Laurel A. Ness: My Favorite Reads From 2016

I think my passion for writing has developed from my ever-present love of reading. I read books galore as a kid and young adult, and have always delighted in discovering how others choose and arrange words to tell a story--truth or make-believe.

I was a speedy reader back in the day, but, alas, it now often takes me seemingly forever to finish a book. For some reason, though, the year 2016 saw me finishing more books than I've been able to claim in quite some time! I thought I would share with you my favorites from the year, in case some of them might be of some interest to you.

Though I write fiction and love to read it, a majority of my reading this past year was non-fiction, with a couple of fiction mentions. Some of these books were published in 2016; others earlier--I just happened to read them in 2016. Also, I'm into e-reading these days (it's oh, so convenient for me, and much less clutter-y), so many of these I have read via Amazon Kindle. Here they are in no particular order, with brief summaries of why I liked them. (For full summaries and reviews--not mine--click the links.)

The Art of Work
by Jeff Goins

How do you know what you were meant to do in life? Are you fulfilling your calling? Is there something more out there for you to do, or are you on the right track? These are questions we all ask ourselves sometimes.

Jeff Goins is such a personable guy--at least that's how he portrays himself publicly. I have seen him in several videos and read some of his blog posts and books. He helps and inspires writers--and people from all walks of life--without talking down at anyone. Instead, you feel like you could include him in a gathering of your friends, sitting down over chai and discussing what is and isn't working in your life. To boot, he would give you some sound advice that you hadn't thought of and might actually make a difference.

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Spiritual Parenting

by Michelle Anthony

I bought this book because I was taking the class at church and had to miss so many sessions due to teaching obligations on Sunday mornings. I've highlighted the snot out of this book--so much good information! And the author doesn't come at you from a place of perceived perfection. I've always known the importance of spiritually teaching kids, but this book gave me a fresh perspective and ideas. Excellent!

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Mother & Son: The Respect Effect
by Emerson Eggerichs, PhD

I recommend this book for any mother of any son, whatever age, whatever spiritual beliefs. Though based on biblical principles, the author states that the guidelines he suggests are effective regardless of a mother's feelings about the Bible.

This book was eye-opening to me, and I feel blessed to have learned about it. Who knew that--generally speaking--females look at the world through the lens of love, and males through the lens of respect. I realized I had been inadvertently dissing my son in some ways! Dr. Eggerichs gave me a thorough talking-to about it, though I didn't feel reprimanded or scolded. He tells it like it is, encourages moms not to give themselves a guilt trip about what they haven't realized in the past, and paves a comprehensive path to a better future--a more healthy relationship between mom and son.

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A Katie Parker Production (Series)
by Jenny B. Jones

Like I said, not much fiction this year, but I'm enjoying this series (book 3 presently) here and there as time allows. Though geared toward teenage girls, this middle-aged lady finds this story to be a perfect blend of humor, quirkiness, sadness, and suspense--mostly relationship suspense. Katie Parker is a 15-year-old girl who finds herself in the home of solid foster parents in a unique Texas town called "In Between." I adore the characters and the situations Katie finds herself in, and her struggles are partly unique to her situation and partly things any girl can relate with. Katie's humor gets her through some tough times, but not without occasional tears.

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The Fall of Lumaza, The Rise of the Waters
by Ireland Kost

This is my other fiction pick--historical fiction, rather. Now don't get mad at me because three of my 2016 faves were written by people I know. This has nothing to do with why I liked them, though, to be fair, it may have something to do with how I knew about them to begin with. I don't, however, recommend anything I don't truthfully enjoy or believe in.

Anyway, I've never met Ireland, but her dad is a friend back from childhood--a talented writer himself. I clicked the link he sent me, and let me tell you--I was immediately taken in by the cover. Isn't it gorgeous and mysterious? I wanted to know more--stat! This short story, a retelling of the events prior to and including the worldwide flood of Noah's time from the perspective of fictional characters, painted beautiful word pictures in my mind as I read. Such effective uses of details caused me to think of this true story in a fresh way and appreciate the enormity of that situation for the people who weren't Noah's family members.

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Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter, & Me
by Lorilee Craker

Speaking of people I know . . . Lori and I were college chums, and I am not at all surprised by her success as a writer. A wonderful communicator even back then, she has developed a style of writing that reflects her mindfulness of the world, her infectious laughter, and her tender heart.

If you love Anne Shirley, or if your life has been impacted by adoption, or if you have ever felt on the outside of things in some way, you will likely be entertained and touched and encouraged by this book! Lorilee writes with poignant transparency about her own journey of being adopted, searching out her biological family, and adopting her own daughter--all intertwined with Anne Shirley loveliness. Not every trail of life leads to a happy ending, but redemption is to be found in the Ultimate Father for the orphan in all of us.

(Side note: This is another book cover I adore! And the icing on the cake is the use of the oxford comma in the title. The common absence of this small-but-mighty punctuation mark is ever so uncomfortable for me to behold!)

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Me, Myself & Lies
by Jennifer Rothschild

I've decided to overlook the complete absence of commas on this book cover because you often can't judge a book by its cover. 'Tis true! This is another example of a book I read as a result of a class I took at church. Though I had to miss the first few weeks because of teaching, I easily found my way to the meat of the book and was astonished to realize some of the lies I have been telling myself without even realizing it. Jennifer Rothschild does a creative job of comparing our thought life to a clothes closet. Sometimes (sometimes? Let's face it--it's a constant battle!) we need to clean out some of those thoughts that have been collecting in our "thought closets" and replace them with beautiful truth. Jennifer herself went blind as a teenager and had to retrain herself in every area of life, including her thoughts and what she would allow herself to dwell on. Excellent book for women.

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A Journey of Hope
by Jennifer Gentry, with Catherine Ware and John Ware

Precious! Hope is my second favorite word, after redemption.

I don't know Jennifer Gentry, but her parents and book contributors, John and Cathie Ware, are dear friends of ours. Once again, the fact that we know them isn't why I think this book is great. It's great because it's great; because it's real; because it's a reminder of hope.

This painfully transparent, beautiful, true story is indeed a journey of hope. The love of a daughter for her parents, and the parents for their daughter, is sweetness personified. And the love of all three for their Heavenly Father--and the ways He revealed His love for them--inspiring! Here is a book for anyone who believes in hope, longs for hope, or needs to be reminded what hope is. There's something for everyone here!

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That completes my list of fave reads for 2016! For more information and complete summaries, just click on the title of each book, which is linked to its Amazon site.

What were your favorite books of the year? Leave a comment and maybe someone (including me) will be inspired to read what you loved! :)

Happy New Year!