“You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.”
Paul Sweeney
My goal was to read 50 books in 2023, but I came up a little short. Surprisingly, before 2023, I had never read any Agatha Christie mysteries, and it was a happy introduction. Also, it was fun to read three books together with my teenage homeschoolers: The Hobbit, The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, and The Screwtape Letters.
My 2023 Books
This little summary is for my own memory, as well as for any who might be interested:
- Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson – Fascinating Y/A historical fiction book about Philadelphia’s 1793 yellow fever epidemic.
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien – I had never read this classic book until I read it with my homeschoolers this year. After finishing, my daughter invited us to watch the movies at her place.
- The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie – Now acquainted with Hercule Poirot, I will never look back.
- The 10 Commandments of Progressive Christianity by Michael J. Kruger- A short, insightful book, recommended by our pastor.
- Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin- A moving childrens’ book about a young student living during Stalin’s rule.
- Papa is a Poet by Natalie S. Bober – A lovely book written from the perspective of one of Robert Frost’s children.
- Stone Stoup – A classic folktale, retold and winsomely illustrated by Marcia Brown. This story is an old favorite of mine.
- Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie – I love a story with a twist at the end. Another Hercule Poirot winner.
- Fiber Fueled by Will Bulsiewicz – I don’t often choose foodie / health books, but I was on a mission to finish this one before my husband, who is a fan of such knowledge. I listened to this while walking (the perfect health combo) and found it pretty interesting.
- My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse – An extremely funny book, written in the early 20th century, about a butler who covertly runs the household in style.
- The White Mountains by John Christopher – The first book in an excellent Y/A science fiction trilogy. I suggested it to one of my reluctant teenagers, who ended up gobbling up the entire trilogy.
- The Pool of Fire – The second book in the trilogy.
- The City of Gold and Lead – The final book in the trilogy.
- The Big Four – another Agatha Christie book, and for some reason, this was not memorable.
- Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane C. Ortlund- After 30+ years of walking with Christ, I learned some new, deep, and tender insights about the love of God through this book. I look forward to re-reading this.
- Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne – Having seen a few versions of the movie, I finally read the book.
- The Libyan Diversion by Joel C. Rosenberg – the 5th (and final?) installment of the Marcus Ryker novels, Christian global political thrillers that are always gripping.
- Musical Tables: Poems by Billy Collins – These poems made me laugh and cry as I was weeding the garden on a hot summer day.
- Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix – An exciting book for middle grades, and a fun re-read for me.
- Whale Day: And Other Poems by Billy Collins – Another excellent poetry book by the former U.S. poet laureate.
- Double Indemnity and
- Trial and Error by Robert Whitlow – I was hoping to have found a new cache of Christian mysteries, but these were a bit disappointing. It’s unfair to compare anyone to Agatha Christie, I guess.
- Snow and Rose by Emily Winfield Martin – While snooping around on Goodreads, I noticed that my daughter was reading this — so I thought I would join her. It’s a charming variation of the fairy tale Snow White and Rose Red.
- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier – I adored this book, and couldn’t help remembering how my mom had unsuccessfully recommended it to me when I was a teenager. So glad I finally read it. Beautifully written, Rebecca is much more than a highly suspenseful mystery.
- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie – I am beginning to feel like Papa Poirot is an old friend.
- Watership Down by Richard Adams – This is a lovely book about characters who struggle, grow, face danger, and bond together after fleeing their home. The characters happen to be rabbits, but it’s somehow more than an animal book…
- True Grit by Charles Portis – Another book that I shunned during my teenage years — it was assigned in 7th grade American history, but I browsed through it halfheartedly back then. I absolutely love this book about a brave, spunky, and faith-filled teenage girl who hires a rough U.S. Marshal to find her father’s murderer.
- The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – Read together as a homeschool assignment, this book gave us some new spelling and vocabulary words. Although assigned books (and spelling work) can ruin the fun of reading, I’m happy to say that both of my youngest students are now Sherlock Holmes fans.
- At Bertram’s Hotel by Agatha Christie – I read an abridged version of this book, and maybe that’s why it wasn’t a top favorite of mine.
- The Last Jihad by Joel C. Rosenberg – The first of the Christian / political thriller novels featuring Jon Bennett. A great re-read.
- Long Walk Home by DiAnn Mills – Although made interesting and educational with its African setting, this was another Christian mystery that fell flat for me.
- 4:50 From Paddington by Agatha Christie – Miss Marple was an instant favorite, and this book was too.
- A Caribbean Mystery and Nemesis by Agatha Christie – I had forgotten to add Nemesis to my list, so I technically read 49 books instead of 48. I read this duo out of order by reading Nemesis first. But, it really didn’t matter. I enjoyed these mysteries featuring the indomitable Miss Jane Marple.
- Crispin: The End of Time by Avi – a happy re-read, stumbled upon when I was searching for something else. I love the Crispin series, and this is the final one of the trilogy.
- The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey was recommended to me by my daughter, and it kept me engaged and guessing until the very end. The setting is Alaska during the early 20th century. Beautifully written.
- The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie is one I don’t recall very well, but as usual, I probably didn’t guess the culprit until the very end.
- The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis – Read by myself and my homeschooled teenage sons, the book is a series of “letters” written from one senior demon to his underling nephew, who is trying to lure his target away from God. Apparently, it was one of the author’s least favorite books to write, but it is quite insightful. When we finished, I assigned a paper to be written from the perspective of one senior angel to his underling angel. Although there was some protest about this writing assignment, both students did an amazing job.
- In Grandma’s Attic by Arleta Richardson – the first book in an old favorite series, and fun to find on audio.
- The Jerusalem Assassin by Joel C. Rosenberg was a re-read of one of my favorite Marcus Ryker novels.
- The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
- and The Mysterious Affair at Styles again — read twice during the year, because I forgot the details, and sadly, even the culprit :0. Hercule Poirot’s first mystery.
- Boundaries in Marriage by Henry Cloud – I have read parts of the classic book “Boundaries” but this was specifically tailored for married people. Excellent, practical, and highly recommended.
- Three Blind Mice by Agatha Christie was a novella with a suprising end that I found free on the Libby app.
- Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is apparently a classic. On the surface, it’s about a man who wakes up one day as a cockroach. I’m sure there is more existential meaning to it than I grasped, but it was darkly entertaining as an audiobook narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch.
- The Brave Tin Soldier and Other Tales by Hans Christian Andersen. I admit that as I was trying hard to reach my goal of 50 books, I slipped in some short ones here at the end. But I was fun to get a refresh on a few classic fairy tales.
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie, and
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd again. Featuring Hercule Poirot, this is my favorite Agatha Christie book so far. After reading it once early in the year, the ending took me so by surprise, that I wanted to read it again to catch any missed details.
- Watership Down: the Graphic Novel, adapted by James Sturm and illustrated by Joe Sutphin. This was a Christmas gift, given by my daughter who knows I love the original by Richard Adams. What lovely illustrations for a story I know well by now.