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Fourth Quarter 2023 Reading Update

  • EmmaLee Darr
  • Jan 5, 2024
  • 8 min read

October-December ended up being pretty reading-heavy months for me, bringing my total books read for 2023 to 95! I think this is probably the most I’ve ever read in a year, and it was really fun, but it was also WAY more than I set out to read. Here’s what I read in the last three months of the year; as usual you’ll see rereads marked with an*.

October:

  1. The Secrets Beneath by Kimberley Woodhouse: This fell more into the realm of a psychological thriller type of story (a genre I don’t usually read), but I still really enjoyed it as it was a historical read, and it contained the element of hope in the Gospel that I feel like those types of books are often missing. 

  2. Remaining You While Raising Them by Alli Worthington: I probably wouldn’t have read this book except I heard Alli be interviewed on the Crystal Paine Show and really enjoyed the conversation. Books with titles like this can sometimes tend too much towards the “self-care is more important than anything else” side of the self-care debate, but this one wasn’t as strongly that way as I imagined it would be. Alli had several really good insights into parenting that helped me rethink my perspective on some things. Some of it felt like it was information I’ve heard before (one chapter in particular seemed to be pretty much taken straight from Soundtracks by Jon Acuff, which you will find later in this list), but overall a good read.

  3. From Scratch Pantry Staples by Jami Balmet: a quick read cookbook with lots of basic recipes. A good resource to have if you are wanting to cut back on the amount of processed food in your house and cook from scratch more.

  4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe* by C.S. Lewis: There’s nothing like a good reread of C. S. Lewis. I started reading this book aloud to my kids this week and am excited to share the joy of Narnia with them. This should be on your reading list this year if you haven’t read it yet! Narnia isn’t just for kids, but a book that speaks to the need that is inside all of us for a Savior .

  5. The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton: You’ll notice a lot of “lighter” books on this list, including some children’s fiction. I find children’s fiction to be wonderful for restoring my joy during busy and stressful seasons. This expertly-told story made me laugh frequently. What would YOU do if you realized the mountain you lived on wasn’t actually a mountain, but a sleeping giant?

  6. 12 Days of Christmas With Six Sisters Stuff*: Another cookbook reread leading up to the holidays, this one has lots of fun ideas to celebrate Christmas, including crafts and homemade gift ideas. Several of our family’s perennial Christmas recipes come from this book.

  7. Old-Fashioned On Purpose by Jill Winger: This book was excellent! I honestly thought this was going to be a book all about how to start homesteading, and I hesitated to read it because we aren’t in a season of life where that is practical right now. But this was so much more than a homesteading book! If you, like me, don’t always think that more technology is a good thing, if you think our world is too fast-paced and chaotic, and if you want to raise kids in the gentle and slow way that our grandparents did, you will find a kindred spirit in Jill! This book has so many great ideas to live a slower, more meaningful life, and most are very doable if you aren’t a “homesteader.” So many of the principles she talked about our ones that I experienced growing up on a farm, and she did such a good job of putting words to what I’ve always felt but didn’t know how to express.

  8. Christmas With Anne of Green Gables and Other Stories* by L. M. Montgomery: Certain authors just feel like Christmas to me, and Montgomery is definitely one of them. I have a vivid memory of reading this for the first time as a kid while baking cookies (two of my favorite activities to do together!). I love short story collections like this as a way to introduce classic authors to my children before they’re ready to read a full novel by the same author.

  9. Holy Hygge by Jamie Erickson: This book really hit home with me and left me in tears in almost every chapter. Not a light read about decor or even home in general, this book is about our home as ministry, to outsiders, to our own family, and even to ourselves. Jamie writes about God’s Word like a scholar who has spent her whole life in seminary, yet she does so with the heart of a mother, and it’s truly beautiful.

  10. The Thief of Lanwyn Manor by Sarah E. Ladd: I started this series in September and it’s my favorite by Ladd that I’ve read so far. Bonus: this book and the last in the series are about siblings, my favorite type of series! Ladd writes Christian historical fiction set in Regency England, usually a mild romance with a little bit of suspense thrown in. 

  11. The Light At Wyndcliff by Sarah E. Ladd: The last book in the series from number 10.

November:

  1. Introverted Mom* by Jamie C. Martin: I’ve reread this book so many times I’ve lost count. One of the best explanations of what it actually means to be an introvert that I’ve found (no, being an introvert doesn’t mean hating people 😒). I love that Jamie approaches motherhood through the eyes of her favorite authors, who all also happen to be introverts. There’s a lot packed into this fairly short read!

  2. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson: Think a modern-day Narnia-like story, only the storylines are completely different. I gasped through the last chapter as I realized the Biblical storyline Peterson was weaving into his story; if you haven’t read this yet, it’s definitely worth it, despite being a children’s story. 

  3. Soundtracks by Jon Acuff: This is the first book I’ve read by Acuff, and I immediately added more of his works to my list after finishing it. There’s been a lot of writing in recent years about the power of our thoughts and even how we can change them to align with God’s Word, but a lot of it comes off hokey and too psychological (I know a lot of people like a good psychology read, but I’m not one of them). This is the complete opposite of hokey and psychological: Acuff was surprisingly funny and his ideas are backed up by tons of research. If you feel like your thoughts often get in the way, this will definitely help you understand why and what to do about it.

  4. Knowing You by Tracie Peterson: The final in Peterson’s latest Christian historical fiction series. I always appreciate the way she gently approaches racism in history from a Biblical perspective (and how she shows that racism isn’t only an African-American issue), even if her writing isn’t always the best. 

  5. Teatime Discipleship For Mothers and Daughters by Sally Clarkson: I’ve spent years complaining that Sally Clarkson was too hard to read because she’s too idealistic and her books can, quite frankly, be overwhelming to a mom with little ones who often feels like she’s just surviving the day. But apparently I’m now on the Clarkson bandwagon, because I read two of her books this year and added more to my 2024 list. This one was a quick read, with ideas for specific teatimes to do with your daughters, all centered on teaching them God’s Word. Lots of great ideas.

  6. Create Your Own Cozy by Liz Marie Galvan: Galvan’s newest home decor book is probably my favorite. She walks you through how to figure out what you want your house to be like and how to get there, and packs in lots of other great tips for creating a life you love.

  7. The Life-Giving Home by Sally and Sarah Clarkson: With ideas for every month of the year, you’ll definitely find something that will work in your home. Again, I will issue the caveat to not read books like this with the idea that you’re going to do everything the author suggested; the Clarksons would even say that they didn’t use all these ideas in the same year, but that they were spread out over the course of their children’s lifetimes. I found the January chapter particularly helpful, as it focused on daily routines, and I tweaked several of her ideas for our home as we started into the new year.

  8. Everyday Confetti* by Karen Ehman and Glynnis Whitwer: This has ideas for big and small holidays (including some you probably haven’t heard of) for the whole year. Lots of fun ideas and a good resource for choosing seasonal foods, too.

  9. The Grace-Filled Homestead Cookbook by Lana Stenner: I heard Stenner on the 1000 Hours Outside Podcast and immediately bought her new cookbook. The recipes in this are so fun! She also has terrific instructions for a sourdough starter that look way simpler than any others I’ve seen.

December:

  1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix* by J. K. Rowling: Continuing my reread of Harry Potter, I made it through what anyone who has read the series knows to be the hardest book (moody and misunderstood teenage Harry is definitely not my favorite). I’m always so glad to read this book once I get to the second half: there’s some really powerful ideas in it about education, and some of my favorite quotes from the series come from this book. Plus, we get to meet the room of requirement, one of my favorite settings from the series!

  2. A Winter By the Sea by Julie Klassen: The second in her series On Devonshire Shores, this was a fun and relaxing read for the busy holiday season. This series is probably my favorite by Klassen (and I love almost everything I’ve read by her, so that’s saying a lot). Similar to Sarah E. Ladd, Klassen writes in Regency England with the dark style that reminds me of Jane Eyre and an air of suspense, but I definitely think Klassen is the best writer than Ladd; her stories just have more depth than Ladd’s do. This is also a story about sisters, which I love to read both as a sister myself and a mama to multiple girls.

  3. The Whole and Healthy Family by Jodi Mockabee: Like Jill Winger, I felt like Mockabee was echoing so many of my own values for my family, although I don’t agree with her in some of her extremities around food and natural medicine. I tend to take more of a “crispy at best” approach instead of being full-on crunchy, meaning you will still find processed foods and ibuprofen in my house. My family has found that we handle these kind of changes best when we do a little at a time. Remember that you can grow and learn from an author without agreeing with everything they say.

  4. Humble Moms by Kristin Wetherell: This book has been sitting on my shelf for close to two years, and I finally managed to pick it up last month. A good read, but maybe not as deep as I would have liked. Wetherell walks through the life of Christ and shows His humility and how it translates to our work we do as moms. Lots of inspiring parts, I just think I would have liked the ideas to be fleshed out a bit more than they were.

  5. Trim Healthy Future* by Rashida Simpson: As mentioned in a recent post, this is my favorite of all the Trim Healthy Mama cookbooks. Many recipes from this have found their way into our regular cooking and are loved and requested by my very picky children. I’m going to remind you again as we are in the throws of the new year, that it’s better to make one or two healthy recipes every week than decide to completely overhaul your diet in the new year, stick with it for a week, and then quit. Life doesn’t have to be about extremes 😉.

  6. Emmanuel by Ruth Chou Simons: I read this devotional for Advent this year and was soon reminded of why I don’t like devotionals as a general rule. Simons is a great writer and I love her artwork in her books, but have you ever noticed that about halfway through a devotional all the readings start to sound the same? A devotional book isn’t living and active like God’s Word is; yes, I absolutely believe the Holy Spirit can speak through them, but it’s not the same as reading God’s actual breathed out words in Scripture. 

  7. Everyday Hospitality and Special Occasions by Jami Balmet: My final read for 2023 was Balmet’s newest cookbook. This was a fun one with recipes for different holidays and hospitality tips sprinkled through out.

I hope your reading is off to a great start in 2024! Remember, there’s nothing magical about January 1st,



and it’s never too late to pick up a book and start reading!


 
 
 

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