Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

  • Home
  • About
  • Favorites
  • Policies
  • Contact

Turn the Page: Top 10 Book Recs for the New Year

January 15, 2021 by Lauren 21 Comments

Little did we know at the start of last year how much time 2020 would eventually grant us to work through our reading resolutions.  And yet I managed to still waste too much time and not get to as many books as I wished.  I am resigned, however, that my reading list will never reach completion.  As soon as I cross one book off, I add three more.

 

With Christmas in the rear view, my thoughts turn to the books I still want to tackle.  So, in case you need some reading recommendations for the new year, I present my 10 favorites from those perused in 2020.  And the rest as well.

 

For When You Need Something Light (and Who Doesn’t These Days?)

  1. On the Bright Side by Melanie Shankle – Melanie remains one of my favorite authors and somehow knew exactly what 2020 needed.  Part humor, part memoir and all an encouragement to look for the good in any situation.
  2. Why I Hate Green Beans by Lincee Ray – Melanie Shankle wrote the intro and I agree with her synopsis.  This book feels like a conversation with an old friend.

For When You Want Something True(ish)

3.  My Dear Hamilton:  A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie – Yes, I know.  This is technically fiction, but so well researched that I learned a lot.  I have been a Hamilfan for several years, but this book gave me a much deeper understanding of the musical.  I enjoyed subsequent viewings on Disney+ even more.  This author team also wrote another favorite of mine – America’s First Daughter, which they based on the letters between Thomas Jefferson and his oldest daughter.  Do yourself a favor and read both!

4.  Wally Funk’s Race for Space:  The Extraordinary Story of a Female Aviation Pioneer by Sue Nelson – I can’t say for sure if my love for this book would be the same had I never met Ms. Funk.  She attends (at least pre-Covid-19) the senior center where I hold a part time job.  But I wanted to read it because I do find her fascinating!  She was among the Mercury 13, the first group of American pilots to complete NASA’s 1961 Women in Space Program.  Her physical and mental test scores outranked many male astronauts including John Glenn!  Unfortunately, the program’s sponsors cut funding, but she still awaits a trip to space now well into her 80’s.  Her many other accomplishments won’t fit in this post, but I think you will like to read about them in the book.

 

When the Prominent Topics of the Day Pique Your Interest

5.  Gay Girl, Good God by Jackie Hill Perry – a memoir from a girl of color who came to know God and learned she wasn’t who she thought all along.  Whether you want to learn more about same sex attraction or read more women of color, you won’t be sorry you picked up this beautifully written memoir.

6.  A Bigger World Yet:  Faith, Brotherhood and Same-Sex Needs by Tim Timmerman.  This one might be hard to find, but proved for me a very eye-opening perspective on how the church, and Christ-minded individuals might better love the same-sex attracted.

7.  White Rage:  The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson – Lots of books about racial inequality and justice got into lots of hands last year.  I chose this one, written by a reputable author, on good recommendation.  I won’t sugar coat how much my heart broke to read about some of the lesser known events of our nation’s history with regard to racial relations.  But I think it’s important to know how we got here so that we can do better.

 

When You Need to Read and Meditate More on Scripture

8.  Chasing Vines:  Finding Your Way to an Immensely Fruitful Life by Beth Moore – Whether you read the book alone or do the workbook with videos in a group (I did both.), just read it.  Full of insight and truth with encouragement to introspect, you will come away with a new appreciation for the God of creation and want to know and serve Him better.

9.  Love Found a Way:  Stories of Christmas by Ron Mehl – Each chapter of this little book tells a precious freestanding story with enough scripture included to use for devotionals during Advent.  That’s what I did.

 

Last, but Not Least, Fiction

10.  The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson – You have to weed through a few curse words, but this story is a delight for the literary minded.  Part family mystery, part love story set in a background of books, books, books.  I read other fiction books last year, but none as enjoyable.

 

And the Rest (Some Good, Some Forgettable)

  1.  Confident Moms, Confident Daughters:  Helping Your Daughter Live Free from Insecurity and Love How She Looks by Maria Furlough.  Review here in To End a Generational Curse.
  2. Sharing Love Abundantly in Special Needs Families:  The 5 Love Languages for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities by Gary Chapman and Jolene Philo
  3. Rosemary:  The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson
  4. Out of a Far Country:  A Gay Son’s Journey to God, a Broken Mother’s Search for Hope by Christopher Yuan and Angela Yuan
  5. Rooted Peace (Small Town Secrets #3) by M.E. Weyerbacher.
  6. God’s Heart for the Nations by Jeff Lewis.
  7. Ready to Rise:  Own Your Voice, Gather Your Community, Step into Your Influence by Jo Saxton
  8. Sunday Punday:  Celebrate the Little Everyday Joys That Make Us Smile by Winsor Kinkade
  9. Well, Girl:  An Inside-Out Journey to Wellness by Jami Amerine
  10. Appeal to the Courtroom of Heaven by Shonda Whitworth
  11. Lose It For Life by Stephen Arterburn
  12. Where Does a Mother Go to Resign by Barbara Johnson
  13. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
  14. Giant Killer:  A Heart Like David by Dennis Jernigan
  15. The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation:  How Knowing Ourselves Can Make Us More Like Jesus by A.J. Sherrill
  16. Chasing Vines Group Experience:  Finding Your Way to an Immensely Fruitful Life by Beth Moore with Darin Buursma
  17. The Care of Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray
  18. The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
  19. The Ghost of Christmas Past (Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries #8.5) by Angie Fox.  Don’t ask me why and don’t ask how this could be number 8 and a half in a series.
  20. The Christmas Honeymoon by Alicia Street
  21. Two Heart’ Christmas Wish (Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance #4) by Tamara Ferguson

And now for this week’s featured post!

For one more week I selected a post similar to my own.  While I read lots of bloggers’ book recommendations, this is the first one I’ve seen written about books the writer wants to read versus books she already read.  I enjoyed this fresh twist and added a couple from her wish list to mine!  Visit Cathy at thoughtsonbooks.blogspot.com to read 5 Books on my Future Reading List.

 

Grace and Truth_Rules

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace Truth_Button

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

HEATHER HART & VALERIE RIESE – Candidly Christian
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Now Let’s Link Up!

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!

To find some great places where I might be sharing this post, click here.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

October is On the Way Out…and Grace and Truth Link Up

October 30, 2020 by Lauren 14 Comments

As this goes to print (figuratively), tomorrow is Halloween.  That means November and Thanksgiving lurk just around the corner.  This season continues to look much different than previous years, and far fewer people talk about the gift of time they received from the pandemic back in March.  It seems busyness returned for many of us, but the inconveniences and difficulties linger.  And yet we find ways to modify and keep going and I am more thankful than ever for the normalcies we still have.

 

My 15 year old stays moving with a challenging course load and driver’s ed!  She has only scared me a few dozen times – actually she is progressing well.  She can taste the independence and she wants it BAD!  She sings constantly – around the house as well as rehearsing with three different choir ensemble groups.  And we finally got to have a full-blown, but socially distanced, choir performance.  Sing Off is an annual solo competition.  The directors selected my girl to open the show and she KILLED it!  I might not be unbiased in that analysis.  But we loved seeing her perform again in the first school performance since their Christmas show in mid December!  Check out her song below!   Taking the PSAT and celebrating her BFF’s 16th birthday basically rounds out her month.

Chuck and Shelby continue to plug along with school and work.  Shelby is having a little more trouble with seizures in the classroom this month and Chuck continues to work hard to learn everything he needs to learn and access all the required systems for his new job.  I would love you to cover both of those things in prayer, if you think about it.  Shelby’s annual ARD (meeting with educators for special needs students for curriculum planning) lasted only 15 minutes online as compared to the usual hour or longer.  I was very aware, however, that Shelby is a short-timer with this school.  I don’t want to think about the next step!!

 

I got to celebrate a dear friend’s birthday at a yummy local restaurant dubbing itself “Tuscan Texan”.  We Texans will claim anything.  (Even our own independence once upon a time.)  I lunched with another friend and meet once a week with a great group of ladies to study Beth Moore’s Chasing Vines.  I had a little hangout with my sister and our friend from high school/ college, but this is still not enough social time for this social girl.

 

My joy at the return of Baylor football last month did not last.  The Big 12 canceled multiple games due to Covid-19 outbreaks within the ranks of the Bears, or their opponents.  And the Dallas Cowboys disappoint me more every week.  Don’t they all get that I need something to look forward to every week!?!

 

I read My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman.  I’m not sure I recommend it.  The plot was interesting, but sometimes hard to follow.  Next I dove into Dennis Jernigan’s Giant Killer:  A Heart Like David.  I really enjoyed this, learning some things about David and Goliath that I don’t think I’ve ever heard before.  I think I would recommend using it in your quiet time or daily bible study, though.  Jernigan formatted the chapters well for this and filled them with scripture.  I am back to a novel now.  I’ve alternated non-fiction and fiction lately to keep from getting overloaded on any one thing.  I’ve only just cracked the cover on The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray.  I don’t think I would have chosen this book for this particular time in my life if I had known it was so dark, but I will probably persevere through and hope for something happy.

 

The hubs and I tried the series Ted Lasso on Disney +.  Many people recommended this, but I couldn’t handle the language.  Disappointing.  I could really use something funny right now, but with four F-bombs in the first five minutes, we turned our attention to Mrs. America on Hulu.  I love history and this one interests me, at least so far.  It does cover some sensitive topics, though.  Fair warning.  We watched the movie Men of Honor about the first black master diver in the US Navy, and Patriot’s Day – a retelling of the Boston Marathon bombing.  I guess my love for history is pretty obvious.  This one was edited for TV, though, so I cannot vouch for the unedited version. 

 

The Epilepsy Foundation gave me the nerve wracking opportunity to testify before the Drug Utilization Review Board of the Health and Human Services Commission for the State of Texas.  Say that three times fast.  Our association with the foundation grants us cool opportunities to fight for those with seizures like Shelby.  I am always grateful.  And I voted early.  Not as much due to a sense of civic duty (although I have that), but because I wanted to get the thing over with!

 

I close with one of my favorite literary quotes from Anne of Green Gables.  It turns my heart to gratitude, even if this month doesn’t look exactly like I want it to.  “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”  And I hope November treats you well.

 

And now for this week’s featured post!

 

Self-doubt and self-condemnation come easy to me.  I am my own worst critic in so many areas of life.  Parenting, evangelism, health and fitness, you name it.  Sarah Howley of Inspirit Encourage wrote a post that was a balm for my soul.  Self-control:  Thoughts of Self-Doubt reminded me how much God loves me and is pleased with me – no matter what.  Click over to read if you struggle in this area too.

Grace and Truth_Rules

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace Truth_Button

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

HEATHER HART & VALERIE RIESE – Candidly Christian
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Now Let’s Link Up!

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

To find some great places where I might be sharing this post, click here.

 

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
Next Page »

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Me

I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
Read More

Subscribe for Updates

Enter your information below to receive the latest updates from the blog!

Recent Posts

  • Verse Mapping Joy!
  • Grace Upon Grace
  • First Friday Prayers: Prayer for the Caregiver
  • The Grand Finale of February
  • Scriptures on Joy: Word of the Year

Find Devotionals By Me in These Books and Click on Image for Order Information!

A 25-Week Bible Study with Topics from Abide to Zeal
A 26 week journey to a better prayer life.
30 devotionals for faith that moves mountains

For Sharing

Lauren Sparks

Like Podcasts? I’m on This One

…and This One! click to listen.

Click below to get a free trial of my favorite technology monitoring platform

Need More Than Just Monitoring? Find Filters and Accountability Here

Search This Site

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2023 Lauren Sparks | Design by Traci Michele | Development by MRM

Stop!  Don't Miss Out!

I have a brand new e-book.  This was Not On My Bingo Card:  Essays on Cancer and Related Surprises is available to you FREE by simply subscribing to my blog!  

Invalid email address
I promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!