1. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins – This is the third installment in the Hunger Games trilogy. I have not talked to one person who wasn’t disappointed by it – but that’s not to say they didn’t race through all three books to see what happened. The trilogy is utterly readable, and yet I think it’s one where maybe the author only intended to write one book. Or she was rushed to write the second and third volumes. They are just not up to par with what she could have written. I would say only read the first book, but I think we all know that’s laughable. So just consider this your fair warning.

2. The Hipsters by Tim McAtee – I should probably write a long review of this. [You can see my Amazon review now, if you can figure out my full name.] First of all, because my cousin wrote the book. He’s trying to get funded to publish print copies, but through that link you can buy it for $3 on your Kindle (which is what I did). Secondly, because my opinion of the book is so conflicted and ultimately based on the fact that I am a middle-class, suburban, stay-at-home mom in Tennessee.

3. Life from Scratch by Melissa Ford (Stirrup Queens) – I had seen a blurb about this book somewhere and pinned it on my “want to read it” board. My note on the pinboard, however, was that the book was about someone learning to cook. Which is not at all what it’s about. The book is about a blogger who HAS learned to cook post-divorce and writes about it on her blog, Life from Scratch. The book follows her new success as a blogger and writer, as well as a new relationship, and the ups and downs of learning to be a divorcee in NYC. I was disappointed that the book skimmed over the part of the character’s life I thought I might find interesting, and yet, it was hard to put down. And definitely worth the $1 I paid for it for my Kindle (sorry, it’s 9 bucks now!).

4. The Sister Circle by Nancy Moser and Vonette Bright – This book was a Kindle gift from my mom. I don’t read as many light Christian books as I used to, but I almost always enjoy them if they’re not too predictable. Moser and Bright’s characters were fun to get to know, and I am glad there are sequels to this one!

5. The Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman – Leman is my favorite parenting author. He is funny but truthful, and not afraid to laugh at himself and share his parenting mistakes. This book talks about birth order and how it relates to personality and parenting. Very interesting and worth the read.

6. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant – A truly excellent book, even though if I think about it too hard it’s a little weird. But I find biblical retellings – and imaginings – very intriguing and interesting. This is at least the third or fourth time I’ve read this one.

7. One Bite at a Time by Tsh Oxenreider (Simple Mom) – Simple Mom’s ebook has 52 brief chapters, each containing one step you can take to simplify your life. I’m slowly adopting some of them in the hopes to be more intentional and less frazzled. It’s not easy, but Tsh makes sense, and I love how the book is laid out.

8. The 10 Best Decisions Every Parent Can Make by Bill and Pam Farrell – I’m forever searching for that book that will tell me how to parent toddlers and preschoolers. This isn’t it. But it is a super-intentional outline of ways to parent your kids up through their teenage years.

9. Foreign Correspondence by Geraldine Brooks – I’ve now read all of Brooks’ books except for Nine Parts of Desire … and I have loved every one. This one is a memoir of Brooks’ growing-up years, told through pen-pal letters and friendships with kids all over the world. As an adult, Brooks found the letters and took it upon herself to find all of her lost pen-pals. As with all of her books, this one is well-researched and documented, vivid, and makes me long to see, smell, and taste each part of the world she describes.

10. What She Doesn’t Know by Tina Wainscott – If I were one iota snottier about what I read, I would pretend I didn’t read this. It’s your basic romantic murder mystery, with Wainscott’s signature paranormal element thrown in. It was free for Kindle, I was flat on my back, and I liked reading it. (It’s still free as of 2/18/12.)

11. Dreams of Joy by Lisa See – I’ve wanted to read this sequel to Shanghai Girls since I finished the first book in August, and I finally got around to it when I realized I could “borrow” it from my library for free for my Kindle. Shanghai Girls gave the hard truth about Chinese life during the Japanese occupation, and Dreams of Joy portrays both Shanghai and the small countryside village during some of the large Communist campaigns. I stayed up until 2 a.m. to finish See’s tale, crying at how this was reality for so many in China. Lisa See is an accomplished historian and storytellers and I highly recommend her works.

12. Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian – Bohjalian has not failed me yet: I’ve found Midwives, Secrets of Eden, and now Before You Know Kindness all fascinating reads. BYKK is about an animal-rights activist who, while on vacation with his whole extended family in New Hampshire, is shot in the shoulder by his 12-year-old daughter. The novel outlines the family history, the accident, and what unfolds afterward in delicate language, unveiling thoughts from each family member. While I felt it lacked some of the punch of Midwives, I still think Bohjalian captures the voice of everyone from a 10-year-old girl in Vermont to a privileged, active grandmother dealing with the demise of her family relationships.

13. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp – I finally read Voskamp’s treatise on thankfulness. While I felt like some parts of it were a bit too heady for my tastes, I definitely appreciated her sentiments. Some parts were very moving. One I will hang on to and read again, I think!

14. Whispers of the Bayou by Mindy Starns Clark – I love love LOVE Clark’s series Smart Chick Mysteries. Clark takes basic Christian novels and turns it into something much better. In this mystery, Miranda lives life detached and consumed with work. A mysterious and persistent demand from an old acquaintance lures her back to her childhood home and plants her in the midst of an age-old scandal.

15. Always the Baker, Never the Bride by Sandra Brickman – Why yes, my current reading is dictated by what is free for Kindle. This is a light romance about a woman who bakes wedding cakes. She gets a job at a wedding hotel and while baking cake also bakes up some love. (Yes, cheesy, I know.) The book is actually a pretty fun read.

16-26. 16 Lighthouse Road, 204 Rosewood Lane, 311 Pelican Court, and right through the series by Debbie Maccomber – My mom gifted me the whole Debbie Maccomber Cedar Cove series for my Kindle, and in the weeks surrounding our friend’s suicide it was what my brain needed. I’m not much of a romance reader, but these are not *too* trashy or graphic.

27. Dark Water by Laura McNeal – Sometimes I get the idea that maybe I’ll be able to find the next Harry Potter or Hunger Games before anyone else. Well, this wasn’t it. Dark Water is touted as a Romeo and Juliet type romance between a modern-day California teenager whose father has recently walked out and one of her uncle’s Mexican migrant workers. While McNeal’s writing is very readable, I felt like some depth was missing. I just didn’t get the relationship between Amiel and Pearl. This is a rare case where I actually think it would make a better movie than book.

28. 3 Willows by Ann Brashares – 3 Willows is the kind of book that finds its way into my car’s CD player when I’m on a long trip with the kids. I go to the young adult section of the library and get an audiobook. This book is subtitled “the sisterhood grows,” and is by the same author of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books. These girls are younger (just having finished 8th grade) and number just three. And at the beginning of the book, they’re slightly estranged. Each sets out on her own summer adventure and finds out just how much she needs her friends. Cute, simple.

29. This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson – I also got this audiobook for the same trip … and learned that it would NOT work for when the kids were awake. Johnson’s language is tame, but she doesn’t filter out choice words in her interviews, thus making it inappropriate for kids in the car. Mary recommended this book and I liked it a lot, being the book nerd that I am. The chapter on Second Life almost lost me, but I kept on and especially enjoyed a chapter on archivists. It’s certainly not a light read, and one I’m glad I listened to rather than read it. If you’re at all interested in library science or the world behind the circulation desk, this one is for you!

30. What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa TerKeurst – My sister is a big Lysa TerKeurst fan, and I picked this up while at her apartment to thumb through. I ended up reading the first few chapters and couldn’t put it down. Ashley let me bring it home and read the rest. Lysa is so passionate and driven to radical obedience. Her writing it easy-to-read, humorous, and to the point: God desires our best. We should give it to Him. LOVED this one.

Want to see more?

31 28 Days of Reading Well
Read in 2011
Read in 2010
Read in 2009
Favorite Books of 2007