What I Read In 2010

So here's a little list of what I read in 2010 and why you should or should not read them [I give myself too much credit. Really, you're an adult. You can pick what you want to read; these are just reccommendations.]

Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - I had to read this for a class. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't crazy about this book. It's about a family that moves to Africa to become missionaries. The dad is a major fundamentalist, white-man's-burden-y kind of "Christian." The book is pretty slow and took me forever to get through because I didn't care enough about reading it. I most liked Kingsolver's use of point-of-view. For each chapter she writes from a different sister's point-of-view and writes in the style in which the character would write.


Blubber by Judy Blume - For my Children's Lit class. I read it quickly because it was meant for kids in elementary school, but I did not love it.


Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - This is one of my all-time favorite books now. It tells about a guy who runs away from his last final exam in college who joins the circus as an animal caregiver. If you can look past the language and other inappropriate elements, it's an excellent read.


Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White - Another for Children's Lit. I honestly don't think I had ever read this book all the way through before this year. I really enjoyed it.


The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - This one was also for Children's Lit and was my favorite from that class. The book is about a baby who crawls away from his murderer into a graveyard. The ghosts of the graveyard then adopt him as their own. It's actually quite a good book with suspense and good writing.


Enduring Love by Ian McEwan - I keep trying to read Ian McEwan books and enjoy them, but I don't. This book is about a guy who witnesses a death with a few other people and then one of the other witnesses stalks him. It's dull.


Percy Jackson's The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - I read this because my little brother is reading the series. It was ok but a little simple. In every chapter there's a disastrous circumstance the characters get themselves into and then they miraculously find a way out.


The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - Buying The Hunger Games was one of the best decisions I have ever made. This book takes place in a futuristic, Farenheit-451-ish society. I can't really explain it to you without ruining the joy that comes from reading it without knowing anything about it. Just do yourself a favor and read this series.

Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper - This book was pretty good. Piper's books have a lot of great truth in them, but I get frustrated when reading them because he continually goes back to the same phrase "God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him." Yes, this is true, but if Piper took that phrase and others like it out of his books, they'd be about 20 pages long.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling - This was a re-read. I loved it, duh. I love HP.


Forgotten God by Francis Chan - I really don't remember a whole lot about this book because I was going through a weird time emotionally/spiritually while I was reading it. I remember liking it and I remember it having great truth, but I don't remember specifics. But I do, I do, I do love Francis Chan [as much as Kel loves orange soda.]


The Hole In Our Gospel by Rich Stearns - This book is excellent. I listened to it on audio book while I worked and it is one of the best books on the lack of church involvement out there. He talks about the church, his calling to missions, common issues in missions, and solutions to those issues. Great read.


In a Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson - This book is one of the reasons I am going back to Texas in less than a week. It talks about how we should face our fears head on for the glory of God.


The Magician’s Nephew; The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis - Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. I love Lewis. I will probably finish Prince Caspian before 2011 too. My prediction: Awesome.

What did you read this year? What should I read next year?