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BOOKS & STORIES I FINISHED READING IN 2024
27) Strictly Business: More Stories of the Four Million
~ by O. Henry
More short stories with ironic twists, some of which I didn't understand, ha ha!
26) Death of a Minor Character
~ by E.X. Ferrars
This is the 4th novel of the author's "Virginia and Felix" series, although this is the first one I have read. The mystery was okay, the characters were okay, but I wasn't enamored enough to read more of the series.
25) The 100-Year-Old-Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared
~ by Jonas Jonasson
This is the last of the novels that my friend recently gave to me. (See #17, 18, 19, and 21 below.) It's one of those stories that flips back and forth from the present time to the past. Allan, the 100-year-old man, had a lot of (fictional) influence on history, a la Forrest Gump. It took me a while to get into the story, but once I did I quickly finished reading the book. This book was written in Swedish; I read an English translation, of course.
24) The General's Gold (The Turner and Mosley Files Book #1)
~ Lyndee Walker & Bruce Robert Coffin
A high school friend — Bruce — is a co-writer of this action-packed novel. (They currently have two more books planned for this series.) Avery Turner and her scuba diving instructor, Carter Mosley, team up on a hunt for treasure that has been missing since Civil War times. They aren't the only ones seeking the treasure, and they run into some pretty bad guys. How does it end? I read the book in a couple days to find out!
23) Adorned: Living Out the Beauty of the Gospel Together
~ by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
This is a wonderful book based on Titus 2:1-5,10. After reading each of the 14 chapters, I watched a video lesson online. The videos are from a 2017 conference. (About halfway through, I realized that by going directly to the playlist on the YouTube channel, I could also watch the dramatic skits from the conference.) I think I probably will read Adorned again at some point. I plan to read Titus often.
22) Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up
~ by Abigail Shrier
The author believes that today's youth are not allowed to learn from mistakes, heartache, disappointment, etc., and that they too quickly are diagnosed with ADHD and other mental disorders. Kids aren't being told to "get a grip" (my words). The author's analysis is pretty one-sided, but it would be wise for adults to consider what she is pointing out. This is a well-researched book with lots of footnotes.
21) The Cannibal Galaxy
~ by Cynthia Ozick
At just over 160 pages, this novel didn't take too long to read. The inside flap of the dustcover says, "It is the story of Joseph Brill, a middle-aged French Jew, Principal of a school in the American Midwest where he teaches his version of enlightenment...." He wants to make a difference, yet sees nothing but mediocrity around him. He becomes obsessed with the mother of one of his students because of her great mind — the mother's great mind, not the student's. And I believe that is the crux of this somewhat odd story. (This novel was given to me by the same friend as #18 below. She also gave me #17 and #19.)
20) I Never Promised You a Disneyland
~ by Jay Kesler, with Tim Stafford
The author was president of Youth for Christ International. In this book, he addresses ten issues that youth face. The book has a copyright of 1975, so some of the cultural references are outdated. But the advice is good. Really, really good.
19) Can You Keep a Secret?
~ by Sophie Kinsella
I guess one would classify this novel as "chick lit." I did enjoy the story, although I wish the author had refrained from using some not-very-ladylike language.
18) Confessions of a Memory Eater
~ by Pagan Kennedy
After warning me not to judge this book by its cover, a friend gave me this novel. It's less than 200 pages, so it didn't take long to read. Bizarre, bizarre, bizarre story, but I can see how it could spark an interesting discussion. It definitely is not written from a Christian perspective. (Also, the author's given first name is Pamela, per Wikipedia. I'm glad to know her parents didn't name her Pagan.)
17) The Dictionary of Lost Words
~ by Pip Williams
This is an intriguing historical novel that surrounds the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Esme, the main character, grows up loving words. She learns that some words are left out of the dictionary because they aren't written down. These words are spoken by working, poor women, and many of the words are vulgar. Esme starts "collecting" these words. There are other interesting characters in the story: Esme's father, the "bondmaid" Lizzie, the suffragette Tilda, and many more. I enjoyed this novel more than I expected I would.
16) The Woman Beneath the Stairs
~ by Christopher Greyson
I enjoy this author's novels. This one takes place on an island off the coast of Maine. The main character, Ally, is convinced she hears a woman's voice coming through the water pipes. What secrets is her husband's family hiding? Who can she trust? An interesting story.
15) Fifteen Minutes: A Novel
~ by Karen Kingsbury
A young Christian man tries out for the singing competition "Fifteen Minutes" (think, "American Idol") and faces some tough times as a result. The storyline was okay, but I found the description of the characters' thoughts to be repetitive. Still, a good diversion!
14) Impossible Christianity: Why Following Jesus Does Not Mean You Have to Change the World, Be an Expert in Everything, Accept Spiritual Failure, and Feel Miserable Pretty Much All the Time
~ by Kevin DeYoung
Yes, that really is the length of the subtitle! And the book itself is relatively brief. (It could be read in one sitting, although I didn't do that myself.) From the inside front flap of the dustcover: "Bestselling author Kevin DeYoung helps readers overcome their fears of spiritual failure, reassuring them that it is possible to be faithful, fruitful, and pleasing to God. Biblical wisdom and engaging personal stories clarify what the Bible actually teaches about following Jesus and invite believers to find lasting joy in sincere and simple obedience to God." The book delivers. Recommend!
13) Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel
~ by Louise Penny
This is the first book in the Inspector Gamache series. I read it on the recommendation of some New Year's Eve party friends. I did enjoy the story, despite the veiled social agenda. There are several more books in the series, and I will read more if they are ever on sale for Kindle.
12) Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come: One Introvert's Year of Saying Yes
~ by Jessica Pan
As a self-diagnosed introvert, I was intrigued by the title; I can especially relate to the "I Didn't Want to Come" phrase. Other than the author's use of some irreverent and bad language, I really enjoyed this book. She humorously describes the many activities she undertook to do "extrovert" things over the course of a year. A fun memoir.
11) Elijah in Jerusalem: A Novel
~ by Michael D. O'Brien
See #8 below. This is the last of the three books. The book centers around whether Elijah will be able to get near enough to confront the President. I liked this three-book series. I'm kind of sad to be finished.
10) Heather and Snow
~ by George MacDonald
I had trouble reading some of the dialogue since much of it was an old Scotch dialect. But I did get the gist of this sweet story.
9) Called to Community: The Life Jesus Wants for His People
~ edited by Charles E. Moore
This book has 52 short chapters and can be used as a small group study over the course of a year. I read it on my own, usually one chapter a day. Most of the chapters are excerpts from other writings. A few chapters were written specifically for this book. I really enjoyed reading it, and there are several entries I want to revisit.
8) Father Elijah: An Apocalypse
~ by Michael D. O'Brien
See #2 below. This is the second of the three books. The Jewish youth David, after the start of what could have been a notable political career, becomes a Catholic priest known as Father Elijah. He is called on to confront the President of the Europarliament, a powerful man who could be the Antichrist. After a series of events, Father Elijah is appointed as a bishop in pectore and then temporarily must go into hiding. Now I'm on to the last of the three books....
7) Five-Minute Cozy Mini Mysteries (with Solutions): 26 Whodunits That Test Your Amateur Sleuthing Smarts
~ by Loretta Martin
I want to try writing stories like this, so I read this book to get ideas of the flavor. Plus I enjoyed solving the mysteries. 😎
6) Christianity and Liberalism
~ by J. Gresham Machen
This was WORLD Magazine's "Book of the Year" in 2023... one hundred years after the book was first published! This book could have been written today. It's still relevant. I've gifted two copies of it so far.
5) A Christian's Guide to Mental Illness: Answers to 30 Common Questions
~ by David Murray and Tom Karel Jr.
From the description on the back cover: "Written in an accessible Q&A format, this practical resource answers thirty commonly asked questions about mental health from a Christian perspective." I believe it delivers. Highly recommend.
4) Daily 5-Minute Readings for a Month
~ by Thomas à Kempis
A small book of brief selections by the 15th-century monk. Below is a picture of the cover of the old copy I have; it's seen better days. Some of the pages inside contain artwork similar to that of the cover. I like this little book, and I may pull it out a few more times this year.
3) Options
~ by O. Henry
I'm enjoying reading O. Henry's short stories collections. He really is the master of irony. But you can tell he wrote in a different era, since some of the terms he used are very inappropriate in today's world.
2) Sophia House
~ by Michael D. O'Brien
This novel is a prequel to two other novels I will be reading shortly. This was on my book wish list for a few years, and I finally ordered it (as well as the two sequels) during December 2023. There is a play within this book, written by the main character, Pawel Tarnowski. The non-Jewish Pawel lives in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation of WWII. He is hiding a Jewish youth named David in his attic. There is a lot of thought-provoking dialogue between Pawel and David about serious topics. I would not call this book "a light read." I would call the author "a great storyteller."
1) The Golden Key
~ by George MacDonald
I continue my quest to read everything by George MacDonald — well, to read almost all of his works anyway. The Golden Key is a fairy tale with a spiritual component. I haven't fully grasped the meaning of everything in the story, but perhaps I am not supposed to. I'll ponder it some more, as well as read what others have said.
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