Journeying Through Pages

Reading through 2017

People who know me well, know that I love to read.  This year I wanted to read 52 books and I was very close.  I greatly surpassed my goal if you count all the Children's books I read this year, especially if you counted the 10 times I read The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss (but I won't).  I have to admit that this quantity of books was mostly made possible by the Text-To-Speech feature on my kindle and San Jose traffic.  I also want to thank my Fuller professors for making it so clear to me how much of what I was reading was by old white men, and widening my reading lists. I benefited greatly from that challenge this year, though I still have far to go.

I'm posting this mostly for my own benefit, but thought I'd recommend a few books I read this year as well.  The books are listed in the order that I read them.  The titles that are in bold are my top reads from this year that I highly recommend.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” 

― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

1. The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
2. Legend by Marie Lu
3. Love Warrior: A Memoir by Glennon Doyle
4. Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis
5. Rare Bird: A Memoir of Loss and Love by Anna Whiston-Donaldson
6. The Faraway Nearby by Rebecca Solnit
7. Soul Keeping: Caring for the most Important Part of You by John Ortberg
8. Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist
9. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah             Seriously, you just need to read this book.  Trevor was born in South Africa during Apartheid to a black mother and a white father; literally his being born was a crime.  He uses his humor to talk about a difficult childhood and the brokenness of the world. 
10. Homegoing: A Novel by Yaa Gyasi
11. Falling Free: Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted by Shannan Martin
12. For the Love: Fighting For Grace in a World of Imperfect People by Jen Hatmaker
13. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
14. The Insanity of God by Nick Ripkin
15. Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids With the Love of Jesus by Elyse Fitzpatrick
16. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
17. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
18. The Road Back To You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
19. The Problem with Forever by Jennifer Armentrout
20. Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler
21. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
22. Love Lives Here: Finding What You Need in a World Telling You What You Want - Maria Goff
23. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
24. Find Her by Lisa Gardner
25. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson                            Most U.S. citizens will admit that the correctional system in the U.S. is broken.  But this book is mind-blowing.  Bryan Stevenson's work with death row inmates, battling discrimination and prejudices in the justice system is noble and something you should know about.
26. The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
27. See Me by Nicholas Sparks
28. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
29. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch                                                                                                     A dying father writes the things he wishes he could teach his children and talks candidly about the process of dying.  Great book to get a good perspective on life.
30. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics - Daniel James Brown                                                                                             I read this book because it was recommended to me by a good middle school friend who said it was incredible.  I would have never picked it up myself, but I'm so glad he clued me in.  It is just a great book about real people and the triumphs and difficulties of life.
31. How to Be Here: A Guide to Creating a Life Worth Living by Rob Bell
32. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
33. We Should All Be Feminists - Chimamanda Ngozi
34. A Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband Master by Rachel Held Evans
35. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
36. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
37. Three Little Words by Ashley Rhodes-Couter                                                                                The life story of a child who spent many years in the broken foster care system in the U.S. and was adopted as a teenager.  Anyone who has a heart of children in foster care and adoption should learn from this brave young woman.
38. Three More Words by Ashley Rhodes-Couter
39. Coming Clean by Seth Haines
40. The Captain's Bride by Lisa Tawn Bergen
41. Becoming Home by Jedd Medefind
42. The Sanctuary by Ted Dekker
43. David and Goliath: Underdos, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
44. When God Says Wait: Navigating Life's Detours and Delays Without Losing Your Faith, Your Friends, or Your Mind by Elizabeth Lang Thompson
45. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
46. Free of Me: Why Life is Better When Its Not Really About Me - Sharon Hodde Miller
47. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
48. Tossing and Turning by John Updike
49. Stronger Than You Know by Jolene Perry