December Book List

(Taken at Chamblin Bookmine, Jacksonville, Florida)

Last post of 2012!

Shadowhunters and Downworlders: A Mortal Instruments Reader, edited by Cassandra Clare
I reviewed this here.  

Edge of the Past by Jennifer Comeaux
The sequel to Life On The Edge. In the first book, Emily discovered that her skating coach and fiance, Sergei, fathered a child as a teenager with his old skating partner back in Russia. In this story, that past comes back to haunt both of them and threatens the future they’ve only begun to build. If you like figure skating and/or love conquering all, you’ll like this.  

Angry Conversations With God: A Snarky But Authentic Spiritual Memoir by Susan E. Isaacs
I’d never heard of this memoir when I saw it at McKay’s for a dollar, but it’s one of my new favorite books. Susan Isaacs is a funny, profound, natural writer with a relatable life story. If I’d read this years ago, I might not have thought it so brilliant, but her words found me at the right moment in my life. Some Christians will be offended by her “taking God to couples counseling” and essentially putting words in His mouth. But it’s clear throughout that she genuinely loves God, has sought Him all her life, but struggles to find answers where the Bible and Christian culture meet our current reality.  

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
A fun, unique YA novel. Jordan Woods is the senior quarterback of the top high school football team in Tennessee, as well as the daughter of a veteran NFL player. When a new quarterback comes to her school, Jordan fights to hang on to her position even as she fights her growing feelings for him. In the meantime, Alabama is courting her, but are they interested in her skills on the field or in making her a poster girl? And why is her lifelong best friend, Sam, acting so weird? Jordan is a fresh, real character with an uncommon story. I loved it.

Put On Your Crown: Life-Changing Moments On The Path to Queendom by Queen Latifah
I love Queen Latifah! This book is full of practical wisdom and encouragement, mostly shared through stories from her own life. She talks openly about her family, her rise to fame, career strategy, and the role faith has played in her life. I didn’t know that her brother died tragically a few years back, and her observations about grief are spot on.  

The Irrational Season by Madeleine L’Engle
This memoir (the last Crosswicks Journal I hadn’t read) is loosely set within the framework of the church calendar, starting in Advent. It’s even more stream-of-consciousness than her other journals. The general theme is how to believe in and trust a good God in a world of “wars and insane asylums,” and with so many tragedies happening recently, I found it VERY relevant. It’s almost as good as A Circle of Quiet – I wanted to highlight the whole last third of the book. Classic L’Engle.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
Julia, the protagonist of this novel, is eleven years old when “the slowing” begins. Without warning, the earth starts rotating more slowly. As days and nights expand and society slowly crumbles, so does Julia’s life. Once happy and well-liked, she finds herself an outcast and discovers troubling secrets in her own family. This book is well-written and interesting, but as others have noted, it’s depressing. If you’re looking for a happy ending, you won’t find it here. (See also: Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life As We Knew It, which is similarly bleak but even harder to put down, although you will want to put it in the freezer like Joey did with The Shining.)  

Books for December: 7  
2012 FINAL TOTAL: 69