2024 in books

As I’ve been getting back into writing again, I’ve been thinking about what I read and how it feeds me. In September I read a poem by Benjamin Myers and a thought he had about poetry, something along the lines of how poetry feeds a particular part of the soul. I was struck by this and his poem “Field,” and felt how I have been malnourished in this regard for a while. Anyway, my list is pretty much the Well-Read Mom book club list, that’s about all I can usually keep up with. So, shout out to Well-Read Mom! This is my fourth year in it and I love it, highly recommend. It’s nation-wide so maybe there’s a group near you! I especially like when it gets me to read and love books I wouldn’t pick up on my own.

January:
-Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 
-Summa Domestica by Leila Marie Lawler 
-The Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot (was surprised how much I loved this, and discussing it and learning more about Eliot)

February:
–True Grit by Charles Portis (picturing the movie in my head the whole time. A fun one.)

March: 
–Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh (liked it, then loved it after discussing it)
–Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy (helped me navigate some new parenting things this year! some good mantras to keep in mind – “This is a good kid having a hard time. I am a good mom having a hard time.” )

April:
–Works of Mercy by Sally Thomas (“On Monday mornings I cleaned the rectory for the good of my soul.” one of my all time favorite novels. Like, the kind of novel I would want to write. Has some gut punching moments of grace.)
-A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken (a reread for me but didn’t finish it this time)

May:
-The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis 
reading parts of Anne of Green Gables series with Evangeline 

June:
–Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard (didn’t finish but enjoyed)

July:
–The Mysterious Benedict Society Books 2 and 3 (summer reads with Evangeline)

August/September:
–Helena by Evelyn Waugh 
–He Leadeth Me by Walter Ciszek, SJ (a friend lent to me for my retreat and it was exactly what I needed. my mantra all fall was, “For what can ultimately trouble the soul who accepts every moment of every day as a gift from the hands of God and strives always to do His will?” powerful words from a man who spent 20 years in Siberian prison camps)
–Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (was suprised by this book! loved the narrative voice, how disarming it was, how deeply Christian a novel it is for a popular audience. and the ending is amazing)

September/October:
–The Risk of Education by Luigi Guissani (still reading slowly)
–Hannah’s Children, The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth by Catherine Ruth Pakaluk (surprisingly cathartic/encouraging to hear these women’s stories and really enjoyed discussing this with other college educated women in my neighborhood who have lots of kids)

November:
–The Aeneid by Virgil (glad I read it, enjoyed learning more about it and Virgil, how many people and works have been influenced by it in the last two thousand years – crazy!)

December: 
–My God and My All by Elizabeth Goudge (biography of St. Francis. soooooo good. highly recommend. makes me want to visit Assisi someday. And read more of her novels.)

And that’s a wrap!