What I Read in 2018

It’s time for my annual round-up of books I read in the past year. You can find my offerings for 2017 (warning – long!), 2016 (8 great reads), and 2015 (another long list, including some I commissioned).

Reviewing the books we read in the year just gone can be like a practice of examen. This spiritual exercise, as encouraged by Ignatius of Loyola, helps us to look back over the day as we sense the movements of our soul. Did I turn toward or away from God at various points of the day? Why?

In looking back over the 70 books I read in 2018, I see some trends. I endorsed six books (including the Bible – how cool is that!?), read 42 books published by Christian publishers, of which 8 were fiction and 34 nonfiction (prayer, theology, memoir, etc); read 28 books published by general-market publishers, of which 25 were fiction and 3 nonfiction.

That tells me that I read far too much commercial women’s fiction! Not that those books are bad in and of themselves, but as I reviewed the list I felt I escaped too much through this kind of fiction. In 2018 #myoneword was replenish; I was recovering from Too Much Work, but instead of embracing truly creative ventures, I read the equivalent of a lot of cotton candy (UK: candy floss). My notes to myself on the books reflect my dissatisfaction: “liked, but figured out the ending too soon” (Letters to Iris by Elizabeth Noble) or “meh, but good subject” (The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae by Stephanie Butland) or “another Eleanor wannabe; didn’t warm to the protagonist” (The Cactus by Sarah Haywood).

Part of the reason for reading so many of these novels was escapism, but another factor was that I accessed them through NetGalley, the website that offers books to book reviewers; thus I felt compelled to read the books that I had requested. Because of the exercise of looking back to what I read in 2018, now in 2019 I am being choosier about the books I request through NetGalley.

On to the lists! I give you six books I was honored to endorse, six top picks published by Christian publishers, six top general-market books, and six general-market mentions.

6 wonderful books I endorsed

80 Reflective Prayer Ideas by Claire Daniel (BRF). I’ll let an excerpt from my foreword share my thoughts about this lovely book:

I warmly recommend Claire’s 80 Reflective Prayer Ideas, a book that I hope many people will embrace. She provides a variety of ways to engage our senses with themes that are firmly rooted in the Bible as she leads us to reflect on God’s word, nature, the church community, our journey of faith and our personal walk with God. She starts each exercise with a passage from the Bible as she helps us ponder its meaning and how its truth might apply to us before leading us into a conversation with God. Feeling the soil in between our fingers while planting seeds or hearing the pop of the bubble wrap or smelling the coffee or tea will help us to enter more fully into the experience of meeting with God, being present and receptive to how he speaks into our lives….

I’m grateful for how Claire helps us to foster an encounter with God through the living Christ and the empowering Spirit. May 80 Reflective Prayer Ideas be used by God to plant and grow many seeds that will bear fruit in his name.

Journey with Me by Catherine Campbell (IVP). A year-long devotional by a wonderful author. What I particularly love about Catherine’s writing is how she delves deeply into the Bible. She looks at stories both in the Old Testament and the New, not ignoring one over the other. Her strong trust in God shines through these pages and will lead the reader to trust God more too. She wrote this devotional day by day throughout a year, and the passing of time is reflected in the pages in a way that reflects God’s truth. My endorsement:

This year-long journey, as walked daily by Catherine Campbell, reverberates with the presence of God. Join her deep explorations into God’s Word and find God’s encouragement and wisdom.

Note there is a Facebook group you can join to discuss the day’s reading – just get in touch with Catherine on Facebook and she will add you.

The Making of Us by Sheridan Voysey (Thomas Nelson, coming in March). So many people have loved Sheridan’s books and writing (and speaking and broadcasting) over the years. I know his book Resurrection Year has touched people deeply regarding the broken dreams they’ve had to face, and how to find God in the midst of the disappointment. Here’s his next book which is a similar melding of memoir with theology. My endorsement comes from the following:

Having faced a broken dream with courage, Sheridan Voysey set off on pilgrimage, searching to find his calling. What he discovered – amid blisters, aching muscles and broken nights of sleep – was a truth deeper than which project to tackle next. What he found was his identity as a child of God; that glorious knowledge of his place in the world, which informs everything from his career choices to how he treats his wife and the person serving him in the corner shop. He invites us to join him on pilgrimage, walking in the ancient Celtic way while pondering deep truths. Whether or not you can strap on your walking boots, you’ll find Sheridan a warm and winsome companion with whom to delve into the matters of identity, calling, and hearing God’s voice. One to savor, ponder, and share with others. I loved it!

Brave by Debbie Duncan (Monarch). Debbie has been busy writing as well as settling into life in a new city, and she turns next to penning some children’s books. Here’s my endorsement for her book Brave:

Debbie Duncan is an ordinary woman following an extraordinary God. She and her family have faced illness, bereavement and other hardships that seem staggering from the sidelines. How has she coped? Through being brave and resilient, with the help of the Holy Spirit. In Brave she shares stories and tips from her extraordinary journey, which will encourage and strengthen your faith in God.

Grenfell Hope by Gaby Doherty (SPCK). I was honored to help connect Gaby with her publisher after seeing some of her posts on social media and thinking she should extend them into a book. Her stories of being part of the Grenfell Tower community after the horrific fire in the summer of 2017 were wrenching but yet filled with hope. My endorsement:

From her bedroom window, Gaby Doherty watched, horrified, as Grenfell Tower burned. Although stunned, she sprang into action in her community, sharing with others the grief, outrage and pain caused by the fire. Grenfell Hope contains not only her heartfelt account but gives voice to those often overlooked or misrepresented in the media. She shares stories of hope and transformation as ordinary people unite in extraordinary ways. And she reveals how neighbours bear each other’s burdens in Christ and how God reveals his presence in times of great pain. Don’t miss this previously untold story.

NLT Anglicised Bible (SPCK) How chuffed was I to give an endorsement for none other than God’s word! I know, the cheek. He doesn’t need my endorsement. But I was happy to commend the NLT Anglicised version of the Bible. I used the NLT regularly when writing for Our Daily Journey, and found it engaging and easy to read. Here’s my endorsement:

If you’ve read one Bible translation for some time, I recommend trying the new Anglicised NLT for a refreshing change. It’s an easy read with trusted scholarship supporting it.

6 winsome Christian books

Five of the six of these books I featured in the Woman Alive book club – it’s a wonderful community based around the reading and discussing of books. Do join our Facebook group if you fancy.

Love, Henri by Henri Nouwen (Hodder). I adored this compilation of letters by Henri Nouwen, selected from the 16,000 he wrote. His love is so evident in them. Read my full review here.

As Kingfishers Catch Fire by Eugene Peterson (Hodder). I found it so moving to read this book of sermons by a well-loved pastor after learning that he was close to death. As I read this book on a plane to Singapore, it sparked an interesting discussion with a man who had recently relinquished his Mormon faith. Read the full review here.

The Woman of Easter by Liz Curtis Higgs (Waterbrook). The subtitle gives a good idea of what Liz engages with in this thought-provoking and encouraging book: “Encounter the Savior with Mary of Bethany, Mary of Nazareth, and Mary Magdalene.” I simply love Liz’s writing. She’s compelling, warm, and sassy – in a good way. As a writer, I also love her scholarship. When I was researching Mary and Martha for leading a retreat, I found loads of inspiring insights and wisdom in this book. I warmly recommended this book.

Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson (Tyndale). A book about books and the wonders of reading, including many thought-provoking lists of books to read. Full review here.

Once We Were Strangers by Shawn Smucker (Revell). The story of a man in Pennsylvania who learned to love his neighbor when he became friends with a Syrian refugee. Warming, encouraging, and gently convicting. Full review here.

Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved by Kate Bowler (SPCK). Yes, I cried while reading Kate’s book about life with terminal cancer, but I also felt she kept the reader a bit at a distance. Many people LOVED this book – it was on Bill Gates’s summer reading list, for instance. Did you read it, and if so, what did you think? Full review here.

6 top general-market reads

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Fourth Estate). After I read Chimamanda Adichie’s magnificent Half of a Yellow Sun, I bought a copy of Purple Hibiscus, an earlier novel by her. Yet it sat unread for many years until my local book club decided to read it. Again I was transported to Nigeria by Adichie’s vivid writing – I could smell the heady scent of the flowers and feel the sweat running down my back as the hot African sun beat down on me. Our book club found so much to discuss in this book, including the dysfunction of Kambili, the protagonist’s family home versus the freedom she felt at her aunt’s house, how the book acts as a coming-of-age story of Kambili, how religion can be used to oppress, and many other subjects. I recommend this book, especially if you can discuss it with some friends.

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (Tinder Press). Another book by an author I’ve enjoyed – I loved her The Secret Life of Bees, which I’ve read a couple of times. The characters and setting of The Invention of Wings captured me, and I didn’t want to leave them or it. Sarah Grimke is an outsider in her family, one of many children who is given a slave for her 11th birthday. She refuses ownership, thinking that her daddy will approve. But the legal document she drafts appears outside her door, torn in two. For years she thought her mama tore up the document, but it was her father. This incident represents the coming-of-age journey Sarah and the other characters travel throughout this novel.

I didn’t realize how much of the narrative is based on history. The story came alive in the author’s hands, for she writes poetry in prose. I found it a fully enjoyable read, and I especially appreciated the detailed author’s notes at the end. 

So Brave, Young and Handsome by Leif Enger (Quercus). A novel that recounts the journey of a stymied author who tasted success with his first book but whose inkwell has run dry. His home is Minnesota (my home growing up) and the year is 1915. His journey includes a getaway, a rodeo, a Western shoot-out, the river, and the making of boats. Not sold yet? It’s also a journey of discovery and longing, and the filling of his coffers. I enjoyed this book – Leif Enger’s prose pulses with poetry – but with the protagonist a male and all of the main characters also men, I felt a distance from them.

Summer at the Comfort Food Café and Sunshine at the Comfort Food Café by Debbie Johnson (HarperImpulse).

Summer at the Comfort Food Café: I adored this. A strongly painted protagonist in the first person, Laura, is trying to rebuild her life two years after her husband dies unexpectedly at the age of 35, with a teenaged daughter full of angst and pain and a preteen son torn between grief and wanting to play. They upend their life in Manchester for a summer in Dorset on the coast, with Laura working at the Comfort Food Café for Cherie, a bright and welcoming character full of quirks.

I loved the journey of all of the characters as they are embraced by this community on the coast. I could picture the seaside and the café, and also Laura’s slow awakening from the numbing experience of grief. A perfect summertime read – engaging and easy to read, but with plenty to ponder.

Sunshine at the Comfort Food Café: The second I’ve read in Debbie Johnson’s Comfort Food Café series, and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first. It’s chick-lit, but she doesn’t hesitate to tackle tough issues, such as the protagonist Willow caring for her mum who has Alzheimer’s. The characters are quirky and engaging, and I cheered them throughout the story. Definitely a feel-good read, but one that doesn’t leave you feeling empty afterward. Having said that, the denouement was remarkably similar to the other one I read…

The Other Us by Fiona Harper (HQ).What would life be like if… We all wonder about that question at times. What if I’d married? What if I’d not married? What if I’d married him? The protagonist Maggie finds out in this story of her jumping between alternative realities. That’s the only sci-fi part of the novel, that she knows she won’t stay living in each of the scenarios for very long – and that she can’t control switching between them. I could just about handle this level of suspending disbelief.

Ultimately, the book is a study in what love is. True love, that is, not the heady moments of first-love intrigue, but the sacrificial and self-giving love that is not often vaunted in society today. Maggie through switching her lives finds out what it means to love in this way.

A bit mind-bending at times, with one or two hard to reconcile products of this type of plot, but ultimately a book to ponder. I loved conversing with the author about the what-if’s in the plot – she was gracious to chat with me about it.

6 special mentions

A list of some books I read and didn’t make the top list, but I thought I should mention as they have been around in the cultural conversation lately. Did you read any of them? If yes, what did you think?

The Vanity Fair Diaries 1983-1992 by Tina Brown (W&N).I engaged a lot with these diaries, which attracted and repelled me. I blogged twice about it, once on her views on writing and editing, and the other about what she calls Transatlantica.

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan (Two Roads).An enjoyable novel, but not one that I’ll remember in time. I liked the idea of Anthony finding and cataloging lost things, but the level of lost things seemed to push the believability factor – a hair clip, for instance, or a lost glove. Laura was his PA whose inheritance of the lost things – and his house – gives her a new life and purpose, which was redemptive. And Sunshine, the neighbor girl, shone. But the introduction of the ghosts was unnecessary, and the parallel story of Bomber and Eunice confusing.

Three Things about Elsie by Joanna Cannon (The Borough Press). Again, not a book that will stay with me for a long time. I liked Florence, and enjoyed hearing about her life as an octogenarian in the residential care home. But I figured out one of the main plot devices early on, which reduced some of the reading enjoyment for me. 

Educated by Tara Westover (Windmill Books). We had a good discussion about this memoir of a girl’s growing up in the reclusive Idaho Mormon community in my book club. I was glad I read it, but I didn’t rave about it. I wondered if the author should have waited a few decades to write her memoir rather than do it when she was so young.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (Vintage Classics). I generally don’t like to read the book after I’ve seen the film adaptation, but as our book club chose this one, I gave it a go. I did have Elisabeth Moss in my head as Offred, but Margaret Atwood’s strong writing filled out my imagination in this harrowing story of oppression.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Bloomsbury). I read this book years ago when it first came out, and read it again when it was selected for my book club. I enjoyed reading it again, especially as the setting was a beach in Spain. The film was lovely too, even though I understand it wasn’t glorious Guernsey but rather Dorset!

Thank you for making it to the end of my books-in-2018! If you have not yet read my own books, of course I would love it if you could. Reviews are the life-blood of authors too; we are so grateful when you spread the word.

Finding Myself in Britain: Our Search for Faith, Home & True Identity(Authentic Media)
My through-the-year look at life in the UK from an American’s point of view, from Harvest to Wimbledon, with themes of faith, identity, and home woven in. Won several awards!

The Living Cross: Exploring God’s Gift of Forgiveness and New Life (BRF)
If you are on the lookout for a book for Lent, my daily guide is a biblical engagement equally from the Old Testament and the New on the theme of forgiveness, complete with prayer activities and questions for reflection.