50 Books I read in 2023: (part 2 of 3)

the Non-fiction

I think my favorite non-fiction book I read this year was about Roald Amundsen, an incredibly inspiring polar explorer. I love reading stories of real men and women who persevere despite great hardship, and I highly recommend reading about him if you haven’t already. In 2024, I have a few great non-fiction reads lined up, including Lewis’ Surprised by Joy, Augustine’s Confessions, and Capon’s The Supper of the Lamb.

Reading, Ivan Kramskoy (1863)

Let’s dig into the non-fiction of 2023:

Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle by Mary J. MacLeod

A refreshing read about daily life on a remote island in the Scottish Hebrides. Mary’s duties as the island's district nurse put her in a position to get to know her new neighbors quite well, and she soon grows to love the islanders with all their quirks. One of my favorite aspects of this book was the deep and powerful sense of community she first witnesses and then slowly becomes a part of as she integrates into the unique culture of the island. It made for a thoughtful, quiet read in a busy world.

Mothering by the Book: The Power of Reading Aloud to Overcome Fear and Recapture Joy by Jennifer Pepito

This book is more of a memoir than I expected, and Pepito’s attempts to draw lessons from family read-alouds felt stretched to me at times. Her focus on the intense fears she felt in so many seasons of her life felt forced and off-putting. This is definitely not a book that I would recommend.

Roald Amundsen; A Saga of the Polar Seas by J. Alvin Kugelmass

I picked this up on a whim to pre-read it so I would be able to discuss it with my children after they read it on their own...and could not put it down. Five hours later I was done. I am so impressed with Roald Amundsen, and the author, Kugelmass, did a fantastic job presenting his life story. Amundsen showed courage, perseverance, incredible preparation and meticulous attention to detail, great curiosity, the willingness to humbly learn from prior explorers' wisdom and knowledge, and yes, a touch of insanity. Any teenager that sleeps in Oslo, Norway with the windows open to get used to the frigid temps and harsh winds in order to "prepare himself" for a life as an Arctic explorer is...unusual. ;) [Note: you won't want to read this to your children if they would be squeamish about Amundsen and his fellow explorers eating their Huskies en route to the South Pole. It isn't described in any detail, but it is a part of the story.]

Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering your Children to Challenge Cultural Lies by Hillary Morgan Ferrer

A solid read that laid out some of the ideologies (like feminism, Marxism, & progressivism) that can cause trouble for Christians without a solid foundation. This was my first book on apologetics; I'm definitely interested in reading more on the subject. I'd also like to find a great one (or a few, to be honest) for my teenagers to read in a few years.

Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whitmel Earley

This was a tough one to rate. The content of the book was excellent, however, Earley's writing style/ability was not great and even clumsy at times. I would recommend this book to someone who is just beginning their family life so that they could lay a solid foundation of habits from the beginning, however, it would also be a helpful source of hope and practical ideas even if you are older/have been married for a while/have children who are no longer young. This would be a great book to pair with James Clear's Atomic Habits because Clear gives such specific ideas on *how* to start a new habit successfully.

License to Parent: How My Career as a Spy Helped me Raise Resourceful, Self-Sufficient Kids by Christina Hillsberg

This is one I picked up on a whim while browsing at the library. It’s a useful and interesting book if you're trying to raise children who are:

-capable of thinking through an emergency and acting wisely (sometimes this means disobeying authority, depending on the situation)
-able to identify dangerous situations quickly and act fast to "Get off the x" (CIA-lingo for "get away from danger")
-able to find common ground with anyone they meet to develop good relationships
-able to spot someone who may be following them and what to do about it

There are some fantastic ideas on scenarios to discuss with your children so that they don’t freeze if they’re in a potentially life-threatening situation.

The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals that Protect us from Violence by Gavin de Becker

There are a few chapters of this book that I will absolutely have my teenagers read once they begin driving. The clues and signs that someone may become violent could be life-saving. I wouldn't suggest reading the entire book, though. It gets bogged down on some topics that I care little about, celebrity stalking for example.
The overall theme that there are no random or senseless acts of violence is an interesting one. de Becker argues convincingly that humans will always let others know one way or another that they intend to be violent. We just need to be attuned to what they're trying to say. Fascinating.

Range: Why Generalist Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein

Fantastic read. Epstein includes some compelling examples of why broad knowledge is crucial for innovation, and the contrast with single-minded specialization is fascinating and at times counter-intuitive. What stood out to me is the idea that usually the most ground-breaking innovation is by its very nature inefficient. In a world where efficiency and measurable progress/results seems to be the most important thing, spending time in free, meandering exploration is one of the best ways to make new connections. This book often had me thinking of Charlotte Mason and what she said about a wide expanse of subjects that all children should be exposed to so that they can make all manner of connections between different topics & ideas.

The Writing Life by Annie Dillard

This was my first time reading a book by Annie Dillard, and now I'm quite curious to try a work of fiction by her because her writing is absolutely beautiful. A short but powerful book on what the process of writing is like for her, and her use of metaphor is breathtaking. 10/10 would recommend to anyone striving to be a writer.

The Creative License by Danny Gregory

This was an inspiring book on how to begin a creative habit: drawing, writing, creating in some way, any way. Danny Gregory presents some very convincing arguments that not only are we all creators (or should be), all of us have something to say via art (whatever medium we choose). Everyone has unexpressed ideas/thoughts/feelings that need an outlet in art. A favorite quote:

No one is like you. Be yourself and you will be unique. Express that self, the unique place you occupy, the unique point of view from which you see, and your work will be unique. 

For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

Second time starting, first time finishing this gem of a book. Despite the short length, this is densely packed with broad ideas, and I plan to re-read it every year or so as a refresher. I will recommend this book to anyone (both homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers) with children as it covers the foundational ideas of what it means to be human, as well as what it means to be educated.

Minds More Awake by Anne White

A good, short read summarizing & discussing some of Charlotte Mason's main ideas/principles. It includes lots of stories and anecdotes which illustrate how to put into practice the educational ideals we all want to be like the air we breathe in our homeschools. There is a lot more to be gleaned from this book in a second reading, which I plan to do! I’m sure that as I gain more personal experience, aspects of this book will be more applicable to me. This feels like it will be a ‘living book,’ and never grow stale.

Night by Elie Wiesel

Unforgettably harrowing account of one boy's experience in a WWII concentration camp. While the brutality/torture/murder imposed on the prisoners was appalling, it is even more incredible to read about how the prisoners themselves turned on one another and killed each other (even a son killing his own father!) for a piece of bread. It made me wonder: are we all capable of that sort of violence towards our fellow man? Can we even know the answer to that question if we haven't been in such dire circumstances? This book is definitely one I will have my (older) teenagers read when studying World War II.

Wintering by Katherine May

More of a memoir than I expected, this book was good but not great. I appreciated the facts on how bees survive the winters (I had been wondering if they did, in fact, live through freezing winter temperatures) and the winter swimming, both in England and in Finland (!) had me very intrigued. Now I just need to get to the ocean in winter and see if I have the guts to try it out. I would have enjoyed this book more had it been a little shorter.

Rembrandt is in the Wind by Russ Ramsey

Part art history, part biblical study, part philosophy, this was a quick, easy read by Russ Ramsey which helps answer the question that is still being asked today: why does beauty matter? A favorite passage from the first chapter: "It is hard to render an honest self-portrait if we want to conceal what is unattractive and hide what's broken. We want to appear beautiful. But when we do this, we hide what needs redemption--what we trust Christ to redeem. And everything redeemed by Christ becomes beautiful." I enjoyed the mini biographies of nine artists, as well as Ramsey's commentary and thoughts on each artist's life as well as lessons gleaned from each. I plan to have my teens read this in their last year or two of high school.

Cozy by Isabel Gillies

This book wasn't particularly well-written or well organized, but it made me think about what cozy means to *me.* The idea that has been tumbling around in my mind is this: how can I, during times of hardship, chaos, tumult, trauma, & pain, cultivate an atmosphere of coziness and certainty in my environment? And maybe more importantly, how can I do that for my children? There are things in life that we must endure, and some of them are terrible. How can we ease those burdens with rhythms, routines, comforting places/blankets/drinks/songs/poems/scriptures?

Various Cookbooks

Somehow, on my birthday a week ago, I received four cookbooks. Four. I guess my friends and family know me well: the lady likes to cook. Almost more than cooking, I love to read cookbooks. Here are just a few I’ve been reading recently:

BraveTart by Stella Parks - This book is like nothing I’ve read before. It includes the history of classic American desserts, as well as recipes for homemade Oreos and homemade Nilla Wafers. Imagine a banana pudding with homemade vanilla wafers.

The Model Bakery Cookbook by Karen Mitchell - This is the cookbook that finally made me realize that I should attempt to make croissants at home (which I had assumed was far too difficult). I can’t wait. Pain au chocolat, anyone?

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What non-fiction did you read in 2023? And what’s on your list for this year? I’d love to hear about both!