Books of 2020: Part 2
11. Serve God, Save the Planet by J. Matthew Sleeth
Just going to be very transparent here: I've never really been environmentally minded. I started recycling when I was in college, and up until I read this book, that was about as far as my commitment went. I'm so grateful for Dr. Sleeth for his graceful, tender-hearted, and direct approach here. He was at the top of his field—the chief of a medical staff at a large hospital—when God started opening his eyes to the ways humans impact the earth and how that, in turn, affects us. Dr. Sleeth's heart for others and God's creation is inspiring, and his practical tips in the back of the book on how to reduce your carbon footprint are extremely helpful. My roommate and I have even made a pact to try and attack some of those challenges together—like reducing our plastic intake by using reusable produce and grocery bags, not using the dryer unless we have to, and not using the heat setting on our dishwasher. I know I still have a long way to go, but this book gave me a really great start. Not to mention, we read often read this book together laying outside on the grass under a big, blue Texas sky. Not a bad way to read about God's creation!
A favorite quote: “When I worry about what the world thinks, I disconnect from the power of heaven.”
12. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Meg, one of my best friends, has been telling me to read Anne for the almost six years I've known her. Meg adores Anne, and sees her almost like an old friend—someone who sparked her imagination in childhood, comforted her during hard times in middle school, etc. And now I finally understand why. I love Anne. At the beginning when she started going off on her monologues, I thought, Oh gosh...I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle this girl. But I guess that's the whole point of the story—most characters felt that way at first, until one day they woke up and realize that this kid was the best thing that had ever happened to them. Anne's thirst for life, wild imagination, and deep love for others are all things I aspire to have in my own life. And Marilla's character development is one of my favorite parts of the whole book. Especially in the beginning stages of COVID-19 breaking out in the US, this book—this girl—was truly life-giving.
A favorite quote: “Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it?”
13. Notes From a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi
I first heard about this book in spring 2019 while listening to an episode of Foodcast from Bon Appetit (yes, I'm a big BA fan, and it's really hard to pick a favorite test kitchen editor, but if I had to pick one...GOSH, that’s so hard...I mean Brad for sure makes me laugh the hardest but I've got a soft spot for Morocco). Anyways, Kwame was on the show to talk about this book, and I was instantly interested. This guy was in his late twenties and had already opened and closed one of the best restaurants in D.C., had cooked for a huge crew on an oil spill cleanup ship, worked in a handful of prestigious restaurants, lived in Nigeria for two years—it goes on. What?? Who is this guy? I put the book on my wish list and got it for Christmas.
Unfortunately, the tragic incidents that took place in May-June 2020 that shook the Black community and the world, made my desire to read the book even more urgent. Kwame is a brilliant, witty writer. All at once you can hear his confidence (sometimes arrogance), but also his fears, doubts, and pain. I was rooting for him the whole way, even though so many of his experiences felt completely foreign to me and my upbringing. But I think that was the point—to shed a light on how, no, Black people (and BIPOC people in general) don't get a fair fight in a lot of scenarios. But here's one guy who pushed past the status quo of what the world expected a well renowned chef to look like, and hustled his way to the top with all the perseverance and grit in the world. I'm a fan, and if he opens another restaurant one day, I’ll be there.
A favorite quote: “Whatever I do, this is what I want to see: I want to see a kitchen full of white, yellow, brown, and black faces—open faces, not faces closed by fear like mine was for so many years… When I push open the kitchen doors, I want to see a dining room full of diners, but especially brown and black diners, who, looking at their plates, feel seen, celebrated, and recognized. And when I look in the mirror, I want to see a young black chef who made that world a reality.”
14. The Land of Stories Book #4: Beyond the Kingdoms by Chris Colfer
Okay, I'm not going to lie, this is one of those books that I don't often read in publicly because there is absolutely no hiding that this series is for younger kids. A few Christmases ago, one of my cousins got one of these books as a present. I asked about it, and his mom jumped in and said, "Oh my gosh we love these books, they're so good! Seriously, you should read them!" And I haven't been able to stop reading about the Bailey twins and their fairytale adventures since.
If you were a fan of the T.V. show, Once Upon a Time, then I think you’d have fun with this series. Basically these twins get caught up in the fairytale world through a book their late father gave them, and they go on all these epic quests with the classic characters you know and love. Beyond the Kingdoms was particularly fun because, one, Conner and Alex Bailey are now 14, so they're experiencing all that puberty angst that's fun to laugh at, and two, they end up visiting characters from other books, so it just expands the fairytale fun to a whole new level. These books are incredibly cheesy, so just prepare yourself.
A favorite quote: “Maybe greatness isn't about being immortal, or glorious, or popular - it's about choosing to fight for the greater good of the world, even when the world's turned its back on you.”
15. Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation by LaTasha Morrison
I got behind on writing these book reviews, so I’m writing this one on Christmas Day even though I read this book back over the summer. I wish I had written it when everything was fresh…when I was still feeling the kind of heartbreak and lament I’ve never really experienced before—the kind I should have felt years ago over the brokenness in our country and in my own heart. But now that I’ve had some distance from the tragic deaths over the summer (Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor to name a few—and I know there have been more since), I can say once again that I am so grateful for people like LaTasha. She is fierce and passionate, gentle and kind. As I started searching for resources, Be the Bridge was one of the titles that wouldn’t go away—and I’m glad for it. LaTasha’s words can do a lot more good here than I can, so I’m going to provide a few quotes from her. I want to follow LaTasha’s lead in this journey to repentance and restoration, and praise God we serve a King who really does have reconciliation on His heart and can show us the way. I’m still listening and still learning—today, and every day until the end.
Favorite quotes: “[Frederick] Douglass knew that if those who claimed to be Christians finally saw God for who He was, if White people changed course and viewed African Americans as image bearers of the Almighty, God could wash away the sin of the country.” Oh God—let this be said of us and future generations!
“If repentance requires turning and walking away from the sins of our past, doesn’t it require walking toward something more reparative? So reparations and repentance are inextricably intertwined, and those who’ve inherited the power and benefits of the past wrongs should work to make it right for those who’ve inherited the burdens and oppression of the past.”
“So many of us hide little flickers of hope inside our hearts, and we ignore the small nudges from God, nudges pushing us to change the direction of our lives. Why? Maybe acting on those nudges will bring deep discomfort as our worldviews are disrupted. Maybe fear of the unknown or the loss of our tidy lives keeps us from following God. Whatever the case, when we don’t engage God, when we don’t follow His leadings, we end up carrying on in the status quo, even if it’s not the right thing, the most just thing.”
16. Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been by Jackie Hill Perry
The more I’ve kept up with Jackie since reading this book, the more I’ve realized what a rock star she is (and how hilarious she is). I’ll admit I went through this book too fast, not really underlining or soaking up her words, so I’d love to read it again. For now I’ll just say this: If homosexuality is a part of your story or someone you know (or even if neither are true!), I recommend this read. Jackie is vulnerable and honest, her words are silky and poetic, and the fire of her faith and of her God is incredible.
A favorite quote: “Every single thing He has ever or will ever say is true. The simplicity of faith is this: taking God’s Word for it. And I might not have felt like it, but I had no choice but to believe Him.”
17. Hidden in Plain Sight: The Secret of More by Mark Buchanan
People who know me really well know that Mark is my man. Our family loves his books, andThe Rest of God might be the only book I’ve ever read multiple times?? Anyway, I’m now labeling Hidden in Plain Sight as one of my all-time favorites. Mark unpacks a passage written by Peter the apostle that really can be life-changing, if we let those truths ring true within and through us.
A favorite quote (for context, Mark is talking about Samson in the Bible here, and months later, these words still sting): “More than endowing us with might to slay the Philistines out there, the Spirit wants to strengthen us with grace to slay the Philistine in here… [Samson] cried out for the Spirit’s power to serve himself, but never to die to himself.”
18. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
This is not new to the world, but holy cow, C.S. Lewis is brilliant. I already knew that, but I didn’t really understand it in depth until I read Mere Christianity. This one could be tough to chew at times—I really had to give myself time and reread certain paragraphs multiple times. But C.S. has a way with thoughts and words and ideas and pictures and feelings—he makes you feel as if you’ve always known these truths about God and man somewhere deep down inside you, and yet he’s pulling them out into the light for the first time, making it all feel so familiar and yet so profound. He’s the master.
A favorite quote: “As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”
Actually, I’m not done sorry: “Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. the smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.”
19. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
You know I love Anne, but to be honest, 75% of this book was a struggle for me. I’m not sure if it was the timing of when I read it or if the plots in this book really were slower, but I had to make myself finish this one. But right at the end, the story picked up and I was hooked. And kid you not, the excerpt below brought tears to my eyes.
A favorite quote: “‘What are you thinking of, Anne?’ asked Gilbert, coming down the walk. He had left his horse and buggy out at the road.
‘Of Miss Lavender and Mr. Irving,’ answered Anne dreamily. ‘Isn’t it beautiful to think how everything has turned out…how they have come together again after all the years of separation and misunderstanding?’
‘Yes, it’s beautiful,’ said Gilbert, looking steadily down into Anne’s uplifted face, ‘but wouldn’t it have been more beautiful still, Anne, if there had been no separation or misunderstanding…if they had come hand in hand all the way through life, with no memories behind them but those which belonged to each other?’
For a moment Anne’s heart fluttered queerly and for the first time her eyes faltered under Gilbert’s gaze and a rosy flush stained the paleness of her face. it was as if a veil that had hung before her inner consciousness had been lifted, giving to her view a revelation of unsuspected feelings and realities. Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one’s life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one’s side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music, perhaps…perhaps…love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath.”
I MEAN, C’MON.
20. Remember God by Annie F. Downs
Annie, my girl. If you have ever listened to Annie’s podcast or read her books or watched her Instagram stories or have met her, you know that one of her trademarks is making you (a stranger) feel like a close friend, and I for sure fall in that camp. I read Remember God when it first released in 2018, but my mom, sister, and I all felt compelled to reread it around the same time. Different words meant more to me this time, and I’m grateful, as always, for Annie’s vulnerability and her heart for God. But more than anything, I’m grateful that her conclusion really is true: God is kind.
A favorite quote: “Do you see that? Was I seeing that? We can be in the wilderness and be fed. Those two realities are not mutually exclusive. Life can be painful and beautiful at the exact same time. Scripture says He will bring us ‘into the wilderness’ and ‘speak tenderly’ to us (Hosea 2:14). His kindness brings us to Him. The wilderness does not mean abandonment; it means a chance to see this manna that neither we nor our ancestors have ever known. It won’t always look the way we thought it would. It won’t always look like the family and future we envisioned for ourselves, the kind we hold up as the expected standard. You may even find yourself asking, ‘What is this? What is it?’ That’s because it will be manna. Something else. Something yet unknown. Perhaps even something much, much better.”
