Top Ten Books I Want to Reread

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

Way back in 2014 I shared some of the books I wanted to reread, and no surprise to anyone, I still haven't reread most of them. It's just hard for me to prioritize something I've read before over all the many titles I have yet to experience. Usually I only reread books if they're chosen for one of my book clubs (and sometimes I'll nominate books I want to reread for this reason!). These are ten I'd still like to reread.

1. 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam
I was just telling a friend how helpful this was for figuring out how I wanted to spend my time, and it led me to revisit my "List of 100 Dreams," many of which I've now accomplished. My daily life looks a lot different than the first time I read this book, and I'd love to revisit it.

2. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
I've read much of what Kingsolver has written, but this was the first. I read it in high school and have never returned to it since then, but I'd like to experience the story again as an adult to see if it resonates with me in the same way.

3. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
I haven't read this since middle school, though I did finally watch the movie in the past couple years and it reminded me how good this story is. It's a long one, though, so it would be quite an investment of time to reread it, which is why I haven't picked it up yet.

4. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
This is another one that I read in high school, and I don't remember anything about it. I was dating a white guy from South Africa at the time, and I wonder if I would have a different perspective on the book now.

5. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
I've admittedly been disappointed in some of E. Lockhart's recent works, but this is still one of my favorite books. Given how much I recommend it, I think I should reread it and see if it's as good as I remember.

6. The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield
This book is one of the most beautiful works of fiction I've ever read, but I rarely see it mentioned; it doesn't seem to be well known. I've recommended it to one of my book clubs to read, and I'm looking forward to the chance to revisit it.

7. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
This is another classic I read long ago when I was in school, and I'd like to have a fresher perspective on it, but it's also quite long and I'm not sure I'll ever make the commitment to rereading it.

8. The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich
I read this one for a college English class with a teacher I really didn't like, and that surely colored my reading of this. I've had so many other Erdrich books recommended to me since then, and I'd like to read those, but I also think I should return to this one at some point.

9. Parent Effectiveness Training by Thomas Gordon
I read this before becoming a parent, and I've said forever that I need to revisit it, but I still haven't. Now that we have a second child, this might be a good time.

10. With Burning Hearts by Henri J. Nouwen
This is a powerful little book, and I knew after I finished it that I would want to return to it in the future. I think once the pandemic is over and our church reopens, I might want a reminder of all there is to love about the Mass.

What books do you want to reread?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Demon Lord of Karanda, The Next Evangelicalism, and Airships
Five years ago I was reading: Middlemarch, On heroes, lizard and passion, and A Snicker of Magic
Ten years ago I was reading: The Happiness Project

Best of the Bunch (November 2020)

Today I'm sharing the best book I read in November.

Of the 10 books I read this month, I had one 5-star read, which was my best of the bunch!

I stayed up late to finish I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. Channing Brown has written a book that goes beyond those of earlier generations trying to turn a spotlight on America's racism; she starkly faces down the well-meaning white people who run progressive organizations and talk about diversity, pointing out the specific ways in which white guilt is handed to her to absolve and a barrage of microaggressions are explained away by those who want to consider themselves the "good" ones. I'm glad this book finally got more attention this year, and glad that I finally got around to reading it. I would recommend it broadly, but I especially think it's valuable for white American Christians to read.

What is the best book you read this month? Let me know in comments, or write your own post and link up below!

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Demon Lord of Karanda, The Next Evangelicalism, and Airships
Five years ago I was reading: Twelve Years a Slave, On heroes, lizard and passion, and A Snicker of Magic
Ten years ago I was reading: The Back of the Napkin

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What I've Been Reading Lately (Quick Lit)

Today I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit to bring you some short and sweet reviews of what I've read in the past month. For longer reviews, you can always find me on Goodreads.

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Identity, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen: My favorite read of October. Chen not only explores the personal experiences of those who identify as ace, but also shows how the same cultural forces that make asexuality misunderstood and stigmatized limit the possibilities for people in all kinds of relationships. I definitely recommend picking it up.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett: This was good, but it didn't make me into a fan of multi-generational family stories. There was nothing particularly objectionable and for the most part I enjoyed it, but personally I would have liked more from it.

Sabriel by Garth Nix: This was fine, but it was a little too "classic high fantasy" for me. I enjoyed the parts of the world-building I did understand, but I found it overly complex, and the book's romance was contrived. Still, it's always nice to read a classic high fantasy book with a female protagonist.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: I have repeatedly expressed my frustration with how beloved and frequently taught this book is, and it was time I finally reread it so I could see if I was being fair in my characterization of it. In a word: yes. There are so many books that have been written in the past 60 years that better accomplish everything that Lee set out to do here. Let's give them their time in the spotlight.

Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith by Kathleen Norris: I can be a bit skittish around Christian books, but this one was recommended long ago by Rachel Held Evans and so I figured I could trust it. I found the author's experiences with faith relatable and the scholarly-memoir format enjoyable, even if Norris' "progressive" faith in 1999 still reads a bit old-fashioned today.

The Switch by Beth O'Leary: This was JUST delightful. This is like a Hallmark Christmas movie if it was in book form and took place in the spring. Predictable, yes, but funny, sweet, heart-wrenching, silly, and just plain fun.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune: This was a very sweet story about a by-the-book caseworker whose job involves investigating orphanages for magical youth. His journey is one of realizing that even marginalized populations who are "well cared for" are still marginalized. I had a couple of small hesitations, but on the whole I really enjoyed the read and would recommend it.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer: This was quite a clever retelling of the Cinderella story. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a plot twist was glaringly obvious about a quarter of the way into the book, and then the book ends on an abrupt cliffhanger. I understand why it's popular, but I mostly found it disappointing.

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Demon Lord of Karanda, The Next Evangelicalism, and Girt
Five years ago I was reading: Justice, Sula, and A Snicker of Magic
Ten years ago I was reading: The Back of the Napkin

Ten Book Titles that Would Make Great Song Titles

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

1. Ballad of the Whiskey Robber by Julian Rubinstein

2. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

3. Dear Martin by Nic Stone

4. Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young

5. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

6. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

7. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

8. Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

9. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

10. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

What book titles would you make into songs?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: King of the Murgos, The Next Evangelicalism, and Girt
Five years ago I was reading: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Unbroken, and A Snicker of Magic
Ten years ago I was reading: The Back of the Napkin

Eight Non-Bookish Hobbies

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

1. Acting
It's been a few years now, but I tried out for a number of community theater plays and landed a couple of very minor roles. Assuming that my local theater survives the pandemic, I hope (when my kids are a little older) to try out for some more roles!

2. Dancing
I adore ballroom dancing and line dancing, and right before the pandemic hit I discovered contra dancing, which was a great way to get my fix of partner dancing without having to have a partner who's also interested in dancing. This will probably be one of the last things to come back after the pandemic subsides (lots of people, particularly older people, in close contact with rotating partners), but I'm looking forward to it because I miss it!

3. Job search coaching
I absolutely love helping people with their job searches. I tried unsuccessfully to turn this into a business, and now I've just gone back to happily volunteering my time for friends, family, and acquaintances, as well as volunteering with Upwardly Global. I read Ask a Manager religiously. It's so satisfying to help someone land a job they really want!

4. Learning/practicing American Sign Language
I've been taking ASL classes off and on for the last five years or so. I haven't taken a class in almost a year now and I tried unsuccessfully to find an online Deaf/HoH teacher I liked and could afford, but I've at least been keeping up with my receptive skills by watching a video in ASL every day (not counting all the Deaf TikTok creators I follow!).

5. Playing board games
This is one of the few hobbies my husband and I have in common, and we've acquired more two-player games in the past couple years, which has come in handy since we've had to stop hosting our regular in-person game nights with friends every few months. (Seriously, this TTT topic is reminding me of just how many of my hobbies the pandemic has paused...)

6. Playing piano
I took piano lessons for a few years as a kid and eventually quit to focus on other things. My parents have always told me that I can have my piano from their house when I'm ready for it, but it'll be a couple years still until we have a house and also my only time to play is at night when my kids are sleeping. After staying with my parents this summer, though, I got back into it, and I ended up buying myself a proper keyboard at home. Now I can put in headphones in the evenings and practice!

7. Podcasting
This is definitely my biggest (i.e., most time-consuming) hobby outside of reading. I co-host Blessed Are the Feminists and in addition to doing the interviews for each episode I do all the administrative work (scheduling the interviews, uploading the finished episode file and writing the show notes, scheduling posts on our site and social media) and do transcripts of every episode. It's a lot of work but it's been so fun and rewarding to do!

8. Sharing coming out stories
Finally, I also run the website When I Came Out, which I launched in 2012 when this kind of site format was all the rage (e.g., Texts from Last Night, Overheard in New York). Amazingly, people just keep submitting stories for me to post, and the site now has almost 2,200 stories!

What are your hobbies?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: King of the Murgos, Girt, and Whistling Vivaldi
Five years ago I was reading: Goodbye, Columbus and A Snicker of Magic
Ten years ago I was reading: The Back of the Napkin