Reading 2014: A Year in Review

I'm a bit behind the other blogs and I always wonder if these kinds of posts are helpful. After all, I usually end up adding more books to my lists after posts like these than I can read in a year! But reading is what I do, so here we go.

The book covers below are affiliate links to Amazon. Underneath, I've linked to my book reviews or monthly book report.

Favorite Book of 2014

The Hidden Power of Kindness by Lawrence G. Lovasik - my review. More than any other book I read in 2014, this one changed how I live.

Best Fiction

The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk - my review. Please read this book before you watch the movie! (Or just read the book and skip the movie altogether.)


Best Non-Fiction

These Beautiful Bones by Emily Stimpson - my review. If you only read one book on theology of the body, make it this one.

Best Book of Poetry

Still Life with Dirty Dishes by Ramona McCallum - mentioned here. This book inspired me to start reading a poem or two every day.

Best New-to-Me Author

The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri J.M. Nouwen - my review.

Best Classic Book I'd Never Read Before

I don't have anything to put here. Hopefully I read a classic in 2015 I like better.
 


Best Book I Pre-Read for School

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart - my review. I pre-read this mostly for First Son and expect him to read it over the summer, but now that I think about it, I just might read it to the whole family. It's most certainly my favorite book in the series.

Book that Made Me Cry

Why did I even keep this category? All the books make me cry.


Book that Made Me Laugh

The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw by Christopher Healy - my review. All of the Hero guides are laugh-out-loud funny and perfect middle grade reading books.

Best Homeschooling or Education Book

How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig - my review.

Most Challenging

The Idea of a University by Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman - my review. This was a fantastic book for contemplating the purpose of higher education.

Best Book I Read Aloud

Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus - mentioned here. I cheated a little and checked out the audio CD from the library. It was nice to have someone else pronounce the Japanese words. We had the book as well, though, because the illustrations are fascinating.

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy

UnDivided by Neal Shusterman - The whole series is great. Read about it here, along with my musings on young adult dystopian literature.

Best Memoir

Something Other than God by Jennifer Fulwiler - my review.

Most Surprising (in a good way)

Clare's Costly Cookie by Julie Kelly - my review. This was originally recommended to me by the owner at Sacred Heart Books and Gifts. I bought it there and highly recommend the store. My 7 year old daughter loved this book.

Best Book on Faith

My Sisters the Saints by Colleen Carroll Campbell - my review. Six of the books above are on faith, so it seems a little much to pick another one, but this one was also surprisingly good.

My Other Favorite Books They may have been beaten out by one of the books above, but they still deserve a mention as one of my favorite books read in 2014. In alphabetical order by title, for lack of a better system:   

The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story by Craig G. Bartholomew and Micheal W. Goheen - my review.
The Giver Quartet boxed set by Lois Lowry - my review (spoiler warning). I haven't seen the movie yet but I think I will.
The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith - my review.
A Place in Time: Twenty Stories of the Port William Membership by Wendell Berry - my review.
Way of Holy Joy: Selected Writings of Sofia Cavalletti by Sofia Cavalletti - my review.

November 2014 Book Reports

Draw-a-Saurus by James Silvani - read my review here (review copy from Blogging for Books)

Another Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup is the second in a series of middle grade fiction. It is just as silly as the first with the addition of actual time traveling. I think First Son is going to enjoy these tremendously. I'm pretty sure they'd be fine for him to read, but I'll probably pre-read the third one. These would be summer reading. (library copy)

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller is a book I found at a library book sale just after reading about it at Afterthoughts. Written by a man who was an actual shepherd in the Middle East, it provides tremendous insight into the twenty-third psalm (and other sheep and shepherd analogies in the Old Testament). I found this book particularly interesting given the prominent place of the Good Shepherd in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (which I teach at our parish), but the best parts of the book were those in which he explained how shepherds and sheep interact rather than his explanation of how the metaphor works in modern life. Those parts weren't terrible, just not as interesting. (purchased copy)

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow is a brief book of advice and memories as dictated by Dr. Pausch to a reporter after the overwhelming response to his last lecture (which I have not actually watched), a farewell speech he prepared after learning he was dying of pancreatic cancer. It contains much of the special memories he wanted to share with his very young children. It was sweet and sad, but I think it's nice now and then to step back from the business of our lives and make sure we're concentrating on what's most important. This book is a nice way to focus on that for a while. (library copy)

The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt was one of the books listed in The Reading Promise. I found the title intriguing so checked it out right away from the library. I loved it because Gaylen, a young boy sent to poll the citizens about the food they find most delicious finds himself in the middle of intrigue to overthrow the king and then must decide whether to act. Should he intervene? Does he act for what is right? In the end, we don't even know if his actions made a difference, which is most marvelous of all. Sometimes doing what is right takes great courage and the act itself is what is most important, not the results. I think First Daughter (an excellent reader in second grade) could read this herself, but it's a perfect family story, so I've added it to our read-aloud list. (library copy)

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare is a book I never read when I was younger about young boy left in the wilderness of Maine for a summer while his father journeys back to retrieve his mother and sister. After a series of mishaps, he is rescued by a Native American elder who arranges for him to teach his grandson, Attean, how to read and write. I'm not sure how authentic a story it is, historically, but it is a fine tale of friendship between two boys who initially view each other as enemies. I think this will be an option for First Son's summer reading. (library copy)

The Light at Tern Rock by Julia Sauer is a quiet tale of a young boy who is disappointed to find himself stuck at a lighthouse for Christmas. I like how the focus is not on how the lighthouse keeper misled them, or what his punishment will be, but on how our reactions to circumstances make our own lives better (or worse). It's quite short, only four chapters, so it's an easy one to add to our read-alouds for Advent. It was recommended by a member of the Read Aloud Revival Community facebook group. (library copy)

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson is the story of six unwanted unruly kids who bully their way into a Christmas pageant and begin to discover the glory of Jesus' birth, teaching some of the townspeople a bit as well. I plan to read this book to the children this year during Advent. They will think it is hilarious. I would caution there is a lot of misbehavior in the book. I always worry such descriptions will give my children ideas, but there's not much in here they would do that they don't already do (like lighting things on fire or smoking cigars). (library copy)

The Caine Mutiny: A Novel by Herman Wouk - read my review here. (library copy)

Books in Progress (and date started)

• Open Mind, Faithful Heart by Pope Francis (January 2014) 
• The Education Of Catholic Girls by Janet Erskine Stuart (February 2014)
• Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol 2 (sixth edition) (August 2014)
• Men and Women Are From Eden: A Study Guide to John Paul II's Theology of the Body by Mary Healy (September 2014, with our parish adult education class)
• The Little Oratory: A Beginner's Guide to Praying in the Home by David Clayton and Leila Marie Lawler (September 2014)
• The Bible Compass: A Catholic's Guide to Navigating the Scriptures by Edward Sri (September 2014)
• The Religious Potential of the Child: Experiencing Scripture and Liturgy with Young Children by Sofia Cavaletti (September 2014, with a book club at our parish)
• Good Poems ed by Garrison Keillor (October 2014) 
• The Joy of the Gospel by Pope Francis (November 2014, for Blogging for Books)

Links to Amazon are affiliate links. Other links are not affiliate links.

September 2014 Book Reports

Genesis: The Book of Origins by Fr. Albert Joseph Mary Shamon is one of the recommended background books for teachers to read in preparation for Connecting with History volume 1 which covers creation and Genesis. It covers creation through the story of Joseph with insights into each one. I found it a decent book, though I already knew much of it from other readings. Certainly it would be valuable for someone relatively unfamiliar with the meaning of those Scripture readings beyond the Sunday School stories. (purchased at Sacred Heart Books and Gifts)

Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus is a wonderful book of historical fiction based on the true life of Manjiro (John Mung), a Japanese fisherman shipwrecked as a teenager who makes his way to America (perhaps the first Japanese person to visit the United States) in the 1840s. It contains a vast amount of information on whaling, prejudices in America and Japan, America's inventions, and the Gold Rush, as well as courage and perseverance. I loved it. The drawings and reproductions in the book are often those of the real Manjiro. We also listened to the audio book, which was wonderful and let me avoid trying to pronounce the Japanese words. Be aware there are graphic descriptions of whaling, comparisons between Christianity and Buddhist faiths (not always to Christianity's benefits), and an episode where Manjiro steps on an image of Mary and Jesus when he returns to Japan. All of these seemed accurate depictions of the time in which Manjiro lived. (library copy)

Revolutionary by Krista McGee, read to review for another website and not worth your time. (purchased for the Kindle)

The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri J.M. Nouwen (a review for Blogging for Books)

The Night is for Hunting (The Tomorrow Series #6) by John Marsden, also read to review for another website. If you've read the first five books in the series, you'll read this one, but the series as a whole isn't that interesting or well-written. (library copy)


Books in Progress (and date started)

• Open Mind, Faithful Heart by Pope Francis (January 2014) 
• The Education Of Catholic Girls by Janet Erskine Stuart (February 2014)
• Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (February 2014)
• A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller (April 2014)
• Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol 2 (sixth edition) (August 2014)
• Men and Women Are From Eden: A Study Guide to John Paul II's Theology of the Body by Mary Healy (September 2014, with our parish adult education class)
• The Little Oratory: A Beginner's Guide to Praying in the Home by David Clayton and Leila Marie Lawler (September 2014)
• The Bible Compass: A Catholic's Guide to Navigating the Scriptures by Edward Sri (September 2014)
• The Religious Potential of the Child: Experiencing Scripture and Liturgy with Young Children by Sofia Cavaletti (September 2014, with a book club at our parish)

Links to Amazon are affiliate links. Links to Sacred Heart Books and Gifts and RC History are not affiliate links.

Book Review: The Return of the Prodigal Son

The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri J.M. Nouwen

Over the summer, I attended a conference for catechists through the generosity of our parish. While there, a bishop recommended this book. I was thrilled to find it at Blogging for Books shortly after I posted my last review.

A seemingly insignificant encounter with a poster presenting a detail of Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son set in motion a long spiritual adventure that brought me to a new understanding of my vocation and offered me a new strength to live it.

Nouwen spent years contemplating the parable of the prodigal son and Rembrandt's interpretation of it. In the book's three parts, he presents his thoughts on the younger son, the elder son, and the Father, and his own experiences as each of the three. The painting becomes very important to him and he begins to see how it encapsulates the entire story of salvation.

The more I spoke of the Prodigal Son, the more I came to see it as, somehow, my personal painting, the painting that contained not only the heart of the story that God wants to tell me, but also the heart of the story that I want to tell to God and God's people. All of the Gospel is there...The painting has become a mysterious window through which I can step into the Kingdom of God.

I marked passage after passage in this book. In many places, I agree that Nouwen's thoughts have delved right into the mystery of the Kingdom of God. One of my most favorite thoughts is in the chapters on the elder son. (I am the elder son through and through and the whole second part spoke right to my soul's most desperate sins and longings.) Nouwen reminds us that the parable of the prodigal son is unfinished. We never learn from Jesus whether the elder son sheds his resentment and joins his father and brother at the celebration. We are left instead with an image of the father with his arms outstretched, inviting his son (and therefore us all) to the feast.

The third part of the book, which focuses on the Father, is the most challenging. I had often thought through the roles of the younger and elder sons. In the third part, though, Nouwen asserts that he is to become like the Father, showing all people (including those who have hurt him the most) the compassion of God, the very compassion he sees in Rembrandt's painting.

The very best part of this book is the flap that folds behind the front cover. When you open the flap while reading the book, it places a print of the painting right before the reader. I left it open nearly the entire time I read, so I could focus on Rembrandt's painting and Nouwen's words at the same time.

Henri Nouwen was a Catholic priest, but the book itself is appropriate for any Christian. It's the kind of book that can help me live a better life, to be more like Christ. I highly recommend it.


I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review. The opinions above are my own.