End of the year book talk

 

 Yes, of course it's a little past the end of the year.  But I wanted to at least share something about the books I read in 2022.   Here goes:

JANUARY:

Authorized: The Use and Misuse of the KJV Bible, by Marc Ward

I read this as I was taking part in the constitution committee for what would be our merged church.   An interesting, informative read.

FEBRUARY:

The Green Ember, by S.D. Smith

I blogged about it here: One New Thing (that would be reading a genre of book completely out of my usual comfort zone).  Through the ensuing months, I read many more from this series.  Anytime you see a book on this list from S.D. Smith, it will be from the same series.   Rabbits with swords.  I guess you would call it allegorical for lack of a better description.  Suffice it to say there are many important lessons in these books.  And the kids I know love them.

MARCH:

The Black Star of Kingston, by S.D. Smith

The Big Lie, by Dinesh D'Souza  -- A challenging read,  but very interesting and informative.  The subtitle says it all.  Quite surprising but all true and all documented.

 Ember Falls, by S.D. Smith

The Fringe Hours, by Jessica Turner -- This is one I had dipped into over and over, but I finally got all the way through it.  It's one I'll probably read again because I can use the ongoing reminders concerning time management.

APRIL:

The Last Archer, by S.D. Smith

MAY:

Ember Rising, by S.D. Smith

Passionate Parenting, by Cary Schmidt.  This was a Mother's Day gift from our church.  Although it was written mainly to parents of teenagers, I thought it was very good and have already shared it with friends who are parenting a teen.

America, by Dinesh D'Souza -- another challenging, but important read.  The subtitle is Imagine a World Without Her.  Unfortunately that is becoming all too relevant.

JUNE:

The Wreck and Rise of Whitson Mariner, by S.D. Smith

The First Fowler, by S.D. Smith

Persuade Me, by Joanne Markey -- this is a Christian romance, set in Australia where the author grew up.  I didn't know what to expect, but I truly enjoyed this book.  It was a Kindle edition which I won in a giveaway.  It's one of those books I will definitely read again.  Even more fun, the author is my daughter's sister-in-law!

JULY:

Ember's End, by S.D. Smith

Captured! by Carolyn Paine Miller -- This was the true story of a missionary family captured by the North Vietnamese in the late 1960s.  A fascinating historical read with a happy outcome.  I'd suggest this would be a great book to read aloud as a family, or as part of homeschooling history.  I found a copy on Thriftbooks for $4.79.

AUGUST:

Miracle on the Hudson, by William Prochnau and Laura Parker -- This was the true story of the flight that landed in the Hudson river after a bird strike by Canadian geese disabled its engines.  It was written by two journalists who put together the account from the stories of those on board the flight.  

Here's the description from Thriftbooks: "The remarkable true story of Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger's heroic crash landing in the Hudson River, as told by the passengers who owe him their lives. Millions watched the aftermath on television, while others witnessed the event actually happening from the windows of nearby skyscrapers. But only 155 people know firsthand what really happened on U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on January 15, 2009. Now, for the first time, the survivors detail their astounding, terrifying, and inspiring experiences on that freezing winter day in New York City."  

Tales of the Maine Woods, by Edmund Ware Smith -- We thoroughly enjoyed this one.  Each chapter was its own story of the Maine woods and the people who lived there back in the mid-20th century.  Lots of real-life Yankee humor in these stories.

SEPTEMBER:

The Personal Touch: Encouraging Others through Hospitality, by Rachael Crabb -- another lightish read that I just read to see if I wanted to keep it.  It was good but really didn't impart any new information.

Lighthouse in my Life, by Philmore Wass  -- a very interesting true story of a family growing up on a remote Maine island as their father was one of the lighthouse keepers.  I had no idea that the US government maintained a Lighthouse Service.   You can read about it here: US Lighthouse Records.  But the story of the family's day to day life on the island and how they managed things like groceries and school was the most interesting part.

OCTOBER:

Make Room for What You Love, by Melissa Michaels  -- a good, practical read, and the title says it all.  I'm still working on putting its principles into practice.

 

The Daniel Dilemma, by Rand Hummel -- This one is subtitled Real Courage for Real Life.  Important lessons from the book of Daniel for believers today.  It would be great to read this one (as I did, without really planning to) in conjunction with Rand's Bible study on the book of Daniel: Living with Lion-Like Character.  I highly recommend either book, or both.

NOVEMBER:

Simple Secrets to a Beautiful Home, by Emilie Barnes -- this was one of those "before-bed reads" that was light and undemanding.  Although I enjoy the author's writing, this was one I could read once and then pass on to be enjoyed by others.

Lumber Queen, by Ellen Anderson -- this is subtitled The Life of Woodswoman, Ruth Ayer Park.  It's a fascinating true story of how a Vassar graduate became " the only lady logger in the United States who swung an axe,  handled a cant-dog, drove a team; and ran her own [logging] camp."  It was even more fascinating to me because Ruth Ayer Park grew up in our town and carried on logging operations all around our area.

 DECEMBER:

No books completed.

In January 2023 I finished my annual reading of Shepherds Abiding, by Jan Karon.  I also completed A Rockwell Portrait, a biography of Norman Rockwell by his friend Donald Walton.

I'm pretty tickled that I managed to read 24 books in 2022!  A huge improvement from 2021 when I completed only five books!  I think the main thing that helped me get so much reading done is that I read aloud a lot in the car as we traveled places together.