My Reading List | October through December 2022

Well, we’re wrapping 2022 up…crazy. Here is the final blog post of the year- I am sharing the books I read in the final quarter of the year- enjoy!

The Fifth Avenue Story Society | Rachel Hauck

Five strangers receive invitations to the Fifth Avenue Story Society- no one knows who sent the invitations or why. No one knows the purpose of their gathering. A practical joke, kismet, diving intervention? Yet they continue to meet week after week, learning that some of the most important stories are not found on the written page.

I liked the uniqueness of each character involved in this story, and how their stories weave together. There is nice character development, but as the reader you come into the middle of each person’s journey, so you don’t actively see the transformation from start to finish- we are given glimpses into the past the reveal some of the growth that has/hasn’t already happened. This book was clean- no language or inappropriate content- and had me both chuckling and tearing up at points. There is some faith components interwoven in the latter half of the story, but it’s not the primary point of the story and wasn’t developed a whole lot.

This book wasn’t as much about books or a library as I expected (the cover really caught my attention), but it was sweet and conveyed the importance of growth, communication, and compassion for the people within our lives- may we be reminded that everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about, so we should always be kind.

Spiritual Mothering | Susan Hunt

“My working definition for the spiritual mothering relationship is this: When a woman possessing faith and spiritual maturity enters into a nurturing relationship with a younger woman in order to encourage and equip her to live for God’s glory.” (pg.36)

I greatly appreciate this book. As I am growing in my understanding of Biblical womanhood and femininity, I’m also learning that my role as a woman isn’t dependent on my being married and/or having biological children- as a Christian, and as a member of the Church, I am called to maintain certain qualities and fulfill various roles. Mentoring and being mentored (or we can use the word disciple) is one of those areas. Doing life together, intentionally, is how we will train up the younger generations, and encourage the older ones, to fulfill the responsibilities God has given us. We are told to go and make disciples- this is one way to do that. I have lots places marked to jot something down for notes, as this book is adding to my big-picture understanding of my place and purpose as a woman.

“Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”

Titus 2:3-5

This book is broken into three main sections: The Mandate, The Model, and The Method. Susan Hunt walks through the command, and it’s background, that we’ve been provided here in Scripture. She provides sweet testimonies between each chapter from women who have discipled and been discipled. She gives us examples of women in Scripture who stepped into this role. And offers practical ways we can utilize our skills, life seasons, experiences to incorporate this practice into our own lives.

Evvie Drake Starts Over | Linda Holmes

I liked, didn’t love, this book. Main character Evvie (like Chevy) is a widower who lives in a small town in Maine. Her big house is too much for just her, so she rents out the attached apartment to a friend of a friend, Dean Tenney, who is a former Major League pitcher who can’t pitch anymore. Both are needing a fresh start.

It took me a few chapters to get into the story- I almost put it down and considered not continuing. I like the insight we get into Evvie as she wrestles through the secrets she’s kept since her husband’s death, and the inner dialogue involved. I enjoy the character development, the relationships, the familiarity of living in the same place you grew up and having a story for everything. I appreciated that the author had the characters work through the hiccups they encountered with each other- allowing for the passing of time when necessary- rather than just having them walk away from a problem. And I enjoyed the intimacy conveyed in doing normal everyday things with someone. I didn’t appreciate the language throughout the book (mostly the F-word). Readers see the most growth in Evvie nearer to the end, but it’s satisfying. There isn’t a whole lot to this story, but I suppose that’s what gives it some charm- because it’s a picture of mundane life and working through grief, and that’s something we can all relate to.

The Rule of One | Ashley and Leslie Saunders

Ava and Mira Goodwin are twins. Surviving within a dystopian, one-child policy United States for eighteen years, the smallest mistake could cost them their lives. But with their father being the head of the Texas Family Planning Division, they’ve had more opportunity than most to survive-and to be discovered. And they are discovered, and must leave their home and the city to try and survive and help their father escape punishment as well. To do this, they must look to the help of those living in rebellion, the Common, to show them the truth that they’ve been kept from for years. Will they simply attempt to survive under-the-radar, or will they rise up and become the face of the people who are increasingly dissatisfied with their oppression? I guess I’ll need to read the next book to find out.

The Pilgrim’s Progress | John Bunyan

I had never read The Pilgrim’s Progress before, but had been wanting to when our Pastor- who is a Bunyan aficionado- decided to teach through the book for one of our Discipleship classes at church. The story is an allegory of the Christian faith and journey, with many characters and details that represent various aspects of our journey of faith from conversion until we cross over into the Celestial City after death (for those who’ve entered through the Wicket Gate). I very much enjoyed and appreciated the story- but I know I would not have gleaned nearly so much from it had I read it on my own. You can actually watch the videos of our lessons here on Youtube– they are very helpful! We actually read both Parts One and Two, and there are important components to each that expand the meaning of the story.

The Mark of a Man | Elisabeth Elliot

This book by Elisabeth Elliot is what I would consider the male counterpart to her work Let Me Be a Woman (I discuss that book in this post). A compilation of letters written to her college-aged nephew, Elliot discusses a variety of ideas while focusing in on the subjects of manhood, womanhood, and the dynamics between the two. She begins with the creation order and mandate and expands from there; she dismantles some arguments posed by feminist ideologies and discusses the consequences and implications of that camp; she walks through some of the primary qualities necessary for men to uphold and demonstrate…I especially appreciated how she explained the interaction between the initiation required of masculinity and the response required of femininity- those words were very helpful for me in broadening my understanding/imagery of male and female roles; we often think in terms of “leadership” and “submission”, or “pursuit”- all very good and important descriptions, but sometimes they’re not helpful when the context of your relationship may not allow for the application of those practices in day-to-day things.

I love Elliot’s commitment to Scripture and her straightforward approach to topics that many people can tip-toe around. I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it as well as Let Me Be a Woman.

I read fewer books in this final quarter of 2022- my schedule was more full than usual. My final count from the entire year was 34 books (if I am counting correctly). My goal for 2023 is to read at least 25, but I’m aiming to read slower and more thoughtfully, so that I can better retain the information and plot lines I choose.

You can read my previous book blogs here:

~My Reading List | January through March 2022

~My Reading List | April through June 2022

~My Reading List | July through September 2022

I’m going to be continuing these blog posts through 2023, so if you’d like to stay updated, sign up for my email list! I send monthly check-ins and notify you when new posts go live.