Top Five Books of 2017

As my husband and I have added more children to our brood, I find that more and more of my former hobbies have died. Or at least taken a backseat for the foreseeable future.

Except reading.

Every night, without fail, I read for a little while before I fall asleep. I don't think I could fall asleep without this ritual. In 2017, I read about two dozen books, cover to cover.

Here are my five favorites.

Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton 

publication date: 2006

genre: spiritual formation

description on Amazon: "Picking up on the monastic tradition of creating a "rule of life" that allows for regular space for the practice of the spiritual disciplines, this book takes you more deeply into understanding seven key disciplines along with practical ideas for weaving them into everyday life."

why I liked it: This book entered my life in a season when I was feeling tired and worn. The spiritual practices, particularly silence and solitude, helped restore my soul. This was by far my favorite book of the year. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to grow spiritually.



The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

publication date: 2009

genre: murder mystery

description on Amazon: "'Chaos is coming, old son.' With those words the peace of Three Pines is shattered. Everybody goes to Olivier's Bistro―including a stranger whose murdered body is found on the floor."

why I liked it: I've slowly been working my way through the New York Times bestselling Chief Inspector Gamache murder mystery series. This book is my favorite so far. Though, if I say why, I'm afraid I will ruin it for you!



The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

publication date: 1931

genre: historical fiction

description on Amazon: "Paints an indelible portrait of China in the 1920s, when the last emperor reigned and the vast political and social upheavals of the twentieth century were but distant rumblings. This moving, classic story of the honest farmer Wang Lung and his selfless wife O-Lan is must reading for those who would fully appreciate the sweeping changes that have occurred in the lives of the Chinese people during the last century."

why I liked it: I love stories that make me think. This rags to riches story of a Chinese peasant won the Pulitzer Prize shortly after it was published, was influential in the author earning the Nobel Prize for Literature, and was featured on Oprah's Book Club. The author lived in China for many years as a missionary kid and as a missionary. The book is written in a classic Chinese novel style (read the Wiki article). Her writing is filled with compassion and respect and the book transported me to another world and another time. Though, some themes in the book, particularly the oppression of women, were difficult to read about.



The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery 

publication date: 1926

genre: fiction

description on Amazon: "All her life, Valancy Stirling lived on a quiet little street in an ugly little house and never dared to contradict her domineering mother and her unforgiving aunt. Then she gets a letter―and decides that very day things need to change. For the first time in her life, she does exactly what she wants to and says exactly what she feels."

why I liked it: I've been a fan of L.M. Montgomery's famous "Anne of Green Gables" series since childhood. This lesser known novel is regarded as her best work of fiction. It did not disappoint. I enjoyed the character development and the twists and turns of the plot at the end of the novel.



Widen by Chris Rice 

publication date: 2016

genre: poetry

description on Amazon: "Recording artist Chris Rice, well-known for witty and thoughtful songwriting, offers up his first collection of ninety new poems. Themes of faith and doubt, childhood and aging, the cosmos, the passing of time, the natural world, color, and the power of words fill these pages."

why I liked it: I've been a fan of Chris Rice's poetic songwriting for almost 20 years. His poems are equally witty, thoughtful, and deep. I normally don't have the patience for poetry because it's often too convoluted for me, but this book of poems was accessible and lovely.



What are some of the best books that YOU have read recently?

Isaiah - Three Months Old

The past three months since Isaiah was born, life has been full. Scratch that. Life has been crazy. We have...

• Had visitors in Bangkok. My brother and his family visited for two weeks. We tromped all around Bangkok with five kids ages five and under.
• Gone to the ER. (Five stitches in the back of Grace's head, she's fine.)
• Attended a week-long conference with colleagues from Southeast Asia. Isaiah attended too.
• Moved out of our rental home of almost two years in Bangkok. We packed up all of our belongings and have them stored at our friend's house until our return in April or May.
• Made the 28ish hour journey from Bangkok to Denver as a family of five. Michael got sick to his stomach and we almost missed our trans-Pacific flight.
• Jet lagged with a four-year-old, three-year-old, and newborn. (By the way, the first couple days are nuts, but they adjust fast. Don't be afraid of international travel with young kids.)
• Gone to the ER again followed by a four day hospital stay. (Isaiah, bronchiolitis, it gave us a scare, but he's doing great now.)

Having a newborn in the middle of all of this sounds like a terrible idea, but Isaiah has seamlessly slipped into this busyness and his chubby, smiley little self has brought us so much joy.

I've always heard of the mythical "easy baby." Now I know that they do exist. Isaiah is calm and happy. He doubled his birth weight in two months. He started smiling at just two weeks. (We didn't even know that was possible!) He (usually) sleeps often and well. He's content to sit in his rocking seat or on a lap watching and listening to the chaos and noise of his two big sisters. When we scoop him up, he is all smiles, cooing and ah-gooing, gurgling, and giggling.

Being parents the third time around, we know these things have very little to do with our super duper parenting. This is just the way Isaiah came, so we thank God for gifting our family with this sweet, baby boy.

~

Ten days old and freshly approved for his Certificate of Birth Abroad, U.S. Passport, and U.S. citizenship.

Sometimes, Isaiah has three mommies.

Isaiah started smiling at two weeks old and hasn't stopped since. Here he is four weeks old and beaming and cooing at his daddy.

Isaiah has been growing so quickly. He started just shy of seven pounds and wore newborn sized clothing. He doubled his birthweight in two months and now at three months old, he's outgrowing his six month size clothes and I'm pulling out nine month size clothing. Someday, he will be taller than both Michael and me. Possibly much taller. Here he is about six weeks old and already packing on the pounds...

He loves his baths.

Both girls have very readily welcomed him into our family. Cora in particularly loves her baby brother. Isaiah really enjoys sitting in his baby seat or on a lap in the middle of the sounds of his sisters singing, arguing, yelling, talking, and bickering. He particularly likes the sound of me scolding them!

Pic #1: about an hour into our journey to the U.S. Pic #2: about 24 hours into our journey to the U.S.

Two months old and napping with his great-grandpa, Arno.

One of several morning naps under Nana and Papa's Christmas tree.

At two months old, Isaiah came down with a cold which turned into bronchiolitis. On December 23rd around noon, I was nursing him and putting him down for a nap when I noticed the color on his face was not so pink and his breathing was rapid. I remember my last words with my nurse practitioner mom while rushing out the door to the ER, "What do I do if he turns blue?" "Small puffs of air, call 911, I'll be right behind you." He perked up on the ride to the ER (phew), he was put on oxygen and hospitalized for four days right over his first Christmas. It was hard to have a baby so sick. It was hard to look forward to being with my family for Christmas for so many months and then to miss that. But, I'm so grateful for the nurses' amazing care and many people's prayers that carried us through.

Back "home" at Nana and Papa's house with his two big boy cousins, Malachi (14 months old) and Jackson (just a day older than Isaiah).

I admire these beautiful eyes every day.