my 2010 reading list

At the commencement of 2010 (I am in denial that that was a year ago already), I decided to keep track of all that I read over the next 12 months. Among other reasons, I figured it'd be kind of interesting to find out how much I actually read in a year; additionally, now as I look back over the list, just by seeing the titles of some of these books again, I am reminded of whatever was going on in my life while I was reading them (for example, I read Candles in the Dark while stranded in South Florida; the Emily books kept me company during the Period of Never-Ending Sickness and Near Death). So many of the books I read last year have made their way onto my list of all-time favorites; there were only two books, I think, that I absolutely did not like and only finished so that I could at least say I'd read them once. So, overall, it was a good literary year. Thanks to all who recommended (and sometimes loaned) books (Everly, Samuel, Gina, Loren); I certainly welcome more suggestions for 2011! Happy New Year!

Reading List 2010

1. Across Five Aprils – Irene Hunt

2. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass – Lewis Carroll

3. The Jungle Books Volume I – Rudyard Kipling

4. Candles in the Dark – Amy Carmichael

5. A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens

6. Emily of New Moon – L.M. Montgomery

7. Emily Climbs – L.M. Montgomery

8. Haiti Past, Present, Future: Where is the Hope? – Timothy DeTellis

9. Dancing under the Red Star – Karl Tobien

10. Little House in the Big Woods – Laura Ingalls Wilder

11. Mary Poppins – P.L. Travers

12. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain

13. No Graven Image – Elisabeth Elliot

14. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte

15. The Scarlet Pimpernel – Baroness Emmuska Orczy

16. Chronicles of Avonlea – L.M. Montgomery

17. Kiss – Ted Dekker

18. The Mysterious Benedict Society – Trenton Lee Stewart

19. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte

20. Fearlessly Feminine – Jani Ortlund

21. The Story Girl – L.M. Montgomery

22. The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame

23. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey – Trenton Lee Stewart

24. To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee

25. The Homecoming – Earl Hamner, Jr.

26. Kilmeny of the Orchard – L.M. Montgomery

27. Anne of Green Gables – L.M. Montgomery

28. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma – Trenton Lee Stewart

29. A Doll’s House – Henrik Ibsen

30. Uncle Tom’s Cabin – Harriet Beecher Stowe

31. After Many Days – L.M. Montgomery

32. These Strange Ashes – Elisabeth Elliot

33. Discipline: The Glad Surrender – Elisabeth Elliot

34. Tommy and Grizel – J.M. Barrie

35. A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle

36. The Happy Hollisters – Jerry West

37. A Lifetime of Wisdom – Joni Eareckson Tada

38. Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson

39. Love Has a Price Tag – Elisabeth Elliot

40. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen

41. The Story of the Trapp Family Singers – Maria Augusta Trapp

42. Daddy Long Legs – Jean Webster

Currently reading:

1. Prayers of an Excellent Wife – Andrew Case

2. Dear Enemy – Jean Webster

3. What is the Gospel? – Greg Gilbert

overflowing with gratitude

111. Encouraging conversations via text with a faraway friend, celebrating God's faithfulness even in the midst of difficult circumstances.

112. Attending Breakaway for the first time and getting to hear Afshin Ziafat speak.

113. A fun morning at U Paint It with a friend from church.

114. That Lina's surgery went so well! She is already heading home (much earlier than expected)!

115. Living in a country where I have the privilege and the right to vote, without fear of persecution.

116. Late night visits with my dear friends, one night shivering over the ice cream we were crazy enough to eat, another night laughing over a stupid movie.

117. Cool weather = scarves and boots! (I mean, for Texas it's cool. But oh-so-lovely.) And. warm, cozy pajamas and lots of blankets to fall asleep under.

118. That my church is intentional about caring for orphans, both locally and around the world.

119. Laughter of children

120. The reminder that no matter the circumstance, no matter the trial, no matter how bogged down by sin we may be, as Christians, "our hope...is not a what, but a Who. The hope we wait for, our only hope, is the 'blessed hope -- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ' (Titus 2:13) . . . It's all about Jesus."* What may seem utterly impossible -- what may BE utterly impossible for man -- is ENTIRELY possible with God. "Therefore...let us also lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."** Hallelujah!

* Joni Eareckson Tada, "A Lifetime of Wisdom" (I highly, highly, highly recommend this book!)

** Hebrews 12:1-2

Monday is for gratitude and giraffes*

"It is impossible that those grafted into Christ by true faith should not bring forth fruits of thankfulness."

Heidelberg Catechism**

101. Sweet time visiting with my nearly-twelve (!!!) year-old cousin Samuel as I drove him to his flag football practice.

102. After nearly a month, our dryer is all hooked up and working! Yay! Laundry just got immensely easier (no more ducking around clothes hanging from ceiling fans or improvised clothes lines, amusing though that was)!

103. Getting to work mornings for most of last week. First time this has happened in months, and 'twas lovely while it lasted (back to nights this week).

104. Attending my first "business meeting" at my church, and good conversations with friends afterward.

105. Joni Eareckson Tada, and the wisdom she imparts in this book.

106. The reminder that God has "blotted out [my] transgressions like a cloud and [my] sins like mist" and that because Christ paid the penalty for MY sins, I have His Spirit and am no longer a slave to sin. Incredible.

107. Forgiveness.

108. I've now lived in Texas for 11 months! And am excited to be here for the foreseeable future! (This is a record; normally by this point I've either already moved or have plans to do so shortly.)

109. That Miss Carly, one of the sweet girls at Notre Maison, now has her passport and medical visa and will be headed to Washington State this week for medical treatment/therapy! This is a beautiful answer to prayer!

110. Neosporin and bandaids. Yep. Necessary part of my life.

* For those who don't know, I wear giraffe earrings every Monday because they add a bit more fun (in my opinion) to the beginning of the week. Yes, I am silly (but then, that goes without saying).

** Curtis Allen did a rap on the Heidelberg Catechism/Kevin DeYoung's book that is fantastic. And I don't even like rap.