What I Read in 2019

I stayed up way too late last night reading. Sound familiar? I was finishing off the massive bestseller Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, which lives up to the hype. It took me awhile to get into the story, as it jumps backwards and forwards in time, but once I was in the world of the North Carolina marsh, I was hooked. I’m so looking forward to discussing it with my local book club.

What else? This year I’ve read 51 books – 20 fewer than last year, which I think was because in 2018 I was still recovering from the exertions of doing my MA in Christian spirituality the year before, and therefore reading to recuperate.

As I look over my list, I see holes in the categories of weightier books that I want to read but haven’t yet made the time or effort to do so. A good reminder for me to plan times into the schedule for this type of reading, or it won’t happen.

I always enjoy recommending books to the Woman Alive book club, which you can find here. I recommended 16 books throughout 2019, including those by Eugene Peterson, Shawn Smucker, Gemma Simmonds, Alia Joy, Pete Greig, and Amy Scott Robinson. I highlighted books to help you in your Christian journey (such as this fine one on how to go on retreat), some good novels (I gave top marks to Brunch at the Bittersweet Café), a few memoirs, and Lent and Advent books. If you subscribe, you’ll also be able to read the interviews with people such as Sharon Garlough Brown, author of the beloved “Sensible Shoes” series, and Revd David Adam, former vicar of Holy Island.

I won’t laboriously go through the full list of over fifty that I read, but instead point to a few from several categories:

• 4 books for which I gave commendations,
• 2 books published by Christian publishers that I didn’t highlight in the Woman Alive book club but which are worth your time,
• 2 general-market memoirs, and
• 5 general-market novels that I gave top marks.

As I look over the stars I awarded, see only two books receiving 5-out-of-5 stars and only one novel that I dismissed with just 1 star. Scroll to the bottom to see which one that was and disagree with me if you’d like!

Four books I loved commending

Remember Me by Sharon Garlough Brown. The sequel to Sharon’s latest, Shades of Light (see below), which explores mental health, spiritual formation, and Vincent Van Gogh. I loved being able to see the Van Gogh exhibition at the Tate in London this summer with Sharon and her family; a huge privilege. We were the first to enter that day, and she shot to the end of the exhibition, with me trailing behind her. What an inspired move – we had whole rooms to ourselves for the first forty-five minutes or so.

About this book I said: I’ve already read Remember Me more than once, and as with all of Sharon Brown’s novels, I’ll savor it again. Through her true-to-life characters and powerful story she interweaves themes of suffering, lament, and mental health with beauty, hope, and resurrection. When I finished it, my faith in our living, loving God was strengthened and renewed.

Image of the Invisible by Amy Scott Robinson. You’ve already heard me rave about Amy’s Advent book! Here’s my endorsement:

What a stunning gift this book is! Open it day by day as you ponder the God who reveals himself as a burning bush, weaver, gardener, shepherd, king, and, of course, baby. Amy Robinson helps us to unwrap the images of the invisible, the God who became flesh. Her book is a masterpiece of metaphor, a creative unlocking of what we might have missed. Through her creative, thought-provoking, deep and winsome writing, she leads us to the God who makes himself known.

Walking Back to Happiness by Penelope Swithinbank. A memoir with a difference. Here is my endorsement:

I unknowingly finished Walking Back to Happiness on Penelope and Kim’s forty-second wedding anniversary. That’s fitting, for as she so movingly recounts, their great walk across France helped them journey back to a loving and fruitful partnership. Poignant and constructive, it’s one to enjoy and ponder – perhaps from the comfort of your home!

Face to Face by Jen Baker. Jen’s faith never fails to inspire me. Here’s my blurb for her latest:

How can we see God face to face? Jen Baker looks to the story of Moses, and how he, with all of his faults and foibles, was led into the presence of God and became a world changer. With deep vulnerability Jen shares stories of how she too encounters the living Lord. You’ll find her a trustworthy and inspiring guide, one who models radical faith.

Two books by Christian publishers

Shades of Light by Sharon Garlough Brown. I loved Sharon’s “Sensible Shoes” series of novels that bring to life the spiritual disciplines, and looked forward to reading her new book in a new series. I was surprised but heartened by her addressing mental-health issues through a modern-day character’s engagement with Vincent Van Gogh. I believe this story will touch many deeply.

Here’s Sharon in her own words, from an excerpt from an interview with her that I organized for Woman Alive, the July issue:

People close to me have been deeply impacted by depression and anxiety, and I’m concerned that we in the church haven’t done a great job in caring for them with compassion. I know too many people who have been wounded by the message, “If you just had more faith,” or “If you just read more Scripture,” or “If you just trusted Jesus more, then you shouldn’t struggle with mental illness. Don’t you know anxiety is a sin?” Mental illness is already isolating, and to layer guilt and shame on top of it only exacerbates the pain.

My prayer is that the afflicted will be comforted through Wren’s story and that they will feel as if they have been seen, known, and heard. But it’s not just the mentally ill who are suffering. It’s also those who love them. I hope the co-sufferers—the ones who long to help, support, or “fix” and who feel helpless and discouraged—will also be comforted by the story of Wren’s mother, Jamie. And I hope the church is challenged to help break the stigma and offer love and advocacy in tangible, life-giving ways.

The Butterfly Train by Sue Mills. Sue’s book has been out for a few years, but it’s not dated. I gobbled it up in one sitting, gripped by the story. I’ve met the lovely Sue in her capacity as a worship leader, and as I started to read I could hardly believe that this was her story. Her path as a teenager is not something I would have guessed, for God has transformed her utterly. One to read for an example of how God brings true change and release. I think you will find it inspiring.

Two general-market memoirs

Hard Pushed by Leah Hazard. What a wonderful memoir by a midwife, a mixture of her early days in the profession along with her reflections after working for a few years. Her care for the patient comes across clearly in her engaging stories. Gritty and heartbreaking at times, but without the gratuitous language of This is Going to Hurt. I hope her book will do as well as Adam Kay’s, but fear it won’t – after all, will as many men read about women having babies as a book of memories by a male junior doctor?

I highly recommend this account, which makes me all the more grateful for the NHS but alarmed for its future.

All That Remains by Sue Black. A fascinating look at death – and life – from the point of view of a forensic anthropologist. Sue Black shares from her career in examining the human body after death in order to help the living. She’s been involved in major crises, such as that in Kosovo, trying to identify those who died in horrific conditions. 

Some of the chapters had me gripped, and I learned a lot, but some of the chapters I skimmed through or skipped, as the detail seemed too great. I did persevere to the end though and appreciated her views on death. We need to talk about death more in our culture, and her voice is an important one to add to the discussion. 

Five general-market novels

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. When I was visiting my parents in St. Paul, Minnesota, over the summer, I read an interview with the author about his latest book. Sufficiently intrigued by this Minnesota author, I thereafter bought a copy of this novel of this, his first foray into literary fiction, which has won awards. It didn’t disappoint. What a haunting, lyrical, and ultimately redemptive story. One to savor and ponder.

I’m glad I didn’t know any of the major plotlines, as I enjoyed the freshness of reading without too much guessing ahead (although at the end I did). Which is why I’m not saying much about it here.

I’m currently now two-thirds of the way through listening to This Tender Land, the novel he was interviewed about over the summer. I was fascinated by the note at the beginning by the author. He relayed how stifled he’d been by trying to write a novel after the praise for Ordinary Grace. He wrote the book he thought he should write and submitted it to the publisher. But he never could get rid of the niggling sense that it wasn’t right, so he pulled that novel out of publication. With the pressure off, he then was able to write This Tender Land, which is equally gorgeous, lyrical, and thought provoking.

Flight of the Maidens by Jane Gardam. An enjoyable read while I was in Paris. I really enjoyed the snapshot into the lives of three young women after the Second World War in England. The book takes place at a pivotal time in their lives, the last summer before they go to university. The novel has themes of friendship, identity, loss, and hope. Beautiful!

A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier. I’ve read many of Tracey Chevalier’s books, and so approached her new one with the expectation for good writing backed up by strong historical research. This one didn’t disappoint. 

I warmed to Violet, the late-thirties protagonist between the wars whose family and future was decimated by World War I, with her older brother and fiancé both killed in action and a surviving mother marked by bitterness. Violet escapes her mother’s oppressive house in Southampton to go work in Winchester as a typist, where she starts to build her life. Her faith rocked by all of the loss, she starts to find solace in Winchester Cathedral. And community in the broderers, those who craft the kneelers and other needlepoint articles. 

The novel focuses on the broderers and bellringers, two parts of the Cathedral community which are often overlooked. I enjoyed how the author brought these art-creators to life, but sometimes I skimmed through the longer descriptions. 

As I neared the end of the book, I wondered how Chevalier would tie up the relationships. I guessed the main action of the ending, which sadly seemed predictable from a modern novelist. Still, a book I would recommend.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. One of the joys of being part of a local book club is how it introduces one to books you’d probably not come across otherwise. This is one of those. It’s a quirky novel translated from the Japanese. I felt intrigued by the protagonist, Keiko, who feels most at home at her job in a convenience store. One to enjoy for its different look at life.

My Name is Leon by Kit de Waal. A sweet and poignant story of a ten-year-old boy who is put into care, written from his point of view, which adds to the sadness of the situation. But ultimately heartening.

And the one to which I gave only one star? Scoop by Evelyn Waugh. I wanted to like it, but I just couldn’t.

Enjoyed this and want some more recommendations from previous years? Here’s my list for 2018, 2017 (warning – long!), 2016 (8 great reads), and 2015 (another long list, including some I commissioned).