This year I’ve read 24 books. I keep count with my Goodreads profile. If you’ve never seen any of my book lists, here’s your warning: I mostly read Christian nonfiction with a few historical fiction books thrown in for fun. If those sound like your kind of books then keep reading.
Descriptions below are copied from Amazon. All Amazon links are affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may gratefully receive a tiny commission at no extra cost to you!
Have you heard of Bookshop? Purchase through Bookshop to support independent booksellers! You can find my shop and My Top Reads of 2020 list here!
Favorite Overall Book
Introverted Mom: Your Guide to More Calm, Less Guilt, and Quiet Joy by Jamie C. Martin
This book saved me during the beginning weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn’t until I was home all day with everyone in my family that I realized I was an introvert. After reading Introverted Mom, I’ve decided my God-given temperament is a gift, not a burden. This book inspired some changes to my writing! Martin offers grace-filled, Godly encouragement to all of us who struggle with being “too quiet” and overwhelmed by all the family togetherness.
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.” Find it here.
Runner-Up
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff
This book tells the story of 9/11 through the stories of the people that lived it: pilots, firemen, accountants, spouses, children. Definitely sad at times, but mostly fascinating to hear first hand accounts of how people lived through such chaos and devastation.
Description: “Garrett M. Graff’s The Only Plane in the Sky is the most vivid and human portrait of the September 11 attacks yet, comprised of never-before-published transcripts, recently declassified documents, and original interviews and stories from nearly five hundred government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends, and family members. Here is a vivid, profound, and searing portrait of humanity on a day that changed the course of history, and all of our lives.” Find it here.
Book that Inspired the Most Blog Posts
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
This book inspired not just one blog post of mine, but three. They are:
Why Your Phone Does Not Give you the Connection You Crave
Tips to Keep Your Phone from Interrupting Your Life
Coming Alive When You Put Down Your Smartphone
Description: “Drawing on a diverse array of real-life examples, from Amish farmers to harried parents to Silicon Valley programmers, Newport identifies the common practices of digital minimalists and the ideas that underpin them. He shows how digital minimalists are rethinking their relationship to social media, rediscovering the pleasures of the offline world, and reconnecting with their inner selves through regular periods of solitude. He then shares strategies for integrating these practices into your life, starting with a thirty-day “digital declutter” process that has already helped thousands feel less overwhelmed and more in control.” Find it here.
Favorite Book Written Specifically for Introverts
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Quiet is a fantastic resource for introverts and anyone that wants to understand more about the introverts in your life. With research and personal stories, you’ll learn what makes introverts and extroverts different. Why does one group crave quiet while another group craves excitement and energy? Why do introverts feel inadequate? Has it always been that way? Is the “extrovert ideal” an American phenomenon or is it like that all over the world?
Description: “In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture. She also introduces us to successful introverts—from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.” Find it here.
Honorable Mention in this category is The Powerful Purpose of Introverts: Why the World Needs You to Be You by Holley Gerth. Unfortunately, I read this right after reading Quiet, and they are very similar. I would even say it is the Christian counterpart to Cain’s book. It’s still a great book, and if you haven’t read Quiet, or if it’s been a while, Powerful Purpose is still a wonderful book explaining introverts and their gifts in the world! Find it here!
Favorite Devotional
Cultivating a Missional Life: A 30-Day Devotional to Gently Help You Open Your Heart, Home, and Life to Your Neighbors by Twyla Franz
This devotional is short and sweet. It’s not another book telling you to love your neighbors by inviting them all over to an ice cream party. If you like inviting the whole block over for a party, then go right ahead! But if opening up more to your neighbors sounds intimidating, then Twyla’s words will be a balm to your soul. Missional living—opening your heart and home to your neighbors—first starts with the posture of your heart. This devotional offers encouragement for the introverted, quiet person who wants to love their actual neighbors.
Description: “Pocket-sized and power-packed, this little daily devotional is neither intimidating to read nor apply. Its compelling yet gentle call to notice, value, and connect with your neighbors in meaningful ways is timely and relevant. Discover for yourself how opening our heart, home, and life to our neighbors begins with the work God does inside us. As we invite him to cultivate our hearts, the rhythms that define our lives will be affected. From the overflow of what God is growing inside us we begin taking baby steps into missional living, bearing in mind that the direction outweighs the pace.” Find it here.
Favorite Book for Creatives
Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L’Engle
The first book I read in 2020! I loved reading L’Engle’s reflections on how her faith in God influences her writing. I especially enjoyed what she has to say about writing to children: If it’s too complicated for adults, put it into a children’s book! You can see that in action in her book A Wrinkle in Time.
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.” Find it here.
Most Beautiful Book
Beholding and Becoming: The Art of Everyday Worship by Ruth Chou Simons
I started Beholding and Becoming in 2019. I went through it slowly, not because it wasn’t good, but because it was too beautiful to rush through. Simons is such a talented artist with her watercolors and her words! This is a great gift book for any Christian who admires beauty and truth in one package. I even listed it here.
Description: “Bestselling author and artist Ruth Chou Simons invites you on a new journey to Beholding and Becoming. With more than 850 pieces of intricate, original artwork, Ruth encourages you to elevate your gaze to the One who created all things. Today is an opportunity for God to demonstrate His love and His faithfulness in the midst of your mundane. No circumstance is too ordinary or too forgotten for Him to meet you there in worship. His transforming grace turns your “everyday ordinary” into a holy place of becoming.” Find it here.
Favorite Historical Fiction
My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
I only read four fiction books this year, and they were all historical fiction. I absolutely love Hamilton, the musical. I listen to the soundtrack almost daily. So naturally, I had to read the historical fiction novel that focuses on Alexander Hamilton’s wife, Eliza. This is also the longest book I read this year, but I never felt like it was dragging. The drama kept it moving. I enjoyed learning more about the female side of the Hamilton partnership.
Description: “From the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter comes the epic story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton–a revolutionary woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war, betrayal, and tragedy. In this haunting, moving, and beautifully written novel, Dray and Kamoie used thousands of letters and original sources to tell Eliza’s story as it’s never been told before–not just as the wronged wife at the center of a political sex scandal–but also as a founding mother who shaped an American legacy in her own right.” Find it here.
Have you read any of these books? I’d love to hear what your favorite book of 2020 is! Tell me in the comments!
Leave a Reply