December 29, 2016

10 Great Reads of 2016


My reading goal for 2016 was 55 books and I was able to surpass that by 4 books to 59. It always amazes me when I get to the end of the year and see how much I've actually read!

Most on my list this year are non-fiction, with only two fiction favorites. It's always so hard to pick what I loved the most, but I really enjoyed all of these.

I've also been slowly reading through the book of Psalms this past year. Such a beautiful book. I'm hoping to do another post on some of them. Here is a link to my first post... The Psalms

I didn't blog as much this year (I took off about 6 months!) and so I didn't write about most of these books but the one's I have, I will leave a link to.

Now onto my top 10 reads of this year, in no particular order...


At Home with Jane Austen -  I really enjoyed this book! Filled with lovely photos and great information about the places Jane Austen lived. You can read my thoughts on this book... HERE




A. Lincoln - This one took me quite awhile to get through, but I really enjoyed reading about the political system in the United States and how it worked in Lincoln's time, as well as about Lincoln himself. Long read, but well worth it.



The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert - Rosaria's story was fascinating. And I found her book lovingly and thoughtfully written, as well as humbling to read. She was a English professor who lived with her lesbian partner, when she encountered God. She says here of her conversion:

"Conversion put me in a complicated and comprehensive chaos. I sometimes wonder, when I hear other Christians pray for the salvation of the “lost,” if they realize that this comprehensive chaos is the desired end of such prayers. Often, people asked me to describe the “lessons” that I learned from this experience. I can’t. It was too traumatic. Sometimes in crisis, we don’t really learn lessons. Sometimes the result is simpler and more profound: sometimes our character is simply transformed." 

If you are a Christian and would like to learn how to lovingly interact with the LGBTQ community, I highly recommend this book. As Rosaria's humbling words say here: "Homosexuality is a sin, but so to is homophobia." 


 
Parables - I'm just finishing this one, so I'm including it here. I love John MacArthur's books and this one is no exception. He thoroughly goes through several parables of Jesus in an easy and understandable way. I may write about this one in the new year.



The Magnolia Story - Loved this book! And love their show! You can read my thoughts.... HERE




Little Women - I can't believe it took me this long to get to this book! This beautiful novel is filled with the love of family, and the nostalgia of a time gone by. I've loved the 1949 version of the movie since I was a little girl, and now, I will treasure this book for years to come.



God's Pursuit of Man - Loved this one, as I always love Tozer's books. You can read some excerpts...HERE




Ruth - This classic novel was very moving and I really enjoyed it. You can read my thoughts... HERE




Prayer - This was an intense book! Timothy Keller does a great job defining true prayer from a wide range of Christian forefathers, such as Augustine, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards and John Owen, as well as more recent Christians such as J. I. Packer, C.S. Lewis and Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

He also looks closely at the Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6:9–13. It took some time to get through this one, but definitely a book worth reading.



Dear Abigail - I really enjoyed this biography of Abigail Adams (the wife of John Adams) and her two sisters. It takes us from their childhood until their deaths.

What a time period to live in (the American revolution and the birth of a new nation, the United States of America) and what lives they lived, especially Abigail. This book was based on the many letters the sisters wrote to each other, and it was interesting to hear of their beliefs, their every day lives and their relationships with family and friends.




                                                              HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!









34 comments:

  1. Enjoyed this list a lot -- we must be reading soulmates, as almost every one of these sound like one I'd like to read. John and Abigail Adams' relationship has always seemed wonderful to me. What a lovely version of Little Women, too!

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    1. You would enjoy the book 'Dear Abigail', as it also includes letters and info about Abigail and John's relationship. I loved all the letters! I also love this version of 'Little Women' too, it was fun to read from it.

      Thanks for stopping by Susan and Happy New Year!

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  2. I posted my favorite books of 2016 today, too! I got the Gaines' book for Christmas and it's next in my reading queue! I loved, loved Rosaria's book. Some things I read about Abigail Adams made me want to learn more about her. I'll have to put that book on my list.

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    1. Oh, you are going to enjoy the Gaines' book! I'm looking forward to reading your post. Heading over there now. : )

      Happy New Year Barbara!

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  3. I really want to read the Magnolia Story. I just love their show.

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  4. So many wonderful books here! I love that we have Little Women in common 😊 Very well done for exceeding your goal. Here's to many more glorious reads in 2017... stopping by from #CountingMyBlessings Happy New Year!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Laura! Hope you have a wonderful reading year!

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  5. I did see "North and South" but haven't read anything by Gaskell. When I looked on Amazon I saw that the Kindle version of Ruth is free! So I downloaded it, and maybe it will end up on my Books Read in 2017 list, thanks to you. :-)

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    1. Hope you enjoy reading 'Ruth' Thanks for stopping by Gretchen!

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  6. Wow, I haven't read any of these. Should be adding them on my list.
    Happy 2017!

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  7. Great suggestions! I'm looking for new books to read this year, so this post was very timely :)

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    1. Hope you enjoy all your reads this coming year. Glad you stopped by Nicole!

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  8. I loved reading about the books you've read. I'm always looking for new inspiring books. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Glad you are enjoying my posts! It's always fun to share good books with others. Thanks for stopping by Suzanna!

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  9. So many great reads! I have Chip & Joanna's book and will start reading it this week. I use to read a lot more, when I was younger, but now I fall asleep when I read. I will be happy if I read 10-12 books this year. It's a goal. Blessings!

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    1. I've been listening to more audio books this past year and it helps get that goal higher. And I can get my housework done at the same time! Happy New Year Barbie!

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  10. I love your reading list. I'm so impressed! I'd be interested in the Abigail Adams book. I LOVED John Adams by David McCullough. So good. And yes, Little Women is wonderful.

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    1. I loved the mini-series of John Adams! I think you would really enjoy 'Dear Abigail' Thanks for stopping by Betsy. Happy New Year!

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  11. I first heard of Chip and Joanne when my sister and her husband dressed up like them for Halloween. ha. Now I see them everywhere! :) Glad their book is so good. Thanks for sharing your list, Cathy. I love seeing everyone’s favorite books to get more ideas for my own reading list. I especially want to read Timothy Keller’s book on prayer.

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    1. I love reading everyone's favorite books too. Great way to find new reads! Happy New Year Lisa!

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  12. So many wonderful books! Thank you for the recommendations!

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    1. Glad you stopped by Elizabeth. Happy New Year!

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  13. So many good books. Most of which I have not read. Little Women was a childhood favorite of mine. Visiting from Coffee for your Heart.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Deanna. Hope you get a few good recommendations here! Happy New Year!

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  14. Always great to get book reading ideas! That Parables book looks interesting. :)

    Thanks for linking up with Literacy Musing Mondays! (www.brandiraae.com)

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    1. Just finished 'Parables' and it was very good. Thanks for stopping by Brandi!

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  15. So many good books! I read The Magnolia Story right before Christmas because I needed to preview it before I gave it to my 9-year-old daughter. I really enjoyed it, and she is now! Thanks for linking up at #ThreeWordWednesday.

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    1. Glad you and your daughter enjoyed 'The Magnolia Story' Happy New Year Kristin!

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  16. What a great recap. I've added several of these to my, ever-growing, "want to read list" ! Happy new year!

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    1. Glad you found some new books here. Happy New Year to you too June!

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Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments. I try to respond to all of them by the end of the week. : )