- Wonder by R.J. Palacio ~ Absolutely loved it! It usually takes me weeks to finish a book. I finished this in 3 days. I never do that but seriously couldn't put it down. Every kid should read it before they start junior high. Really every adult should read it at some point. "Show kindness more than necessary."
- The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom ~ This one took me a few chapters to get into because of so many character names to keep up with. But once I figured it all out, I loved it. It is set during the time of slavery, so there are very difficult parts. But the stories and characters are powerful.
- Tumbleweeds by Leila Meacham ~ I wasn't crazy about this one. It is a really long book with a story that goes on a really long time. I wanted to like it, but was just ready to get it over with by the end.
- Generous Justice by Tim Keller ~ One of my favorite non-fiction books I've read in a long time. It was a powerful read of how the Bible promotes justice and compassion for those in need. I love the reminder and encouragement of living out faith by serving those that need it the most.
- The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls ~ This is my third novel to read by Wells. They have all been stories of young children struggling thru and rising above really hard circumstances. Hard to read at times, but great stories that keep you reading. This one reminded me a lot of The Glass Castle, which is one of my favorites.
- Grace by Max Lucado ~ This was the book in one of the group studies I help facilitate up at my church. Another beautiful read by a wonderful storyteller. I loved the parts about the God who stoops and about sustaining grace. "When grace happens, generosity happens. Unsquashable, eye-popping bigheartedness happens."
- How To Raise Selfless Kids in a Self-Centered World by Dave Stone ~ Really short, but a good read. He had some neat, practical ideas. But the overriding theme was that kids have to see their parents living this out to ever believe it for themselves. That is both daunting and motivating.
- Charlie & The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl ~ This was part of the SSC with Tate. I'm not sure if I ever actually read the book as a kid, so it was fun reading this together over the summer. Best moment was when Tate ran out to exclaim to Wade, Daddy! Charlie Bucket found a golden ticket!" :)
- Astronaut's Wives Club by Lilly Koppel ~ I found the stories and content of this book absolutely fascinating. I was constantly telling Wade about the stories I was reading of the wives of the Mercury & Apollo astronauts. It was really pretty incredible and kind of turned me into a space junkie for awhile. But I will say, I was not thrilled at how the book was written. It was hard to keep up with who was and and got confusing. But the content made it worth powering thru.
- The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton ~ This was the first book from the online Book Club I'm in. I always enjoy the time era of the 40s and 50s. This was written from several different character perspectives, which I always like. It has a mystery element to it, which is pretty interesting. It was a little on the wordy side but still held my interest.
And I always prefer to read books recommended by someone else rather than a completely blind pick. So here is link to my 2012 books along with links from several previous year. Funny that I didn't read one single book that I listed as to-read. I finally discovered Goodreads, and that has helped me keep track of what I've read and what I want to read.
Any books you have loved?
