Books of 2012

Since college, my avid reader of a husband, has kept a list of all the books that he has read/is reading/wants to read.  Although I wish I started a list like that with him almost ten years ago, I figured it is never late than never.  I read 36 books in 2012, and I hope to read many more in 2013!

2012

1. A Thinking Love* by Sonya Shafer
2. Smooth and Easy Days* by Sonya Shafer
3. Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall - a great memoir that exposes that issues and baggage that poverty bring to both those inside and outside of it
4. A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison - A helpful primer for understanding the basics of the Charlotte Mason method.  However, many of her links and sources for curriculum are outdated as it was written over ten years ago.
5. Manalive by G.K. Chesterton - This is my husband's favorite book.  It's taken me a long time to read this as I had a hard time getting through the first part.  It really is good though
6. Fast Living: How the Church will End Poverty by Scott C. Todd - This intriguing little book gives hope that we really can end extreme poverty in our lifetime.  It all begins with changing our low expectations and making changes in how we consume and give of our resources.  As a mom, I particularly liked how he singled out the roles of mothers as the moral-shapers of society.  It is our job to sustainably feed and clothe our families while promoting the Christian value of taking care of the poor.  I also appreciated how he talks about the roles of the next generation and what they can be doing now to learn to love the poor.  Will probably reread again soon.
7. Homepreschool and Beyond by Susan Lemons - I loved this book.  It gives very practical advice on how to homeschool the early years while providing wonderful resources and booklists.  She talks about development milestones and how to go about "teaching" various subjects although she doesn't stress early academics.  This time of life is more about just exploring the world around them and working on the 4 R's (Relationships, Routine, Readiness, and Reading Aloud).  The author also has a blog where you can find most of the information in the book.
8. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas - this book was just amazing.  After having read Cost of Discipleship last year, I knew I wanted to read more about Dietrich Bonhoeffer and had heard a lot of great things about this book.  Bonhoeffer's life and dedication to the Lord were nothing short of remarkable, and Metaxas did a fantastic job in it's portrayal.  It is quite a long book (600+ pages), but worth every detail.
9. Habits: The Mother's Secret to Success* - this free e-book is basically a compilation of Charlotte Mason's words on the subjects of habits.  The book is split into chapters for easy reference on each habit.
10. Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright - This book explores what a Christian's future hope really is in Christ, and how God's plan for our lives isn't just about what happens after we die.  His kingdom has already come, and we need to live into that promise.  Great read!
11. Way of the Will* by Sonya Shafer
12. Souls in the Hands of a Tender God by Craig Rennebohm - A great book which talks about the complexities of homelessness and mental illness.
13. Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly - I got this book from my parents for Christmas last year, and it was a really quick and easy read.  There was a lot in there that I didn't know about the days leading up to the assassination of Lincoln.  I'm looking forward to reading Killing Kennedy next year.
14. Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas - after finishing his book on Bonhoeffer, I really wanted to read his biography on William Wilberforce.  I just love biographies, and Wilberforce's life is an inspiration on what a life worth living should look like.  
15. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - so I got on the bandwagon and read all the Hunger Games books.  I liked the first one.  It seemed like an interesting social commentary with an engaging plotline.  However, the second and third books just felt violent and depressing.
16. Catching Fire
17. Mockingjay
18. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender - this was a recommendation from a friend.  Strange ideas.  Didn't like it so much.
19. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok - another recommendation from the same friend, and I absolutely loved this book.  My favorite book is The Chosen by the same author, and I wasn't disappointed in this novel.  I just love the intricacies of culture and how different people handle a changing culture.
20. The Gift of Asher Lev - The sequel of the previous book.  I really enjoyed this book as well.
21. Raising Godly Tomatoes - This book has really helped me understand how to best parent my two boys.  Definitely not for everyone, but a lot of the principles made sense to me.  I saw a big difference especially with my oldest child when we implemented some of it's concepts.
22. Large Family Logistics by Kim Brennenam- Okay, so I didn't quite finish this book, but I read most of it.  And to be fair, I don't have nor plan on having a large family so I probably read the appropriate amount.  ;-)  This book is really helpful with just basic ideas like getting into a routine and just figuring out where your priorities are.  Although I gleaned some good guidelines, this book really would work better for families with multiple children.
23. Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis - I wanted to read at least one Lewis book this year, and finally settled on reading Screwtape since I hadn't read it since high school.  It's so quick, but it really makes you think about what your motives are for doing the things you do.
24. Radical by David Platt - Wow! This book really makes you think outside the box.  I love the ideas that he sets forth on what the church (and the individual) should be doing.  Jesus, Himself, was radical, and we are called to live into that.  There is a lot in this book that I'm still chewing on.
25. Finding Emma by Steena Holmes - an interesting novel about a girl kidnapped from her home and how her mom never stops looking for her.
26. Becoming a World-Changing Family by Donna S. Thomas - I mentioned how much I liked this book before here, but this is a great book for parents who want their children to have a global focus especially in terms of world missions.  It has a lot of practical advice on how to raise Great Commission children.  I highly recommend it.
27. The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde - A fun quick read.  I've read this play before, and Oscar Wilde is always good for a laugh. I will have to watch the movie again soon.
28. The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton - I read this book in college, so it was fun to revisit.  I still don't understand everything that Chesterton is doing in this nightmarish novel, so I'm sure I'll be coming back to it again and again.
29. The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller - I like to try to read at least one marriage book a year, and when I found out that Timothy Keller wrote one, I was pretty excited having enjoyed Prodigal God and The King's Cross in the past.  This book was great.  It helped me see marriage more from a biblical standpoint and how that diverges from how our culture views is.
30. An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde - I wanted to read another Wilde book after enjoying the Importance of Being Ernest because they are so fun.  Ironically, I read this while reading The Meaning of Marriage but they should not be compared.  ;-)
31. Timebenders by James Denney - I read this book because the author is the father of one of my college friends.  It was a fun adolescent book in the same vein as A Wrinkle in Time.  I'm sure my boys will enjoy it when they get older.
32. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fjorde - If you like literary meta-fiction with time travel, parallel universes, and lots of references to literary classics, this book is for you.  I loved it!
33. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - This is one of my favorite novels of all time, and I had to reread it after reading the Eyre Affair.  It never gets old.
34. Dangerous Act of Worship by Labberton - I was given this book by my aunt who attends Labberton's church.  It was a great book discussing how we should look at worship.  I felt that it was difficult reading at times, but the concepts were good.
35. Son by Lois Lowry - Son is the final installation of The Giver quartet of novels.  I've loved all of these books and glad the Lowry wrote another one.
36. The Odyssey Part One by Mary Pope Osborne - Another book that I thought would be fun to preview for my kids at some point.  I like Osborne's Magic Tree House series so it was great to read her adaptation of the first part of the Odyssey - although it felt like reading cliff notes after having read The Odyssey by Homer in its entirety in college.

* Denotes Mini E-Book