In 2021 I am attempting to read 65 books. It’s my loftiest goal yet and while I am happy to report I am on track, I am wary that this goal may sometimes feel like work and that’s not okay. So, I am publicly announcing that even if I don’t hit 65 books, that’s okay. Because the real goal is to feed my soul through one of my favorite activities, reading. This year is also a little different because my husband is joining me! His goal is different because he’s not a reader but we’re both pushing ourselves to grow in 2021 and so he’s aiming to read 12 books in addition to his constant re-reading (listening) of Harry Potter on audio while he works. Here are my March reads.

The Ministry of the Ordinary by Shannan Martin
Rating: 5/5
Genre: Nonfiction, Christian
Review: Is this the best book I’ve read in 2021? Potentially! It’s simple and practical but life changing, It is a call to return to loving our neighbors in a way that honors them and humbles us. Martin has a great use of words and I am thankful for her wit and wisdom and charge to love those around me like Jesus would. My biggest takeaway was that we often overcomplicate and under prioritize the Great Commission when it’s really just about “investing deeply in those around us.” One of my favorite quotes was “God’s most enduring work, is often the slowest and most invisible to our darting eyes.”

In His Image by Jen Wilkin
Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: Nonfiction, Christian
Review: Technically this was a re-read but it was 100% worth it. Wilkin is brilliant and I’m so thankful for the ways she points to the truth. The premise of the book is to answer the question, “Who should I be?” instead of the normal question people often ask, “What should I do?” Because as Wilkin argues, obedience is about the heart not actions. “God’s will is for us to be like Him.” She then goes and highlights ten areas we can reflect God including, holiness, goodness, justice, mercy, graciousness, patience, loving, faithfulness, truthfulness and wisdom. All of those areas are so important for our walk but my notes would literally take forever to explain and be a post in themselves. Needless to say I highly recommend this book.

“We sacrifice our bitterness and grudge-bearing for the sake of extending forgiveness. We also sacrifice our legitimate hurts — the pain of unfair rejection or the sorrow of a wound unjustly received. We entrust them to God, remembering that Christ endured the same from us, and to a much greater degree.” - Jen Wilkin

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Rating: 5/5
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary
Review: It might be bold to say this is my favorite Ishiguro book but it’s been a while since I’ve read Never Let Me Go so my head may not be clear. But it was excellent and I really enjoyed it. The themes he explored, like love, heart, loneliness, and memory were especially poignant in life post-pandemic. It challenged me, gave me hope and encouragement. I think about this book every time I lay in the sun, like Klara and as always, the tone of Ishiguro just really speaks to my little realist, bittersweet, heart.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Rating: 3/5
Genre: Fiction, Classic
Review: Because this is a classic, I’m giving it a higher rating than I normally would. But I did not like this book, even as an older adult. I thought maybe time would change my mind but it didn’t. I don’t even really know why? Probably because injustice disgusts me and I don’t see the relationship with Mr. Rochester and Jane at all. So like for me, it’s a story of a sad little girl who literally ends up living a sad life forever. She marries a weird AF man who literally lied to her and with whom she has zero connection (IMO) and before that she was literally mansplained to by someone who claimed to love Jesus. Yeah no. But I did love this line: “Friends always forget those whom fortune forgets.” Depressing but accurate.

Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves
Rating: 3.5/5
Genre: Nonfiction, Christian
Review: This book came highly recommended and while I definitely see why, it’s denser than I imagined and a tad repetitive. All that being said, the content was helpful and thought provoking. And it spoke to my ultimate proverbial “hill I will die on” when it talked about the nature of love. Some of my favorite quotes were: “You cannot know God without becoming loving yourself.” and “My love is naturally all perverse and misdirection but His love is set apart from mine in perfection.” Just such important reminders that it’s absolutely impossible to know God for real and not becoming loving. If our lives are not reflecting what’s laid out in 1 Corinthians 13 and not just for our spouses, we need to address that. Secondarily, we cannot love of our own accord. The love we have is naturally misdirected. Only God enables us to love perfectly.