21 Books for 2021

Hi everyone! A good friend of mine did a "21 Books for 2021" post on Facebook, and I liked the idea so much I decided to do the same, albeit here on my blog.

I don't know about you all, but I spent a lot of time at home last year due to lockdown restrictions! That meant I had a lot of time to READ. I read a LOT of books. I'm not keeping pace as well this year - I rediscovered a TV series I had on DVD and that's cut into my reading time! I need to get back to my books...

I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite books from 2020. I hope you find something you enjoy as much as I did!

Fiction

I do enjoy a good story. Or ten. Staying up until the wee hours of the morning is great...until you have to get up the next day!

Ashtown Burials series by N. D. Wilson - These were a re-read. I will warn you up front - book four was never published due to what I understand was some kind of a publishing snafu. I was vastly disappointed several years ago when I got to the end of book 3 and realized that I couldn't finish the story! But last year the author started releasing the fourth book chapter by chapter, so I decided I needed to reread the first three again. The story follows three orphaned siblings as they go from managing a rundown, unimpressive hotel in the American Midwest to being inducted into a secret society and fighting all sorts of battles. N. D. Wilson is definitely one of my favorite modern-day fantasy/adventure authors.

Outlaws of Time trilogy, also by N. D Wilson - This book involves a lot of time travel, and is VERY trippy, but is super fun. It's really hard to explain due to the constantly shifting plotline (did I mention time travel??) but it chronicles the exploits of Sam Miracle and the Lost Boys as they try to save the world. These are the only books in the list I didn't read in 2020 - well, I read the third one, as I was finally able to borrow it on Kindle from the library after waiting a very long time for them to purchase it.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - This book is the first in a trilogy. (All three books are set in the same world and the stories are somewhat interlinked, but only marginally.) Sophie and her two sisters work in a hat-making shop, but eventually the business has to close and the three girls are sent off by their mother to make decent lives for themselves. Sophie, however, is turned into an old lady by a grumpy witch who casts a spell on her. She sets off after the mysterious, ominous, moving castle that keeps showing up in different places outside of town - despite the fact that Howl, the owner of the castle, is rumored to eat the hearts of young ladies. (Well, she isn't exactly young anymore, is she?) The writing is engaging and humorous; the plotline is interesting. They made an anime movie from it, and although it doesn't follow the book very well at all, it's still worth watching. But do read the book.

House of Many Ways, also by Diana Wynne Jones - This is the third book in the trilogy. I didn't particularly care for the second, so I'm not featuring it here. This book tells the story of a young girl house-sitting for her wizard uncle while he is away, and solving a mystery along the way. It's also very entertaining.

Non-Fiction

Finding God in My Loneliness by Lydia Brownback - This was the first book I read in 2020, so it's a bit stretching for me to try to remember enough to review it, but I do remember it was very good. At the beginning of the year, I wasn't struggling with loneliness at all, so I was reading the book more on the recommendation of a friend than I was for myself. Then, lockdown hit and with it, tremendous loneliness! (I do think I need to reread this one.) It talks about the different aspects of loneliness, shows that it's not necessarily a bad thing, and explains that loneliness points us to Christ, who ultimately fulfills us.

Future Grace by John Piper - I read this together with a friend. I will warn you, this is a very LONG book, and Piper is not exactly a light read - he does tend to repeat concepts a lot. He looks at at least 30 different facets of the concept of future grace - one chapter for each day of the month. I didn't know there were so many ways to look at one idea. However, the idea he is trying to hammer home is invaluable - we persevere now because of the hope of God giving us grace in the future, ultimately in Heaven. We believe that God WILL be enough and WILL keep His promises.

50 Days of Heaven by Randy Alcorn - I can't say enough good things about this book! Don't let the title throw you - it's not one of those fad books where the author went to heaven for x number of hours and talked to an angel or something. This is the devotional version of his longer book, Heaven, and I loved the short one so much I'm reading the long one now. So often we have a misty, vague idea of what Heaven will be like, and we don't really look forward to it very much. Alcorn explains in detail what the Bible says about Heaven and although we don't know exactly what everything will be like, he gives a lot clearer picture and stirs up my desire for it in a way that really makes me long to be with Christ! 

Safely Home by Randy Alcorn - I guess this should technically be in the fiction category, but it sure has a lot of truth in it! It follows the story of a fictional Christian in China as he is persecuted for his faith throughout his life - but the end is glorious. It really helps encourage us to persevere here on earth. Note: I will say, I can usually tell when a work of fiction is written by a man. This isn't a bad thing, but male authors do tend to have a certain detailed writing style. Not everyone will enjoy the pages and pages on Chinese history/economics/etc., but, the story is wonderful.

Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors - Her first book, Kisses from Katie, was what initially sparked my interest in coming to Africa, although I certainly didn't think it would look like it does! It's been a long time since I read it, so I wasn't sure if I would get as much out of the sequel or if it would be kind of "fluffy" - I've changed a lot in my time here. I'm happy to say that the second book was even better than the first. It is definitely NOT fluffy - it's amazing, and it shows how the author has found Christ inexpressibly beautiful in the trials of her everyday life in Uganda.

Friend-ish: Reclaiming Real Friendship in a Culture of Confusion by Kelly Needham - This book needs a warning label, and pretty much everyone I've recommended it to agrees. If you struggle with any friendship issues (and probably, even if you don't think you do), it will cut you to the quick. Sometimes it felt like shards of glass were embedded in the pages. But, it was a healing hurt. It is hard to see your own sin, but it's necessary for change. There is hope - although you don't get to it until around chapter 6, so keep going!

Messy Beautiful Friendship by Christine Hoover - This is also a really good book on friendship and the issues that arise regarding it. It's pretty convicting too! It helps show that what we so often expect from friendship isn't truly biblical - but it does give us hope for strong Christian relationships.

Trusting God by Jerry Bridges - This was a reread. I think it may have been the third time I've reread this book - and it is so worth it. It shows how to trust in God, we need to believe that He is sovereign AND loving AND wise, and it explores the different aspects of trusting Him and all the different situations where He is in control.

Transforming Homosexuality: What the Bible Says about Sexual Orientation and Change by Denny Burk and Heath Lambert - I also read this one close to the beginning of the year, so I don't remember all of it, but I do remember that it was really good and gives a very practical, Biblical, compassionate approach to helping our Christian brothers and sisters who struggle with same-sex attraction.

Gay Girl, Good God by Jackie Hill Perry - This book is the story of one woman's battle with SSA and her journey to faith. The first part is an excellent, gripping, spoken-word autobiography. (Trigger warning - some parts MIGHT be a bit much for some people who struggle with these issues, although it doesn't bother everyone.) The second part is made up of practical, biblical resources. The audiobook edition is wonderful, too, as she is a poet and reads it herself.

Openness Unhindered by Rosaria Butterfield - I read a lot of books on homosexuality this year because I wrote a research paper related to it, but they were all just so good that I wanted to share them with you here. This one deals with the nature of identity and gives a biblical look at it. It is a bit heady/deep, but it's written by a former English professor, so that's to be expected.

Holy Sexuality and the Gospel by Christopher Yuan - This book is also a really good, practical resource to explore the different aspects of biblical relationships and sexuality.

The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy and Kathy Keller - I studied marriage all year in my biblical counseling studies, and this is hands down my favorite book on marriage. I've struggled a lot with having a right view of marriage, because as a growing-older single, it's so often pushed on me with the overwhelming impression that being in a relationship is the ONE way to ULTIMATE happiness. As a single person, I highly recommend this book. It helped me develop a more biblical, balanced perspective of marriage - to appreciate the beauty of God's design without desiring marriage above all else.

Here's to more good reading in 2021!