Fourth Quarter Reading Review for 2024

I was just a few books shy of 200 this year when my goal set at the start of the year was 150! I try to choose quality over quantity when it comes to books. I tried to include some childhood books this year, and I completed my main goal, which was to read the complete Chronicles of Narnia series! Overall, I would give the series about a 3 out of 5 stars. I watched the movies so much as a child that reading the books was a little less exciting, although I did find the last book to be very interesting! The other childhood series that I reread this year was the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I read them back in the 4th grade and honestly, the storyline is still fascinating for me years later! 

I also found myself in a newer section, to me, of world history in the last half of this year. I read several books that covered societal beliefs, mainly genetics and eugenics, from the late 1800s to the 1930s. There is a lot to learn there from the people behind the movement, to how it still has effects on society to this day. But I never thought that reading a book about the history behind a major food brand would lead to the history of eugenics, but you know what, that is the fun of reading non-fiction!

Some of my favorite reads over the last three months include:

• The Last Days According to Jesus by R.C. Sproul: This book was a family read-aloud for the year! Our church was going through the book of Revelation and it, thankfully, forced us to figure out which camp, of eschatology, that we stand in. Honestly, the last chapter of this book would be great to read first, since Sproul covers the terms and types of eschatological beliefs.

• Fearless by Eric Blehm: This book is a biography about a SEAL whose last wishes were to have the gospel shared at the time of his death. His testimony and life is worth the read, but you will cry!

• Why Johnny Can’t Sing Hymns by T. David Gordon: This book will make you think about each song we sing at church on Sunday mornings. It is not a bad thing to hold lyrics up to Scripture, when in fact, we are called to. We need to praise God biblically.

• Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman: Postman is a well-known name for his research on how media has influenced generations of people. This book was written in a scholarly way, but it was fascinating how he went through the newspaper stage, the radio stage, and the television stage of society. Even though this was written back in the 1980s, most of what he said could apply to social media and the entertainment we have today.

• Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson: This book had been on my TBR list for a couple of

  years, since I have heard that it is considered a modern classic. It was such a cute and interesting read! I love books that make me feel like I’m out on the frontier learning how to start a life and home from scratch!

• Simplified Organization by Mystie Winckler: This book came recommended through the podcast Bright Hearth. Each chapter has easy application tips at the end for you to get started on organization made easy and biblical! The author’s goal is to explain how organization is much more than just keeping your house clean, it starts on the inside.