My Top 5 Reads of 2023
The Year I Returned to One of My First Loves + A Bookish Recap 📚
I’ve always been a voracious reader. Growing up, I would devour everything from magazines, devotionals, and book series (the most notable ones being the Clique, Kimani Tru, and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series 😆). While I could attribute my love of reading to having an educator for a mother (iykyk), I always loved the ability to learn and explore the world of books. Books offered opportunities for this small-town girl to escape and dream up a life where I was the main character, whether that was in a fictional world where I dreamt of big-city living or a non-fictional world where I applied best tips, tricks, and practices that promised a successful life and career.
I devoured whatever book I could whenever I could, usually averaging one or two books a week. However, after two and three-quarters of degree programs and three children later, I found myself having less time for the hobby I used to enjoy. I also found myself favoring self-help and business books for a season that later lent to much discontentment and burnout, as I tried to manipulate my season and circumstances, essentially trying to fix what really only God could (I plan on dedicating a whole post to this self-help culture and its dangers, but that’s for another day 😉).
While much had changed over the last several years, including my sentiments on main character living, my love for reading had not, but for a while, I forgot how much it had once contributed to my overall happiness and well-being. So when I found myself scaling back on my social media usage at the beginning of the year, reading was the first thing that I wanted to dial back up.
I didn’t go in with a crazy goal. My intention was just to read more and track my progress, so when my friend
shared a screenshot of her Goodreads book tracker via Instagram, I immediately inquired about it. For some reason, I didn’t realize that there was a whole, separate app dedicated to tracking reading updates. Up until that point, the extent to which I used Goodreads was on my Kindle when I would select“ Mark as Currently Reading” when starting a new book. From then on, I started tracking both my physical and digital reads, and now I’m capping off the year at 43 books, the most books I’ve ever read in a single year.
Honestly, it’s been an unexpected delight to return to my childhood hobby this year. I read more fiction than I anticipated this year and even explored some memoirs. I’m always looking to add to my TBR list, so in case you are too, I thought it would be fun to share my top five reads of the year.
The Stories We Tell: Every Piece of Your Story Matters by Joanna Gaines. In her memoir, Joanna shares, how she’s had to learn how to own and redeem parts of her own story. As a wife, mother, and business owner, like me, she had to learn how to honor her purpose while navigating motherhood, and a lot of that looked like not only learning from her own children but her inner child. Extending herself grace, she learned how to embrace the not-so-perfect parts of her and in the process discovered how to “have a fun” This book was therapy and a balm to me as an Enneagram One, and honestly, the book that catalyzed me to reclaim my season and story.
Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human by John Mark Comer. Purpose, calling, vocation — Why are we here? What are we called to do? Does the work we do in this life really matter? In Garden City, John Mark Comer answers these deeply held questions we have regarding life and work with practical and theologically rich wisdom by going back to where human life began and where it will be restored— in the Garden. As both an organizational psychologist and a coach, whose work revolves around purpose discovery and meaningful work, I enjoyed reading John’s take on purpose, calling, and vocation. If you’re looking for a theologically rich read on purpose and calling, this one is for you.
Free of Me: Why Life is Better When It’s Not About You by Sharon Hodde Miller. It can be easy to allow disappointment, failure, rejection, or obscurity to turn into self-entitlement, self-focus, or self-absorption. In Free of Me, Sharon Hodde Miller shares how you can pinpoint your insecurities, overcome the sabotage of self-focus, and live a Christ-centered, burden-free life. This book was so good that I dedicated a whole post to it. I was already in a season where God was highlighting to me my self-entitlement and self-focus, so this book was confirmation of what the Lord was already in the process of revealing to me.
But I Flourish: Learn to Thrive in Every Season by Aimée Walker. “I had been waiting for external circumstances to change, but God wanted me to realise that it was an internal change—the position of my heart, not my circumstances—that was the key to flourishing." This quote pretty much sums up the spiritual journey the Lord took me through in 2023. I had echoed almost the same sentiments before reading the book in my first Substack post. We hear it constantly being preached, “Your breakthrough is on the way,” but what I and Sarah have discovered and what she shares in her book is that your breakthrough is available to you now — in your thoughts and perspective, and once you can shift your eyes off yourself and your circumstances to the person and presence of God, that’s when you can grow deep roots and flourish in every season.
Create Anyway: The Joy of Pursuing Creativity in the Margins of Motherhood by
. As a bonus mom and mom of multiples to 3 under 4, I often find myself fighting for a moment to do anything by myself let alone time to create. Within the last few years, I often found myself losing sight of my purpose, tempted to give everything up. In Create Anyways, Ashlee offers refreshment and encouragement to weary mothers, like me, who desire to both mother and create well. Reading this book was like having a real and honest conversation over coffee with a friend. I felt so seen, loved, and encouraged.
What were your favorite reads this year? I’m always adding to my TBR on Goodreads. Leave me a comment sharing the ones you think I should add to my list!
ICYMI
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*Can’t view this entire post in your email? Click "View entire message" to view this newsletter in its entirety. Bread of Life. Sustainer. Constant Provider. Restorer. That’s what Jesus has been to me this year. I remember entering 2023 with so much trepidation. My husband and I were coming out of probably one of those most challenging seasons. With the …
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