34 Books for My 34th Birthday: A 2018 Reading List

To celebrate my 34th birthday, here are 34 of my favorite books from the past year! (You can see my past birthday book lists here : 30, 31, 32, & 33)

 

 

 

 

 

My very top picks from the year were Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry, A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah, Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne, The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge, and The Penderwicks At Last by Jeanne Birdsall.

 

34 Books for My 34th Birthday: A 2018 Reading List

Novels

1. Hannah Coulter: A Novel by Wendell Berry. For a long time many people in my life have been recommending, quoting, or generally swooning over Wendell Berry. And after reading Hannah Coulter I can see what all the fuss is about. It’s a beautiful novel of rural America spanning most of the 20th century, almost understated in its grace and part of a bigger body of work about the Port William community where Hannah lives. (I read Andy Catlett: Early Travels a few weeks later, in which Hannah is a character, also good, but made me want to savor Wendell Berry novels a little more slowly, like a treat every year or two.) Evan read this one, and it was great to talk about it. I think we’ll enjoy these for the rest of our marriage.

2. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Swedish old man Ove (Pronounced U-va)  won me over with his gruff lovability and the wonderful way Backman weaves in back story. There are a lot of spoilers in trying to explain why this book is wonderful: it’s a little dark, but with a lot of redemption. So, make it past the first third and you’re on your way to something special. (And with a rotten tomatoes score of 90%, it’s on our list of movies to watch.)

 

3. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Eleanor is a very different kind of lonely-quirky than Ove, and the book reveals her darkness as the book progresses, but the lovely friendship between Eleanor and Raymond is one of my favorite literary relationships, and her watching local pompous musician Johnnie Lomond’s twitter is oddly one part of the book that has stayed with me. Also, I loved the Glasgow setting.

 
 
 
 

4. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori). Keiko is as isolated and quirky as Ove and Eleanor, but she’s not lonely. She loves her work and the way that it makes sense to her when social interactions don’t. I thought the description of the order and details of her life were great. Her pretend boyfriend has a bit of a potty mouth in an otherwise pretty clean book. It’s a fast and fascinating little read with an ending completely different from Ove or Eleanor’s but still satisfying.

 

5. The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey. This murder mystery reminds me of how I always walk away from the genre loving the mystery bit and hating the murder piece (especially how it makes you question every character.) This one was fascinating in its setting in 1920s Bombay (especially the Zoroastrian parts which were very new to me.) If you don’t mind the murder parts of murder mysteries, this one is great.

 
 
 

6. Eligible: A modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld. This made me think about and made me want to go back and read the original Pride and Prejudice, which is probably a sign of a good retelling. It set Pride and Prejudice in contemporary Cincinnati, Ohio with all the current takes on pressure to get married (like a reality TV show based on the Bachelor and the biological clock of women in their 40s wanting children) and what makes a relationship scandalous. It’s not horribly raunchy, but I just kept imagining how many of my sweet Catholic bloggers and facebook group who love Jane Austen would blush and absolutely hate this book for interpreting Pride and Prejudice with such loose morals. But it would make for a very lively and interesting discussion at a book club.

 

7. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. This was a funny book, along the lines of PG Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster, set in 1890s England with three men taking a boating trip up the Thames. Someone recommended it to me (one of the sweet Catholic facebook group members) as the funniest book she’d ever read. This probably set my expectations much, much too high for the comedic impact of this book which made me smile a lot, but rarely laugh aloud. It takes a little while to settle into the tone and humor, but I think it would stand up to re-readings well. I can’t wait for Evan to read it; I think he’ll think it’s very funny.

 

8. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. I loved A Gentleman in Moscow more than this earlier novel of Amor Towles, but it was still very good, with a wonderful New York City 1938 setting. Katey Kontent bounces around a lot of different circles and kinds of people throughout the book, which left me thinking a lot about relationships and social mobility (because of some pretty big spoilers, so I won’t elaborate). I can’t wait to read whatever Amor Towles writes next!

 

9. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I have watched a lot of film and theater versions of this, but never have actually read it until this year. It’s as good as everyone says it is, and while little was surprising (I did know the story very well!) it was neat to listen to it as Christmas approached this year. It made me think I could read a full length Dickens sometime and enjoy it (and by read, I mean listen to Jim Dale on audio book!)

 

 

Memoirs

10. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah. This was funny, moving, difficult, and very good. I listened to the audio book with author Trevor Noah’s narration, and the dialects and accents of South Africa really brought the book to life. One of the best books I read all year.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

11. L’appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home by David Lebovitz. I didn’t realize that the author has written other books about his life as an expat American in Paris, so I think that some of the context of this book might have been already covered in those books. Having lived in Paris for a summer semester, I could imagine many of crazy little details of Parisian life that while I didn’t experience (since I wasn’t trying to buy and remodel an apartment) seemed exactly like the type of thing that would happen there. The ending was a little disappointing (and for no one more than David Lebovitz himself!) but it did make me want to read some of his other books. (And when a good friend of mine from my summer in France took pictures of all the many, many documents in 3 hole binders that she had for their year long French visas, I knew what she was talking about!)

 

12. I’m Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers by Tim Madigan. This book along with the wonderful documentary and watching some classic Mr. Rogers with three year old Jackson made this year the year of being very proud to be a Rogers. Mr. Rogers is so great and while I am somewhat jealous that Tim Madigan got to be such good real life friends with Fred Rogers, he passes along that unconditional positive regard (a term that another talented Rogers—psychologist Carl Rogers—coined) to us.

 

13. The Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle. I’m a big Melanie Shankle fan and this book does not disappoint. She has a way of telling very funny stories that make you feel less alone in your quirkiness and then in the middle of laughing she brings it around to grace and God’s love. I think that on paper Melanie Shankle is a bit more of a Southern Lady (loves fashion, makeup, a lot of hair product, and generally politically conservative) than myself (who has the combination of not having enough money, time, or energy along with general crunchy misgivings to be that well dressed, made-up, or coiffed… plus am squarely moderate in all things political–hello American Solidarity Party!) still makes me feel like she could be a good friend.

 

14. One Beautiful Dream: The Rollicking Tale of Family Chaos, Personal Passions, and Saying Yes to Them Both by Jennifer Fulwiler. This book was a love letter to my mother-writer soul. Jennifer Fulwiler is hilarious and a wonderful story teller, and having her write about her long road to writing her first book while having six (6!) babies was such an encouragement. I probably should read it again every year until my two babies are in school. If God was faithful to her, He will be faithful to me.

 

15. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover. This was such a popular book this year, and it really is such a remarkable memoir both in terms of how well it was written and also just how incredibly unique Tara Westover’s story is of growing up a fringe fundamentalist Mormon and finding her way to graduate level work. As someone who has been in academia, conservative Religious culture, and likes a good essential oil, the way that her worlds collide and come together resonated with slices of my own experience. I thought that the end of the book didn’t come together very tightly, like she’s still living her way through her conclusions and she wanted to protect some of her adult privacy and relationships, which I suppose is one of the challenges of writing a memoir in your late 20s and early 30s.

 

16. So Close to being the Sh*t Y’all Don’t Even Know by Retta. This was a fun read, although fair warning Retta has a big potty mouth (which you probably could pick up from the title.) I listened to the audio book, and I would recommend that; she’s so expressive. I loved her as Donna in Parks and Recreation, and I have a soft spot for comedic actor memoirs. This was different than Bossy Pants, Yes Please, or Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me?, but had some deep thoughts on race and weight and family. Retta is pretty amazing.

 

17. Heating & Cooling : 52 Micro-Memoirs by Beth Ann Fennelly. I didn’t realize until after I finished this that I had read and loved Beth Ann Fennelly’s epistolary book on motherhood (Great With Child: Letters to A Young Mother). This was such a great fast read, and you can just see how she is a skilled poet, packing imagery into each well chosen word and vignette. It’s not racy, per se, but she deals pretty openly with a full gamut of experiences. So it’s really an adult book.

 

Non-fiction

18. Cozy Minimalist Home : More Style, Less Stuff by Myquillyn Smith. I loved her first book The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect to Be Beautiful, and probably it’s the book that I needed more in my life since I’m already on board with cozy minimalism, but I always need to be reminded that “it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful” (#enneagram1). But this was a lovely book (if you’re on board with the idea of cozy minimalism, pro tip: skip to the meat of the book with the more practical stuff) and I am especially mulling over her wisdom on “The Myth of Finding Your Signature Style (You Already Know What You Like)” and her F.A.B.S. acronym: “Functional. Abundant. Beautiful. Simple.”

 

19. Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne. I’ve had this book recommended to me by many, many people, and it really is a wonderful book. Warning: you’ll want to get rid of most of your kids’ toys and activities (or in my case vow that when they get older they won’t be doing a thousand activities). I think it’s the sort of book I’ll want to revisit every 4 years to rethink what it has to say for kids in the next stage.

 
 
 
 

20. Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong—and What You Really Need to Know by Emily Oster. I love birth and baby books, but found most pregnancy books oddly unsatisfying (notable exceptions being Magical Beginnings & Mama Naturals’ Guide) but this book made the cut. I love how she unpacked statistics to help you understand how pregnancy guidelines/conventional wisdom/public health were created, and where and when you might want to rethink it (like a cup of coffee or a glass of wine) and where you should really follow the strict guidelines (smoking, washing your fruits and veggies.) I love finding people who are crunchy science lovers, like the wonderful Sarah Ballentyne.

 

21. Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child’s Education by Susan Wise Bauer. For someone who plans to have their kids in “regular” school (Evan’s lovely private school where he teaches) I do love reading about home schooling. This is a great book for doing what it says: thinking about how to get any kid a great education both inside and outside of the classroom. Honestly, I thought that the beginning was a little fussy (why you’d want to read the book and everything wrong with classroom education) but the content in the middle was worth my time.

 

22. Reading People by Anne Bogel. I love a good personality framework, and I love Anne Bogel’s blog Modern Mrs. Darcy, so naturally I loved her first book. I listened to the audio book version, and I love Anne’s voice from her podcast What Should I Read Next. (She does rush a little in the beginning, but settles down in the chapters.) I loved her personal anecdotes and it makes me want to learn more about the Keirsey’s temperaments (especially since I’m an SJ (Guardian) and Evan’s an IJ (Rational))and Strength Finders.

 

23. Green Enough: Eat Better, Live Cleaner, Be Happier (All Without Driving Your Family Crazy!) by Leah Segedie. I’ve been reading green cleaning blogs for a long time, so a lot of what this book said I knew. (And she isn’t Paleo, so a lot of the “skip the boxed stuff” and making informed decisions about grains and dairy I just skipped). But there was definitely some new (kind of sad how the more you know the more you have to do!) info about how important it is to dust and take your shoes off when it comes to combating a lot of toxins (pesticides, herbicides, flame retardants) that are in our homes. There was also a lot of good stuff on what the different numbered plastics mean (who knew some are worse for us and the environment than others?), how “microwavable safe” bags mean that they’re safe for your microwave (won’t explode) not safe eating (don’t heat anything in the microwave in plastic), why we should change our water filters often (because mold starts to grow) and a great list of cleaning and beauty products that are bad, good, and great at the back. Mostly, for me it was just an encouragement to keep all things synthetic fragrances out of our house. Language warning, Segedie has a bit of a potty mouth and is pretty angry about a lot of this stuff.

 

Kidlit

24. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend. Evan got this fun YA fantasy for my birthday last year. It has a slightly dark and gothic feel (but still on the younger side of YA, maybe still middle grade) and I definitely wanted to know what the next installments would hold because this first book had lots of setting up for a satisfying series.

 
 
 
 

25. Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield. I think most people heard of this book from You’ve Got Mail, when child bookstore owner Kathleen Kelly is crying in the Fox Book Store and recommending the book. And it is worth the tears and the recommendation. It’s a classic children’s book for all the right reasons: three sisters, a rambling old house, and ballet shoes. It’s nearly every female elementary school aged reader’s dream. (Noel Streatfield wrote 9 other “shoe” books that are similar in tone and theme but don’t have the same characters. I’m sure my kids and I will devour them.)

 

26. Greenwitch by Susan Cooper. I knew that I would be reading the 4th one in the series (The Grey King) for my Newberies, and had read #2 last year, so I went ahead a read this third installment of the Dark is Rising series. I liked it, but didn’t love it for all the same reasons as with the whole series: it’s very tense the whole way through and the “Light” isn’t always as kind and good as I would like it to be in an epic fantasy. I did like that this book had a lot more female character focus than the other books with the women of Trewissick, the Greenwitch they create (a sort of goddess witch effigy made from tree boughs and leaves they sacrifice to the sea) and the bigger role for Jane Drew than her brothers.

 

27. Keepers of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger. At my other niece’s baptism this Fall, a tween daughter of a good friend of mine was curled up with the latest installment of this book. When I asked Sylvia about it, her older sister chimed in because they absolutely loved it. So I considered it my professional duty to drop everything and read the first one myself. It had a little more junior high humor (along the lines of Percy Jackson and Artemis Fowl) and love triangles than I’d like in favorite books, but it was fun and made me want to read more. And it was encouraging to me that tween girls want to read lengthy fantasy novels!

 

28. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. I would say this seems awfully derivative of The Hunger Games a dystopian society with a selection process at the beginning and corrupt officials to unmask and outwit, but this book was published in 2003 five years before Hunger Games came out in 2008, so perhaps a selection process and corrupt officials as the bad guys are just part of dystopias and Hunger Games did them exceptionally well. City of Ember is definitely more gentle (less violent and ruthless) than Hunger Games, and I enjoyed it.

 
 
 
 

29. The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. This was probably my favorite children’s read of the year. And what makes it all the better is that Elizabeth Goudge has a lot of other books for me to enjoy. This is a sweet fairy tale (steeped in alchemical imagery of lions and unicorns) and is old fashioned in the best way. You can see why JK Rowling said that she “absolutely adored” The Little White Horse.)

 
 
 
 

30. The Venderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser. This recently published novel captures a lot of fun family love in a big family that’s facing their lease not being renewed by their grumpy upstairs neighbor-landlord. It’s set around Christmas and has a bit of a Christmas Carol feel with the Scrooge like neighbor.

 
 
 
 

31. All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor. Since I liked The Venderbeekers so much, and a number of reviewers compared it to All-of-a-Kind Family, I read them as a pair. There are definitely similarities with the big New York City family living in a brownstone, and they are both charming, but they are pretty different in tone, theme, and time. All-of-a-Kind Family is a Jewish family of 4 girls living in early 1900s New York City. It reminds me more of Milly-Molly-Mandy in terms of the gentle day to day life and lessons that the girls are learning (although it has more of a coherent narrative arc than the episodic stand-alone chapters of Milly-Molly-Mandy.) I can’t wait to gift this one to my goddaughter; she’s going to love it.

 

32. The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden. This was such a wonderful little book, and I think it might have won the Newbery in 1961 if Island Of the Blue Dolphins hadn’t. I think it’s a really great first chapter book for a read aloud with the cricket and the mouse and the cat and the great illustrations. Perfect to read in September, preferably in New York City.

 
 
 
 

33. The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook by Joyce Lankester Brisley. This is the sweetest, most charming little book from the 1930s, especially for preschoolers. Milly Molly Mandy’s (one girl named Milicent Margaret Amanda) adventures are so sweet, set in turn of the century England. I read this one aloud to Jackson while he nursed (and therefore was a captive audience), and then I bought a copy for my 4 1/2 year old niece for Christmas.

 
 
 

34. The Penderwicks At Last by Jeanne Birdsall. This was the present that Evan gave me when Lily was born: the final installment of one of my favorite series published a few days before Lily was born. And the present I gave myself was re-reading the whole series those first lovely days in May with my new baby. The last one does not disappoint…except that it’s the last one! We return to the setting of the first book (Arundel Manor) mainly through the eyes of the new younger half-sister Lydia. Also, I was pleased that I predicted an homage to Little Women in the ending relationship between Batty & Jeffrey (a la Amy & Laurie)

 

 

What were your favorite books from this past year? Have you read any of these?

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