21 Books I Read In 2018

I managed to keep up with reviewing the books I was reading in 2018, up until June, and then I petered out. I started to realize just how time consuming it was to review each book one by one, and the reviews didn’t seem to hold much interest to many of my readers, so I stopped doing them and I’ll likely skip doing them this year. But, I did want to document the titles I got through last year, if anything else for my own records 🙂 I’ll also share my reading list for 2019, and if any of you are ever interested in my thoughts on a title I’m reading or read, you can ask 🙂

So you’ll notice links to my book reviews for about half the titles, and for the other half, I at least included a reading. I got through 21 books in all, and while it was down from 2017, I also had a lot of other accomplishments to show for my year, therefore I’ll take the 21 and be content with that number. My list for 2019 is ambitious though, and I’m already on book 3 so I’m off to a good start! In no particular order then, here are all 21 books I read in 2018.

One Man’s Meat by E. B. White rated ⅘:  Read my original review in this post . “Too personal for an almanac, too sophisticated for a domestic history, and too funny and self-doubting for a literary journal, One Man’s Meat can best be described as a primer of a countryman’s lessons, a timeless recounting of experience that will never go out of style.”

Glow 15: A Science Based Plan to Lose Weight, Revitalize Your Skin and Invigorate Your Life by Naomi Whittel my rating ⅗: “Based on the breakthrough Nobel Prize-winning science of autophagy—the process by which cells remove toxins, recycle parts, and repair their own damage—Glow15 is a lifestyle plan that will make you look and feel younger. In just 15 days, you’ll begin to harness the power of autophagy to drop pounds, get glowing skin, and restore your energy.”

Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren rated ⅘: Read my original review in this post. “Framed around one ordinary day, this book explores daily life through the lens of liturgy, small practices, and habits that form us. Each chapter looks at something―making the bed, brushing her teeth, losing her keys―that the author does every day. Drawing from the diversity of her life as a campus minister, Anglican priest, friend, wife, and mother, Tish Harrison Warren opens up a practical theology of the everyday. Each activity is related to a spiritual practice as well as an aspect of our Sunday worship.”

Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul David Tripp rated ⅘: “In this life-giving book, Paul Tripp offers parents much more than a to-do list. Instead, he presents us with a big-picture view of God’s plan for us as parents. Outlining fourteen foundational principles centered on the gospel, he shows that we need more than the latest parenting strategy or list of techniques. Rather, we need the rescuing grace of God—grace that has the power to shape how we view everything we do as parents.”

Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan my rating 3.5/5 stars: “What should we have for dinner? Ten years ago, Michael Pollan confronted us with this seemingly simple question and, with The Omnivore’s Dilemma, his brilliant and eye-opening exploration of our food choices, demonstrated that how we answer it today may determine not only our health but our survival as a species.”

How To Hug A Porcupine: Negotiating the Prickly Points of the Tween Years by Julie A. Ross my review ⅖:“Yesterday, your child was a sweet, well-adjusted eight-year-old. Today, a moody, disrespectful twelve-year-old. What happened? And more important, how do you handle it? How you respond to these whirlwind changes will not only affect your child’s behavior now but will determine how he or she turns out later. Julie A. Ross, executive director of Parenting Horizons, shows you exactly what’s going on with your child and provides all the tools you need to correctly handle even the prickliest tween porcupine.”

Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne & Lisa M. Ross my rating 4.5/5: “Today’s busier, faster society is waging an undeclared war on childhood. With too much stuff, too many choices, and too little time, children can become anxious, have trouble with friends and school, or even be diagnosed with behavioral problems. Now internationally renowned family consultant Kim John Payne helps parents reclaim for their children the space and freedom that all kids need for their attention to deepen and their individuality to flourish. Simplicity Parenting offers inspiration, ideas, and a blueprint for change.”

Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible With Both Our Hearts and Our Minds by Jen Wilkin my rating ⅘:  “We all know it’s important to study God’s Word. But sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. What’s more, a lack of time, emotionally driven approaches, and past frustrations can erode our resolve to keep growing in our knowledge of Scripture. How can we, as Christian women, keep our focus and sustain our passion when reading the Bible?Offering a clear and concise plan to help women go deeper in their study of Scripture, this book will equip you to engage God’s Word in a way that trains your mind and transforms your heart.”

Everybody Always: Becoming Love In a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult people by Bob Goff rated 5/5: This was my favorite book of the year (you can read my original book review post here), until I read Jennifer Fulwiler’s book. “Bob Goff takes readers on a journey into the secret of living without fear, constraint, or worry. The path toward the liberated existence we all long for is found in a truth as simple to say as it is hard to do: love people, even the difficult ones, without distinction and without limits.”

How To Break Up With Your Phone: The 30 Day Plan To Take Back Your Life by Catherine Price rated ⅘: You can read all about my phone break up challenge last year in a series of posts, starting with this one, the check-in half way through in this post, and then how it all went down in the end in this post.

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown rated 3.5/5: Read my original review in this post. “The Way of the Essentialist isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done.  It is not  a time management strategy, or a productivity technique. It is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution towards the things that really matter.”

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows rated ⅘: Read my original review in this post. “As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.”

Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks rated ⅗: Read my original review in this post. “When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna’s eyes we follow the story of the fateful year of 1666, as she and her fellow villagers confront the spread of disease and superstition. As death reaches into every household and villagers turn from prayers to murderous witch-hunting, Anna must find the strength to confront the disintegration of her community and the lure of illicit love.”

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson Rated 4.5/5: “Marilynne Robinson returns with an intimate tale of three generations, from the Civil War to the 20th century: a story about fathers and sons and the spiritual battles that still rage at America’s heart. In the words of Kirkus, it is a novel “as big as a nation, as quiet as thought, and moving as prayer. Matchless and towering.” Gilead tells the story of America and will break your heart.”

Lila by Marilynne Robinson Rated 3.5/5: “Lila, homeless and alone after years of roaming the countryside, steps inside a small-town Iowa church-the only available shelter from the rain-and ignites a romance and a debate that will reshape her life. She becomes the wife of a minister, John Ames, and begins a new existence while trying to make sense of the life that preceded her newfound security.”

One Beautiful Dream by Jennifer Fulwiler rated 5/5: “Work and family, individuality and motherhood, the creative life and family life—women are told constantly that they can’t have it all. One Beautiful Dream is the deeply personal, often humorous tale of what happened when one woman dared to believe that you can have it all—if you’re willing to reimagine what having it all looks like.”

Captivate: The Science of Succeeding With People by Vanessa Van Edwards rated ⅘: “As a human behavior hacker, Vanessa Van Edwards created a research lab to study the hidden forces that drive us. And she’s cracked the code. In Captivate, she shares shortcuts, systems, and secrets for taking charge of your interactions at work, at home, and in any social situation. These aren’t the people skills you learned in school. This is the first comprehensive, science backed, real life manual on how to captivate anyone—and a completely new approach to building connections.”

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield rated 4.5/5: “The War of Art emphasizes the resolve needed to recognize and overcome the obstacles of ambition and then effectively shows how to reach the highest level of creative discipline. Think of it as tough love . . . for yourself. Whether an artist, writer or business person, this simple, personal, and no-nonsense book will inspire you to seize the potential of your life.”

Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done by Laura Vanderkam rated 3.5/5: Read more about this book in my time management post. “In this book, Vanderkam reveals the seven counterintuitive principles the most time-free people have adopted. She teaches mindset shifts to help you feel calm on the busiest days and tools to help you get more done without feeling overwhelmed.”

The Story of Reality by Gregory Koukl rated ⅘: “Biblical Christianity is more than just another private religious view. It’s more than just a personal relationship with God or a source of moral teaching.Christianity is a picture of reality. It explains why the world is the way it is. When the pieces of this puzzle are properly assembled, we see the big picture clearly. Christianity is a true story of how the world began, why the world is the way it is, what role humans play in the drama, and how all the plotlines of the story are resolved in the end.”

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis rated 4.5/5: “The Screwtape Letters by C.S.  Lewis is a classic masterpiece of religious satire that entertains readers with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the vantage point of Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to “Our Father Below.” At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters is the most engaging account of temptation—and triumph over it—ever written.”