My Top Ten Reads of 2024

2024 was an outstanding year for reading! Out of the 67 books I read and reviewed, 42 of them (63%) were 4 or 5 star reads. Only 3 books (4%) received a 2 star rating from me. One third of the books were 3 star reads. In looking back over the quarterly lists, I highly recommended ten books:

Do You Pray? by J. C. Ryle - Christian Nonfiction

Loving Him Well by Gary Thomas - Christian Nonfiction

A Lifelong Love by Gary Thomas - Christian Nonfiction

Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner - Historical Fiction

If I Were You by Lynn Austin - Historical Fiction

Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan - Middle Grade Historical Fiction

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Fiction Classic

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - Fiction

Catching Foxes by John Henderson - Christian Nonfiction

Waiting Isn't a Waste by Mark Vroegop - Christian Nonfiction

I would like to give an honorable mention to the following five books:

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles - Historical Fiction

Authentically, Izzy by Pepper Basham - Humorous Christian Romance

The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold - Christian Fiction

Hope is the First Dose by Dr. W. Lee Warren - Christian Nonfiction

Funny Story by Emily Henry - Humorous Romance

2024 - Fourth Quarter Review

To assist my blog readers, I summarize my reading four times a year, providing a brief description, genre, the page count, and a grading scale (💖5 thumbs up - highly recommend, 4 thumbs up - enjoyed, 3 thumbs up - good, 2 thumbs up - meh, and 1 thumb down - regret, wishing I could get back the time invested). I read the following books during the fourth quarter of 2024 (links to full reviews can be found in the side-bar, or after 2024, found through the search bar at the right):

💖Catching Foxes: A Gospel-Guided Journey to Marriage by John Henderson - A pre-marital workbook with value to all pre-married and married couples. Nonfiction - Christian Living. 296 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 9-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍👍👍

The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh - Two women embark upon a road trip that challenges their life decisions and solidifies an unlikely friendship. Christian Fiction. 370 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Secrets at the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeeles - Book 1 in the Heaven's Cove series features Rosie Merchant's return to her childhood home after the death of her mother. She once fled the small Devon village; she now longs to retain her home and her memories. Women's Fiction. 330 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 8-3/4 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

Heroine by Mindy McGinnis - This YA book outlines a teen athlete's descent into opioid addiction after an injury. Hit very close to home, but it is such an important topic for young people. Young Adult. 448 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

The Heirloomist: 100 Treasures and the Stories They Tell by Shana Novak - 100 vignettes about treasured items with sentimental value. Great photos. Fun stories. Nonfiction, 256 pages, 👍👍👍

Be Not Far from Me by Mindy McGinnis - Yet another McGinnis teen read about a girl lost in the Smoky Mountains. A riveting survival story. Young Adult. 240 pages, 👍👍👍👍

The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons - Widowed bookstore owner, Gertie Bingham, takes in a headstrong German Jewish girl and discovers the power of books and found family. Historical Fiction. 336 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 9-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

Funny Story by Emily Henry - Two opposites, with a harsh shared past, attract in this very funny and romantic story. Instant #1 New York Times bestseller. Romantic Comedy. 544 pages (I listened in audio form, CDs, 11-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍👍-1/2

The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery by Amanda Cox - Sarah Ashby just wants to return home to help her grandmother save the family store. Yet, her mother is determined to keep her from settling for life in a small town. Christian Fiction. 336 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 10-3/4 hours), 👍👍👍👍

A Letter to the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeles - Lettie Starcross arrives in Heaven's Cove with a key and a letter and a desperate desire to unravel their mysteries. Book 2 in the Heaven's Cove series. Women's Fiction. 314 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 8 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

💖Waiting Isn't a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life by Mark Vroegop - An exploration on biblical themes of waiting including why it is important, what it teaches, and how to do it well. Christian Living. 152 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 3 hours, and then skimmed the Hoopla e-book), 👍👍👍👍👍

The Christmas Pact by Meg Easton - Jack (a Christmas Grinch) and Noelle (Christmas personified, but mired in grief) attempt to overcome their hesitations in order to bring Christmas to life for Jack's nephew. Christmas Romance. 218 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 4-3/4 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon - In Maine, 1789, mid-wife Martha Ballard documents and attempts to solve a rape and mysterious murder. Thanks to Ballard's literacy, the historical documents of her diary gave way to a fabulous fictional tale from her life. Historical Fiction. 448 pages (I listened in audio form, 12 CDs, 15 hours), 👍👍👍👍

The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers - Erin Connolly is relieved to retrieve a favorite novel she accidentally donated to a Little Free Library. She is sure it is her copy because she finds her notes in the margins. Indeed, she finds someone else's notes in the margins and they are addressed to her. A mystery is afoot. Romance. 336 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 9 hours), 👍👍👍👍

Christmas Baggage by Deborah M. Hathaway - Claire Frost is infuriated when a stranger accosts her in the London airport accusing her of taking his bag. Who knew, hours later, he'd be accusing her of taking his bed? Or that she'd be stuck dealing with him on a daily basis. Christmas Romance, 302 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 8 hours), 👍👍👍👍

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman - 12-year-old CeeCee is sent to live with her great-aunt Tootie in Savannah where she is embraced and comforted by several unique and colorful women. Women's Fiction. 336 pages, 👍👍-1/2

Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig - Young women from Smith College travel to France to assist the poor in World War I. Historical Fiction. 544 pages (I listened in audio form, 13 CDs, 16 hours), 👍👍👍👍

Book Review: Band of Sisters

Sometimes a dash into the library nets a fortuitous find. Band of Sisters offers an engaging historical fiction account of true events during WWI. Women alumni from Smith College head to France to assist villagers and meet needs. As personalities blend and clash, the troop becomes a "band of sisters." Moreover, they miraculously remain intact, despite harrowing work near the front of the fighting.

Billed as "a skillful blend of Call the Midwife and The Alice Network," Band of Sisters follows 18 Smith graduates who seek to help bombed out French villagers. They arrive with good intentions, but face almost constant obstacles. They must put their trucks together by hand, their supplies go astray, and they mistakenly purchase roosters instead of hens. The men working at the front resent their presence. They must live in damp, harsh conditions. Add in natural clashes of personalities and a leadership coup, and you have a motley crew. Yet, they do indeed become a family unit and work together in this threatening terrain to bring good and engender hope.

My favorite part, of course, was the author's note at the end. I loved listening to the author's description of stumbling upon this fascinating historical story and sorting through the primary sources (letters sent home). Lauren Willig demonstrates great skill as she weaves a story of various personalities and perils. I often feel like I'm just not up for yet another war book, but this time around, I was grateful it was front and center on the shelves during my quick run into the library. This was a historical fiction gem!

Book Review: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman was a book club pick. Unfortunately, I didn't read it in time (setting it aside only 25 pages in). I believe it was also the month of my son's wedding, so I was stressed for time, anyway. When I finally did pick up the book, I took forever to read it. Perhaps it was just not the right time for this book for me. The characters were sweet and interesting, but I just couldn't remain engaged enough. It took me 3 weeks to read it.

Twelve-year-old CeeCee Honeycutt lives in Ohio with her southern belle mother. Her mother feels trapped in exile away from the south. She fixates on her one moment of fame when she won a 1951 beauty pageant. CeeCee is embarrassed by her mother's crazy behavior, but equally bereft when her mother dies in a tragic accident. She thinks things can't get any worse when her father sends her to live with her great-aunt in Savannah. But, as is so often true in life, the very worst changes can be a saving grace in the end.

The others in my book club encouraged me to read it anyway. It is probably a great read under normal circumstances. I simply don't have normal circumstances these days. I've noticed that almost all the books I've been reading have been audiobooks. They accompany time spent on the treadmill or in the car. Thus, I don't abandon them for days on end. Hopefully my hard copy reading will begin to pick up again.

Mid-month Mention: Amazing Bible Project

Something mind-boggling, outstanding, and inspiring jumped out at me on Facebook the other day. I saw it in the Rabbit Room Chinwag. The poster was trying to acquire more of  the now-defunct buff-color White-Out. I am sharing several photos (taken from FB) because the idea of this Bible transcription project blows me away! I would so love to make this a daily practice in the coming years, but I must think long and hard to determine if I can be dedicated and disciplined enough. In this first photo, Jessica Culver shares her accomplishment and her dilemma:

Many people responded with questions, so Jessica posted a longer explanation of how she went about transcribing the entire Bible in 7 years (12 verses per day):

Here is a photo of the refuse and result of her efforts:

I have already been transcribing 2-4 verses daily with the Homespun Wife Scripture Writing Group. Moreover, I've had the time-investment and discipline of praying 3 times a day for my Facebook friends in my 2023 Prayer Project that carried over into 2024. My handwriting is atrocious! This would tax my wrist and hand more (multiplying the number of verses per day). But I can think of no better replacement for my prayer project. 

There is great blessing in being in the Word. Even greater blessing in hiding God's Word in your heart. I'm not tremendous at verse memorization. I can remember the words, but struggle with identifying the address (location in the Bible). The process of writing it out, reading it aloud, and storing it away should help memorization. I'm convinced the days are coming when every believer will wish they had God's Word tucked deep enough in their minds and hearts to call forth when needed.

I will pray over this for the next few weeks. It would be awful to begin something, only to abandon it when it feels too hard. If this sounds interesting to you, let me know. Perhaps, if I do take on this project, we could help hold each other accountable. Regardless of if anyone else duplicates this amazing Bible project, my heart lifted just in reading Jessica's account. I praise her dedication and her desire to begin again and complete another transcription by her 40th birthday. What a fantastic way to honor God and hide His Word in your heart!

Book Review: Christmas Baggage

Christmas Baggage by Deborah M. Hathaway was another holiday read to spur me into the holiday mood. I loved being transported to London with the main character. The whole time I was listening on Hoopla, I kept thinking of this Facebook video by Wonders of London, showcasing the Christmas lights in London. Don't have Facebook and can't follow that link? Try this one for Christmas videos on their You Tube page. It would be fabulous to be in London in December! Want to go there but can't travel? This book will transport you into the sights and sounds of London during the holidays.

Poor Claire Frost! Her boyfriend dumped her and, as usual, her parents would rather be on a cruise than spend Christmas with her. Then her best friend begs Claire to accompany her on a visit to relatives in England. She even finds her a discounted airline price. How can Claire say no?

From her first encounter with her friend's cousin, Liam, Claire is as frosty as her name. What a jerk he is! Who cares if he's drop-dead handsome! She couldn't possibly be interested in someone so rude and condescending. Or could she? Especially with that fantastic British accent. Swoon!

As the Amazon page articulates, this book is perfect for clean read romance lovers. It provides a happily ever after and warm Christmas feels in a British setting. It follows the popular enemies-to-friends-to-love-interests pattern. The book transported me to a world of wonder and magic. What better place to fall in love than London? What better time than at Christmas? 

Book Review: The Book Swap

I scrambled to enter when Goodreads offered a giveaway for Tessa Bickers' The Book Swap. Although I did not win, I discovered access to the book through Hoopla (again in audio, as are so many of the books I've consumed recently). What a great story idea. Imagine you accidentally donate your favorite book (well annotated in the margins) to a Little Free Library (Hmm, accidental donations? We're familiar with that!). When you go back, you discover the book is safely there, but filled with further marginalia from a mystery man. Thus, begins a ping-pong of correspondence and intellectual rumination. What a fabulous premise! I'd love to live this out myself, ha!

Erin Connolly is mortified to learn she carelessly donated her copy of To Kill a Mockingbird to her neighborhood Little Free Library. It packs a double punch because the book contained a last message on a postcard from her late best friend Bonnie. That message encouraged Erin to live out her dreams. Erin is far from living her dreams. Trapped in a job she loathes, she cannot stop coping with life by talking with Bonnie whenever she manifests in a chair in Erin's room.

Enter Mystery Man. He responds to her thoughtful marginalia with equally intriguing comments of his own. He invites her to meet up with him in another book that he has left in the Little Free Library for her to find. The correspondence is lively. The attraction is intense. But, of course, complications arise. Desperate to keep someone else from running off with the next book from Mystery Man, Erin hounds down a neighbor and offers to tutor his daughter if he will relinquish the book to her.

Although this was not a clean read, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the story line, and the observations and comments on books I've read. If you love books, especially epistolary novels, this is a sure winner. A love song to books and second chances, the tale makes the reader wish it was them enjoying a neighborly book swap. I've never donated books to a Little Free Library. Believe me, I'm more game now. 

Even though romance is not something I seek, it would be delightful to interact over favorite books. Indeed, I think it would be cool to start up a round-robin book exchange. I'd send a favorite book on to another reader, who would join in comments and pass it along to another reader until the book travelled full circle back. Of course, then we'd have to send it along the chain again so everyone could read the accumulated marginalia. Alas, I'm not one to write in the margins. Nor do I have a set group in mind to take part in this imaginary round-robin book exchange. For me, I'll have to settle for the fun of reading Tessa Bickers' delightful novel.

📒Content Caution: sex and language

Book Review: The Frozen River

Ariel Lawhon is a new author for me. Many have mentioned this book, The Frozen River, on the Historical Fiction Lovers Facebook feed. I'm not interested in this time and setting: Maine in 1789. Give me a Victorian novel and I'm always game, but early American tales don't entice me. Yet, Lawhon's writing is impressive. The story comes alive in the reader's mind.

Martha Ballard is a midwife in Hallowell, Maine. One of the few women skilled in reading and writing, she keeps a diary of her days and her deliveries. Thus, she has evidence to bring forth when two influential men are charged with rape. Hallowell is full of secrets and scandals. Some feel no gratitude for Martha's careful documentation and will seek to thwart her efforts toward justice.

I think my favorite part about this whole book was the author's note at the end. She shares her simple find of a small devotional blurb about Martha Ballard. This led her into extensive research and a story worth telling. Lawhon explains how truth, paired with supposition about how things may have played out, teased out an intense and gratifying tale. I only struggled because my listening to this audio book was disrupted by many days spent away from the story line during our trip to Dallas for my oldest son's wedding.

November 2024 Re-cap

What a month! November felt like forever!

Football is finally over. Is it horrible to say I'm thrilled that we are done with this chapter in our lives? Each of my sons played football. One son suffered a life-changing injury during a football game. Two sons were team captains in their senior years. While my youngest enjoyed many things about playing football, I will say his final season was quite challenging. With six or seven starting players injured, it affected the entire team. Although we were without our star quarterback from last year for much of this season, we were fortunate to have a back-up sophomore quarterback whose father was a professional football player. During the few games where both QBs were in the game, we did very well. Our team won the sectional championship game.

Sadly, during that game, our beloved senior QB suffered injury yet again - this time with a staggering injury, tearing his ACL, MCL, meniscus, and breaking his leg. I'm so sad for him. He was no doubt scouted. Are those dreams shattered now? Sean struggled with injuries throughout the season as well. He injured his knee while playing male volleyball and the injury flared throughout the football season. Every single day he iced and elevated the knee. Then, he rolled his ankle. During the hardest practices and games, he fortified his defenses with ibuprofen. Since the PT only helped briefly and they couldn't identify what was wrong, his coaches were unsympathetic. They expected him to suck it up and play on. And he did. But, boy, am I ever glad the whole thing is over.

At the close of the regional game (tragically lost in the last seconds), Sean noticed his back feeling off. Thus, the following morning, we headed to an urgent care facility for the achy back, a case of pink eye, and a week-long sore throat. They ran tests for strep and mono. "Ding! Ding! We have a winner!" the doctor exclaimed. He tested positive for mono. Wonderful!

In mid-November, I took part in an ornament exchange. The evening promised a festive potluck, and prizes for the "best holiday outfit," "best wrapping," and "most stolen ornament." I'm not zany or creative enough to win the first two categories, but thought I might stand a chance with the final one. The day before the event, I ditched my original purchase when I noticed an ad on Facebook for a store selling a 4 foot inflatable ornament. Sadly, I should have stuck with the first idea (which included a Starbucks gift card). Nobody stole the ornament I opened, thus I didn't get a chance to do any stealing. But watching the game unfold was fun!

I also took the bull by the horns in November and attempted to remedy a long-standing issue. I have been unable to write creatively since things grew hectic with my prodigal in mid-2023. Surely, I could whip out a poem each day for a November Poem-a-Day challenge, right? Well, I went in with the best intentions and did well for a spell. I completed poems for 11 of the 30 prompts. While they were nothing stellar, it was at least progress.

While I might have had minimal progress, my husband suffered loss in November. He set off to run errands, intending to take a donation to Goodwill and drop off a bag of clothes at the dry cleaners. Alas, he gave the bag of good clothes (meant for the dry cleaners) along with the cast-offs to Goodwill and is now out a whole section of his closet. 

November is also the time for author fairs (anticipating Christmas gifting). I attended two, and while my success was meager, it was good to share my story. I passed out several promo cards and met interesting people. The author seated next to me at one fair received many phone calls. He apologized and said he simply ignores the spam because they call constantly. Can such a thing be contagious, like mono? Now my cell phone rings off the hook with these annoying spam calls. One identified as "healthcare" and I worried it concerned Sean, so I answered, unfortunately. Will this problem ever go away? Sadly, I think this problem is going to linger in December. Perhaps December will be even longer than November!