20 More Books {Fall of 2019 Edition}

Here are twenty more books marked off that ol' reading challenge. I've now read just over forty books this year. (Here are the first twenty books that I read this year.)

I was hoping to accomplish the Committed level (a total of fifty-two books), but with the number of weeks left in the year (December is just around the corner, yikes!) and the number of books I still have to read (about ten), that leaves me with needing to read roughly two books a week. As much as it originally looked like I was on track to successfully reading fifty-two books this year, I think I'm going to be a few books shy when December 31st comes around. *sigh*

On a brighter note, I've absolutely loved using a reading challenge, for it has forced me to step out of my comfort zone and read a whole variety of books!

So here's how I'm rating them:

5+ Stars - Incredibly encouraging & edifying; absolutely loved it!

5 Stars - Fantastic and edifying read!

4 Stars - A great read! 

3 Stars - An okay book overall.

2 Stars - Left much to be desired. 

1 Stars - Don't waste your time reading it.

(The book title links to the book in Amazon)

Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church, John Onwuchekwa -- 5+ stars A super practical and helpful little book in the 9 Marks series, Prayer was fantastic. Every believer who reads this will be encouraged and challenged, both in their personal prayer life and in the importance of participating in corporate prayer with the local church body. 

The Greater Journey, David McCullough -- 5+ stars 
An excellent historical read about Americans in Paris from 1830 to 1900! Absolutely loved it. Read my review here.

In His Image, Jen Wilkin-- 5+ stars
In this sequel to None Like Him: 10 Ways God is Different From Us (and Why That's a Good Thing) Jen Wilkin approaches the all-too-common question "What is God's Will for my life?" with a better question: "Who should I be?" To answer these questions, she digs into ten attributes of God and then outlines how we are specifically called to reflect the same attribute. As a dedicated student of God's Word, Wilkin writes with theological clarity, insight, and accuracy, always keeping God's Word central to the message of her book. Because Scripture is her authority, Wilkin does not shy away from speaking truth when it might be tempting to instead beat around the bush.

Ladies, if you desire to increase your love for the Lord and walk according to His revealed will for your life, this is a must-read. Buy your own copy and read it slowly and thoughtfully, asking God to use it to reveal areas in your own life where you fail to emulate His likeness. 

The Last Jew of Rotterdam, Ernest Cassutto -- 5+ stars
This is a superb testimony of one Jew's experience during WWII and how God drew Ernest to Himself for salvation and then sustained him during the horrors of the Nazi regime. This is an easy-to-read story and one that is hard to put down once you pick it up! While there are a few instances that might be scary for very young children, this would be a good book for a read-aloud family book. 

Mere Calvinism, Jim Scott Orrick -- 5+ stars

This book was absolutely fantastic. Filled with layman's language and many practical and powerful illustrations, Mere Calvinism is a clearly written, gracious, humble, loving, and Scripture-saturated explanation of this highly controversial and divisive subject. The last chapter is perhaps the most powerful chapter of all, for it lays out "What if it isn't true?" statements in contrast with "But it is true!" statements. This is a humbling and worship-inducing discussion about what God has done to secure our salvation. 

If you are curious about what Calvinism is all about, have objections to it, or even want to better understand it for your own personal growth, I would highly recommend reading this book. 

The Supremacy of God in Preaching, John Piper -- 5+ stars

Do not fear. I am not about to become a woman preacher, neither do I believe Scripture endorses women preachers. I read this book because I needed to read a book targeted at the opposite gender, so why not read a book by Piper on preaching? Even as a female with no future in preaching, I was blessed to read about Piper's passion to make God's glory known through the preaching of the Word. 

City of Tranquil Light, Bo Caldwell -- 5 stars 

A incredibly well-written novel based off of the lives of the author's maternal grandparents who were missionaries in China during the early 1900s, this book made me weep as I read of the great sacrifices made for the sake of bringing the Gospel of Christ to China; it also made me rejoice as I read of God's marvelous and mysterious ways. While it is a novel (and as such, technically fiction), I am certain that many of the circumstances and events described in this book are not all that far removed from the actual events missionaries in China experienced during that same era. 

Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges -- 5 stars 

This was a very practical discussion addressing those areas of life that we often deem "acceptable" simply because "it's just what we do" or "everyone does it." This is not about trying to find sin when there isn't sin to deal with (or labeling a deed "sin" simply because it goes against someone else's standard). Rather, this is about dealing with actions that are actually sin because Scripture calls it sin.

The Trumpet of the Swan, E. M. White -- 5 stars

By the author who wrote Charlotte's Web, this book almost had me believing that a swan really can play a trumpet! Seriously. This is a delightful children's story that vividly illustrates the importance of honesty and perseverance. The Trumpet of the Swan is definitely going on my mental list of good children's books.

The Book Your Pastor Wants You to Read (but is too embarrassed to ask), Christopher Ash -- 5 stars  

Written by a former pastor, this is a very practical and insightful book on how those of us in the local church can be a blessing to our pastor and bring joy to his heart. 

Vinegar Girl, Anne Tyler -- 5 stars 

This is a modern-day retelling of The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare. I've never read The Taming of the Shrew, so I don't know how Vinegar Girl compares to it. However, taken on it's own merit, Vinegar Girl was a delightful little novel; I could hardly put it down. I think my favorite part was the Epilogue: there is so much character, unspoken back-story, and overall joy wrapped up in those few pages that made my heart just about burst with happiness when I read it. 

Andrew Jackson, H. W. Brands -- 5 stars 

A full-length biography of Andrew Jackson. After reading all 560 pages on the life and times of Andrew Jackson, I learned a lot about the shaping of early American history. I have decided that reading hefty biographies are a good way to learn about specific time periods; for this reason, I want to make it a goal to read at least one such biography every year.

One-to-One Bible Reading, David Helm -- 5 stars 

This is a fantastic little handbook that put the proverbial cookies of discipleship and Bible study on the lower shelf, making them accessible to any believer who wants to reach for them. Helm gives an incentive for one-to-one discipleship by keeping the process simple: just get back to the basics of studying God's Word together. He then provides a step-by-step guide for how to do it. The book also provides several reproducible resources for hands-on use in a one-to-one Bible reading scenario. I finished the book encouraged by the simplistic approach to discipleship that was outlined and challenged to be intentional about cultivating a lifestyle of spiritual investment in the life of at least one other person. 

Breathing Lessons, Anne Tyler -- 4.5 stars 

After thoroughly enjoying Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler, I decided to try another of her novels, for there is something brilliant and unique about Tyler's style of writing that I just love. 

As far as Breathing Lessons goes, perhaps an excerpt from the cover says it better than I can: "Anne Tyler shows us all there is to know about a marriage: the expectations; the disappointments; the way children create storms in a family; the way that wife and husband can fall in love all over again; the way that everything--and nothing--changes." Filled with a creative flood of memories from the past, the entire book covers all of one day in the life of Ira and Maggie Moran, husband and wife for twenty-eight years. I gave this a 4.5 instead of 5 because of a handful of brief, but suggestive, scenarios.  

Cinderella Man, Jeremy Schapp --  4 stars 

The fascinating and true story about how James Braddock became the heavyweight boxing champion in 1935. This book takes place during the 1920s and '30s, boxing's golden years. Unlike the movie with the same name that has quite a lot of language in it, Cinderella Man (the book) is very clean, with only one instance with an offensive word (that I remember noting). While parts of the book were very interesting, there were other parts that felt like a mere listing of various fights, making for some sections of dry reading.

Let Her Fly, Ziauddin Yousafzai -- 4 Stars The true account of a Pakistani father's journey of fighting for women's rights. Ziauddin is father to Malala Yousafzai, winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. This book caused me to consider what Scripture teaches us about women and our rights, both in relationship to men and before God.  

Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis -- 3.5 stars

Originally a series of radio talks during World War II, Mere Christianity  is aimed at the non-Christian audience. I know many people have been encouraged or significantly influenced by this book. I can see how some of the abundant illustrations could help an unbeliever or a new convert better understand a particular idea within Christianity. However, I believe one should read this book with careful discernment: on more than one occasion, I found it to be theologically confusing and/or misleading. Furthermore, while there were times where I heartily agreed with what Lewis wrote, there were many more times that I disagreed with him. I would be very careful about who I recommended it to.

The Caregiving Season, June Daly -- 3 stars 

Perhaps someone currently in the season of caring for one's aging parents would find this book to have a decent amount of helpful information, for the author shares a lot of practical tips from her own experience. Personally, I found the overall content of The Caregiving Season to feel superficial and generic; however, this may be simply because I am not in this particular season of life. Daly's writing style also felt choppy, as well as somewhat repetitive and boring.

Anne Frank's Diary, the Graphic Adaptation, Ari Folman -- 3 stars 

This is the graphic adaptation of the famous and true account of a young Jewish girl's personal experience as she hid out with her family during the Holocaust. Folman's graphic adaptation of Anne Frank's Diary is fantastic! Content warning: a couple instances of suggestive content.

Beneath the Scarlet Sky, Mark Sullivan -- 3 stars 

Written in the form of a novel, this is the true story of eighteen-year-old Pino Lella during World War II. Even though enlisted as a Nazi, this teenage boy made some courageous contributions as a spy for the Allies. Taken as a whole, this was a truly fascinating read. However, there was a significant amount of graphic descriptions of the atrocities Pino witnessed, as well as some language and suggestive content. Thus, a 3 instead of a 4.