Epic Year Favorite Books

The countdown is on......2011 is almost here!
I love the New Year with its fresh new beginnings. But after a difficult couple of years, 2010 was a very good year for me, so I'm not anxious to say good-bye. I’ll call it my Epic Year, and blog about my Epic Year Favorites over the next couple of days.

Books, books books. Let’s talk about them. One of the best things I did in 2010 was start a Book Club. That was on my Bucket List of things I thought I’d do “some day,” and I finally decided to just make it happen. I invited five friends that I knew were avid readers and interesting people, and voila: The Chocolate Pie Book Club was born. (I cannot tell you how we came up with our name. It’s Top Secret, and they'd have to kill me if I let it slip.) The other members have inspired me, challenged me, and made me giggle over and over. I really think a more accurate name for our Book Club would be: Friends Who Wine And Dine Together Monthly While Discussing A Book They May Or May Not Have Read. We are, on occasion, delinquents who don’t always finish our homework. But we consistently have fun discussions, and we always, always laugh. The Book Club meeting is one of my monthly highlights.

I read a ton of great books this year. Many were chosen by other Book Club members, some were required reading from the Spiritual Formation program I’m in, and some I happened upon on my own. (I really must put together a list of favorite authors and keep it in my purse. I develop Author Amnesia when I’m in the library, and wander aimlessly through the aisles, feeling overwhelmed and confused. But I digress.) I agonized over this list, because it’s like choosing between horseradish-encrusted medallions or shrimp scampi for dinner. There were so many delicious reads for me, but I narrowed it down to my three favorites per category.

EPIC FICTION FAVORITES
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
This was, hands down, my absolute favorite fictional read of the year. I read it on vacation last summer and could not put it down. It was informative, inspiring and an absolutely delightful read.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
This is a devour-under-the-covers cozy mystery, complete with English moors and ghosts. So yummy! It kept me guessing until the end.

Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet by Jamie Ford
This is a sweet, sad, intriguing love story about a friendship between a Chinese boy and Japanese girl in Seattle during World War II. I skipped a Date Night with my husband to finish this. That's how good I found it.

EPIC NON-FICTION FAVORITES
Prayer, Stress and Our Inner Wounds by Flora Slosson Wuellner
This easy-to-read compact book was filled with wise and inspiring ideas on how to pray for emotional and physical healing of self and others. Loved it, loved it, loved it! It’s a book I was longing to read without even knowing about it. It appealed to my Prayer Warrior-ness. Now I want to read every book the author has written. I want to meet the author. I want to be mentored by the author. I want to pray with the author. Short of saying I'll stalk the author, I'll admit I have been deeply touched by her writing.

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
The subtitle is “Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian Sprituality” and it is exactly that. I had a bit of an attitude before I read this book, and was prepared to not like it. But I was pleasantly surprised, and loved and agreed with Donald’s thoughts and musings. He writes in a down-to-earth humorous style that appeals to me. I’ve bought copies to share with several young friends.

Pray All Ways by Edward Hays
This book reinforced my belief that there is no division between the divine and the secular; that we can commune with God through all different ways. I re-read this book over and over, and a new revelation jumps out at me each time.

So, there you go. Happy Reading!