Good, Better, Best: New Reads of 2023

I thought it appropriate to use a picture of our university library for the graphic. :) 

Hello wonderful denizens of the interwebs, and welcome to what has, despite how time-consuming it is to write, become one of my favorite posts of the year...and judging from the number of comments I typically get, one of y'all's favorite posts of the year as well! (Although maybe now that I've said that, no one will comment...tis the blogging life, I suppose.) Anywho! I'm here to recap my reading for the year with a Good, Better, Best list! 

This year, I read 238 books (up at least eight from last year) of which only 67 were rereads! That part surprised me, but hey, it's a respectable number. (It'll be higher in 2024, I think, for #reasons that we will discuss later this month.) Of all 238 books, I've chosen roughly 60 to discuss in this post, using my usual criteria: (almost) no nonfiction, no books from a series (unless I'm discussing the series as a whole), no rereads, and if I didn't like a book, obviously it doesn't make it onto the list. (There are also a few that I omitted just because of caprice, or because I didn't remember them well enough to talk about them at length.) The books are listed, within each category, in roughly chronological order of reading. 

And as last year, if I've talked about a book already in a wrap-up, I'll draw on that to talk about it in this post, because 60 books is a lot to summarize my thoughts on, and if I've already done it, I have no reason to do it again. :P (Rest assured, though, there are plenty of new thoughts, and books you haven't heard about yet, but as it's taken me two weeks to write this post already, I see no reason not to use the resources I have available, y'know.)

Enjoy! (And as always, skimming is permitted, but only for this post. ;) Also, please excuse any typos...by the time I finished, I was too tired to proofread. You're welcome.)

 

Good

Brother Wolf by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson
While I didn't love Brother Wolf nearly as much as A Bloody Habit (which I'll be talking about in a minute), I still enjoyed it very much! (My preference for ABH was probably predictable given that that one is about Dominicans and this one about Franciscans, lol.) As does ABH, Brother Wolf imagines a world in which vampires and werewolves are real, and the Dominican and Franciscan orders have been created to fight each type of supernatural creature, respectively. Quite sensical when it comes to the Franciscans, given their long-term association with wolves. The story follows the travels of a slightly cynical young woman, Athene, and her subsequent discovery of the world of supernatural creatures beyond anything she expected to be true. While many of the characters are delightful (including Athene herself) and I enjoyed seeing the werewolf side of things, I felt that the plot was less compact than ABH, and the climax felt slightly unnecessarily dramatic. However, I'd still recommend it. :)

The Game by Diana Wynne Jones
It almost seems like Diana Wynne Jones just sat down and wrote a quick fun jaunt for her own enjoyment, and then published it. It's about a group of cousins and a fantasy game they like to play, and I can't say much more than that without spoiling it (because really, the surprise and uncertainty is the best part of the book) but suffice it to say that there are many mythology references, her trademark fantastical style, and lots and lots of cousins (and siblings, of course) (also aunts) (fantastic aunts). 

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
I've been told by a friend of mine for years that I should read this book and finally acceded...only to very much wish I'd read it sooner! It's set in Roman-occupied Israel, which is one of my favorite settings for historical fiction (slightly strange, I know, but true) and tells the story of a young man who is firmly bent on freeing his people from the occupation. However, through the people in his life, including his best friend and his best friend's sister, and Daniel's own younger sister who is housebound, and a certain preacher of the time, Daniel slowly comes to understand his real calling in life. I love both that the book touches the time of Jesus, and that Jesus is not a prominent part of the book, unlike books which try too hard to include Jesus as a character and end up warping His actual character. I also love Daniel and Joel's friendship, and Daniel's relationship with his younger sister, who's suffering from PTSD of a sort. 

Glimmerglass by Marly Youmans
Marly Youmans is a contemporary Catholic author, and I had been wanting to read one of her books for quite a while. This one surprised me--it feels halfway between Howl's Moving Castle and something by Katherine Reay. It was a sort of magical realism that flits in and out of reality, but without ever resorting to the "it was just a dream" thing...quite the opposite. There's a house built into a hill, and a pair of brothers, a bitter old woman, a mystery, and a wonderland. It's slightly magical, but also wholly real, and manages also to meditate on the role of the artist and art. It's strange, but I liked it. 

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H. G. Parry
While I'm not usually an extreme fan of 'fictional worlds meet reality', I will say that Parry pulls it off here! Here we meet Charley Sutherland, whose older brother really, really, really wishes he would stop pulling characters out of books, said older brother and his fiancée, and a surprising variety of fictional characters, topped off, of course, by Uriah Heep. Who really does cause a heap of problems by escaping his book, if you'll pardon my pun. The whole thing was both a delightful literary homage, and a suspenseful action book of sorts, with a hint of mystery to tie the whole thing together. (Oh, and it's set in Australia, if all of the above wasn't reason enough to read it.)

The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
I'm actually surprised I haven't screamed about this book on the blog yet! Much of it felt rather bog-standard: a man goes to a generic European country on holiday, looks exactly like an important person, and is drafted into extensive political schemes, battles, clever plans, &c. And while the main character is reasonably loveable and all that, I was not captivated for most of the book. Interested, yes, captivated, no. HOWEVER. The ending turned a trope that I absolutely HATE (*ahem* refusing a previously arranged marriage for someone you just met *ahem*) and flipped it on its head, making the main character excessively noble in my opinion, and ending the whole thing with actual GROWTH IN VIRTUE. Whaaaaaaaaat? I love it. 

Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini
This book was a read for one of my book clubs, and it was fun because it was simultaneously something that was my thing (an old book) and wasn't my thing (a swashbuckling story...for some reason, I just don't find myself drawn to that kind of book as much), so it was a good break from the ordinary. (That's often true with book club books--my friends have widely different taste, and it's a lot of fun.) Even though I'm not a swashbuckling person in general, I really enjoyed Scaramouche, mostly for the MC, who is like me in that he doesn't show emotions, and so people assume he doesn't have them. So, seeing his adventures and mishaps with that was a bit of a window into myself, in a way. The book also balanced comedy with sadness in a way so that it wasn't just a fun swashbuckling novel, but also had depth to it, and I enjoyed that, too. I don't feel I've done the whimsy of it justice, but take my word for it--it's worth a read!

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Van Arnim
I read this book at the recommendation of Hamlette, and found it, stylistically, a delightful mix of Elizabeth Goudge and Rumer Godden. Four British women decide that they wish to rent a villa in Italy for various reasons, and while their personalities may clash now and then, something about the villa in Italy (I mean, it's a villa in Italy for all love) brings out the best in them. And gradually, their reasons for wanting to leave England are revealed and, in most cases, as I recall, resolved. It's a slice-of-life book in the best possible way--it describes the beauty of the ordinary, but has enough extraordinary in it to be interesting. I mean, it's Italy. How could it not be?

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
After reading The Bronze Bow and enjoying it so heartily, I was more open to reading another recommendation by the same friend (which happened to be by the same author). The setting of this book could not be more different than TBB...rather than being set in ancient Israel, it's set in Puritan New England, and follows a young woman, Kit, who comes from the Caribbean to live with her VERY Puritan uncle, aunt, and cousins. She chafes at the restrictions, and ends up forming a friendship with an old woman, a Quaker, who lives in a nearby marsh and is considered a witch by many of the residents of the settlement. The book is a simple one, following Kit's every day, her friendships with her cousins, a young girl she meets, and a young sailor, and yet the book is a beautiful one. It also features what someone described as "every homeschool girl's ideal romance", think of that what you will. 

A Shadow in Moscow by Katherine Reay
I listened to this book every day during a week where I had to drive multiple hours every afternoon to pick up my siblings from summer camp, and honestly at this point I remember the time very little, but I remember this book very much! It tackles a subject Reay hasn't to my (fairly extensive) knowledge tackled before, namely, Soviet Russia, and tells an extremely compelling story within that (well-researched) framework. It follows the story of two young women, one the wife of a successful government worker right after WWII, and one a brilliant student who comes to the US to study during the Cold War, who both turn spy in the wake of various events in their pasts and presents, and whose stories end up entwining in the best possible way. I'm not sure if I was surprised by the entwinement, but I did enjoy it, and it certainly spoke to the variety of the human person, and how well we can persuade ourselves to act as someone that we aren't. Something to ponder. The book also has a splash of romance too it--just enough, only a splash--and then ending is as bittersweet as one could wish for. 

The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla
I don't believe there's a ton of MG on this list (there usually isn't--I have a very high bar for MG) but I thought this book good enough to include. It's the story of a family, although it focuses most on one of the kids in the family, Charlie, who has something along the lines of autism and/or OCD (I don't remember exactly), who has created, with his dad, a life-list of birds that they want to see someday. Unfortunately, his dad has been injured in the line of fire as a war journalist and is being treated in a hospital across the country from where the rest of the family is living at the time. Then follows the best of family road trips--a trope I already have a soft spot for, although only if done quite well--with drama, the weirdest (but best) family friend, and many, many birds. 

Shyamchi Aai by Sane Guruji
I picked this book up at random while browsing the University Library's children's book collection (which, let me tell you, is one of the best places on campus bar none and that is a hill I will die on). It's very much unlike any other book I've ever read, I think. It's translated from Marathi, I believe, and it's a collection of short stories forming one longer story, with a frame narrative of the short stories being told one at a time every night around the campfire of a compound. The longer story is the story of a son and his mother--their complex relationship of love and frustration, trust and distance, sacrifice and appreciation--or otherwise. The narrator thinks that his mother was one of the best people in the world, and attempts to show that through his story. And while the morals of the story were very eastern in lean, meaning I didn't agree with the conclusions of every story, I found it a fascinating glimpse into a culture that is very foreign to me. 

Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Elois Jarvis McGraw
Okay, speaking of books, and specifically romances, that every homeschooled girl has apparently read (except me, until this year), we come to Mara, Daughter of the Nile. Mara is a double agent in ancient Egypt (anyone else tickled by how similar 'ancient' and 'agent' sound? Just me? ok) who soon finds that her lying has caught up with her. Mara herself feels a bit like the stereotypical spunky heroine, but even still, I liked her, and even more, I liked the Canaanite princess who she ends up serving and helping. (But ok the scenes where Mara is pretending to translate and actually saying completely other stuff...yeesh.) I enjoyed the Egypt setting, too--I'm not an expert on the period, but I thought it was reasonably well-researched! 

The Joy of the Lord by Mark Andrews
The author of this book is actually the father of a friend of mine! I picked it up on the way to the airport for Thanksgiving Break at her recommendation, and absolutely tore through it. It's a marvelous book both as a story and a spiritual read, taking the reader on a journey through the Joyful Mysteries, as well as the lives of the other (very realistic!) characters filling the book. Overall, the whole thing was a very “hearts burning within us as He walked with us on the road” experience. I had many favorite things about it, but just to share a few... Mark Andrews is familiar with The Screwtape Letters, and he uses that paradigm to depict the angels and demons in his work with great success. Not only that, but he does an excellent job of depicting various ways in which humans might be tempted in the course of their every day, in really subtle ways, depicting spiritual warfare in a way that is not overdramatized but realistic and illuminating. His depiction of Mary was extremely on point, and very beautiful! He pulls from the most plausible (and beautiful!) sources in the Tradition to depict the events around the Annunciation, Visitation, etcetera. The plot is not merely “oh, young girl has all these visions of Mary”, but weaves together many different stories and subplots in a masterly way! Towards the end of the book, the plot picked up so much that at times I had to put the book aside to calm myself down! Lastly, the way the power of redemptive suffering was predicted I found to be one of the most powerful themes of the book. I will say that there are some parts that feel slightly clunky just in terms of writing/writing style, but I find those few clunky moments quite overlookable.

Metamorphoses by Ovid
I think this may have been the only classical work I read this year (shame on me). But I had an edition of this book which had Latin on one page and English on the facing page, and I enjoyed reading it in that format muchly, although as I got closer to the end, the Latin was more or less discarded, lol. These stories are not necessarily the most, *ahem*, morally upright (people are getting metamorphosized for a reason, y'all, and it often has to do with, shall we say, offences of a sort?) and there were definitely some that had me going "she did what now? and then he did wHaT?" So, one should know that, going in. However, I found it a fascinating laying out of a large portion of Greco-Roman mythology (it includes most of the 'familiar' stories of mythology, including Orpheus and Eurydice in a fascinating way) (not necessarily good. but fascinating) and the way the genuine mythology segued into an account of the Trojan Wars, Aeneas, and the founding of Rome was also genuinely interesting to me. 

The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson
While the other Secret Projects were certainly my favorites, The Sunlit Man is still an excellent book with a surprisingly sci-fi style for a Brandon Sanderson book. I was not as much of a fan of the action-movie feel of much of the book...I thought that it didn't give as much scope for character development as I've come to expect from Sanderson's works. However, as the book wears on, character development does start to emerge, from the MC, Nomad (whose identity was a complete surprise to me, and I hope it will be to you, too!), and from his friends among the rebels (although in this case 'friend' is a strong word). To add to the pros side of my analysis, as well, the worldbuilding of the particular planet that The Sunlit Man is set on was fascinating--a world with a fatal sunrise, where people must live in the perpetual dark, chasing it around the planet, which is continually reshaping itself. Worth a visit, I think. ;)

Memento Mori by Muriel Spark
This is one of those books where it seems like nothing happens, but a lot happens at the same time. It's by a Catholic author and explores the Catholic small-t tradition that remembering that one must die enables one to live a good life. Or at least assists one in living a good life. The spark of the book (if you'll pardon my pun) is a phone call to an old lady where the caller tells her "Remember, you must die". Throughout the book, more and more people begin to receive these phone calls, and their reactions to them tell a fascinating story about their character and how they are preparing for eternity. While it's certainly a niche book, and I can see how it could be perceived as slow and/or boring, I would recommend it if you're in the mood for something a bit more mysterious and slice-of-life-y. 

Better

A Bloody Habit by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson
This was a rare thing a Catholic thriller novel (at least, I think that's what it would be categorized as). And even more rare, for a thriller...I liked it. In fact, I loved it. It's based around the book Dracula--I think it's based on it in structure as well as the fact that Dracula is referenced within the book, although I haven't read Dracula, so I can't confirm. (Shame on me, I know.) But in addition to all the usual vampire things, and the story of someone discovering the presence of a vampire and all that jazz, you have the addition of the Dominicans, as an order, being vampire hunters, and! I just love that! You guys all know (or at least you should by now, I talk about it enough lol) that I love the Dominican Order, and the fact that someone else loved the Dominicans enough to write an entire thriller about a Dominican vampire hunter. It makes perfect sense, too, because as an order, the Dominicans are really focused on truth and the light of truth, and vampires flee into the darkness... And to add to the excellence of all of that, the main Dominican in the story reminds me of Father Brown, who is one of my favorite priest characters of All Time. It's really, really good stuff, at least for Catholic nerds. :)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
I had been waffling about reading this one, even though I loved The Night Circus, because I'd heard there was some content in it that I Did Not Approve Of. Which there was, but it really was possible to look past it to the setting, because the book is really about the setting, and not about the characters and their (sometimes dubious) choices. It's about what-if-there-was-a-place-which-kept-all-the-stories-of-the-world, and the world which that what-if creates makes what is quite possibly my favorite fictional setting of all time: the Harbor of the Starless Sea (and the Starless Sea itself). It's nearly impossible to describe, except to say that it's definitely written for all the kids who were always checking wardrobes for Narnia. Also, for anyone who loves to read. It's really a love letter to books and the reading life and being a reader, and so for that, I recommend it. It having been almost a year since I read it for the first time, I can definitely say that it's a book that has stuck with me...I can still picture so vividly many of the settings--the sitting room, the entry hall, the actual Harbor. And I dearly wish there was a hotel or something that emulated it, which I think could be possible at least in part, because I would go there in a heartbeat. 

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
This was a really good studio companion audiobook, and I enjoyed it more than I was expecting. I do understand some of the critiques of the book (Edmund does not deserve Fanny, Fanny can be a bit of a 'boring' MC, it drags a little bit) BUT I actually really liked Fanny, and appreciated the way she stood up for herself. Although she hasn’t had much experience with judging character, she is a good judge of character, and while she is willing to give people the benefit of the doubt (as a Christian should), she evaluates people by her moral principles. Also, I appreciated that while she is a timid person, she has a strong will underneath all of her shyness, and when she’s being heavily pressured to do something that’s against her moral code, she resists. and the cousin relationships are very wholesome. Plus, Jane Austen's eye for satirical lampooning of ridiculous characters is On Point. I obviously didn't love it as much as Pride & Prejudice or Persuasion, but I would say it's worth reading! I’m curious if one of the reasons people don’t like it as much is that it’s based so heavily around principles. Edmund’s principles, Fanny’s principles, the non-principles of Henry & Mary…they’re all important to the plot, and I wonder if, for some people, that seems silly. It didn’t seem so to me—I quite liked it.

Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
This little book is actually a five-act play that's very hard to explain. I would say that it follows Cyrano as he tries to function as an excellent playwright with a Very Large Nose, but it also follows Christian as he tries to woo Cyrano's cousin Roxane despite the fact that Roxane values, above all, mental ability, and Christian just Does Not Have That. And it also follows their regiment as they fight under a commanding officer with a vendetta against both Cyrano and Christian (but especially Christian). The whole thing is hilarious (the number of nose jokes is truly impressive) but also poignant, as Cyrano is convinced that no one will ever be able to love him, because of his nose. I would highly recommend it (and also 10/10 recommend reading it aloud with a friend). 

Lady of Dreams by W. R. Gingell
I wrote a whole entire blog post about this book and Lady of Weeds, so if you want more extended thoughts, please check that out HERE! But in brief... I found Lady of Dreams fascinating because it features an MC (Clovis) whose contribution to the story is almost entirely in seeing the stories of other people through her 'dreaming' or seeing their stories while she's awake. And one of the things about Clovis's dreaming is that she's a completely external observer. The people she's watching can't see her, but she can see everything that's going on with them, and sometimes mess with their lives in small ways. And that's how she entertains herself, more or less. And at the time I was reading it, it was in some ways a critique of how I was living my life--far too much in my own head and in my own dreams--the stories I was reading, instead of being in my real life. But also, let me just say that the romance in this book is SO CUTE and very slow-burn-y, which I enjoyed immensely. And Clovis's younger brother is the literal BEST. 

Lady of Weeds by W. R. Gingell
Of the two books, Lady of Weeds was definitely my favorite! And part of that is because The way that Carys is completely in denial about the fact that someone could love her, and completely oblivious to any clues that someone might, reminds me of myself to a slightly concerning degree. I am, in fact, an oblivious person, at least where I myself am concerned. I read it during a time where I needed to escape (a stressful semester will do that to you), and I could slot so well into Carys and her environment, because she's so much like me, that it actually felt like I was living the book. Also, the way that she's like "you know, if I ignore my emotions long enough, and tamp them down hard enough, they will go away, actually"--that is me. (I'm growing out of it, I promise.) I also just loved the shoreline setting, with the contrast between the dangerous sea and Carys's cozy cottage, which is full of knickknacks and things to make it feel like home. I am a coastline girl--I've spent a fair bit of time on the beach, from the time I was very little. And because the water's so cold, we don't usually swim, but we do things, build things, play on the shore, which is rather like what Carys does, although her job is quite a bit more important. So, that felt familiar and lovely to me. (Plus once romance does actually happen, it's adorable. Just saying.)

Jane of Austin by Hillary Manton Lodge
This book is one of the best Jane Austen retellings I have read. Sense & Sensibility is not my favorite of Jane Austen's books, mostly because it feels like it goes on forever with not much happening, and then everything is jammed together at the end. However, this book somehow takes Sense & Sensibility and turns it into a story that feels like it adapts the original perfectly, while also having a much better sense of pace, and stays engaging the whole time. Also, the fact that they kept the 'dead leaves' quote, except this time in relation to tea, made me unreasonably happy. The sister relationships--both the good parts and the hard parts--were excellent! I loved Celia & Jane's relationship especially, of course, but Margo is also very well-written, and I think carries on the legacy of Margaret admirably. I thought having Jane be the MC was a really interesting choice--she's the one who is the equivalent of Marianne--and I think it made the book a more balanced experience for me, since I am an Elanor myself, I could understand what was going on with Celia without being told but getting the "Marianne's eye view" was needed for me to 'get' her. So that was cool--but I don't know if it would work for everyone. 

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
I read this whole book in one day during a horrible cold, and it was just what the doctor ordered. It's a bit like Ove in that there is an old man involved, but unlike Ove, Arthur is the Most Wholesome Old Man ever--he visits his wife's grave every day, and during one of those visits meets a young woman who also loves the cemetery, and is having a hard time in her life, which contains a shocking lack of love. Also involved is an old woman who thinks that she has gotten too old for love. And basically, the book was a found-family-type book wherein people discover that others are actually capable of loving them. But lest that sound simplistic, let me assure you: there's plenty of conflict, spiky people who hurt themselves and others on the way to being loved, and Problematic Situations, amid the beauty and balancing it out. 
I'm doing a very bad job of describing it but rest assured: even though I didn't think it was quite as good as Ove, it's adorable and sweet, and very much worth reading. 

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
While I definitely won't say that this is one of the best Brandon Sanderson books I've ever read (because I think Stormlight and Yumi have stolen the show where that is concerned), I really enjoyed listening to it on audiobook and going through the whole crazy mysterious journey with the characters! It has a fascinating setting, what with Elantris and the Elantrians and the way everything has started to mysteriously decay, and also with the Aons (I may have spelled that wrong...like I said, I listened to the audiobook) and the Seons. I loved Sarene and her character and arc--the way she just absolutely took charge of everything, but ALSO the way she grew to be able to accept that someone loved her. I do agree with a critique I've heard several times, that Raoden is perfect and doesn't have any character development, BUT he's really cool, so we may be able to forgive him that, at least a little bit. ;) Plus, it had a trope that I really love and have hardly ever seen done well, which is an arranged marriage where the characters actually, like, go through with the marriage? Despite not having known each other before the marriage? It's good stuff. 

Green Dolphin Country by Elizabeth Goudge 
I didn't take a huge love to this book until about halfway through. I enjoyed the first part, but the second part (or parts of the second part) are where it caught my fancy.
The first part takes place on an island, as these three children are growing up together--two sisters, and the son of the man that their mother had been in love with. The one small kink in the hose is that both of the girls are in love with the boy, and the boy is only in love with one of them, but each of the girls thinks that it is herself that he is in love with. (The girls names are Marianne and Marguerite, and for the whole first half, there's a Thing about how easy they are to get mixed up.)
The second part (and this isn't a spoiler, because the author says it in the foreword) is when the boy (his name is William) makes a life for himself in New Zealand. And the premise of the second part of the book is that William writes back to England for his love to come marry him, and he writes for the wrong sister by accident. And then he marries her. Even though their personalities don't really suit, even though she is far too ambitious for him, and doesn't see his happiness as a priority. And then, he makes the best of the marriage. Because he's married to her. And it is this absolutely beautiful thing. Talk about laying down your life for the other! Gah! Literally my favorite romance trope ever. 
And then the other sister, through that tragedy, discovers a deep love for God, and becomes a nun, which sounds like the weirdest and most cliche thing EVER, but it's NOT, and that's beautiful, too. 

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
As I may have mentioned already, I really love my book club because I'm forced nudged to read books I either wouldn't have found or wouldn't have picked up on my own. I've read a fair bit of Ray Bradbury's sci-fi/dystopian works, but had no idea that he had written a book about his own childhood in the Midwest.
It's a fascinating book because it reads almost more like a series of reflections than a story, although it's definitely a story, too--the story of a summer. Each chapter describes an experience or a story-within-a-story in rich detail both sensorially and emotionally, and all together, the book builds up a beautiful and poignant picture of a child's summer. 

A Man For All Seasons by Robert Bolt
I've been told many times that I should read this play and watch the movie (it was instrumental in the conversion of one of my friends) and while I still haven't seen the movie, I did manage to read the play! I think there are quite a few subtleties of it that would come out best either in said movie or a stage production. However, I still was struck by it in many ways, not the least of which was Thomas More's conscious and conscientious avoidance of the need to give his opinion in any way about King Henry VIII's divorce and all of that nonsense. And it wasn't because he was cowardly--but it seemed (at least in my memory) out of a sense of duty to his country and his family. That it would do no good to die for an opinion hastily given without having been invited, and that he owed it to his family to try to 'fly under the radar' as it were, and stay alive. And yet the moral genius of the work and the man is that once he is inevitably asked for his opinion by the king, and gives it honestly, he will not relent in his affirmation that the king is acting counter to the law of God, even under pain of death. It's a deeply moral and Catholic play despite the fact (I believe?) that Robert Bolt wasn't Catholic at the time he wrote it. 

A Midwife's Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
One of the few nonfiction books I've included on this list! But one of the most fascinating I read this year. It takes the surviving journal of a midwife in the Colonies (I believe just prior to the American Revolution but I could be wrong) and extrapolates it into a brilliant piece of historical interpretation and almost, I might say, exegesis, covering topics like women's roles, political systems, medical care, community life, &c, all in the context of colonial America. The interpretation, the excerpts from the original journal, and the story of the midwife were all fascinating, and woven together throughout the book in an organic but sensible way. If you're at all interested in midwifery, the colonies, or woman's roles and communities, I'd highly recommend it!

Caroline by Sarah Miller
As someone who loved Little House as a kid (and still does), I found this book both satisfying and fascinating. I know there are varying opinions on it (as on many things, especially things that touch something as beloved as Little House), but I enjoyed it! It's a retelling of the events of Little House on the Prairie from Ma's point of view, and Miller does an absolutely incredible job of fleshing out events from an adult perspective, while also explaining some of Ma's attitudes that seem almost incomprehensible to the modern reader, and showing her humanness in the narrative. It was only after reading it that I realized how much Laura tends, in her narratives, to deify both of her parents, making them seem like they always know exactly what to do and do the right thing all the time. Obviously not true, even reading between the lines of Little House, but isn't that how all children feel about their parents, at least until they hit teenagerhood? I really appreciated how when one got into Caroline's own head through this book, there was so much uncertainty, fear, and almost imposter syndrome...one is reminded of how very young both she and Charles (Pa) were at the time, out in the wilderness with two (three) young children. And it's a fascinating take, in my opinion...I found it hard to put the book down! 
I will note that there are a few scenes which I ended up skipping...speaking of adult perspectives. I don't think they were egregious, though.

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook For Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson
While this definitely wasn't my favorite of the secret projects (I actively dislike time travel plots, alternate universe plots, and amnesia plots, and this book managed to have all three), I still did enjoy it, despite the time travel, alternate universe, and amnesia, which I find rather impressive, actually. It's about a man who finds himself in an alternate version of very early medieval England with nothing but the burned and tattered remains of a book, in a version of England where writing is kinda sorta prohibited by the Viking gods. He pretty quickly realizes that not everything is what it seems when some very strange modern people show up, and shortly after that realizes that he himself might not be quite what he thinks. The whole thing, in addition to the actually excellent themes of figuring out who you are and not locking yourself into a box (more or less), is uproariously funny, and the romance is rather sweet. :)

Here In The Real World by Sara Pennypacker
My youngest sister recommending this book to me, and I picked it up because living 'in the real world' is something that I think about often, after a conversation a friend and I had about whether one should say that something in the real world is like something you read, or whether it's better to have enough life experience that you can say that the things you're reading about are like something that's happened to you in real life. While the book didn't tackle 'here in the real world' in terms of fiction vs. reality, it handled the 'real world' as reality vs. 'magic fairness land', and I found the conclusions it drew quite compelling. Additionally, one of the major themes of the story was children's play and the beauty that's there, which is something I've come to appreciate while being home and listening to my youngest siblings play together. They tell the most wonderful stories, and I hope they keep that capacity for a long time! I love the main character of this book and the way that as an introvert and an artistic person, he doesn't feel like he's living up to his parents' expectations...or really any adult expectation. (Can relate, as someone who had a very hard time playing with people her age for YEARS). And I loved his friend and her hopeful papayas. 

Our Town by Thorton Wilder
Our Town is a fascinating play in that almost nothing happens. Things do happen; but they're the events of a small town, of a life--children being sent to school, milk being delivered, a marriage, the beginning of a new family, deaths. And yet, somehow it manages to be scintillating, beautiful, and touching amid all of that. Perhaps it is the beautiful depiction of real life, or maybe even of the real life of a simpler time that touches a chord so strongly? That would certainly make sense with the observation a friend made that it touches seminarians very deeply. In any case, I would highly recommend reading it, and it's not very long...you should be able to finish it in a day. :)

Lord of the World by Robert Hugh Benson
I listened to Lord of the World on audio while working on a project for landscape architecture, and so it's always going to be linked in my mind with images of a single plant growing on a hill, the result of the depredation of dear. Which is, in a way, extremely appropriate, since the images of the book are of a depredated world, with only a few left standing. In a way. The book was written by a Catholic priest, son of the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury, describes a world in which the globe has been divided into three blocs, civilization is increasingly secular and atheist humanists, and euthanasia is a norm. The book follows the story of a politician and his wife, and through their eyes watch the progress of a new politician who seems to be bringing an end to war across the globe in a remarkable--and, to the reader, rather sinister--way. However, the wife of the couple, Mabel, also encounters a Catholic priest, who, himself is watching the progress of this sinister politician. A fascinating and gripping story, then, is woven of belief and disbelief, faith and doubt, the rule of God and the rule of man, Catholic religious practice and masonic religious practice, good and evil, Christ and the antichrist. It's an extremely fascinating book, and unique from almost anything else I've ever read (with the possible exception of Father Elijah) in that it's a wholly Catholic dystopia--and more than dystopia, apocalypse. 

A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
This book fascinated me in its treatment of a marriage. It's an autobiography of sorts, written by the husband of the couple, after his wife's passing, reflecting on their marriage, their conversion to Christianity, and subsequent friendship with C. S. Lewis. There is much that is beautiful about it--the turning-in of their love to each other, and then the turning-out of their love to invite many others into their home, for instance--and much about it that is beautiful but also almost terrible, like the observation Sheldon makes about his wife's relationship with God seeming to make him jealous, and to threaten his relationship with her. To me, for whatever reason, the parts with Lewis in them are the least memorable, but the book includes copies of Lewis's letters to Vanauken, and I do remember those being most insightful. 

I, Claudius by Robert Graves
Ironically, given the amount of *ahem* content in this book, this was recommended to me by one of our chaplains, and as, I think, he rightly predicted, I enjoyed it immensely despite said content (which...was generally not graphic, even if it was disconcerting).
First of all, it makes the family tree of the Caesars at least slightly more comprehensible than the typical jumble of names and "she married him and then got divorced and then married this other person but he got the kids" because I find that extraordinarily incomprehensible. 
Secondly, Claudius's writing voice is...I don't want to say hilarious, because it's not exactly hilarious, but it's highly engaging, and quite diverting. He makes you care about everything going on, and everyone he cares about, even if it's kind of dry, and the whole thing becomes even quite suspenseful. 
Thirdly...I dunno. I like Roman history, and if you do too, I think you would enjoy this book. 

Dear Mrs. Bird by A. J. Pearce
I am, as I believe most of you know, a big fan of WWII fiction, and this book didn't disappoint. Set in London during the Blitz, it follows a young woman, Emmy, who applies for a job at a newspaper in hopes of becoming a War Correspondent, and instead finds herself sorting letters for an advice column, and one written by a very uptight old bird...indeed, Mrs. Bird. She's torn, because many of the letters which seem most pathetic and worthy of answer end up on the 'no answer' pile because of 'Unpleasantness' or other such charges. At the same time, her long-time fiancé has run off with another woman overseas, she's working at a local fire response station (I'm not sure of the exact name), and her best friend, who shares a flat with her, is getting much more serious with her long-term boyfriend, who also works with Emmy at the fire station. Through all of this, the plot takes us through the everyday of Emmy, who is a very believable protagonist, her struggles, joys, and sorrows, and the depredations of the Blitz. I love her relationship with her best friend, Bunty, and also with her coworkers at the magazine wherein resides the advice column. I will say that I found one of the plot points extremely predictable, but other than that, it's one of the higher quality WWII fiction books I've read recently. Oh, and the narrator has a habit of using Significant Capitals where Warranted, which is absolutely Delightful. 

Best

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
This was my Russian literature for the year--I can really only handle one per year at this point, although I ADORE it, and perhaps if I had read something shorter, I would have ended up picking up another shorter piece of Russian literature before the end of the year...but then again, did the Russians write anything short? Unclear. 
Anywho, despite the fact that this book is over a thousand pages long, I truly enjoyed reading it and did not at all regret the time I spent on it. (Plus then I could watch the BBC miniseries and understand what was going on--well worth it.) And honestly, the whole thing was gripping, even if sometimes it had the issue of any perspective-hopping book of spending too much time with people other than my favorite characters. ;) It's this whole big story of, essentially, two families and a few individuals and their entanglements and issues and growth, set against the background of the Napoleonic Wars. 
The Rostov family are the main characters, if anyone is, and I love their dynamic--they're a big, loving family who welcomes people in as friends (and sometimes more than friends, to one member or another of the family) and constantly have Something Going On. Their family dynamics are spot-on, both as a whole and between individual members of the family. Then, of course, there is poor Pierre of the Very Poor Decision Making, and Andrey of Mr. Darcy-ish Persuasion (I like him, but he's also a bit of a snob sometimes, and the fact that Lewis uses him as the example of someone in an Inner Circle in The Weight of Glory doesn't help matters), and Marya who Eminently Deserves A Happy Ending, and then of course Platon And His Dog, and Denisov Whose Lisp Must Have Been Horrifically Hard To Translate, and all of them. And they're all wonderful, and I love them, although between them (and a few other rascals), they manage to cook up enough drama for a thousand page book... ;)

The Castle on the Hill by Elizabeth Goudge
This book was beautiful and poignant on many levels--it's set during WWII when someone who was displaced from the boarding house she was running becomes the housekeeper for a castle with a lot of history, and with occupants who have Problems.  (I love the brothers. Love them.) Besides the overall atmosphere (which Goudge EXCELS at--her descriptions are unfairly awesome), and how real the characters seemed (also a Goudge thing) my favorite parts about this book were actually two of the themes. One was how important it is for one's humanity and one's sense of purpose to have what they call a "place in the pattern"--a job, a role, someone who needs you. And the other was a theme that I have a hard time explaining (and not just because of spoilers) of love as something that can grow, not something that you necessarily have already. Or love as allowing yourself to be loved by someone, before you can love them back in the way they love you. Or something like that. And that's really all I can say without spoilers, but I am very curious what others thought of those parts, if they've read them. I liked them, but they were bittersweet, and made me sad, in a way. 

Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
I picked this book up because I heard there were goats involved. Specifically that there was a character who kept goats in her bathroom. And while said character is fantastic, not only because of the goats (ROXANNE. Such a girlboss without being a girlboss.), there is so much more to the story than the character with goats in her bathroom. 
It's kinda a mix between To Kill A Mockingbird and Okay For Now in my brain. It reminds me of TKAM because of Reuben & Davy & Swede's dad, who also is just a Good Man, who wants to Do What Is Right, even when that means wrestling with God over what is right vs. what he wants to do. He stays in the background a lot because of Davy's narration, but honestly, on reflection on the book, he is such an AMAZING character. One might even say the real main character, perhaps? It also reminds me of TKAM because it has that feeling of being an American Novel in a way that I usually hate, but in this case, I loved it? It feels like one of those books that everyone has read, except that apparently not everyone has read it, which is a travesty. I don't think I can say much about this book without ruining it, because not knowing what comes next is one of the things that makes it awesome? But let me just say that Swede is WONDERFUL and Sunny Sundown is the BEST and I love that there are excerpts of Swede's stories in the book that also illuminate the narrative, and GAH. It's just a really good book.

Father Elijah by Michael D. O'Brien
This book was basically Lord of the World meets I Am Margaret, and I loved it SO MUCH. 
It's a truly Catholic dystopian/apocalyptic novel in all of the details--somewhat unbelievably good. I'm feeling extremely inadequate in trying to describe why. The world of the book feels like something that could happen very soon. The setting is real, and could happen without too much more downhill progress of the world. And the whole book is very...human. It's written on the human level.
The main character is a man, Father Elijah, who is truly humble. Humble enough that he's an unreliable narrator. (I think the book is in 3rd person limited? So he can unreliably narrate.) As the reader, you can see his holiness, and why the Pope called him out of his Carmelite monastery for his missionary. But you can only see glimpses, because Elijah doesn't tell you that. Which reminds me a lot of the best priests that I've known. Elijah is given a mission to actually preach to the anti-Christ, or the person who they think is the anti-Christ. It is an apocalypse--and it gets terrifying. There are several pseudo-exorcism scenes, and many scenes that are just...really dark. But dark in such a good way, if that makes sense? God has a plan, even when the devil is attacking. 
But despite the fact that the world is ending, there are so many things that are still good and true and beautiful--Elijah himself, the stigmatist, the one (spoilery) conversion, Pawel, Elijah's friendship with Anna. I LOVED Elijah's friendship with Anna. I think it's one of the best examples of male/female friendship--and only friendship--that I've ever read in fiction. The balance of having those good/true/beautiful things in the story was...oh, it was perfect. 

Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy 
I went into this book knowing nothing about it except that one of my friends from home had recommended it, and my initial evaluation halfway through the book was "this is like Pride & Prejudice, except that Lizzie marries Wickham when she is enamored with him". Which, yes, is a bit depressing, at least during the middle. (Having read another Thomas Hardy book, though, I can definitely say it's less depressing than some of his other works.) But it's much more than its rather depressing middle. It's an examination of what friendship, devotion, and love actually are and should look like. It follows a bunch of very human humans and has one of my new favorite male characters--Gabriel Oak. (He's a shepherd, and a Very Good Man, but not in an irritating way. He kind of reminds me of Aragorn, in certain ways.) It's dramatic and pathetic by turns and has a very satisfying ending. Also, the book's observations on strong-minded women made me chuckle--because they're true. I feel like I've done a very bad job of recommending it here, but please believe me when I say that it is a classic very much worth reading. 

The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold
I read (and reread) the entire Vorkosigan Saga over the summer, and while that's *checks notes* roughly fifteen books, not including the short story collections, I'm going to talk about them all here as briefly as possible as a whole, because talking about each book is way too much, and it's hard to pick favorites (although let's just say Shards of Honor, the first book, is definitely up there, as is the Miles In Love collection).
In order not to ramble on for ever and ever, I shall couch it thus: Why should you read The Vorkosigan Saga? You should read the Vorkosigan Saga for the banter, the comedy of manners, the humor, the serious philosophical questions about the value of human life, the Dendarii Mercenaries, the double agents, the secret identities, the spaceships, the varieties of different planets and planetary residents. 
But mostly, you should read The Vorkosigan Saga because of Miles, the protagonist. Miles, who has Issues With Authority rather like Jamie in Code Name Verity and The Enigma Game--not so much that he doesn't respect it, but that those in authority don't always know what's going on. Miles, who constantly bites off more than he can chew, and then has to deal with the fallout. Miles, who has the best relationship with his cousin Ivan (the COUSIN CONTENT IN THESE BOOKS).  Miles, who is disabled, but none the less capable. Miles, who is very much the Young Man, and makes both wonderful and horrible romantic decisions. Miles, who must Live Up To His Father. Miles. He's great. You should read about Miles. 
To be fair, you should also read about Ivan, the said cousin, who is just So Done with being Miles' cousin, because there is never any attention left over for him, but at the same time, he never, ever, ever has a quiet moment. And about Gregor, who is The Best Emperor Ever (I'd marry him in a heartbeat). And you should read about EKATERIN who is THE LITERAL BEST and ALSO A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT. And about Mark. Mark, who is incredibly broken, but trying to make the best of his life despite that. And about the butter bugs. If nothing else, read these books for the butter bugs. No, I will not explain myself. 
(I will admit that I originally started reading the series for Cordelia and Aral, Miles's parents, and was a bit disappointed that there are only two books about them, but hey. Miles is also awesome. If you'd rather get started with Miles, rather than getting attached to Cordelia and Aral to start with, perhaps start with The Warrior's Apprentice. But do hang out with Cordelia and Aral at some point. They're worth it.) 
Asterisk: I will note that several of the books do have some mature content--nothing graphic, but nothing that a young teen should be reading. 

The Later Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace
While the first four books of the Betsy-Tacy series are really fun the next six are truly fantastic.
The four books about Betsy's time in high school made me so happy...and reminded me a bit of my time in college, especially The Crowd. But there are so many other things to love...Sunday Night Lunch at her parents' house, the Zetamathian/Philomathian rivalry, Tony, Joe, (and Tony vs. Joe), the dances, Julia's adventures, everything. They're such a beautiful picture of high school life, of the small and big joys, the blossoming...GAH.
But then Betsy and the Great World and Betsy's Wedding are even MORE (if not even better...because they're all so good). I don't want to give anything away, but the ending of B and the GW is one of the SWEETEST resolutions to The One That Got Away I have ever seen (rivaling Persuasion, which, I KNOW! that's crazy). And THEN Betsy's Wedding is about so much more than Betsy's wedding. It's about the beginning of Betsy's married life, and the whole thing...it rings so true, even though I've never (yet) been a newlywed, that it makes total sense that it was based on Maud's own newlywed misadventures. It was weirdly moving, too--I nearly teared up a couple of times. Just for the beauty. 
Betsy and her husband have such an "all-hands-on-deck" marriage, which I appreciate. Betsy isn't the only one who does housework...her husband isn't the only writer. They both do those things, because they're both needed to keep everything running smoothly. And all that is mirrored in other marriages in the book.
In Tib's romantic relationships, I think a young woman can find some of the best examples of things to steer clear of, right alongside Tib. There are days I wish I'd read it sooner...
Also, it makes me so happy that Tacy is right there with Betsy. <3 

Morte D'Urban by J. F. Powers
This book also reminds me of Flannery O'Connor in terms of the use of metaphor, and how it's hard to understand, but in addition, it reminds me of Flannery O'Connor in the way that it turns one's expectations on their head. (I will literally NEVER forget the moment when I was reading The Violent Bear It Away and realized that the way I'd been approaching the character and story was exactly backwards.) There were moments that reminded me of that moment in this book, although they were more subtle. 
It's about a priest who wants to Get Things Done, who wants to See The Church (and especially his order) Succeed. A priest who sometimes thinks that maybe in very subtle ways, the ends justify the means. A priest who is just fine with putting off expressing his principles until a later date, if that will get the order more money. But a priest who thinks that he is working as hard as he can for the coming of Christ's kingdom and growing in virtue. And it's scary. You start out by being like "oh dang, he is awful", and by the end of the book you're asking yourself "am I him?" And it's frankly terrifying. 
(The ending is also wonderful and interesting and scary, and I can't tell you anything about it, both because it's subtle, and for fear of spoilers.)

Joy In The Morning by Betty Smith
This was yet another Frodo recommendation, by the author of A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. It's the chronicle of the first year (or so) of married life of a couple who marries when the man is in law school and the woman has just turned 18. The woman is from an abusive family in Brooklyn, and I think the man is from Brooklyn, too, but they're at a college in the Midwest (this brought it close to my heart), trying to figure out married life while the man is getting his degree and struggling with the stresses on time, on budget, and on intellectual development. 
And it's beautiful. I've never been married, but from what I have gathered by reading and talking to married couples, it seems a very true depiction of the adjustments and struggles that people must go through to become one, not only in the 'obvious' way, but also one in life--to live a truly shared life. 
It's written more or less through the lens and POV of the wife, Annie, who reminds me a bit of Anne of Green Gables not in relentless optimism but in her interest in other people and their lives, and her love of learning. I loved being in her head, and I loved seeing her story unfold. 

Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian
I randomly discovered this book on the shelves at the library when I was there for a completely different reason, but it turned out to be an absolutely beautiful book. It's about a boy who is sent to the countryside of England during the Blitz (more or less) and ends up staying with a widower named Mr. Tom. 
Mr. Tom is a rather set-in-his-ways 60-something widower, who deeply loved his wife, and deeply mourned her passing in childbirth. He can be gruff, keeps to himself, but is determined to do right by Will (the boy), and shows his love for him (which grows and grows) through acts of service. He's a country man, born and bred, and has a simple distaste for anything 'citified', and a respect and love for the countryside and the outdoors. Will, when he comes to stay with Mr. Tom, is a scared, abused, weak, friendless, and ignorant boy, who over the course of the book grows into a strong, brave young man, who loves learning, and cares for his friends deeply. He becomes a country boy, as well. There are, of course, hiccups and difficulties along the way, and it's not a linear path, but it is beautiful. 
Some of the hiccups and difficulties along the way are actually very, very dark. For that reason, I'm a bit torn about its status as a children's book. On the one hand, some of the stuff might go over a child's head. On the other hand, I'm not sure that's a good thing. Stating it in very plain terms, as a warning: this book contains instances of severe mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical abuse (by Will's mother). Some of the emotional and spiritual abuse stuff might go over a child's head, but the horrific physical abuse probably wouldn't, and I'd be concerned about a child reading it. So yeah. It's a beautiful book, but probably not the right one to read if any of those things is personal/especially problematic for you. 

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
A young couple that I know recommended this one to me when we were talking about books and scifi in particular, with the description that it's a book about what if people could be either male or female in any given reproductive encounter, and what if people only came "into season" once every twenty-six days. I approached it with caution, even though it was highly recommended, because it sounded super weird, but ended up really enjoying it. It is exactly as described, but it's not at all inappropriate, and it imagines the world in a wonderfully realistic way. Somehow, Le Guin managed to capture what it would be like in a world where people weren't male or female but were somehow in between--and it's not pretty. A world where there isn't the drive and push and aggression (when well channeled, it can be a good thing) or men, nor the softer and more intuitive nurturing touch of women, but rather some lukewarm in-between thing is not a beautiful world, and it could make one think twice about gender roles. At the same time, it tackles the feeling of loneliness and isolation that the people of that planet, Winter, have, being the only ones of their kind among all of the inhabited planets, a loneliness that is perhaps relatable even on a smaller scale to every human being. I will say that it's a typical early-scifi scifi novel, in that the characterization plays second fiddle to the what-if of the book, but that's something I enjoy. If you don't, no skin off my nose. :)

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
This book follows three generations of historians, all of whom become caught up in--or are dragged into--the search for Dracula. While the book is an exploration of a generational quest, and a vampire story, even more than that, it's a love letter to scholarship. 
The most important plot points all hinge on the discovery of an ancient document, and large swaths of the book are dedicated to the search--to cross-referencing, making inferences, visiting archives, and so on. And it is truly an adventure, and a beautiful (and terrible) one, at that. And it made me so happy, because of all of the adventure/horror/thriller-type books, how many of them feature a hapless master's student who would really rather be researching the Dutch merchant trade? 
It also treats the role of 'historian' as a calling, and an important one. It highlights the importance of scholarship and of history, in being imminently relevant to the future, even while being focused on the past. Furthermore, I love the characters. There's a 'frame story' with the main MC's daughter, and I love her--her level-headed-ness, and her relationship with her father. The main story has to do with the MC, Paul, his academic advisor, Professor Rossi, and a mysterious lady named Helen, who ends up traveling with Paul in his research. I love Paul--his bravery and brashness, and the way that he cares about Professor Rossi, and the courteous and kind way he treats all of his fellow scholars. I love Professor Rossi--his absent-minded-professor-ish-ness, and his care for Paul, almost as a son. And I LOVE Helen--her sarcasm and self-sufficiency, the way she knows her own mind, but at the same time how she can let herself depend on people that she knows and trusts. I see myself in her, to some degree, and that made me both happy and sad. 
I was also intrigued by the way the vampire hunting was being conducted by agnostics, and how much it involved monasteries, holy items, and the protection granted by crucifixes and holy water. It was a real tribute to the power of God, while also doubting that He exists--an interesting dichotomy to ponder.

Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas
I was a little skeptical about this biography--I had never found Bonhoeffer scintillating. And the fact that the book was 1400 pages long on my phone (which is probably double the pages it is in a paper copy, but still an intimidating number) made me a bit wary. 
However, I started reading it in small chunks, and little by little, I was hooked. 
Why had Bonhoeffer never before been presented to me as a well-rounded person? That is exactly the Bonhoeffer that this biography introduced me to, and I love him. I love his intellectual pursuits and the way he wrote; I want to go back and read that Psalms book again. I love how much he loved God, and how he formed the young men he was entrusted with, and how he made bona-fide mistakes, like the time he went all the way to America, only to discern that he needed to go back to Germany immediately. I love his Christian courage and confidence in God, the way he prayed, and the way he encouraged everyone around him in all circumstances. 
Oh, and I love the love story between him and the woman who was his fiancée at the time of his death. It's a highly unconventional story but brimming with the true desire to lay down one's life for the other. 
Of the whole book, the plot to kill Hitler doesn't take up a ton of time, which I think is as it should be. It's an important part of the story, but it's not the whole of his story, and the other parts are as important or more so. I found Bonhoeffer's thoughts on morality, as put forth in this biography, fascinating. He talks about the importance of living in freedom as a child of God, without a niggling, scrupulous worry of doing wrong. Perhaps we will sometimes do wrong, and then we pick ourselves up, ask for forgiveness, and keep going. I'm not sure if I agree with that point of view, or to what point I agree with it, but it has been food for thought. 

The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech
I picked this book up on a whim after seeing it recommended somewhere--I don't even remember where--and read it all in one day, mostly as I walked back from one of my classes. It's a very, very short MG book, but it's packed full, and the kind of short that is all the more impactful because of being short. Towards the end, I just sat down under a tree and finished it all in one go, and almost cried because the ending is so beautiful.
It's the story of this young couple who are pretty happy as they are, and don't think they need anything more in their lives. But then, one day, they come home to find a boy on their front porch. An extremely extraordinary boy. And I shan't spoil it in the least, but what happens from there is beautiful both in terms of the blossoming of the boy and the blossoming of the couple, and I loved it very much.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Oh my goodness! This book is one that I'd heard was amazing, but hadn't felt a strong pull towards, but I picked it up on a whim and was hooked. Like, had-trouble-doing-any-homework-until-I'd-finished-it hooked. 
It's about Black women working as 'help' in the South around the time of the Civil Rights movement. 'The Help' would cook, clean, and take care of children while the woman of the house would...do...stuff. What sort of 'stuff' is rather unclear. In any case, the book follows several of these women (especially Aibileen and Minny), along with one white woman, Skeeter, who was basically raised by her family's 'help' and who wants to bring attention to their lives and work...possibly at peril to everyone involved. 
It's both a very serious book, chronicling the lives and struggles of these Black women, and the danger that Skeeter runs by trying to tell their stories, and pointing out the contradictions implicit in the lives of most of the white upper class but also sometimes a laugh-out-loud funny book with Minny's malapropisms and losses of temper with her former employers...the chocolate pie incident is a particularly good one, and important throughout the book as well. ;)
But truly it was the characters who hooked me on it. They are incredibly well-drawn and in between reading sessions I always couldn't wait to find out what happened to them next, and was rooting for them the whole way.

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson
I made my way very quickly through the four Brando Sando (as my siblings affectionately call him) Secret Projects as soon as I got home for winter break, and Yumi was far and away my favorite of the four. It's set in essentially two worlds, both beautifully rendered--one where twin lines of teal and magenta light keep back surroundings of semi-solid darkness that burp forth nightmares, and one where the ground is warm, plants float on the warmed air, and specially trained people can summon spirits by stacking rocks. Both settings are beautiful, and such a contrast! 
The story follows two characters, Yumi and Painter, one from each world, when a surprising connection upends both of their expectations and cause them each to learn each other's art. It's beautiful, suspenseful, and rather adorable. Painter is cynical; Yumi is innocent. Yumi is a rule follower; Painter doesn't care about disappointing people. Painter has essentially disowned all of his friends; Yumi never had any friends to begin with. They forge this wonderful friendship that forces both of them to reconsider everything they've thought was true. Plus, there are hilarious Cosmere connections, especially if you've read the Stormlight Archives (can we talk about the noodle shop? can we talk about Design and how funny she is?), and the whole thing has a very anime type "vibe" which isn't necessarily what makes it my thing (anime isn't something I'm super invested in) but which was fun and different for a print book by Brandon Sanderson. Oh, and friendship was a major theme, which, if you've known me for any period of time, you'll know is something I love in a book. 
I've done a very poor job of capturing the beauty and magic of the book, but please believe me when I say it's there. 

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
While Yumi was definitely my favorite of the Secret Projects, Tress was a very close runner-up! I mean, it's set aboard a ship, for pete's sake...what's not to love? (You know how I feel about ship stories, of course.) 
The story follows Tress, who is really not so extraordinary except that she likes to collect cups, and is wary of men who describe her hair in terms of food (a thread which comes back throughout the book, much to my delight) in her quest to find her love, Charlie, who is the son of the ruler of the island Tress lives on, and sometime gardener's boy. 
The only catch is that the ocean that Tress's island is located in is made up not of water but of spores--a mysterious substance dropped from the moons of her planet, which change explosively when brought in contact with moisture. She lives in the Emerald Sea, where the Emerald Spores turn into tangles of plant material, but there are other seas, including the terrifying Crimson and Midnight seas. 
While the danger of the spores is very real, the story itself is both whimsical (stowaways and a talking rat) and funny (everything Hoid, and the outcome of the ship's captain's plans for Tress), and overall reminds one of something along the lines of The Princess Bride meets Kate DiCamillo. 
I think the ending, though, was my favorite part...you can't help loving it when what is essentially a children's book ties multiple threads of the Cosmere together...and Hoid is right in the middle of things. ;)

The Letters of Magdalen Montague by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson 
This is actually a short novella by the same author who wrote A Bloody Habit and Brother Wolf. It's a story told in letters--but only one side of the conversation. Other letters exist, and are referenced, but not shown. Which makes it fascinating, because you get to know the writer, but you only know the person he's writing to by what he says, how he says it, and the allusions to the other letters. It's essentially the story of a hedonist atheist coming to become a Catholic through the example of someone he knows in Society in London. Not even quite the example; but perhaps the existence of? It's Magdalen Montague...and while she is not much in the story, she looms large throughout it. Our hedonist atheist is writing to a friend and fellow hedonist atheist, chronicling his journey despite his friend's constant doubts, and despite long breaks after his friend has written him something obviously either hurtful or final. While I really don't want to spoil it (and because it's short, it would be really easy to!), some of my favorite themes in it were friendship (again), both spiritual (through prayer) and 'in real life'; and how one's example can be important to someone else's journey in ways you never expected. Oh, and the human-ness of priests...but in a good way. ;)

Momo by Michael Ende
This was a surprisingly insightful MG novel that I found myself pondering both while I was reading it and after I had finished. The premise is simple enough--Momo lives in an old amphitheater, and is an excellent listener. Everyone in the city goes to her with their problems, and she always helps them to solve them, sometimes on their own. The children love playing with her--she makes their games better.
And then the idea that time must be saved somehow creeps into the city, convincing people to hurry up, keep themselves busy, and denude their lives of anything 'unnecessary'...i.e. anything that makes life worth living. 
But by the time she realizes what's happening, Momo is the only one who can do anything about it. And while it's perilous, the rescue mission is also incredibly beautiful.
It made me contemplate fairly seriously in what ways I try to 'save time', and what I think I'm saving it for...and why. And in what ways I need to 'spend out' with my time, and take time every day for the things that truly matter. 

Have you read any of these books? What were your favorite books you read this year? Do have a high bar for MG? Tell me all the things!