Was it me or did January 2015 last approximately 2 1/2 days? My book journal has sat on the desk all month waiting for me to create a list of books from last year. This exercise makes me happy and because it’s now my third year in a row, a tradition it shall become.

A couple of notes.  I got caught up on the stack of ‘to read’ books by Malcolm Gladwell. I am such a fan. As in I REALLY, REALLY love his brain. Via Audible he and I spent many hours clocking miles back and forth from town.

There were lots of books about the power of our words. Those titles were food for the study I wrote and shared with friends at church last fall. Built a decent reference library and will need to reread often.

There wasn’t as much fiction in 2014 as I normally read, but some truly great books among the ones I did. As usual my book choices are all over the place. I try to avoid ruts when it comes to choosing. Which causes Amy Poehler to be sandwiched between Manning and Gladwell. Now THAT would be a delightful book club!

If I had to choose favorites, which is as hard to nearly impossible for me to do with books as it is friends, the winners would be…

Non-Fiction:
Soul Talk: The Language God Longs for Us To Speak by Larry Crabb (So deep, so practical) and Notes From the Tilt A Whirl by N.D. Wilson (weird and wonderful)
Fiction:
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (massive, classic, amazing) and The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (love everything of hers, but this has to be her best)
Memoir:
A House in the Sky by Amanda Lundhood (intense and more than a little frightening)

J.K. Rowling says, “I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical happens when you read a good book.”

I completely agree. Last year I read a few that felt magical. I also read a couple that were just…mhew. The chance of discovering a truly great story is what, for me anyways, lends itself to a sense of adventure when opening the cover. Here is the list like a new string of friends, in order of read. (And for when you have absolutely nothing better to do, here are the 2012 and 2013 lists as well. )

My One Word by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen

The Great Divorce by CS Lewis

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

Notes From a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World by Tsh Oxenreider

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett

Restless: Because You Were Made for More by Jennie Allen

A House in the Sky by Amanda Lundhood & Sara Corbett

Prototype: What Happens When You Discover You’re More Like Jesus Than You Think by Jonathan Martin

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Fields of Gold by Andy Stanley

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera by Ron Schick

Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle

The Girl You Left Behind by JoJo Moyes

Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan

Four Blood Moons by John Hagee

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey

I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron

Surprised By Motherhood: Everything I Never Expected About Being A Mom by Lisa-Jo Baker

Good Grief by Lolly Winston

Escaping Into the Open: The Art of True Writing by Elisabeth Berg

Soul Talk: The Language God Longs for Us to Speak by Larry Crabb

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap by Wendy Welch

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Abiding in Christ by Cynthia Heald

War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles by Paul David Tripp

A Way With Words: What Women Should Know About the Power They Possess by Christin Ditchfield

30 Days To Taming Your Tongue by Deborah Smith Pegues

The Power of Words and the Wonder of God edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor

Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest by Bonnie Gray

Too Small to Ignore: Why the Least of These Matters Most by Wes Stafford

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Qualities of a Spiritual Warrior by Graham Cooke

Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible With Both Our Hearts and Minds by Jen Wilkin

The Next Time I See You by Holly Goddard Jones

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Notes From the Tilt-A-Whirl: Wide-eyed Wonder in God’s Spoken World by N.D. Wilson

Speak: How Your Story Can Change the World by Nish Weiseth

Outliers:The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

The Importance of Being Foolish: How to Think Like Jesus by Brennan Manning

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

A Quest for More: Living for Something Bigger Than You by Paul David Tripp

The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer

Blink:The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

The Giver by Lois Lowery

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxes

Happy reading and may it be another year filled with good stories!