12 Significant Books to Me in 2022

I read 100+ books a year, both fiction and non-fiction, and I love to feature some of them on my #BooksOnTuesday socials. There are so many wonderful books out there!

This year I was juggling a myriad of situations, and these are a dozen of the books that spoke deep to my soul and kept me going. I could easily list a dozen more, but blogs are supposed to be short. So, rather than give my official review of each book, I will share why these books were important to me, and then hopefully you will discover their value as well. Click the link to purchase a copy!

Frankly, during part of this year I was actually needing a pastoral voice to speak into my life and so I turned to Scott Sauls, whose blog I follow and who has shown great insight in years past (plus his authenticity about his own imperfections endeared me to him from the get go.) This book is lovely and hard and true. The title comes from a perfect quote by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in which she declares that it is through suffering that people emerge as beautiful. And, so, of course, this pastor takes us through story after story (from life and the Bible) of how our trials and challenges are winning for us a “weight of glory.” Next time I’m in Nashville, I definitely want to worship at his church (with my lifetime friend, Jim, who is a member there and whose wife died while I was reading this.)

Having enjoyed all six of Sharon Brown’s previous novels, I was delighted to be asked to endorse this one, but was not prepared for how it would hit me between the eyes. The author writes about things that are so familiar in my life – spiritual formation and retreats, ministry transitions, young women with mental health issues, and working in a senior living facility. The way all of this was richly woven together formed a beautiful tapestry to help me deal with some issues. This is the third book about Wren and the seventh that includes Katherine, so if you are looking for fiction that organically features soul care, this will fit the bill. And I just heard that Brown Is now writing a children’s book with these characters. Yay.

Well, there are quite simply a lot of things I have also not yet learned, but reading this memoir of radical transition in a young woman’s life (due to public crumbling foundations in her family) taught me that God is everywhere. Of course, I already knew that. But I like the way Shauna Niequist writes and while I don’t agree with her on everything, I underlined many of her observations and felt “seen” in my own recent changes and bewilderment. It is a wise thing to enjoy what many younger women are reading as it helps me become more sensitive to their unique challenges. And, just a warning here, reading Shauna will make you famished. For really good food.

Ahhh, to be so young and so brave and so delightful as the author Jenn Hand. She and her book are a treasure because they ooze enthusiasm and commitment to follow Jesus. Anywhere. Anytime. Jenn is a great storyteller and many of her stories of traveling the world as a trauma counselor in crises will actually render you hysterical (not at the crises, but at how God uses Jenn in them.) This past summer Jenn and I were faculty roommates at a conference a few days after she returned from a month in the Ukraine war. She told me she had emailed her speech to someone else to read to us in case she didn’t make it home. Wow. Where do you need to say a big yes to something God is asking you to do or to be? Believe me, I think about this a lot. Lay it down, friend, on that table. Your yes.

Sadly, many people in life’s later years choose to focus only on what has been taken away, and not what is given. Because the first words I see when I awaken (stenciled on the eaves in my bedroom) are “Each Day is a Gift,” I deliberately choose to see my long years as gifted from God. I have too many dear friends and colleagues who never made it to my age. This treasured 2010 book by Joan Chittister is well worth a slow read, and then a re-read. Chittister’s essays on the winter season of her life are realistic, inspiring, and brave. It meant the world to me to discuss this book with my best friend this fall, because we are almost exactly the same age, preparing for a milestone in the new year.

Y’all already know I love Sean Dietrich’s writing. Honest. Humorous. Hopeful. His words seem to flow so naturally and reach down deep into my heart, tugging at parts I didn’t realize were waiting to be awakened. Wonder. Gratitude. Attentiveness. Compassion. Generosity. Resilience.
You Are My Sunshine is a delightfully layered memoir including adventure, love story, travelogue, humor, inspiration, and yes, challenge. Because how do we watch ordinary humans make extraordinary choices without experiencing a nudge to bravely step out as well? I cannot think of anyone who wouldn’t like this book, so there’s your Christmas list all covered. I read Sean of the South first thing every morning, not just because of the magical way he strings words together, but mostly because of the remarkable human behind them. Hoping I can actually hug Sean and Jamie in 2023.

I wrote this book for anyone who, like me, struggles with balanced health – physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. You might just want to pick up this 8-week study to go through on your own or (even better) with a group. First Place for Health is a ministry I’ve been privileged to serve with (advisory council, leader, author) for the past 15 years. This particular study takes you through practical and biblical ways to live fully through the power of God in you. Includes two weeks of healthy recipes. And yes, I was humbled to participate in a group study of my own book this year…