canons of Dort and why they matter. Maybe only for the theology nerd. But as accessible as everything else Deyoung writes.
Fierce Knights and Faithful Loves (Edmund Spencer's Faerie Queen Book 1) edited by Roy Maynard. The footnotes alone make this worth the read. Great story of a knight, a lady, and a villain.

Sacrifice of Praise by Herman Bavinck.
Fiddler's Green by AS Peterson. Continuation of Fiddler's Gun. I liked the first one a little more.
God and Galileo by David Block and Kevin Freeman. So so so disappointing to read scientists who claim Christ and deny Creation. Do not recommend. But  you're welcome to borrow my copy if you can handle my snarky comments in the margin.
Pray Big by Alistair Begg. Do you ever feel like your personal prayer requests or your church's prayer requests are all about traveling mercies and physical ailments? Does that really match up to the prayers that weighed on the Biblical saints? This is a great reminder to not sweat the small stuff and spend more time on the big stuff. Loved this little book!!!
Longitude by Dava Sobel. How longitude came to be.
So Brave, So Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger. Another amazing yarn spun by the author of Peace Like a River. Two thumbs up!
Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson. Hard story but second time through because this one really tugs at my heart.
Iliad by Homer. Mrs. Bennet, but I think we may safely boast here sit three of the silliest men in the whole country. What a bunch of egos. Good anyway. ;)
Children's Homer by Padraic Column. I read this aloud periodically and did again this year to my  younger students. I assigned the 'Odyssey' portion  to my high schoolers rather than have them explore Odysseus's adulterous idiocy in the adult version. Extremely well-written.
Sermon on the Mount by Sinclair Ferguson. Anything by Ferguson is encouraging and pastoral, and this was no exception. Highly recommend.

Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton. Zany fun.
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson. I do not exaggerate when I say that Wingfeather Saga plus Ferguson's Whole Christ were paradigm shifting for me. Read them, and understand life. I think this is my fourth or fifth time through. I've lost count.
Bark of the Bog Owl by Jonathan Rogers. Fun!
Beyond the Diploma by Beverly Parrish.  Homeschooling has become a pretentious affair in the last 15 years, and all we've got to show for it is a demographic of self-important smart-asses. (Oh stop. I just can't think of a more appropriate word.) Bev is a great personal friend and my original homeschooling mentor. She reminds us here to keep our feet on the ground, remember our original vision for our children, and she provides the nuts and bolts to get it done. I'd hand this one out, too.
Clockwork Universe by Edward Dolnick. The history of the watch. Interesting!
Valley of Vision by Arthur G. Bennett. Good, good prayers that model right praying priorities for us.
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis. Is it too crass to use the word stupid in a book review? How about insipid? Inane? I was embarrassed for the author. Basically, take care of yourself--because you're worth it. Reminiscent of Cybill Shepherd's L'Oreal commercials that made me gag as a teenager. But worse since Hollis claims Christ. Riiiiiiight.
Gospel and Kingdom by Graeme Goldsworthy. God's Kingdom is God's people living in God's place under God's reign. I <3 Goldsworthy! Second time through and I love him even more.
A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes. What if you had a clock counting down days to your demise? What would that do to a society? Not my cup of tea, but definitely an interesting premise! Well-told. If you like dystopian, you might really enjoy this. First in a series.
Macbeth by William Shakespeare. My very favorite Shakespeare! Divided up parts and read as a family. Too much fun!

Grow in Grace by Sinclair Ferguson. Anything by Ferguson, just anything. :)
North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson. MEGALOVE. Is that a word?
Enchantress From the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl. Even though I don't prefer sci-fi, this one is quite good. Second time through, and I caught even more than I did the first time (though Engdahl is about as weird as they come...)
Inferno by Dante Alighieri. Dante was a Renaissance man, not a believer.  His view of Hell is emphatically not Biblical. But it IS clever. Dante mixes real life pagans, literary pagans, and even some Bible folks into one hellish stew. No one should read Purgatorio (I did. Sigh.), since the very notion of "Purgatory" blasphemes the sufficiency of the Cross. Don't waste your time.
Women's Ministry in the Local Church by Ligon Duncan and Susan Hunt. I have more questions than answers on this topic. I thought maybe Duncan, for whom I have a warm regard and deep respect, might lend clarity. Nope. Do first-century saints gaze down at twenty-first century saints and wonder, How on earth did they get from 'Paul'...to 'Programs'?
Charlotte's Web by EB White. Is there anything more fun that doing all the voices and reading this to your 6 yr old and 10 yr old? And seeing my 10 yr old--who is all boy and all football all the time--genuinely moved by Charlotte was poignant.
Nothing to Hide by Mark Bertrand. Great, gritty, clean crime story, third in a series. I think guys will like this one.
Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Johnson. So much giggling from the kids. We read this almost every year at Christmas time.
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer. An eye-rolling nod to post-modernity aside, this is an absolutely delightful tale of a British island under German occupation during the war. Hints of Mitford or Miss Read. Gush, gush, gush.

Stay tuned next year for some brand new reads. But remember to put the books down and spend time with your family, too. Happy reading!