All About the Books I Read This Year

December marks the end of a very strange year for us, and everybody else, too! We experienced many blessings this year, including extra time spent with family while living with my parents and moving into our new house in the country. (Photos coming soon!) We struggled as our schedules completely changed in March and still continue to change with Brian’s new job. Life looks very different for us now than it did in January–and not just because we moved to a new house in a new town. I can’t help thinking about the books I read this year as I reflect on the joyful and stressful times I experienced. I had to do some research (including here and here) to discover what I read all those centuries ago in January, but I think I correctly recalled everything in the right order. I included a few children’s books that I enjoyed so much I would read them again on my own. I did not include any homeschool books, although we already read and are currently reading some excellent stories! (We follow this reading list and schedule from Ambleside Online.) Borrowed books include thank-yous to their owners.

Books I Finished Reading This Year:
Outlaws of Time: The Last of the Lost Boys by N.D. Wilson (Thank you Michael and Emily!)
Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland (Thank you, Ava!)
Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson
Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
Winne-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne (out loud to the kids)
The Piper’s Pursuit by Melanie Dickerson (Thank you, Ellie!)
Art for God’s Sake by Philip Ryken (Thank you, Joanna!)
Treasuring Christ When Your Hands are Full by Gloria Furman
Lost Women of the Bible by Carolyn Custis James (book study with my sister)
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne (out loud to the kids)
Gospel-Powered Parenting by William Farley
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (with The Habit)
Love Like You Mean It by Bob Lepine (My review here.)
Refresh by Shona Murray
Strangely Bright by Joe Rigney (My review here.)
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (out loud to the kids)
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Books I’m Currently Reading:
The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman
Worthy by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Eric Schumacher (part of a book club)
Live Not By Lies by Rod Dreher (also part of a book club)
The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

Books I Started Reading but Haven’t Picked Up Again:
The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis
The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis (Poor C.S. Lewis! Both of these books, however, can be easily read in installments.)
Home Education by Charlotte Mason (I use this as more of a reference, but I’d like to complete the entire book someday.)
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (Samuel lost interest. We’ll finish this winter.)

Bonus Category! Books I Started Writing:
The Secrets of the Dragons (a fun science-oriented story)
Coconut’s Many Adventures (about Samuel’s stuffed monkey and friends)

Did we read any of the same books this year? Do you have any book recommendations for the new year? Are you writing any interesting stories?