This year turned
out to be an excellent year for reading. According to Goodreads, I
read 56 books, which is higher than normal for me. (But that still
doesn’t count the books I edited this year.) I also set a goal of
reading two pre-1920 classics a month, which I’m very glad to say I
accomplished. Of those 56 books, here are the top 15 that will stay
with me the longest:
#15
Romeo
and Juliet
by William Shakespeare
I was actually surprised at how much I liked this play. Knowing the
story before I read it, I hadn’t taken it seriously because of how
young Romeo and Juliet were. Their youth still bothers me (as do
certain characters—ahem, Juliet’s nurse and Mercurio), but the
surprising depth in Juliet’s character really captured me. There
are many beautiful lines, and, somehow, being a tragedy it entrenches
itself more firmly in my mind as I think wistfully of what might have
been. (Interesting side note: While I buddy-read this with my mom in
April 2020, we experienced a “plague” with lockdowns like the
plague that figured significantly in Romeo and Juliet.)
#14
Towers
in the Mist
by Elizabeth Goudge
Although this novel may not have been as deeply affecting to me as
other Goudge novels I’ve read, it drips with her beautifully
characteristic style: rich description and symbolism, well-crafted
characters, and a setting vividly brought to life. The genuine
historical characters, like Walter Raleigh and Philip Sidney, add
zest and a feeling of reality. I truly felt I had visited late
sixteenth-century Oxford. Time-traveling is one of my favorite
hobbies! Find the book on Goodreads HERE.
#13
A
Holy Passion
by Alicia G. Ruggieri
This was a hard book to read. But so good. Ruggieri weaves a
heartbreaking story around real events in the lives of David Brainerd
and Jerusha Edwards. David Brainerd was a missionary to the Native
Americans in the mid-1700s, and when he got sick and stayed with the
Edwards family, Jerusha helped care for him. A Holy Passion
beautifully depicted the reality of loving and desiring God above
everything else, inspiring me to reevaluate my life and actively
delight in the Lord. Read my full review HERE.
#12
Great
Expectations
by Charles Dickens
Dickens is one of my favorite authors. Although Great Expectations
may not have reached as high in my affections as two of his other
novels (Little Dorrit and Bleak House), it
showcases Dickens’s masterful writing, plot weaving, and character
creating and explores what it means to be a truly successful human
being. Pip, the main character and narrator, takes us on his
twisting, turning journey of discovery when he mysteriously inherits
a lot of money that promises to make him into a “gentleman” in
Victorian society. But there is far more to his journey than he ever
imagined. Read my full review HERE.
#11
The
Woman in White
by Wilkie Collins
This was a very fun read. A mystery that begins with the
identity of a young woman dressed in white becomes more and more
layered and suspenseful as the story rolls forward. This Victorian
novel contains a bevy of compelling characters, chief among them
Walter Hargrave, Marian Halcombe, Laura Fairlie, and Count Fosco,
whose lives intertwine in a plot that kept me breathlessly guessing
until the very end. Read my full review HERE.
#10
Deerbrook
by Harriet Martineau
This early Victorian novel (published the first year of Victoria’s
reign, 1838) was a fascinating read. Standing as a bridge between
early nineteenth-century fiction and what would become a hallmark of
Victorian literary style—the multilayered domestic novel—Deerbrook
contains many details of daily life within various lifestyles.
The characters and their story were also endearing, especially
primary characters Edward Hope and Hester and Margaret Ibbotson. Find
the book on Goodreads HERE.
#9
The
Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
Written
by Himself
This fascinating and affecting autobiography was published by an
incredible African man to help the efforts of the British
abolitionists in the eighteenth century. Slave narratives were vital
in showing Europeans that Africans were people created in God’s
image, too, and should therefore be treated equally. It’s a
valuable resource into the horrifying history that we must face and
acknowledge in order to move forward in the ongoing struggle for
complete racial reconciliation. Find it on Goodreads HERE.
#8
Virgil
Wander
by Leif Enger
The newest novel from one of my favorite contemporary authors, Virgil
Wander did not disappoint. I love Enger’s rich, unconventional
prose, the way he breathes life into every detail and character, and
the nostalgic atmosphere of the plot. Set in a dying town in
modern-day northern Minnesota, this novel still has a classic feel
that sinks deep and makes you appreciate life. Read my full review
HERE.
#7
Pride
and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
If I’ve read a Jane Austen novel during the year, it’s going on
my top reads. This was only my second time reading Pride and
Prejudice, and honestly I’d forgotten how good it is, not to
mention funny, profound, and relatively fast-paced. Austen’s
ability to sketch an iconic character with a few quick lines always
amazes and delights me.
#6
The
Song of the Lark
by Willa Cather
I usually only love a book if I love the main character. This is one
exception. Cather’s writing is beautiful as she captures
characters’ emotions and interactions or describes the stirring
landscapes of the West. The Song of the Lark depicts the
journey of a singer, Thea Kronberg, from her humble origins in
Colorado through all the heartache and hard work of building an
artistic career. It also explores art and the true cost and meaning
of success in the pursuit of it. Read my full review HERE.
#5
The
Little House Series
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
This year I reread most of this beloved series for the first time
since I was a kid. I’d forgotten how charming and absorbing it is.
It seems I was always aware of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her books. My
mom and I read them while I was homeschooled as the basis of a unit
study, and I felt unsure if they’d stand up to my childhood
fondness for them. Well, if anything, I love them even more now.
Wilder’s descriptions of life in the olden days and the warm family
relationships never lose their appeal. The books are even more
important to me now because I’m writing a story that is inspired by
them.
#4
Anna
Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy
I’d been meaning to read this epic novel for years, but it daunted
me. I finally took the plunge and thought it was incredible! Leo
Tolstoy is the first Russian writer I’ve encountered, and now he’s
one of my favorite writers. The stories of the numerous characters in
Anna Karenina are deeply moving, from the gradual downfall of
Anna to the arduous upward climb of Konstantin Levin, a man Tolstoy
patterned after himself. It’s a book to really make you think about
your moral choices and goals in life. Read my full review HERE.
#3
The
Other Bennet Sister
by Janice Hadlow
This became my favorite Regency novel by a non-Regency author. I’d
always felt a little sorry for marginalized Mary, the middle Bennet
sister in Pride and Prejudice. Bookish and awkward, she needed
to grow. The Other Bennet Sister recounts some of the events
in Pride and Prejudice from Mary’s perspective and then goes
on to trace her path afterward. It’s a deep coming-of-age story
that I could relate to, told in an authentic yet completely readable
historical voice that immersed me in the Regency period. Read my full review HERE.
#2
Sir
Gibbie
by George MacDonald
This book awed me. I grew up thinking MacDonald’s Scottish novels
in their original form were inaccessible ... but that is certainly
not the case, especially now with David Jack’s side-by-side
translation of the Doric dialect into English. MacDonald’s works
are profound and beautiful, his language flowing and poetic, and I’m
so glad they are being republished like this. All this novel’s
characters are memorable and meaningful, but none more so than Sir
Gibbie himself, a mute boy with a heart full of love for mankind. The
Christian values encased in his inspiring story weave their way into
your heart. Check it out on Goodreads HERE.
#1
Why
Care about Israel?
by Sandra Teplinsky
From the back cover: “No one can read the Bible and deny that God
has specific plans for the Jewish nation. From the moment he created
Israel, he loved her and set a plan in motion that is yet to be
fulfilled. What is that plan? What does it mean for Arab peoples? How
are Christians to respond?”
This book helped me reaffirm my commitment to care about Israel, pray
for her, and support her now more than ever in these stormy times
when the tide of world opinion is more against her, and God, than
ever. A must-read for every Christian. Find it on Goodreads HERE.
(The updated version is HERE.)
What were your favorite reads of 2020?
