Well, friends, we’re already well into 2019 already—hard to believe, isn’t it!? I thought it would be fun to share my favorite books for the year so far today, hopefully to both remind me of my favorite stories, and also to share a few new ones with you! And please be sure to weigh in in the comments to say what YOUR favorites for the year so far are, too!
Note: Some links in this post are affiliate links. Your purchase through these links help support this blog at no extra cost to you. Thank you! Also, some of the books mentioned below are ones I got in exchange for review at one stage or another.
First, a few stats:
Total books read to date: 27 (my goal this year is 50 books)
Fiction: 17
Non-fiction: 10
Audiobooks: 3
Most-read month: May, at 9 books total, 5 of which were non-fiction!
It feels like I’ve read a lot of non-fiction this year. It used to be a pretty difficult genre for me to get into, so I’m thankful I’ve been able to read as much as I have so far! Admittedly, seven of the ten were biography-type books, but even so, it’s been a great reading year so far. And, since I can’t pick favorites very easily, here are…
My top three non-fiction reads so far:
The second book I read this year was Lords of the Earth by Don Richardson. It was somewhat of a hurried read, because I needed to return it to my grandma before the end of the trip, but it was a gem! I loved reading about how God worked in their lives to both bring the missionaries to the place He wanted them, and also bring the gospel to a previously unreached tribe—what a challenge, and what glory to God in the end!
Probably my favorite non-fiction of the year so far is The Waiting by Cathy LaGrow. It’s one I’ve consistently struggled to describe, but it’s just an excellent story all round. Full of faith. Full of hope, and agony, and prayer. Best of all, it’s a true story—and a beautiful one, too.
My third favorite is A Company of Heroes by Tim Keesee. I’ve already reviewed it on this blog, so I won’t rehash the plot here—but it’s a great book. Recommended to all Christians. Good, good thoughts and stories in here.
Other books that deserve an honorable mention would include Defying Jihad by Esther Ahmad (AMAZING true story!), Here, Now by Kate Merrick, and Love Lifted Me by MarJanita Geigley.
And my top three fiction reads:
It’s so hard to choose a favorite! But my first pick is Chosen People by Robert Whitlow. I read this one fairly early in the year, and the story has stuck with me ever since. It’s mostly a mystery, but I loved the picture of the Holy Land it gave me, as well as the faith in here. There were also some great plot twists—an all around enjoyable, fairly realistic-feeling read!
Between Two Shores by Jocelyn Green has to be in the list as well. This is one of those books that you read at first, enjoy, and then realize later how good it actually is! I read it back in April, and still remember a lot of it clearly. I’ve never seen the French and Indian War in quite the same light before, and the story itself was unique and surprisingly enjoyable. A great historical fiction.
Though I’m having trouble picking a favorite for third place, I think Blessing Bentley by Chautona Havig has to make the list. This book has simultaneously raised my standards for romance books to a whole new level, AND challenged me more in my attitude toward life than any other fiction title I’ve read this year. It’s a good, good book. Almost an epic in length, but highly recommended!
Other honorable mentions would be the Refiner’s Fire series by Lynn Austin (I’ve read two of the three, and absolutely loved each one!), Hadassah by Diana Wallis Taylor, The Number of Love by Roseanna M. White (well worth the wait!), and Until the Mountains Fall by Connilyn Cossette (quite possibly my most favorite Biblical fiction for the last couple years!).
Whew! How many of these books have you read? And if you had to narrow down your reads to your top favorites, what would they be? Please share in the comments—I’m always looking for more books to add to my never-ending to-read shelf!
Diana Wallis Taylor was first published at the age of twelve, when she sold a poem to a church newsletter. After receiving her B.A. in Elementary Education at San Diego State University, she was an elementary school teacher for twenty-two years. Diana has also sold real estate, opened two coffeehouse/used book stores, and was a conference director for a private Christian college.
