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I will attempt to make these very short since we all have better things to do than read the many, many book blog posts this time of year!
Speaking of book posts, here is my post listing all the books I read this year.
I feel like I'm suddenly becoming so negative in my reviews the past few months! If you've seen the movie version with Hugh Laurie & Gena Davis, it has about 5% in common the book. And, dare I say it, the movie is better than the book! Reading this book with my kids, we all found it quite strange from the beginning. While he is the biological child of humans, the title character resembles a mouse. The family is careful not to mention this and takes great pains to make Stuart's life like any kid his age. I'm sure there's something deeper going on here, but I don't quite have the time to dig into what E.B. White was trying to accomplish with this novel. The plot is a bit strange, too. Having read (& loved) other books by this author, I have to say this was not a favorite & I've already put it in my box of book donations.
Much like the first in this series that I read last month. (They are very short, so I will probably read a few of these this month while I wrap presents & do other festive tasks.) The story still intrigues me & the characters are just interesting enough to keep me going. I have heard that the audiobooks are helpful in bringing the characters to life. The narrator is quite talented, so I can agree with that assessment except I haven't tried reading a physical copy yet.
This award-winning author truly has a wonderful talent for telling a story, deepening it with profound truths. Buechner was a minister & writer whose life brought him to New England. His stories from his childhood & adulthood are told in an attempt to illustrate the importance of seemingly ordinary circumstances in the bigger picture of the lives of those you come into contact with & the story God is writing for us all. It's a book that makes me want to learn a bit more about the author & some of his other books (including some novels).
Since these books are so short & I'm listening to them, I'm trying to listen to them twice through so I'm not missing the little details. The books also seem to blend together, but this one does finally have Emma exerting a little more authority in her own life. Just a little. This is 19th century London, of course.
This short little book offers a look at the evidence that abounds in favor of how regular church attenders are physically, morally, mentally, & spiritually healthier. She presents her evidence as if it's a prescription for the ills that plague our society. Whether we look at the decline in mental health or the desperate pleas from charities for more donations, even secular, non-believing scientists are finding that church attendance is a key factor in improvement in these circumstances. But McLaughlin doesn't end it there. She emphasizes that simply sitting in a pew every Sunday morning isn't enough. You must truly face who Jesus is & what Christianity is teaching. (She has books on those subjects!) Either it's all true or it's all false. You can't pick & choose. Just a helpful little book for those searching or those who are hoping to have better conversations with their friends who are searching.
In this book, we get some answers about who certain people are--Maxwell, Charles Goddard. They've been mentioned in passing or in memory but no real details given. We get some new characters introduced. Emma gets into some troublesome scrapes. And she continues her friendships with a variety of male characters without much mention of romance. So refreshing in a contemporary book!
OK, these books are fun. However, they are short & hard to differentiate between the volumes. This one covers November & December, so All Saints Day, Guy Fawkes Day, Christmas.
I had the opportunity to read this on NetGalley. (It releases in January 2026.) Taking Psalm 119 as his text, Uche Anizor takes us through this Psalm & highlights 20 gifts God gives His children, particularly through Scripture. I found the meditations profound & practical. The author carefully exegetes the Word of God, bringing helpful illustrations in along the way. Each chapter ends with the text from an old hymn, many of which I have never heard & am now so curious to find in hymnals! This book would make a wonderful gift for a friend or just a helpful devotional to use yourself when you need encouragement to keep leaning into Bible study.
I had not read this book until this year, but it's nearly impossible not to know the story. It's such a part of our culture, that I felt like I needed to read this with the kids so that they could hear the original. Definitely a timeless story that is worth reading & short enough to fit into the Christmas season.
Squeezed in one more of these this month!
If you have ever misunderstood the reasons Christians should celebrate the Lord's Supper (or Eucharist or Communion), this book offers a list of biblical themes that we rehearse each time we participate in this feast. Although they are set alongside memories of the author's life, these themes are universal--home, courage, grief. Hannah Miller King fills each chapter with rich examples from Scripture & helpful application to our lives today. She makes this church ordinance really come to life & helps the reader see it as not just another thing we do to check a box. It's a well-written, well-thought book. Here are a couple of quotations that I found particularly lovely.
"God's kindness is the connective tissue of reality."
"In the long struggle of faith it is easy to forget that God is not a task-master--he is a banquet-master."
I will add the caveat that King is an ordained Anglican minister. I did not find that a problem in reading this book, but I know that many would not pick this book up simply because of that. As always, use your own discretion! I also want to thank NetGalley & the publisher for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.
Having followed Kristen Wetherell for a while, I was eager to request this book on NetGalley when I saw it become available. Why are we saved? What exactly is the purpose & outcome of our salvation? What does salvation enable us to do? If you've ever found yourself wondering these thoughts or if you find yourself in a low place, this message of this book would be a well-timed read. Brad Wetherell takes the various occurrences of the phrase "in Christ" & carefully explains just how our salvation should impact our daily lives. We are not just saved to escape God's wrath, although we should be humbled & grateful for that mercy. We are saved to live in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit to bring glory to God. This book gives a very practical look at how that translates to everyday life.
13 books this month, but most are rather short. So, don't be too impressed! Now to clean up the post-Christmas chaos...
Oh & set some goals for my next year of reading, of course.
Cheering you on!
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