Top Ten Books of 2013

How *does* one pick the top ten books she has read for the year?  By what criteria can I place one book on my list instead of another? Some books are especially appropriate for a season, others are wonderful because of the writing or the characterization, others really challenge me to think, and still others hold memories as I read and discussed them with my teenagers.  As difficult as it was to decide, here is my list of "The Top Ten Books I Read in 2013" (in no particular order and for whatever reason I chose them) linked to my review if I got around to writing one.

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom was even better my second time through as I read and discussed it with my teens this year.  What incredible faith; what incredible character; what incredible faithfulness.  One of the most inspiring books I've ever read.

I said The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Butterfield would make my Top Ten when I read it way back in February and I was absolutely right.  I read this book twice this year (because it was just that good!) and spent many hours discussing it with fellow readers.  This account of a "liberal lesbian English professor" encountering the Word is well-written, convicting, and challenging.

Unplanned by Abby Johnson was a thought-provoking story of a woman who got caught up in the abortion rhetoric and worked as a director of a Planned Parenthood until she was finally able to see the truth and became bold enough to share it.  It impacted me because it perfectly illustrated why I want to teach my children to think and be able to discern when they are presented with ideas and compare them to the Word of God.

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman was simply too big to review.  I read and discussed this book with both my teenagers and my local book discussion group.  I started a review, but never got around to finishing it.  The book is insightful and rather scary and depressing, but well worth reading.  Here is a quick blurb from the three paragraphs I had written and I will cross it off my "list of book reviews to finish":

Postman argues that Huxley's dystopic world is a more likely eventuality than Orwell's because we as a society are voluntarily giving up our freedom of thought in exchange for the paralyzing and mind-numbing escapes provided in entertainment, specifically in the form of television.  No scary, foreign government needs to come and overtake our society, forcefully removing our liberties to read and think and publicly debate ideas and policies.  We are daily forfeiting these rights by not using them.  Just as no one fought the firemen book-burners in Fahrenheit 451 because they had already chosen not to read the books, so will we lose our freedoms by reason of disuse without anyone noticing or fighting to retain them.

True Community:  The Biblical Practice of Koinonia by Jerry Bridges is another book that was just too big for me to condense to a review.  It might have been the particular season I was in, but I found his examination of biblical fellowship quite profound and thoroughly enjoyed the many scriptures he dug into.  I would love to someday read this one again because again, it's just that good.

Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot was a selection for Carrie's book club and while I had seen The End of the Spear many times, I had never read any of the accounts of the men being killed as they tried to take the Word to the native tribes of Ecuador.  This is another of those books that is simply inspiring and challenges one not to get caught up in the day-to-day cares of this world, but rather to live purposely for Christ.

I got to read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury again this year--this time with my teenagers.  I've read this book three or four times and like it more every time I read it, even as I get a little more concerned every time I read it as I see our society voluntarily giving up its freedom to educate itself and thus setting itself up to LOSE that freedom.  What a great book!

I debated over listing Brave New World by Alduous Huxleyon on my top ten reads this year, but I so enjoyed re-reading it as Destry read it for the first time and discussing it with him.  It's a strange book, but it's so effective at getting into a person's mind that I decided to go ahead and put it on my list.

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis was chosen by one of my friends in my local book discussion group.  I placed it on my top ten list because, well, obviously, it's C.S. Lewis, right?  But it really challenged me to examine myself and ask "according to the way I'm living, what do I value more than an eternity with God?"  Sobering--but excellent book.

I think I'll end this list with two books that have made a big impact on my year, even as they aren't and likely never will be classics or even widely-read.  The Brain Integration Therapy Manual and Elijah's Cup are books that have opened my eyes and my mind to new ways of thinking, given me an appreciation for the different ways God created us, and helped me to better understand and parent my children and I'm incredibly thankful to have read them this year. 

My complete list of books read in 2013 can be found here.  I seem to be finding less and less time to read these days, and as I look over my list, I'm a little embarrassed at how often I choose the light or easy read when I manage to steal a couple hours in this busy season.  I'm challenging myself to learn more--to grow more--through my reading selections in 2014.  Some friends have already provided me with several great suggestions!