2023 My Year in Books: Rachel

One of my favorite things about the beginning of the year is seeing the books that others have read and celebrating the reading goals that were met in the previous year. No two people will experience books in the exact same way, so it’s neat to think about what they’ve experienced, and it can also be helpful to build your TBR list for the next year. While I still didn’t use any one set tool (like Goodreads) to track my titles or plan to read a certain number of books, I am glad that I kept a list with a short description of each book to help refresh my memory and think about the journeys I got to go on last year.  

If I had some awards to give out, this is what I’d choose:

Favorite Read: Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd 

This book put me in my feels. We meet a twelve-year-old girl named Olive who dreams of being able to go to school. Her parents have always been hesitant to send her, due to her dealing with osteogenesis imperfecta (what we know as brittle bone disease). However, she gets the chance to go, and learns about the legend of a magical hummingbird that can grant your deepest wish if you find it. While searching for the bird, she learns the lesson, that reminds the reader, that while we think we may know our “perfect” wish, life has a way of surprising us along the way.  

*Honorable Mention: My Fine Fellow by Jennieke Cohen 

I loved this story that was mixed with both salty and sweet moments. Two friends (Helena and Penelope) are in their final year at the Royal Academy. They meet Elijah, and a project unlike any other begins to unfold. Elijah is a lonely street merchant with not much to his name. Penelope’s goal is to turn him into a refined gentleman chef. Will her plan succeed like the perfect recipe, or will things blow up in her face? If you’re a fan of My Fair Lady, you’ll likely enjoy this sweet, clean young adult romance.  

Most Likely to Recommend: The Listening Life by Adam S. McHugh 

I don’t read a lot of self-help books, but this one was very easy to read and practical in nature.  

It reminded me about being able to make simple changes to allow myself to better listen and understand those around me and the world as a whole. As one that doesn’t appreciate all seasons, one of the best parts was remembering to see the beauty in each one and to find opportunities to experience different things.  

Least Likely to Recommend: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 

I want to start by saying that I didn’t dislike this book, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. Kya’s story was interesting to read, but truthfully, not a lot of it stayed with me. One part that I did enjoy was her description of the marsh. I’m not always the best at visualizing, but with her writing style, I felt like I did better than normal.  

One I’m most glad that I tried: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie 

I don’t do well with branching out to different genres very much. I will most often read middle grade, young adult, romance, or historical fiction.  However, after last year’s March Book (& Movie) Madness, I decided to venture into the mystery genre and read Murder on the Orient Express. I really enjoyed the pacing of the story and was excited to see how everything would unfold. While mystery still isn’t my favorite genre, I was reminded when reading this book how important it is to branch out from time to time.  

Most Unexpected: The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer (Available through ILL)  

The reason I gave this book this award is that sometimes a book comes along that you need to read, but you didn’t know how much you needed it. There are times when I get into a reading funk and the desire to pick one up is gone. Life can be hard sometimes, and I think books are often the perfect escape into a different reality. This is what The Wishing Game was for me; it was the type of book that made me think about why readers fall in love with reading.  

Jack Masterson was the author of a highly popular series of books called Clock Island. Lucy Hart found peace while reading these pages, and since adulthood, she has desired to read another story, but Jack has stopped writing. Unexpectedly, there is news that Jack has written another installment in the series, and for those that can solve the riddle, they will be invited to the real Clock Island (where Jack lives) with a chance to win the one copy that’s available. This book made me think some of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with the opportunity to experience something unlike any other. If you’re looking for something to pick up your spirits, this may be the one for you. 

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Thanks for reading. Come back next week to learn about Darius’ year in books.   

Rachel Bloomingburg’s reviews reflect her personal opinions and not necessarily those of the library or university. 

Library Staff Book Club: Self-Help Books

The library staff book club met in August to discuss a self-help book of their choice. Naturally, most of the library staff chose a book with a Christ-centered emphasis. Below, you can find out who read what book and decide if there are any books you want to add to your “To be Read” list!

Amber Owrey, Instruction Librarian, read Turning of Days: Lessons from Nature, Season, and Spirit by Hannah Anderson:

In this book, Anderson writes short devotionals related to nature and the seasons. She breaks the book into four sections, one for each of the seasons. Each devotional starts and ends with Scripture references. The devotions are mainly her musings as she works in and observes her garden, property, and nature in general. I appreciated the simplicity of connecting spiritual truths with nature, but also liked how awed she is by nature. She makes a great point at the end of the book that our modern suburban society takes nature for granted. We treat it like white noise, but it is so much more than that. Anderson provides readers with a lot to think about our human nature, sin, Christ’s sacrifice, and God’s protection. One of my favorite devotions was from the Summer section about cicadas (see IV of Summer section; pages 69-73). This devotional/chapter explains how periodical cicadas grow in the ground for 17 years before emerging. When they emerge, it is en masse and there are millions of them because millions will be eaten. The species needs to survive, so millions more than are eaten also emerge. While the cicadas wait to emerge, they grow; seventeen years is a long time. A lot can happen in 17 years, but time for God is different than time for us. We can feel like our timeline and God’s are out of sync, but God is not only concerned with length of time. God also views time in moments and will wait until the fullness of time to act. So, when our lives don’t seem to be moving at the speed we think it should, the periodic cicadas can remind us that God patiently waits for the fullness of time. He is not idle but grows us in the waiting.

Darius Mullin, Evening Circulation Supervisor, read Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work by Timothy Keller and Katherine Leary Alsdorf:

Every Good Endeavor is full of helpful commentary on how we ought to relate to our work in a world that is created by God, is fallen, and will be redeemed. The book is divided into three parts: God’s plan for work, our problems with work, and the Gospel and work (i.e. the intersection of the first two sections). Keller reminds readers that, “When we think, ‘I hate work!’ we should remember that, despite the fact that work can be a particularly potent reminder (and even amplifier) of the curse of sin on all things, it is not itself a curse. We were built for it and freed by it.” I especially appreciated the chapter “A New Story for Work,” where Keller gives specific examples of how the Gospel can affect various vocations in sections like “The Gospel and Business,” “The Gospel and Higher Education,” etc. before explaining how “The Christian Worldview Shapes All Work.” Every Good Endeavor contains a wealth of beneficial teachings and commentary, and I already plan on rereading it in the future.

Melissa Moore, Library Director, read Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Dr. Barry Prizant:

I chose this book for two reasons: first, six months ago when I thought my 2-year-old might be on the spectrum, I wanted to prepare myself for how best to help her. Second, we are examining our library services this year within the context of serving users with a broad range of disabilities, and I thought this book would help educate me on how to support those students.

Dr. Prizant has been in practice for 50 years, most of it serving schools and parents in relation to children on the autism spectrum. His fundamental argument is that autism means that the brain is wired differently, but that we don’t need to set about “normalizing” or changing these individuals; rather, we need to meet them where they are, understand their challenges, and see them as having innate value simply because they are human. His writing is engaging and filled with examples from his practice, which makes his argument very persuasive. Though he is not a Christian that I can tell, certainly his argument makes sense to the believer because we know that each person is created in God’s image and should therefore be respected. 

Rachel Bloomingburg, Circulation Manager, read The Listening Life by Adam S. McHugh:

Being given the topic of self-help was a little daunting because I wasn’t sure which direction I would take. While doing a search through our catalog, it popped up, so I thought, “Why not?” It ended up being a timely read for me, and I feel like it will be one I re-read. It was easy to read and practical in nature.  I loved the focus on how listening is a large part of learning to be human and building relationships, while also reminding me that learning to listen is a lifelong process. Even though I didn’t’ realize how spiritual it would be in nature, I appreciated the point McHugh made of blending my faith into daily interactions I have with others. As we are getting closer to another season, I want to leave you with this quote from page 113, “Creation praises God even when I can’t.” A beautiful reminder that even if I don’t feel that I can hear God in some moments, I can use my other senses to see Him more clearly. 

Sara Hand, Circulation Associate and Administrative Secretary, read Organizing You by Shannon Upton:

Written by a former math teacher turned housewife, Upton struggled with severe postpartum anxiety for four years after her second child was born. Through much prayer and counseling, Upton was finally healed of the anxiety she had been battling. She developed an organizational plan that helped her feel more at peace, both mentally and spiritually. With prompting from her husband, she decided to share it in this book in hopes of helping other women who may be struggling. I decided to read this book because as a working mom, sometimes my home life feels chaotic. I learned that keeping a daily written planner is a good way to let go of thoughts that can clutter up my mind. While many people use their cell phones as planners, Upton makes a case for written planners because it’s too easy to start surfing the internet on the phone and become even more distracted. She is also a big fan of lists, and I liked the idea of keeping a list of potential day trips I could take with my family, as well as Christmas gift lists for loved ones so I don’t have to agonize over what to get them when December rolls around. Of course, her organizational plan is much more in-depth than that, but those were the points that stood out to me the most.

Sarah Blevins, Circulation Associate, read The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer:

With an easy-to-read, conversational tone, Comer explains one of the reasons people so often feel exhausted in life is hurry. Then he begins his argument of the importance of slowing down amid a 24/7, always-have-to-be-plugged-in world. Sometimes I felt like he went off on tangents, but I appreciated the call to slow down, which is something I tend to not do very often. However, his true thesis is to set one’s focus on Christ—something we can all remember to do.

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All books listed can be checked out from Union’s library or requested through Interlibrary Loan.