I often say the biggest downside to writing books is the way it cuts into my time to READ books. Still, I manage to squeeze stories in! I aim to read a combination of Christian fiction, Appalachian stories, books that are getting lots of hype, and nonfiction. Keeps me entertained as well as informed about the current market!

And while I’ll still read a few more books in December (Where the Crawdads Sing is next), I thought I’d share some of the stories I’ve particularly enjoyed this past year (with a runner-up in each category).

Christian Fiction – The Lacemaker by Laura Frantz. Sigh. Laura writes romance SO well. I’m actually reading less traditional romance these days, but I know Laura will always come through with all the sighs. And she did! There’s a reason this book won a Christy Award. (I also enjoyed Send Down the Rain by Charles Martin–but then, I enjoy MOST of what he writes!)

Hyped Book – A Man Called Ove by Frederick Bachman. I adored this story although I probably would have given up on it if I hadn’t been listening to the audio version. Ove is what you call an unlikeable character and the other characters weren’t thrilling me all that much, either. But as Ove’s history and heart was slowly revealed I fell in love. Like much of the rest of the reading world. (I also came late to the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society which, while a tad adorable, captured me utterly!)

Appalachian Fiction – Bearskin by James McLaughlin. NOT my typical story, but oddly captivating. It’s set in the mountains of Virginia and includes some seriously bad men running drugs across the border from Mexico. Several wildly violent scenes. But it also has lyrical writing that celebrates the mountains I love so much. And a wonderfully optimistic ending. A book I was surprised to enjoy so much! (And while it’s non-fiction, Dreama Berkheimer’s Running on Red Dog Road reads like good fiction–her growing up years in Beckley, WV.)

Non-fiction – Folks, This Ain’t Normal by Joel Salatin. Okay, I’m a bit obsessed with how awful our industrial food system is. Joel is a Christian-conservative-environmentalist-farmer who cares passionately about quality food and takes God’s command to steward the earth seriously. This book is fantastic and just might change the way you look at food and farming forever. (And I thoroughly enjoyed Praying with Jane by Rachel Dodge–a 31-day walk through several prayers written by Jane Austen. What a delight!)