Category 2015 Books

My 2016 Reading Goals
Today is the last day of 2015, and lately I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about my New Year’s Resolutions. I don’t really like to call them “resolutions” because I haven’t had much success keeping those in the past. I have learned, however, that I am very goal-oriented; having both short-term and long-term goals […]

The Final Countdown
Today I finished my last book of 2015! This is pretty huge–I’m usually reading until the last second on New Year’s Eve, hoping to finish book fifty in time. The last two books of this year were really great, and I’m excited to share them with you. Book #49 is Mindscape: What to Think About Instead […]

Behold the Lamb of God
I hope that you can find some time for stillness and worship today and tomorrow. I’ll leave you with one of the most touching songs from Andrew Peterson’s album, a song called “Labor of Love.” It will change the way you think about Christmas Eve, I’m sure.

Watch for the Light
Watch for the Light was one of three books I read during this Advent season. It has a lot of great selections from influential writers. This book actually contains readings that extend from the last week of November to the first week of January, but in the interest of time, I finished it early. If you’re […]

Henry V: The Last King of 2015
Other titles I considered for this post: Henry V: How many Henrys does it take to rule England? Henry V: I’m really only here for Tom Hiddleston. I am very glad to say that I have finished reading through “The Henriad,” one of Shakespeare’s two historical tetralogies. I decided to read the plays in the order […]

Top Five Books of 2015
I’ve never been able to pick a favorite book–there are too many great stories to play favorites like that! It is possible to pick a favorite book of the year, though. I’m almost done with my fifty books for the year, so I thought it would be appropriate to share with you my top five […]

Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore
Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore (by Robin Sloan) was published in 2012, so I’d seen it during my frequent hauntings of Barnes & Noble, but I never purchased it. Over the summer, I began subscribing to Audible, Amazon’s audiobook division, and downloaded this one–it was on sale. I’d completely forgotten about it until I logged back […]

The Irrational Season by Madeleine L’Engle
Every time I read another of Madeleine L’Engle’s Crosswicks books I find myself amazed at her talent. Somehow she is able to take the liturgical calendar and turn it into a thoughtful, rambling, cyclical book about faith, writing, and motherhood.

My Advent Reading List
Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, it’s time to look ahead to my favorite part of the year–Christmas! This year I’ll be reading three books during the Christmas season, one is an annual favorite, but the other two are new for 2015.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Whenever anyone asks me for a fiction recommendation, this is one of the first titles that pops into my head. A friend of mine recommended this book to me a few years ago, and I re-read it this weekend. Good news: It’s just as delightful the second time around. Oscar Wilde said, “If one cannot […]