I love books. A lot. They are one of the ways I both relax and learn. 2020 wasn’t my highest reading year ever, but I’m happy with it and still read lots of good books!
I broke the books into 4 broad categories:
Fiction, biography/memoir, non-fiction, and chapter books read with the kids. Be thankful that I left off the hundreds (over a thousand) picture books we read over the last year. 😉
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Books with an asterisk were my very favorites!
Fiction:
Ivanhoe
At the Back of the North Wind
Anne of Green Gables*
Anne of Avonlea*
Anne of the Island
Anne of Windy Poplars
The Winged Watchman
Bridge to Terabithia
A Girl of the Limberlost*
Freckles
Stepping Heavenward*
I hadn’t read any of those books in probably close to 20 years. My oldest daughter and I read the Anne books separately and want to finish the series this year. It was so fun fun re-read those. (Next I need to have a movie watching party with her.) Of course Ivanhoe and At the Back of the North Wind are great classics too.
If you haven’t read A Girl of the Limberlost do so, but read Freckles first. They are such enjoyable books. A side note, there is an old move of A Girl of the Limberlost and I watched it in my early teens. It was horrible and I despised it. One day my mom said the next thing she was going to read aloud to me was that book. I pitched a fit but ended up loving it!
Moral of the story is: Never judge a book by its movie.
Non Fiction:
Mere Christianity*
Girls’ Club
The Deepest Well*
Forgotten God
Approaching God: How to Pray
Grace for the Good Girl
Stop Calling Me Beautiful*
Why Motherhood Matters
She’s Still There
Who Made God?
The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness
The Years That Matter Most
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes*
Evicted
Your New Money Mindset
Tears We Cannot Stop
Glow Kids*
You need to read The Deepest Well. It will help you understand others. If you interact with kids, are a teacher, volunteer in kids ministry – please read it. It has also helped me be more understanding towards adults I struggled with.
Glow Kids is a great, eye-opening, sad look at kids and screens. Parents and people that work with children/teens need to read it, just to be aware!
This is my second time through Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes and I still find myself referencing it. Another must read. Of course Mere Christianity is always up there too.
Stop Calling Me Beautiful. So often we, especially women, are given a watered down Christianity. This is the call to go deeper with Jesus and dig into the Word which I am all about.
Biography/Memoir:
The Choice*
Union: A Democrat, A Reuplican, and a Search for Common Ground
Finding Chika
George Mueller
1776*
Three Cups of Tea
Hidden Figures
Atlas Girl
Jumping Through Fires
It feels like well over a year ago that I read 1776, but I enjoy reading anything by David McCoullough. Learning history is enlightening and needed. (Read John Adams after this one.)
I loved The Choice. Edith was a survivor of Auschwitz. She tells her hard story of finding freedom well after the war had ended and her journey as a therapist and a few individuals she helped worked through their own trauma.
Even thought I only asterisked 2 of these books, I actually quite enjoyed all of them! It’s fascinating to learn the stories of other people, perspectives and times. They are worth reading.
Read to the Kids:
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Cat Stories
On the Banks of Plum Creek
By the Shores of Silver Lake
Happy Little Family
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
North! Or Be Eaten
The Monster in the Hollows
Wednesdays in the Tower
Thursdays with the Crown
Charlotte’s Web
Pippi Longstocking
Shiloh
The Tale of Despereaux
Winter Cottage
Rabbit Hill
The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew
So many fun books I got to enjoy with my 3 kids this year. The first 3 books in The Wingfeather Saga were such a looked forward to part of our evenings as we listed to Andrew Peterson read them aloud each night on Facebook.
My 7 year old boy’s favorites from the list are: the 2 Little House books, the 3 Wingfeather saga books, Wednesdays in the Tower, Thursdays with the Crown, and Winter Cottage. (The Little House series is also one to discuss with your kids the treatment of Indigenous people and how they are talked about in the series.)Â
The 9 year old says Wingfeather Saga topped her list.
My 4 year old proclaimed Rabbit Hill her favorite.
Hopefully this list gives you some reading inspiration. If you need more ideas, you can check out these posts from previous years:
- Favorite Books Read in 2019
- Favorite Books Read in 2018
- Book List for 2014
- Favorite Books Read in 2013
