Overall, I was very pleased with my booklist this past year. It was ambitious, I know, and I didn't get to everything, but I did get to most. I even read a number of books not on my list, namely the Mistmantle Chronicles. I guess they would be my first recommendation - I like them and the kids like them. Intrigue, excitement, humor and cute woodland creatures - this series has it all.
From the fiction department, I loved The Blue Castle and Julie. Both relative classics that I never got to read growing up and came with excellent reviews.
The Blue Castle, the story of what happens when a woman who's living on borrowed time starts to live her own life, was a relative quick read, mainly because of how engaging it was.
Julie is apparently somewhat autobiographical, telling the story of a family who moves to a small steel-milling town to take over the suffering newspaper and becomes embroiled in controversy surrounding the exploitation of mill workers and the eventual tragedy that overtakes the whole town.
It's hard to narrow down the non-fiction field, partly because it made the bulk of my reading list this past year, and partly because it was all so good. The one book I keep telling folks about is Just Do Something. In trying to "hear from God", people can get stuck - is it God or me? Is this the right thing, or that? Should I move here, take that job or make this decision? Rather than telling you what to do, DeYoung lays out clear biblical thinking in making wise decisions without depending on an audible voice from Heaven. It's straightforward, easy to read, and pretty funny, too. I did a lot of note-taking and underlining in this book, so should I loan it to you...sorry.
