I’ve heard people say that they don’t have time for fiction. I have admittedly said this myself. I stopped reading fiction for a while because I felt like I only had time for theological or self help/development genres. I felt like I had a lot of growing to do and never enough time to do it. I have realized the error in my thinking over the last couple years. Reading fiction is actually good for our brains! It helps us to empathize and see things from another humans perspective. I find this especially true with historical fiction(one of my absolute favorite genres). I also find that when I read for simple enjoyment and not just for the sake of learning it helps stoke my ability to maintain reading not just as a habit but as an enjoyable hobby. So here is some of the fiction that I was honored to read this year.
- The Words Between Us by Erin Bartels – This story is a raw, thought provoking look into Robin’s(main character) life. Living in survival mode, Robin is discovering how to keep her used bookstore afloat while escaping childhood memories. This book has romance, travel, and some good book recommendations to boot. I borrowed this book from my local library and worried that I wouldn’t finish it before it was time to return. Little did I know I would finish it in two days. Go grab this book, snuggle up with your tea and enjoy a good read.
- Sense And Sensibility by Jane Austen – As a devoted Jane Austen fan it feels sacrilegious to say that I didn’t like this book at first and it took me a couple of tries to begin and read through this one. For me, it felt like it began even more slowly than her other books. However, by the time I was about a quarter of the way through it only took me a couple days to finish. Needless to say, I love this one. It’s one of those stories that takes time to develop and you fall in love with it in a way you didn’t think possible while chipping away at the beginning. This title has made it on the ‘to read again list’ and that’s not easy to do. If you’re a Jane Austen fan and you haven’t picked up this classic, start ASAP.
- For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway – I began reading this classic in effort to become more familiar with Hemingway’s work. It was equally intriguing and hard to read. Following an American dynamiter volunteering for the Republic in the Spanish Civil War. Naturally, in a book based in war times, there was violence and some vivid imagery. If you have the stomach for it, it is a very interesting read. *This book has some sexual content and would not be recommended to young readers or those triggered by this subject matter.
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston – This classic was so full of emotion. This is an important piece of literature that is worth the read. Following a mixed race woman named Janie in the early 20th century, this book takes you on a journey back in time and gifts the perspective of what a woman of color would have experienced at that time. *This book contains some sexual content, not explicit. It would be worth considering another title if your young adult reader or you are sensitive to this content.
- The Anne Of Green Gables Series by Lucy Maud Montgomery – I read book 1-6 of this series. Anne of Green Gables is one of my all time favorite books of my childhood. This coming of age tale was precious to me and my grandmother in girlhood as well as adulthood. I decided that it was time to read through the whole series. Although I have not read through the last two books yet(I plan to finish in the coming year) I found this series to be just as beautiful and comforting in adulthood as it was in childhood and recommend it to anyone who has never read about Anne and her adventures before.
- The Mark Of The Lion Series by Francine Rivers – I came across these books through a friend. Peering at her bookshelf(an activity I regularly do at other peoples homes 😅). My beautiful friend noticed me looking at them and told me that she loved that series and I definitely needed to read it. That was all it took. She sent me home with the first book. It was thick, about 500 pages and I was nervous about taking on another book while reading 3 others but I had lapsed on fiction reading and needed some in my life. I read this book in 5 days. When I tell you it was riveting, I mean Oh My Goodness! Needless to say, I was begging my friend for the second one in the series less than a week after borrowing the first and utterly shook at the marvelous book I had just read. These are historical christian fiction books based in approximately 70A.D. A young Jewish Christian woman is barely surviving in a time of genocide of her people. A dangerous time to be a woman, Christian and a Jew. This series is action packed and I recommend it wholeheartedly.
- The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth Speare – Amazon accidentally sent this book to me instead of the one I ordered. When I contacted them it was going to cost more time and money than it was worth to ship it back and fix the mistake so we all agreed to leave it as is. Ironically, it was the coolest book to accidentally receive by accident. The Bronze Bow is set in the time where Rome occupied Israel and most surrounding areas. Following the story of a Jewish boy named Daniel who wants to avenge his fathers death and hates the Romans with a passion, we see loyalty, love, and courage as the themes of this book. Daniel learns some hard lessons and faces his greatest challenges while also coming across a man who was considered a healer. Could he be the messiah? Go read this classic if you haven’t yet.
- The Art Of Mending by Elizabeth Berg – I found this book at the library sale. I’m not sure what even drew me to it but I paid 50 cents for it and went on my way. When I finally decided to read it I was shocked at how good it was. Then reading reviews I was shocked again at how negative a lot of them were! This book was a look into the inner workings of a family and the way different siblings experience their growing up. It addresses favoritism, abuse and the heartbreaking process of holding people accountable. I loved this book but did find it somewhat triggering and hard to read at times. If you struggle with family discord or violence, use discretion when reading this book. *Some strong language.
- The Gearnsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows – I read this book because I watched the movie first *gasp* now all of you avid readers will never look at this blog again! I loved the movie(it’s on Netflix but don’t be like me kids) but the saying is true, the book is indeed better. Post World War 2, Juliet Ashton is a budding success in her writing career but after the loss of her parents and the post war trauma she is struggling to continue on as if nothing ever happened. She then gets a letter in the mail from a pig farmer who found her name and address on the inside cover of a used book. Through this farmer she learns about the troubles that befell the German occupied Island of Geaurnsey during the war and the book club that was born during these wretched times. This tale is so worth the read and I hope you love it as much as I did.
- Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeymon – This is a book that I had heard recommended over and over. I was a little nervous at the beginning, it seemed depressing but I ended up loving it. If you enjoy exploring the peculiarities of the human mind, emotion and interaction through fiction, this is the book for you. I so enjoyed it. *Be aware that this book does have some language in it.
- The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn – I made it to chapter 6 in this book. This is based on some very strong American nationalism and theologically dispensational themes. I found it to be a difficult writing style to track with and I decided to quit for a few reasons. Simply based on my opinion I do not recommend this book for anything other than maybe reading from a fictional dispensationalist standpoint. If you do read this book please know that this is not prophecy for what’s to come and the best way to know if something is or isn’t a word from God is to check it against scripture and God’s character.
- Unashamed by Francine Rivers – Because I loved the Mark Of The Lion Series so much I decided to begin reading some other titles by Francine. This book is from a series of Biblical fiction called The Lineage Of Grace which covers stories from the Bible of women who were in the lineage of Christ. This particular book was Rahab’s story. If you’re familiar with the actual account of Rahab in the Bible then you get the gist of the book. It was an interesting read and I enjoyed seeing this story from a deeper perspective(keeping in mind it really is just speculation and embellishment). I am looking forward to reading the rest of the novellas in this series.
- And The Shofar Blew – This fictional book is based between the late 80’s and early 2000’s and tells the story of a pastor, elders and laypeople as well as their families in a growing church in California. This story has been triggering but well thought out and provokes deep thought and emotion. It helps open our eyes to the difficulty and sacrifice of people in ministry positions as well as how watered down gospel and selfish ambition can create a toxic and spiritually abusive environment.
I want to close out this book review by saying that I recognize that I have good things to say about most of these books. It’s not that I don’t find fault in any of them. I find some of them to be frustrating in parts. I may struggle with the language, patriarchal themes or overly sexual content. However, I see the goodness in all of these because A) Most of these books have been recommended to me and have been waiting to read them for a while and they really did turn out to be excellent stories. Some of them are classics for a reason! B) Another theory I have for the overall positive reviews is that I am not a super picky reader. I don’t have massive pet peeves when it comes to writing styles and different world views. This may not be the case with you, therefore you may not find my book reviews(or recommendations) helpful. Wherever you land I hope more than anything your desire for reading is sparked, whether through an overly positive book recommendation or simply through your own goals to read more.
Thanks for visiting this blog in 2022 and I cannot wait to write to you in the New Year!
The Crunchy Vagabond 