Books I've Read in the First Half of 2020

The first half of 2020—it’s over y’all! We somehow made it! Through pandemic and protests, we have come through six months of the ridiculous year 2020. I hope each of us has learned something that we can carry into the second half that makes us better people.

Maybe for the second half of 2020, we’ll be a little more kind, merciful, gentle, empathetic, and focused on what is most important in our lives.

Judging by the list of books I’ve read so far this year, it looks like what is most important to me is reading! I won’t argue against that. So let’s just get to the books already.

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Amazon Description: In 1909, Clementine steps off a train with her new husband, Winston. An angry woman emerges from the crowd to attack, shoving him in the direction of an oncoming train. Just before he stumbles, Clementine grabs him by his suit jacket. This will not be the last time Clementine Churchill will save her husband.

Lady Clementine is the ferocious story of the ambitious woman beside Winston Churchill, the story of a partner who did not flinch through the sweeping darkness of war, and who would not surrender either to expectations or to enemies.

My Goodreads Rating: 3/5 stars. I liked this book, but I felt like just as it was getting good, it ended. I would have like more from the WWII time period. You’ll like Lady Clementine if you enjoy learning about historical figures with a twist of fiction.

Amazon Description: In this classic book, Madeleine L’Engle addresses the questions, What does it mean to be a Christian artist? and What is the relationship between faith and art? Through L’Engle’s beautiful and insightful essay, readers will find themselves called to what the author views as the prime tasks of an artist: to listen, to remain aware, and to respond to creation through one’s own art.

My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 stars. L’Engle has an unconventional way of seeing the world. And that’s what makes her a great writer. “We all tend to make zealous judgments and thereby close ourselves off from revelation. If we feel that we already know something in its totality, then we fail to keep our ears and eyes open to that which may expand or even change that which we so zealously think we know.”

Amazon Description: When her teenage granddaughter comes to her with a troubling question, Camilla Dickinson must confront the painful history she’s long kept hidden. Forced to relive her past, she relates a complex saga involving her beautiful, adulterous mother, her troubled son, and the difficult choices that have affected three generations of her family.

As she goes through the difficult process of revealing her secrets, Camilla also lets go of the burden of lies she’s told. A testament to the power of acceptance and forgiveness, A Live Coal in the Sea is ultimately an exploration of the lengths to which people will go for love—and the things they’ll do to protect family through one’s own art.

My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 stars. After reading one of L’Engle’s nonfiction works (see above), I wanted to read one of her adult fiction books. L’Engle does not follow any formulas, even her character names are offbeat. This novel is full of surprises and keeps you guessing the whole book. There is some bad language and sexual details you may not be expecting from a Christian author, so be warned if that’s not what you want to read. This quirky novel is ultimately a story about family, love, and grace.

Amazon Description: How do some people do it? They rise above the circumstances and distractions of life and remain consistently happy. Even in tough times they have a quiet sense of peace about them. Examining the Bible and her own life, Katie Orr has discovered that deep happiness and satisfaction are only possible when we are rooted in God and pursuing his good and specific purpose for each of us.

Secrets of the Happy Soul is your invitation into a deeper, more fruitful relationship with God and his Word. As Katie walks you through key teachings from the book of Psalms, you will recognize how the world’s definition of happiness pales compared to the daily delights God has in store for you. Draw closer to him, and your soul will go from lonely to connected, from overwhelmed to level and led, from aimless to commissioned and unique. God doesn’t promise a storm-free life, but he is the anchor every happy soul needs.

My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 stars. Here’s an excerpt from my review on Goodreads: “Katie Orr’s book is personal and practical. Her story is my story, and maybe even your story—seeing God’s Word as a list of do’s and don’ts until actually reading it and learning so much more about the character of God and what He desires for His people. The Psalms tells us repeatedly that God’s people are happy, in a deep-down-in-the-soul way. Happiness is not found in going after all the earthly things that bring us pleasure, because they’re all short-lived. True happiness is found in pursuing God.” Read Katie’s book for practical advice and wisdom on pursuing God.

Amazon Description: That something you’ve been looking for in the empty stress of your mad-dash days? It has a name.

The Psalms call it selah—the pause, rest, or interlude between the notes in a song. More than merely an empty space, selah is a chance to stop and resync with the story and song of God. For all the ways life keeps you running, this word and practice offers a way to re-center yourself on the One who holds all things together and makes all things beautiful.

Stretched beyond her capacity in caring for a large family in the middle of Manhattan, Kristen Kill was exhausted, depressed, and desperate for a change. Then something sparked within her when she read the Psalms, and found that often all that stood between the psalmist’s cries for help and celebrations of praise was this simple word, selah.

My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 stars. This book read less like practical advice and more like a memoir. It was an easy, enjoyable read, learning about how the author found peace amid chaotic times in her life.

Amazon Description: Life as Mom is LOUD, but you long for quiet

When the volume of family life clashes with your personality, frustration, guilt, and overwhelm naturally result. In Introverted Mom, author Jamie C. Martin lifts these burdens from your shoulders, reminding you that your steady strength is exactly what your family needs in this chaotic world.

Jamie shares vulnerable stories from her own life as well as thoughts from other introverted mothers, letting you know you’re not alone. Her practical suggestions and creative inspiration are enhanced with quotes and insights from four beloved writers–Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen, L. M. Montgomery, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Together, Jamie and this band of fellow introverts gently point you toward hope, laughter, and joy.

My GoodReads Rating: 5/5 stars. Absolutely loved this book. I don’t think I fully embraced my introverted personality until reading this book! Martin helped me to see my personality as a God-given gift and not a burden.

Amazon Description: She built a monument for all time. Then she was lost in its shadow. Discover the fascinating woman who helped design and construct the Brooklyn Bridge. Perfect for fans of The Other Einstein.

Emily Roebling refuses to live conventionally―she knows who she is and what she wants, and she’s determined to make change. But then her husband asks the unthinkable: give up her dreams to make his possible.

Emily’s fight for women’s suffrage is put on hold, and her life transformed when her husband Washington Roebling, the Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, is injured on the job. Untrained for the task, but under his guidance, she assumes his role, despite stern resistance and overwhelming obstacles. But as the project takes shape under Emily’s direction, she wonders whose legacy she is building―hers, or her husband’s. As the monument rises, Emily’s marriage, principles, and identity threaten to collapse. When the bridge finally stands finished, will she recognize the woman who built it?

My GoodReads Rating: 4/5 stars. I enjoyed this book enough that I looked up information on Emily Roebling and her husband. I even looked up caissons disease as I’d never heard of it before. The reason I knocked it down a star is that the story drags on a little longer than I like and the bridge details, though interesting at first, got tedious towards the end. But if you love learning about real women in history, this is a good one.

Amazon Description: You are in the process of becoming. Every day is an opportunity to be shaped and formed by what moves your heart…drives your thoughts…captures your gaze. Is it any wonder that where you direct your eyes and your heart matter in your day-to-day?

We become what we behold when we set our hearts and minds on Christ and His redemption story here in the details of our daily lives. Not just on Sunday, not just on holidays, not just when extraordinarily hard or wonderful things happen…but today.

My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 stars. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. The paintings, the words, the quotes she uses throughout the book. An encouraging book pointing you to Christ and a great gift for you or anyone else you know!

Amazon Description: In an era where we seem to be increasingly divided along racial lines, many are hesitant to step into the gap, fearful of saying or doing the wrong thing. At times the silence, particularly within the church, seems deafening.

But change begins with an honest conversation among a group of Christians willing to give a voice to unspoken hurts, hidden fears, and mounting tensions. These ongoing dialogues have formed the foundation of a global movement called Be the Bridge—a nonprofit organization whose goal is to equip the church to have a distinctive and transformative response to racism and racial division.

In this perspective-shifting book, founder Latasha Morrison shows how you can participate in this incredible work and replicate it in your own community. With conviction and grace, she examines the historical complexities of racism. She expertly applies biblical principles, such as lamentation, confession, and forgiveness, to lay the framework for restoration.

Along with prayers, discussion questions, and other resources to enhance group engagement, Be the Bridge presents a compelling vision of what it means for every follower of Jesus to become a bridge builder—committed to pursuing justice and racial unity in light of the gospel.

My GoodReads Rating: 4/5 stars. Latasha Morrison does a great job of showing the historical aspects of racism that are mostly kept hidden from our American history books. Systemic/institutional racism existed hundreds of years ago and has not left our country’s soil, even though we would like to think it has. This eye-opening book is a call for peace and bridge building. We all have work to do.