The White Witch by Elizabeth Goudge. My favorite modern women’s author unfolded a pageant of characters as usual, this time in the historical setting of the British civil war. In typical Goudge fashion, her insight into the nature of man’s heart and how that produces the decisions and actions of the diverse characters is perceptive and eye opening. Have your commonplace book nearby when you read this as profound wisdom in beautiful succinct nuggets adorn the path through this story of a generation living in a tumultuous, society-shaking period in history.

 

 

1066: The Year of the Conquest by David Howarth. Speaking of a tumultuous time, the year Edward the Confessor died resulted in the famous event of William the Conqueror’s arrival in England, an event that forever altered the course of British history. From the murky past, Howarth skillfully presents a coherent narrative considering all available historical accounts and the most logical conclusions that can be drawn from them in light of the context of each of those historians’ perspectives. His forthright speculations as to how circumstances and relationships converged presented in Howarth’s skillful clarity in writing make this a most readable and thoroughly enjoyable historical retelling.

 

 

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling. Finally, I finished my second reading of the entire series ten years after I first breezed through it. This time I was reading more slowly, well, except in the really intense moments. I was struck by the coherence of this long tale told in seven volumes that reflects the author’s genius at weaving an epic tale. The spiritual allusions to the Christian walk in this world are too numerous to recount and give much food for thought. Besides this, it is just pure fun.

 

 

 

Shirley by Charlotte Bronte. Set in northern England’s emerging industrialization, this novel is quite different from my all-time favorite, Jane Eyre. Having raised three daughters, I was fascinated by the wrestlings of mind and heart in the two main female characters who lived in a time when only money or marriage held any hope for women to use their God-given intellects and talents in any nontraditional way. Of course there was romance, and a little tense danger, and a lot of delightful Victorian plot rolled out in the luxurious conversations of its characters. I had sympathy for the limitations of the women, but was a bit envious of their rich verbal world.

 

 

 

How to Think by Alan Jacobs. I wrote about this succinct and, shall I say “thought” provoking informative little book last year, but I spent a lovely day rereading and refreshing my thinking in it again.

 

 

 

Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Keller. Whatever your profession or ambitions for your future work, this is an excellent close look at the purpose for work, the Biblical view of work, and a personal examination of our motivations and aspirations for our work life. It is a most relevant book for our time and gets to the heart of the matter as Timothy Keller’s own teaching style always manages to do.

 

 

 

Stella by Starlight by Sharon Draper. Very reminiscent of the classic Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, and every bit as heartwrenching, this is the story of a young black girl in Depression era North Carolina and her challenges to understand and cope with the world she was born into. Perfect for fourth to ninth grade readers.

 

 

 

Is God Anti-Gay? By Sam Allberry. In a day of intense animosity and deep division over social issues, this is a straightforward Biblical perspective on homosexuality and same-sex attraction that the church needs to face, address, and have clear thinking about. This 96 page book is a desperately needed word for Christian young people and adults written with compassion, personal candor, and forthright honesty.

 

 

 

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren. I am so awed by this woman’s life and extraordinarily powerful skill with words to describe it, I am reluctant to say too much. Born into an austere, hardworking Minnesota family, this unusual memoir traces her earliest life from her father’s lab through her intense dedication to her own scientific career. Her incredible stamina to discover the mysteries of nature is dumbfounding in its sheer grit. There is no length she does not go to or endure for discovery. She is not just a brilliant scientist, but prose writer as well. Her descriptions of nature are unforgettable.

 

 

For the joy of reading,

 

Liz