100 books.

Today I finished reading my 100th book in 2021, so I thought I’d write a bookshelf post. I didn’t set out to read a hundred books this year. I don’t do well with reading goals; they make me feel pressured. But I did decide to keep a list in my bullet journal of the books I read, and I’m so happy I did it.

Here are the highlights, books I’d unequivocally say are worth adding to your home library (or buying as Christmas gifts!):

You know that I’m an avid re-reader of books, so that accounts for a goodly number of the list. Here are the series I reread this year: Mitford, by Jan Karon, Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, Wendell Berry’s Port William novels, and James Herriot’s memoirs of being a vet.

I re-read the Harry Potter series annually, but always wait to start them until the Christmas season — why, I don’t know! They just feel generally Christmas-y to me.

A new series I’ve added to the rotation this year is The Lord of the Rings. I rediscovered it after a break of many years and loved it more than I ever did as a child.

Why do I re-read books, you ask?

I don’t know. Books are my friends. They make me happy. As I grow older, I always find something new and beautiful and wise within their covers. I feel like a good book is always better the second time. Or third. Or eighth. Also, in order to fall asleep at night I must be reading something familiar. It’s the only way to slow my mind down enough to drift off. So this is typically my time for the series I re-read.

My favorite non-fiction book of the year remains The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration, by Isabel Wilkerson. Beautiful, heart-breaking, profoundly moving. I also loved Eric Larsen’s incredible account of London during the first year of Winston Churchill’s leadership as prime minister, The Splendid and the Vile.

My two favorite memoirs of the year are A Most Beautiful Thing, by Arshay Cooper, which is the story of America’s first all-black high school rowing team, and Where the Light Fell, by Philip Yancey. I finished Yancey’s memoir this afternoon —  my 100th book. I felt cracked open and raw afterwards; it’s a painful read, yet wonderfully hopeful too. I have a lot to unpack from that book. I loved it.

My favorite three Christian living books have been Gentle & Lowly, by Dane Ortlund, God Does His Best Work with Empty, by Nancy Guthrie, and Emotionally-Healthy Discipleship by Peter Scazzero.

As far as biographies go, I’ve read quite a number. The ones that stand out as I look over my list are Evidence Not Seen: A Woman’s Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of War World II, by Darlene Deibler Rose. Also The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough, Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, by Ellen Vaughn, and A Burning in My Bones, by Winn Collier, a brand-new biography of Eugene Peterson that is fantastic. I was delightfully surprised and moved by a hidden gem that David grabbed out of a box of books a friend was giving away: Archibald G. Brown: Spurgeon’s Successor, by Iain Murray.

My favorite children’s/middle grade books were: Ground Zero: A Novel of 9/11, by Alan Gratz, The Yearling, by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and always, always the Little Britches series by Ralph Moody. I’m currently reading Carry On, Mr. Bowditch with my 8th graders, and it’s the only book next to The Hobbit that every single person in the class is enjoying (it’s also a true story, by the way).

My favorite education book I read is The Question, by Leigh Bortins. Imminently practical and inspiring. I’m not even halfway through Norms & Nobility, by David Hicks, but I know it will become a favorite too. This one is quite dense and often over my head; so I’m working my way through it slowly.

Last month Louise Penny’s newest Inspector Gamache novel came out, The Madness of Crowds, and it did not disappoint. As a rule, I don’t like murder mysteries, but Louise Penny has my undying devotion (though you should avoid her books if bad language bothers you).  The only other murder mystery series I’ve enjoyed is Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael mysteries.

The biggest surprise of my year is an old-fashioned novel called Pilgrim’s Inn, by Elizabeth Goudge. I loved it far more than I expected, and have added it to my mental “favorites” list. It’s a very quiet, deep novel for when you need something restorative.

Now that I’ve written all of this out, I realize it’s been a rather slim year for classic literature. Although: does Tolkien count? Maybe? To Kill A Mockingbird is worth reading every few years at least. I also reread some Jane Austen, and Jane Eyre (which, to be honest, I’ve always preferred to Jane Austen’s novels). My favorite classic of this year though is the book I’m reading now: Middlemarch, by George Eliot. I love it more now than the first time I read it, about a decade ago (see? that’s why you simply must reread books). She’s the one classic British author that comes close to touching Charles Dickens, in my humble opinion.

So that’s that, my friends. A little peek into my reading year. I’ll be sure to tell you if I come across any other gems in the next 7 weeks of 2021. That’s one of the best things about a reading life: you never know when you’ll discover your new favorite book!