This Year in Reading
If you went just by numbers, it might look like I spent this year doing little but re-reading mysteries, Grace Livingston Hill, and Mitford books. Actually those were my speed reads, a.k.a. some much-needed macaroni and cheese.
I don't remember reading any new (or new-to-me) fiction this year that really knocked my socks off. (I hope to do better on that in 2023). The best books I read were non-fiction, especially the ones listed under Christian Thought, and some of which took me most of the year to get around to reading (after I finished reading everything I had to on William Morris). But those were almost all astonishingly good, especially Adorning the Dark, Breaking Bread with the Dead, and Lifting the Veil; also Philip Yancey's memoir Where the Light Fell, which had some unexpected parallels to Jan Karon's Home to Holly Springs which I was re-reading at about the same time. So, not always just macaroni and cheese.
The most practical book was The Lazy Genius Way; it's something that could be applied in many different situations. It's a good complement to Dana K. White's decluttering books.
("R" is my code for re-read.)
Not Done Yet
George MacDonald, the Best from All His Works
MacDonald, George
Songs from the Silent Passage: Essays on the Works of Walter Wangerin Jr.
Peterson, Eugene
Faith, Hope and Poetry: Theology and the Poetic Imagination
Guite, Malcolm
Disappearing Ink: Poetry at the End of Print Culture
Gioia, Dana
My Utmost for His Highest
Chambers, Oswald
Ourselves (R)
Mason, Charlotte
The Conscious Closet (R)
Cline, Elizabeth L.
Cookbooks
Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen
Brown, Alton
Bare Minimum Dinners: Recipes and Strategies for Doing Less in the Kitchen
Helwig, Jenna
Saving Dinner (R) (we're currently cooking our way through this book)
Ely, Leanne
Getting Things Done
The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn't, and Get Stuff Done (R)
Adachi, Kendra
The Folding Lady: Always Solutions, Never Problems: Simple Home Hacks Room by Room to Make Life That Little Bit Easier
Liard, Sophie
Minimalista: Your Step-by-Step Guide to a Better Home, Wardrobe, and Life
Gill, Shira
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything
Fogg, B.J.
Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control
White, Dana K.
Effortless: Make It Easy to Get the Right Things Done
McKeown, Greg
Shop, Save, and Share (R)
Kay, Ellie
Clothing and Style
Dress Your Best Life: How to Use Fashion Psychology to Take Your Look -- and Your Life -- to the Next Level
Karen, Dawnn
How to Not Wear Black: Find Your Style and Create Your Forever Wardrobe (R)
Murphy, Anna
Toss the Gloss: Beauty Tips, Tricks & Truths for Women 50+
Robinson, Andrea Q.
The Ultimate Book of Outfit Formulas: A Stylish Solution to What Should I Wear? (R)
Lumbatis, Alison
Education, Homeschooling, and Charlotte Mason Things
School Education: Developing A Curriculum (R)
Mason, Charlotte M.
The Convivial Homeschool: Gospel Encouragement for Keeping Your Sanity While Living and Learning Alongside Your Kids
Winckler, Mystie
This Country of Ours: The Story of the United States Volume 1: H. E. Marshall's "This Country of Ours" - Annotated, Expanded, and Updated
Marshall, H.E., and Breckenridge, Donna-Jean
Christian Thought
A Mind for God (R)
White, James Emery
The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction (could have been under Getting Things Done, but I had to put it somewhere)
Earley, Justin Whitmel
Downstream from Eden: The Amazing Gift of Water for a Thirsty World
Knight, David L.
Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning
Pearcey, Nancy R.
Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making
Peterson, Andrew
Breaking Bread with the Dead: A Reader's Guide to a More Tranquil Mind
Jacobs, Alan
Lifting the Veil: Imagination and the Kingdom of God
Guite, Malcolm
Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church
Evans, Rachel Held
Biography
On Our Way Rejoicing (R)
Trobisch, Ingrid
Where the Light Fell
Yancey, Philip
To A Different Drum (R)
Hamilton, Pauline G
William Morris / Arts and Crafts books
Peacock & Vine: On William Morris and Mariano Fortuny
Byatt, A.S.
The Art of William Morris in Cross Stitch
Hammet, Barbara
Living with Arts & Crafts (R) (and a couple of others I can't think of right now)
Shaw, Ros Byam
At Home with Beatrix Potter: The Creator of Peter Rabbit
Denyer, Susan
William Morris and Morris Co.
Van der Post, Lucia
Literary Criticism
The Well-Tempered Critic
Frye, Northrop
Poetry
Polishing the Petoskey Stone: Selected Poems (R)
Shaw, Luci
Rivers Among Rocks
Gustafson, Ralph
General Fiction
Dandelion Wine (R)
Bradbury, Ray
Piranesi
Clarke, Susanna
Passage
Willis, Connie
All the Light We Cannot See (R)
Doerr, Anthony
C.S. Lewis books
Out of the Silent Planet (The Space Trilogy, #1) (R)
Lewis, C.S.
Perelandra (The Space Trilogy, #2) (R)
Lewis, C.S.
That Hideous Strength (The Space Trilogy, #3) (R)
Lewis, C.S.
The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia, #7) (R)
Lewis, C.S.
Mitford Books
A New Song (Mitford Years, #5) (R) (I think I might have re-read #4, Out to Canaan, as well)
Karon, Jan
Home to Holly Springs (Mitford Years, #10) (R)
Karon, Jan
Come Rain or Come Shine (Mitford Years, #13) (R)
Karon, Jan
To Be Where You Are (Mitford Years #14) (R)
Karon, Jan
Bathed in Prayer: Father Tim's Prayers, Sermons, and Reflections from the Mitford Series
Karon, Jan
A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort and Celebration, Collected by Father Tim (R)
Karon, Jan
Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader (R)
Karon, Jan
Mysteries of all Sorts
The Cluttered Corpse (R)
Maffini, Mary Jane
Death Plans a Perfect Trip
Maffini, Mary Jane
The Four False Weapons (Henri Bencolin, #5) (R)
Carr, John Dickson
At Bertram's Hotel (R)
Christie, Agatha
Hallowe'en Party (Hercule Poirot, #32) (R)
Christie, Agatha
A Presumption of Death (Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane, #2) (R)
Walsh, Jill Paton
Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey, #1) (R)
Sayers, Dorothy L.
The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Lord Peter Wimsey #5) (R)
Sayers, Dorothy L.
Strong Poison (Lord Peter Wimsey, #5) (R)
Sayers, Dorothy L.
The Five Red Herrings (Lord Peter Wimsey, #6) (R)
Sayers, Dorothy L.
Have His Carcase (Lord Peter Wimsey #8) (R)
Sayers, Dorothy L.
The Nine Tailors (Lord Peter Wimsey, #9) (R)
Sayers, Dorothy L.
Gaudy Night (Lord Peter Wimsey, #12) (R)
Sayers, Dorothy L.
Busman's Honeymoon (Lord Peter Wimsey, #13) (R)
Sayers, Dorothy L.
St. Peter's Fair (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, #4) (R)
Peters, Ellis
The Leper of Saint Giles (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #5) (R)
Peters, Ellis
The Rose Rent (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, #13) (R)
Peters, Ellis
The Hermit of Eyton Forest (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, #14) (R)
Peters, Ellis
The Potter's Field (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, #17) (R)
Peters, Ellis
The Grass Widow's Tale (The Felse Investigations #7)
Peters, Ellis
The House of Green Turf (Felse, #8)
Peters, Ellis
Somewhat Corny Christian Fiction (including a strange way to spell Esther)
Rose Galbraith
Hill, Grace Livingston
Where Two Ways Met
Hill, Grace Livingston
Marigold
Hill, Grace Livingston
More Than Conqueror
Hill, Grace Livingston
Partners (R)
Hill, Grace Livingston
Amorelle
Hill, Grace Livingston
The Christmas Bride
Hill, Grace Livingston
Kerry
Hill, Grace Livingston
Matched Pearls
Hill, Grace Livingston
Ariel Custer
Hill, Grace Livingston
Ester Ried's Namesake
Pansy
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Pansy
The King's Daughter
Pansy
Echoing and Re-echoing (The Ester Ried Series Book 5)
Huntington, Faye
Wise and Otherwise
Alden, Isabella MacDonald
Children’s Books
The King's Shadow
Alder, Elizabeth
I Saw Three Ships (R)
Goudge, Elizabeth
Miss Twiggley's Tree (R)
Fox, Dorothea Warren
Wolves
Gravett, Emily
A Place to Hang the Moon
Albus, Kate
Christmas Farm
Ray, Mary Lyn
Truly Miscellaneous
Crissy Doll and Her Friends: Guide for Collectors (R)
Gunther, Beth
Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds: A 50-Year Treasury of Art and Design
Nicholas, Stephen
