Once again, I read fewer books than I had hoped in a year: 32. I read some really excellent ones, though, and that’s what counts. However, I don’t think I’ve ever had a year with as many two-star ratings – I suppose that’s what comes when I try to broaden my reading horizons.

I decided to narrow my favorites down to my top 5 – the top 5 I would truly recommend be moved to the top of your list for 2015 because I am so happy they finally made the top of my own reading pile.

books2014

My favorite 5 books of 2014

  1. Holy is the Day by Carolyn Weber. There is no such thing as ordinary. (My post.)
  2. Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition by Karen Glass. The new starting book for those attracted to either Charlotte Mason or classical education. (My first post and my review)
  3. The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs. Contentment is a mysterious art that Burroughs illuminates as a necessity. (My post)
  4. What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done by Matt Perman. Productivity and gospel living do go together without cheese or sap. Christ is Lord of all of life, after all.
  5. Boys of Blur by N.D. Wilson. Rollicking good story that embodies several of the Wilsons’ themes.

My top 5 to-be-read books in 2015

And to go with these excellent selections, here are the top 5 books I am looking forward to reading in 2015.

For 2014 I made a list of 10 books I wanted to read and I only ended up reading 3 books off that list – mostly because I forgot I made it and didn’t see it again until last week! So, this year I’ve made a list of 5 and I have it in my notes to review – because this year I’ll be so much better about that (right?!).

  1. Beauty in the Word by Stratford Caldecott.
  2. The Liberal Arts Tradition by Ravi Jain.
  3. The Secret Providences of God by John Calvin.
  4. Growing in Christ by J.I. Packer.
  5. The Intellectual Life by A. G. Sertillanges.

What books are on your lists?

11 Comments

  1. I didn’t make it to my desired number (52) this year, either. Boys of Blur was a five star read for my husband – he read it aloud to our older boys. The Intellectual Life is waiting on my shelves, maybe I will get to it this year.

  2. It has been a long time since I read anything particularly good, I’ll have to go back to my beginning of the year lists. I like that one of my favorites was your #1, and I’m reading your #2.

    I’ll have to look into that Boys of Blur book, I haven’t heard of it.

    I haven’t started to think about 2015 books. I think I may go back to some C S Lewis, though.

  3. Top on my list for 2015: “Fierce Convictions- the Extraordinary Life of Hannah More – Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist” by Karen Swallow Prior; “Holiness” by J.C.Ryle; “The Godly Man’s Picture” by Thomas Watson; “Your God is Too Safe” by Mark Buchanan; “The Art of Teaching” by Gilbert Highet. That’s a few among a much longer list. If I can do these, and apply what I learn, I’d say I will have done quite well.
    Thanks for your recommendations. I enjoy comparing notes with you. I gave “Boys of Blur” to my boys last year and those who’ve read it liked it. I’ll have to try that one too….

  4. Thanks for the list and the link, but you forgot to link to your list at Semicolon. So I did it for you. Happy New Year.

    1. I read about 95% real books, but we just gave our oldest 2 kindles for Christmas. I am currently working on cataloguing our books and will catalogue the ebooks, too – I’m hoping to find a fast way to do so! :) I’m using Delicious Library for Mac to catalogue, but LibraryThing is also a good way to do that.

      1. Cataloging the physical books?

        On the Kindle app, you can add books to custom collections, but you probably figured that out already.

        1. Yes, I’d like one catalogue with all our books (and also DVDs): physical, kindle, and pdf. Then I can go to one place to see if I already have a book, which helps in used bookstores. :)

          1. I tried that a few years ago (I don’t think I had a smart phone yet, but had a way to scan barcodes) and so many of my movies and CD’s were so old that the program didn’t recognize the code! Then I couldn’t remember which ones I had tried and hadn’t succeeded. Now that I have a smart phone, I think it’s time to try again, thanks!

            I’m also working on connecting an external hard drive to our network so that all picture files, music, and eBooks can be stored on it and accessed from any device in the home. Not that it would help know if I have a title when I’m away, just felt like sharing, lol.

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