First, always, the Bible. I lived in the Psalms this year as I learned what lament and worship looked like in a difficult season.
Then, some new authors I discovered this past year: KJ Ramsey, Aundi Kolber, Chuck DeGroat ($1.99) Gina Butz and Katherine May. These authors helped me understand what it means to suffer (and how God longs to meet us in those deeps), how to embrace discomfort and make peace with change, how to be kind to myself on this healing journey and gave me a vision for wholeness, delight and wonder.
And a few faithful old friends I've read and re-read over the years: Hannah Hurnard ($1.99), Ann Voskamp, Lilias Trotter, Parker J Palmer, and Andrew Murray (free!).
Finally, FICTION! I am not in a habit of reading fiction- but 2020 kindled a desire to get lost in an imaginary world. Helena Sorensen wrote a magnificent trilogy about a culture of people who lived in a land under a dark shadow. And yet a few of the main characters, that are viewed by their community as the crazy ones, believe there must be light somewhere beyond the shadow. It is a fairly dark book, but so rich and ignited a glimmer of hope last year. During lock-down in Uganda I decided to begin the Harry Potter series... yes, it was my first time and I read them at the request of our middle school boys. It was a treat to enter their world and learn to speak their language. On landing in America in June, my sister in law gifted me the Sensible Shoes series and I devoured them. A beautiful story of four unlikely friends, their spiritual journeys and a dose of counseling thrown in. It was life-giving.
So, there is my book list from 2020. I am sure there were more- but these were the best. What did you read that you loved??
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