My Goodreads “Year in Books” says I’ve read 61 books this year. That doesn’t include re-reads of books I had already reviewed or the countless short stories and serials I’ve read on Substack. Of the fiction books, I loved The Girl with the Louding Voice (Daré), The Midnight Library (Haig), and Remarkably Bright Creatures (Van Pelt). Of my non-fiction selections Breath from Salt (Trivedi) was particularly valuable since my great-niece has cystic fibrosis. Favorite memoir: Beth Moore, All My Knotted-Up Life. Most fun read: Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Most overrated: Lessons in Chemistry (Garmus).
I’ve enjoyed writing these reviews and I will continue in 2024. I hope you find them useful!
And here are the last reviews of 2023!
C.S. Lewis (2004). The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. [Audible] Narrated by Michael York. Original book published in 1950.
C.S. Lewis wrote, "It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between" (Introduction to Athanasius: The Incarnation of the Word of God, 1946). He was referring to interposing classics with modern texts, particularly the ancient classics of Plato, but I think any book in the modern canon of literature qualifies, too. Lewis also observed, "The re-reader is looking not for actual surprises (which can come only once) but for a certain surprisingness" (Of Other Worlds, 1947). Re-reading requires a mind open to experiencing a familiar story in a different way.
Listening to York's excellent narration keeps the story moving. His voicing and accents make it easy to follow individual characters, even Susan and Lucy, whose differences are harder to capture than others unless you already know their temperaments. In this reading, I also heard the details more than I had before. One of the downsides of being a fast reader is that I sometimes lose the insignificant descriptions that are actually quite important. This time I paid attention to the textures in the book, from the softness of the coats in the wardrobe to the cold of Susan and Lucy's fingers as they struggled to untie the cords of Aslan. It served as a reminder that attention to detail matters, both in literature and in life. It was a good book to finish out the year.
C.S. Lewis (2004). The Magician's Nephew. [Audible] Narrated by Kenneth Branagh. Original book published in 1955.
When Audible offers an entire Narnia collection for one credit the correct answer is, "Yes, please." When the narrators include Kenneth Branagh, Lynn Redgrave, and Patrick Stewart, the correct action is "buy now." Have I already read these books? A dozen times, at least. I have the paperback collection published in 1974. I read them to my children. Re-reading them is always a delight and I always understand something new when I do. Lewis himself wrote to Arthur Greeves in 1932, " I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once." If re-reading is good for Lewis, then it is good for me, too.
The Magician's Nephew was the sixth published book in the Narnia series, but it is first chronologically in the Narnian timeline. Some argue that it should be read first, while others insist that publication order is the only right way to read the stories. Frankly, I don't think it matters all that much. This story tells the creation of Narnia by Aslan and explains how the White Witch got there, how the wardrobe portal came to be, and why "sons of Adam" and "daughters of Eve" were important in the Narnian world. Branagh's narration is perfect.
Francis Schaeffer (1971). True Spirituality. [Kindle and Audible] Narrated by Grover Gardner
Written more than 50 years ago, Schaeffer's words are as relevant as the day he wrote them. He identifies the fundamental issues that led to our current social ills and discusses what the Church must do to be the salt and light Jesus calls us to be.
"One of the problems with humanists is that they tend to 'love' humanity as a whole--Man with a capital M, Man as an idea-- but forget about man as an individual, as a person" (p. 138). Doesn't that reflect exactly how modern tribalism works?
"Man, having put himself rather than God at the center of the universe, constantly tends to turn inward instead of outward. He has made himself the last integration point of the universe. This is the essence of his rebellion against God" (p. 132). The current interpretation of this rebellion comes in the phrase "my truth." How destructive "my truth" has become as it works itself out in actions.
Schaeffer saw the Church as missing an opportunity to be a place of healing, something that is more critical now than ever. He wrote, "First, the church should teach the truth, and second the church should teach a practice of the existence of God, and a practice of the reality of and the exhibition of God's character of holiness and love. The church cannot merely teach these things in words; we must see the practice of these things in the church as a corporate body" (p 149). And beyond corporate actions, individuals must also act in accordance with the love and mercy of God. "Here is something for modern man to look at: the interplay of true human beings in a group small enough for it to be practically possible" (p. 154), meaning the gathering of believers on Sunday mornings is all well and good, but true spirituality comes when one person works together with another person to do the work of God, namely, to instruct in and live out the gospel in Jerusalem, Judea, and the uttermost parts of the world.
Dan Walsh (2023) What's Best for Them. [Kindle]
The first book in this series is far better than this one. The conflicts are too easily resolved, the tensions between families dissipate before they reach a climax, and the love story moves far too quickly.
Picking up one month after the events of ‘Twas the Night, the children have completely settled into their new home (flaw #1---their new guardian is too perfect and the kids suffer no traumatic effects from the experience aside from some short-term teasing and missing their parents). The world turns upside-down when a stranger happens upon the small town, hears the story of their deliverance, and decides that the children are his "kin" (flaw #2---the children's parents had left that "holler" more than a decade before and suddenly a story about kids he's never heard of makes this character confident that they are his long-lost niece and nephew? flaw #3---the whole plan to "reclaim kin" is just silly). In the process of the climax and resolution, two characters who barely knew of each other at the beginning of the first book (a month before) are deeply in love (flaw #4---given the history of one character, a fast-moving relationship is highly unlikely). Along the way, there are unnecessary complications and characters.
My advice? Read the first and call it sweet.
Dan Walsh (2023). ‘Twas the Night. [Kindle]
Lovely little Christmas read. A simple story about love and loss, grace and gratitude.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (2011). God in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas. [Audible] Narrated by Art Morey. Christian Audio.
Quotes from Good Reads.
This book needs to be read, preferably as a hard copy. It is made up of short excerpts from sermons and letters written by Bonhoeffer in the 1930s and early 1940s. It is too rich for an audiobook on a run. There are four full weeks of devotions centered on four themes of Advent and the Twelve Days of Christmas.
Many of his quotes apply today, nearly 100 years since the first of them were composed. It is a reminder that, however bad the world may seem today, it has always been thus. Some words to ponder:
Waiting is an art that our impatient age has forgotten. It wants to break open the ripe fruit when it has hardly finished planting the shoot.
“Look up, you whose gaze is fixed on this earth, who are spellbound by the little events and changes on the face of the earth. Look up to these words, you who have turned away from heaven disappointed. Look up, you whose eyes are heavy with tears and who are heavy and who are crying over the fact that the earth has gracelessly torn us away. Look up, you who, burdened with guilt, cannot lift your eyes. Look up, your redemption is drawing near. something different from what you see daily will happen. Just be aware, be watchful, wait just another short moment. Wait and something quite new will break over you: God will come.”
“God is in the manger, wealth in poverty, light in darkness, succor in abandonment. No evil can befall us; whatever men may do to us, they cannot but serve the God who is secretly revealed as love and rules the world and our lives."
If Christmas time cannot ignite within us again something like a love for holy theology, so that we—captured and compelled by the wonder of the manger of the son of God—must reverently reflect on the mysteries of God, then it must be that the glow of the divine mysteries has also been extinguished in our heart and has died out.”
“To those who recognize in Jesus the wonder of the Son of God, every one of his words and deeds becomes a wonder; they find in him the last, most profound, most helpful counsel for all needs and questions. Yes, before the child can open his lips, he is full of wonder and full of counsel. Go to the child in the manger. Believe him to be the Son of God, and you will find in him wonder upon wonder, counsel upon counsel.”
Freida McFadden (2023) The Housemaid's Secret. [Kindle] Bookouture.
Never saw that twist coming. Again. What fun!
Freida McFadden (2022) The Housemaid. [Kindle] Bookouture.
A psychological thriller that is also a quick read? Yes, please. I’m pretty good at anticipating the course of action, but I did not see these plot twists coming. And that’s all I will say.
Charles Dickens (2018) A Christmas Carol. Adapted by R.D. Carstairs [Audible Original] Narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi.
There must be hundreds of variations on Dickens' book, and I try to indulge in a few of them every year. I prefer the unabridged readings, but now and then a dramatic audio interpretation deserves a listen. This one, with more than 10 voice actors is good, but not great. I noted that it is a teacher's favorite, which makes sense. The chapters (staves) are short enough to fit into a class period and they are all separate downloads so there's no chance of jumping ahead.
Some of the adaptations didn't make a whole lot of sense. The Ghost of Christmas Present, for example, is a woman. Of all the spirits, Present is by far the most masculine, even to his empty scabbard. The writer also gave the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come the power of speech. Part of that character's terror is its silence. There were other minor things, but I almost always have issues with some interpretations, and at least this one gets right the fact that Scrooge believed the visitations took three nights, a belief leading to his joy at learning he hadn't missed Christmas after all.
I think this version would be just right for families traveling together in a car. It's solid road trip material.
Kate Forster (2023). The Christmas Star. [Audible Original] Narrated by Rachael Tidd
Silly and charming romance with a million movie references and likable characters. Absolutely no depth--this is pure sugarplum.
Hans Christian Anderson (2014) The Snow Queen [Audible] Narrated by Julia Whelan
I remember a picture book of this story from my childhood, but I don't think I ever read it. The inspiration for Disney's Frozen, The Snow Queen is a story of kindness to those who deserve it least and how compassion can melt a frozen heart. The narrator is Audible's 2014 Narrator of the Year, and it's clear why. Her voice is measured with just the right inflections to make differentiating between characters easy.
Charles Dickens (2020). A Christmas Carol [Audible] Narrated by Hugh Grant
Dicken's classic, unabridged, non-dramatized text read by Hugh Grant. Do I really need to say more?
Michael Eon (2023). These Things Happen. Girl Friday Books [Kindle]
There is a lot to like about this novel. It traces the pattern of addiction for most addicts: family history, mental illness, childhood trauma, and an early introduction to alcohol and/or drugs. It also illustrates the effect on those around the addict. Feelings of helplessness, anger, frustration, and sorrow cycle through friends and families of substance abusers. The novel also highlights the inevitable self-destructive nature of addicts who either ignore their positions or defy the problem. Deaths by disease, overdose, or suicide are common, usually much earlier than in a healthy person.
The back-and-forth timeline was confusing until the middle of the book when things came together. My primary arguments with the author's decisions are in the conviction that only AA provides a way to live with addiction (understandably there is some autobiography involved) and in Brie's illness. As a lifelong asthmatic myself, the progression of the disease and its treatments are not accurate, especially for a white, young, middle-class woman. Statistically, Brie's disease would be controlled. Cystic fibrosis, on the other hand, closely follows the path the author describes.
The most important message to the reader, however, is in understanding alcoholism, and the author does an exceptional job making it real.