There were a lot of books in 2020. I mean, this is usually the case in any year, but it intensified in the year of Covid. Books were an escape, a distraction, a tactic for survival, a joy, and a necessity.
I wanted to share several books we read that really stuck out to us and were roundly enjoyed. The list could be much longer, but these ones were most special and are highly recommended to you.
- Kohila by Amy Carmichael: Carmichael is inspiring to all and the story of her impact amongst the people of India is riveting. She stood firmly against unthinkable evil, and soldiered on. When reading about the life of Amy, it’s impossible to not reflect on what more we can be doing with our own lives.
- Live Not By Lies by Rod Dreher: This is the one book I have been recommending to everyone this year. Much like his last book, “The Benedict Option”, it comes prior to what is predicted and so his words can often be written off as dramatic. It doesn’t change that fact that he is almost always correct in his predictions. It’s a clarion call for those people searching for truth and freedom. Read it.
- The Book of Common Prayer: I’ve long had this book in our home library. It wasn’t until this year that read deeply from its words and took advantage of the morning and evening prayer readings. An invaluable book to use along side the holy scriptures.
- Now We Are Six by A.A Milne: We all needed a bit of levity in 2020. Milne’s poetry is brilliant and I won’t let anyone tell me otherwise. My favorite poem of all? “Sneezles.” In fact, the girls are memorizing it for a recitation they are giving with friends in a few weeks. They have hand motions and everything.
- I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton De Trevino: A beautifully written story from the viewpoint of the famous artist Diego Velasquez’s slave, Juan Pareja. While he is indeed a historical figure, some embellishments and additions were found. The story was one of love, redemption, freedom, and loss. Sidenote: I’ll write about it soon, but this book (and the people found therein) may have something to do with my family ancestry. This was one of our read-alouds this year and was, by far, my girls favorite.
- When Harry Became Sally by Ryan T. Anderson: If you’ve listened to any amount of news in the last month, you’ve heard about Ryan’s book being literally cancelled by Amazon and the mainstream media. Not surprisingly, these giants have been radio silent about a topic that is infiltrating our culture in this moment. The “transgender craze”, as written about by Ryan and others such as Debarah Soh and Abigail Shrier, is fast growing and concerning. It needs attention, thoughtfulness, compassion, and experts to weigh in. Which is what Ryan had in his book. And still, the progressive powers that be made it almost impossible to purchase. Does this make sense? Of course it does. You can still buy this on B&N and his publishers site for now. Ryan is a personal friend, a thoughtful gentleman, and a compassionate soul. His book is one that reaches across divides to talk about a real-time problem and it shouldn’t have received the treatment it did.
- Another Gospel by Alisa Childers: Progressive Christianity is shiny and alluring because it accepts everything and truth is personal, not universal. No wonder it has grabbed whole parts of the church in America. But is it backed up by scripture? Sadly, so many doctrines being peddled in your local church are false and we need to have our eyes opened to them and on alert. This books is a great resource of those coming out of a progressive atmosphere, or those wanting to understand what it’s all about.
- The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer: Tozer is a giant and for good reason. He puts into words what we feel in our hearts but can’t express. This book allows you to think fully about the immense nature of our Lord and how matchless He is. Please read.
- Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan: One of the best selling book of all time, and rightfully so. It’s a masterpiece. Please read it. Read it when you are at your lowest, especially. You will emerge with new eyes and a renewed heart.
I could go on and on. I have about 10 more titles at the ready, but I must stop. It’s about 9:30pm and that means bedtime for this old dame. I do hope one of these books jumps out to you and you enjoy it. If so, please come back and share with me. Books are magic, and these ones gave me so much hope in a very interesting year.
Have a peaceful weekend!
Rachel
rachel renee reeves 