Best Reads of 2020

2020 fell short in so many ways. But, not in the books category. 

Book after book after book that I read this year was EXCELLENT. I AGONIZED over what to include in this list. This year, I've written up longer descriptions for the four books that (I think) were my favorites. I then recommend another large handful of runners-up.

Note: Over the years, I've become more and more committed to diversifying my reading (i.e. more authors of color, non-Americans, women). In 2020, I was inspired to see many, many people commit to reading more books by people of color, especially Black authors. Here are some excellent reads to encourage your commitment. The vast majority of these authors are people of color and over half are women.

"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Description: A fictional account of a Baptist minister who moves his family to the Belgian Congo in the 1950s to be missionaries. The story is told from the perspective of his wife and four daughters.

Why I liked it: I first read this book about ten years ago and was deeply moved. So I read it again this fall. It is long, 500+ pages, so you get to really settle into the story and the characters. Kingsolver masterfully develops the main characters by writing the story from the wife and daughters' perspectives, changing the narrator with every chapter. She nails their different ages and personalities and quirks. This story is both gripping and at times heart-wrenching. It explores many themes -- colonialism, missions, mental health, physical disability, poverty, race, etc. This book will make you think about things worth thinking about.

"Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi

Description: Two sisters are born in Africa's Gold Coast in the 1700s - one sister marries a wealthy Englishman and stays and the other sister becomes enslaved in the US. This fictional story follows the lives of their descendants up to the present day.

Why I liked it: The author, Yaa Gyasi, is a young, Ghanaian-American woman who grew up in both Ghana and the US. This is her debut novel and, my goodness, it's stunning. Every chapter alternates between the two lines of the family, one in Ghana and one in the United States moving chapter by chapter down the lineage of each of the sisters. Gyasi touches many landmark events in the history of Ghana and the US. The themes of heritage, home, and identity were strong and poignant throughout this beautiful novel.

"The Cross and the Lynching Tree" by James Cone

Lots of triggering, emotionally heavy thoughts below. Feel free to skip.

Description: James Cone, a prominent African American theologian, explores two of the most charged symbols for Black Americans - the cross and the lynching tree. 

Why I liked it: I began reading The Cross and the Lynching Tree early in 2020 and finished it in June against the backdrop of the nation (and the world) in uproar over the murder of George Floyd. I had never considered the similarities between Christ's crucifixion and the lynching of Black people - Christ was a young, brown man from a minority people who, though he was innocent, was killed on a tree. Now, when I look at the faces of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, I see Christ.

The Bible

Description: It's the Bible. Do I need to describe?

Why I liked it: This summer, I did a "Bible shred" where you read/skim the whole book in 30 days. It took me about two months. I'm normally the slowest Scripture reader on the planet. I'll often reflect on a passage for days (or even months!) It was new experience to inhale massive amounts of the Bible in such a short time. I saw big themes and patterns in ways that I had never seen before. What stuck out the most to me? The theme of God exalting the humble and humbling the exalted was everywhere and said in so many different ways. Shout out to The Voice, my new favorite version of the Bible. And shout out to the Bible Project book summary videos for helping me along the way.

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Now for the runners up. I kid you not: in another year many of these excellent reads would've made it into the top. The competition was stiff this year. So many good books here:

"Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson - The author's memoir, written completely in poetry form. I've never read anything like it - beautiful and multi-award winning.

"Between Midnight and Dawn" by Sara Arthur - A feast of Scripture, poetry, and excerpts from literature to guide your Lent through Eastertide. This grounded me during March-May 2020.

"The Color of Compromise" by Jemar Tisby - A historical survey of the white American church's complicity in racism from early US history to the present day. There were so many times we could've courageously chosen a different way, but we didn't.

"The Vanishing Half" by Brit Bennett - This brand new, New York Times bestselling novel is a page turner. Explores themes of race and identity through the story of twin sisters who choose to lead divergent lives.

"The Very Good Gospel" by Lisa Sharon Harper - The author is one of my favorite Christian speakers, thinkers, leaders and this book offers such a whole and hopeful look at the good news of Jesus.

"Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya - This novel, which follows the life story of an Indian peasant woman, is loosely based on the author's life, was written 65 years ago to critical acclaim, and has sold over a million copies since.

"The Next Evangelicalism" by Soong Chan Rah - I felt like the author was in my head and reading my mind as he explored the future of the evangelical church in America.

"Between the World and Me" by Ta'Nahesi Coates - I listened to the audiobook and loved the experience. His writing style felt as if it veered into poetry at times as he so poignantly spoke of his life as a Black man in America.

Here are my top reads from previous years:

2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015

Top Four Books of 2019

Every night before I go to sleep, I read. I've kept this habit for well over 10 years, and I don't think I could fall asleep without this ritual.

All these daily minutes have added up. In 2019, I read about two dozen books cover to cover. Here are my four favorites in no particular order. 

(You'll quickly see that I have a soft spot for memoirs and novels that immerse me into a life experience completely different than my own.)

The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee

Genre: memoir

Year Published: 2015

Description: The story of a young woman's childhood in and eventual escape from North Korea, her years-long struggle to avoid repatriation, and her eventual resettlement in South Korea.

Why I loved it: The story of Lee's childhood simultaneously revealed the horrors of life in North Korea while at the same time humanizing everyday life. After putting the book down, I was left with the impression that life in North Korea is more horrible than I ever thought… but also filled with the normalcy of everyday life. I also walked away from the book with a deeper sympathy for the experience of refugees living in that liminal space of not being able to go "home" but not having a new home yet, in fear of being sent back but having nowhere to go. Incredible, powerful story.

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

Genre: memoir / nonfiction policy

Year Published: 2015

Description: This book is all about Bryan Stevenson's org, Equal Justice Initiative, and the work he has done exonerating innocent people on death row and pursuing more humane sentencing and the elimination of racial bias in America's criminal justice system.

Why I liked it: This book was simultaneously infuriating and eye-opening. Stevenson writes on the issue of racism in America's criminal justice system as an expert with years of experience as a lawyer working with clients and communities who have been the victims of bias. I was deeply impressed by Stevenson's concern for the individual clients and communities he represented. He persevered down to the last legal minutiae to care for them even though winning their case was far from guaranteed. Out of the case work for his clients came opportunities to change the culture and address systemic injustice.

My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King

Genre: autobiography/memoir

Year Published: 2017

Description: The life story of Coretta Scott King - civil rights activist, mother of four, and wife of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Why I liked it: I've always heard that the civil rights movement was spearheaded by Christians. But, it wasn't until reading this book that I realized just how much the entire movement was inspired by Jesus, fueled by the Holy Spirit, and steeped in prayer. This book encouraged me to live bravely and boldly for Jesus. In white, American, evangelical circles (where I come from), we often uphold Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Corrie ten Boom, and William Wilberforce as our protestant "saints" - models of bravery and courage in the face of evil. We would do well to add Coretta Scott King to their ranks. Also, did you know Coretta Scott King was a concert singer? She toured the US giving concerts where she weaved song and storytelling to raise funds for the civil rights movement and to educate the public. Such a neat example of the beautiful weaving together of the arts, justice, and faith.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Genre: memoir

Year Published: 2018

Description: Former FLOTUS writes about her life from childhood in Chicago's South Side all the way through First Lady of the United States up to the present day.

Why I liked it: Before picking up the book, "Becoming," I was vaguely aware that Michelle Obama was a highly accomplished woman before she ever became an Obama… something about Princeton and Harvard Law. What I wasn't aware of was that she can write. I have read dozens of memoirs and autobiographies in my life and "Becoming" is the most well-written of them all. The stories she weaves from her childhood were particularly beautiful. Stories from her experience inside the White House were fun and interesting too.


Honorable mentions:
"The Making of a Leader" by Bobby Clinton
"Overrated" by Eugene Cho
"Born a Crime" by Trevor Noah


Favorite books from other years: 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015.

Top Four Books of 2018

In 2018, I read about fifteen books, cover to cover. Here are my four favorites.

Between Midnight and Dawn by Sarah Arthur

publication date: 2016

genre: prayer guide

description: A literary guide to prayer for the seasons of Lent, Holy Week, and Eastertide.

why I liked it: This is a book of beauty, filled to the brim with Scripture, poetry, and excerpts from classic literature all pointing to themes surrounding the death and resurrection of Christ. It touched me to my core. Pick it up now to read during Lent, through Easter, and beyond.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

publication date: 2017

genre: historical fiction

description: This story follows four generations of an immigrant Korean family as they make their home in Japan.

why I liked it: I love an epic novel that settles me deep into another culture, another place, another time. This book did just that. It is not a light or easy read in any way, but it is well worth the effort. After reading it, I come away with a better understanding of Korea's history and culture. Also, the author is a Christian and she masterfully weaved Christian themes into the book without beating you over the head. Well done.

I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown

publication date: 2018

genre: memoir

description: This memoir on being a modern Black woman in majority-white America delves deep into race issues.

why I liked it: Austin Channing Brown does not hold back as she simply and eloquently puts into words her experience of being Black in white-dominated America. At various points her story made me sad or angry or uncomfortable. In the end the book stretched me and stayed with me. A must-read for white people seeking to listen and learn.

When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert

publication date: 2009

genre: non-fiction

description: This book shows how our best intentions to "help the poor" often actually cause much more harm than good AND offers great insights on how to address poverty in constructive ways.

why I liked it: I've done a lot of reading and thinking about the topic of effective poverty alleviation, so I let this book sit on the shelf for years thinking it would be a lot of review. I was wrong! I learned so much reading this book and I am still processing the implications for the ways I use my time, money, and law degree to help others. I wish the entire American church would read this book and heed its contents.


Honorable mentions: 
"No Graven Image" by Elisabeth Elliot
"Seeking Allah Finding Jesus" by Nabeel Qureshi
"The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead

~

Here are my favorite reads from 2017, 2016, and 2015.

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?

Currently Loving...

These days, I'm currently loving...

FaceApp

Get it on your phone, take some selfies with friends, and run them through the filter. You will laugh so hard! Here are my husband's results - normal, woman, 30 years older, and with a smile pasted on. The old Michael kills me! So so so weird.

My kids' school pictures

At the start of every school term, we walk our girls to the local photo shop owned by a Chinese-Thai man. The shop is old and dark and smells strongly of incense. Piles of paper and supplies cover every surface and there are idols and amulets everywhere along with two of the oldest most yellowed photo printers I've ever seen. He ushers us into the dark, back corner of the shop to take their mug shots school pictures. Their faces clearly show how they feel about the whole thing!

I put these photos through FaceApp. The app must be made just for adult faces because the results were - yikes.

The Chief Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny

I got my hands on my second Gamache murder mystery novel (#4 in the series). I'm enjoying it so much just like I enjoyed the first. I love the author's descriptive writing and the way she builds suspense.

Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth Bailey

The author has lived in the Middle East almost all his life. He takes well-known stories from the four gospel accounts of Jesus' life, teachings, and miracles and explains them through Middle Eastern culture/worldview. The chapter on Jesus' birth (spoiler: he probably was born in a home, not a stable or a cave) and the entire section on interactions with women (spoiler: he's radical, awkward, and empowering) are two highlights. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to do a deeper study of the gospels with culture at the forefront.

Things I Learned This "Cool" Season

I live in a tropical climate, so instead of summer, fall, winter, and spring, we have hot season, rainy season, and cool (aka not-quite-so-hot) season. Here are a few things I learned this cool season:

My daughters love to hear stories. When they get cranky or start fighting in the backseat of the car (which, these days, seems to be almost every time we drive) the moment they hear "Once upon a time..." they listen up and all fighting/whining stops. It's magical.

Poetry doesn't have to be fancy. One of my favorite singer/songwriters of all time published a book of poetry. So much of it is simple and lovely and understandable on the first read. He inspired me to write this.

There is a car called the S-Cargo and it looks like a snail. (get it? S-Cargo = escargot) It probably looks out of place everywhere, but it looked really out of place when I saw it driving the streets of Bangkok last month.

Source

If you order something off Lazada (the Amazon.com of Thailand) that costs $2.50 or more, you get free shipping. That's just 7% of Amazon's minimum order amount for free shipping. Someday when we live in the US again, I'm going to have a heart attack from sticker shock.

My two year old is way girlier than me. Most days, she will not leave the house without putting on, at minimum, a polka-dot hat. Many days, she puts on the whole sha-bang pictured below. I love it!

Ear infections hurt like the dickens. And they can make you temporarily deaf. Learned this one from personal experience.

I can enjoy a Thai drama without subtitles. I don't catch anywhere near every word, but I can follow the plot. Learning a foreign language is hard, and Thai is especially hard, so I celebrate every victory, including this one!

There is a resort a few hours drive from here that's designed to look like the Shire. And you get to stay in a hobbit hole. Sleeping in a hobbit hole in the Shire is now on my bucket list.

You can get strawberries in Thailand! And right now it's strawberry season! And they're delicious and cheap! I am obsessed with the tropical fruit found here, but it sure is nice to bite into a good old strawberry.

Favorite Books of 2016

This year, I read and finished 20+ books. Here are my five favorites.

I've included at the bottom a couple honorable mentions and my two kids' favorite books of 2016. I always love to hear what others are reading, so if you've read a good book recently, please share in the comments.

Fun fact: after compiling the top five list, I noticed they were all written by women -- two Brits, one Nigerian, one Asian-American, and one Canadian.

And shout out to my husband for making the graphic.

Happy reading!

Still Life by Louise Penny

Still Life is the first book of the wildly popular, twelve book (and counting) Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series. The author built up so much suspense, I lost a lot of sleep while reading this one! Engrossing, suspenseful, well-paced, lots of twists and turns. And her sumptuous descriptions of food made me hungry almost every time I read.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Rebecca, a mystery/romance/gothic novel, was an instant success when it was first published in 1938 and today is considered a classic. I found the first fourth of the book a bit slow, enjoyed it after that, and then for the last fourth of the book, I again lost a lot of sleep and could not set it down. I can't tell you why because that would ruin the mystery, but I found it engrossing, dark, disturbing, and wonderfully written.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah is a love story that explores many big themes including feminism, culture, immigration, race, and power. The reader follows the main character, a wealthy Nigerian woman, as her life takes her from Nigeria to the U.S. and back again. The book was engrossing and very well-written, though I did not like how the love story turned out and at times it felt like the author was pushing her agenda rather than just telling the story. But, still the book stuck with me. I found myself thinking about it long after I read it.

Parenting Without Borders by Christine Gross-Loh

This nonfiction parenting book explores some of the pitfalls of American culture's version of parenting and compares these pitfalls to other, often better, parenting practices around the world. Utterly fascinating. This book helped to broaden my perspective of what parenting can be like, though I would have preferred it if the author had examined more than just a few countries and socio-economic classes to make it a truly global book.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: The Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling; illustrated by Jim Kay

This was my fourth time reading this book, but my first time reading the illustrated edition and it was just magical and beautiful. Bonus: the illustrator's re-imagining of the characters helped me finally get that Ron Weasley actor's face out of my head while I read. DO NOT get this on Kindle. Purchase it or borrow it from your library and enjoy the visual art in its full-sized glory. Chamber of Secrets is also available illustrated, but I haven't gotten my hands on it yet.

Honorable mentions:
The Martian by Andy Weir
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Grace's (3 yrs old) Favorite Books:
A Fish Out of Water by Helen Palmer
What Makes a Rainbow? by Betty Ann Schwartz

Cora's (2 yrs old) Favorite Books:
High Five Magazine created by Highlights
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

5 Best Reads of 2015

The New York Times and Goodreads have published their lists of the top books of the year. Now let me add my little list of personal favorites to the interwebs. Of the dozens of books I read in 2015, here are the five that I enjoyed the most.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
I not so secretly want to be a small farmer who uses poop for fertilizer, raises chickens, and cans all her own food, so every year or so, I read a big, crunchy book about raising your own food. Barbara Kingsolver, author of The Poisonwood Bible, writes about a year of living off the land with her family of four. From everything you ever wanted to know about asparagus at the beginning to turkey sex at the end, this NYTimes bestselling memoir is cover to cover interesting!

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Auggie, a super smart 5th grader with severe facial abnormalities, has been homeschooled his whole life when his parents enroll him in a mainstream middle school for the first time -- an environment that is usually not kind to kids who are different. The author jumps around between different characters' points of view to tell this fictional story of Auggie's school year. It is a really quick, easy, fun read and the central message of kindness, although a little beat over the head, seems very relevant these days. And it's a #1 NYTimes Bestseller.

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
Putting this book on a list of "reads" is misleading. The Artist's Way is more than just a book. It is an international, bestselling 12-week course replete with exercises designed to help people discover, uncover, and unblock their creativity. It is a lot of work and a lot of fun, and it changed the way I view and approach art and got me creating like crazy.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
This book makes my list because it's just so darn creative. The Crossover is a fictional story about family, illness, and basketball written from the perspective of a black, middle school kid. Every chapter is a poem or verse. (If you're thinking sonatas, you're way off. If you're thinking rap or spoken word you're onto the writing style). The Crossover won both the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award in 2015.

Soul Keeping by John Ortberg
In this book, John Ortberg delves into what the soul is and how to best care for this crucial yet fragile part of us through practices like gratitude, slowing, and silence. Much of the content is based off of a decades long mentor/mentee relationship between Dallas Willard and John Ortberg. Ortberg takes Willard's thoughts that are often as hard to digest as concrete and makes them super sticky and digestible.

Things I Learned this Fall

Here are ten random things that I learned this fall.

I wish I had the brain of a two-year-old.

Since we're moving to Bangkok in a couple of months, I decided to try to learn all 44 Thai consonants. Gotta start somewhere, right?

I practiced in the cracks of my day usually with my two-year-old Grace watching. After a week, I had memorized about half of them.

While I was patting myself on the back over my little accomplishment, Grace started reciting them. All of them. She had all 44 consonants down solid just from watching over my shoulder. Schooled by my two-year-old.

Now if only I could switch brains with her when learning Thai becomes my full time job...

One of the best ways to recharge my soul is to spend some time in a place where leaves outnumber humans a million to one.

When you change lanes on a CA freeway, you're supposed to (1) find your space, (2) blink your blinker for five full seconds, and then (3) change lanes.

Reality:
(1) stake out your spot but don't give any indication that you are intending to change lanes,
(2) begin moving into your spot, and then
(3) blink as your tires cross the dotted lines. Any more blinking forfeits your space.

Questions are powerful.

When I hit a confusing spot in life that has no easy answer, I usually feel uncomfortable, so I tend to rush ahead to force some sort of answer.

Of the 180+ questions that were asked of Jesus, he only gave a direct answer to four of them. The rest of the time he responded with another question or a story. (I owe this insight to my pastor Tom Hughes' sermon series based of his book Curious.)

For the past couple of months, I've tried to hold the uncomfortable questions before God. Questions like: How do I hold onto the big picture as I engage in the mundane details of life? and How do I engage with national and global news without feel utterly depressed and discouraged?

As I have held these questions before God, I've had flashes of insight into deeper truth than I would have found if I had rushed ahead.

A one-year-old can produce an unbelievable amount of snot in just days.

One week, Cora was sick with a really nasty cold, I swear I wiped about half a gallon of snot off her face.

Here's a pic from a really dramatic diaper change. I just want to scoop her up, wipe off her nose, and snuggle her. Pretty sure that's what happened once Michael was done changing her.

Finding a piano in an unexpected place is magical.

On an overcast afternoon in September, my family strolled down a wooden pier in Central California eating free samples of clam chowder and watching the seagulls flap around. Suddenly, we came upon an old, wooden, upright piano. It drew us in with its magic and we played for a while, serenading seagulls and passers by with our slightly out of tune playing.

It reminded me of a time when, on my regular commute home from law school, I unexpectedly stumbled upon an upright piano in Los Angeles' Union Station. A man who was homeless was pounding the keys with rusty skill and gusto. Being homeless, he probably rarely played, but I could tell he loved it. I can only imagine what a magical refuge that piano was to him.

Two months can pass between a baby's first steps and when they actually start walking.

Cora took her first steps a a couple of weeks before her first birthday. And that was it. She refused to walk for two months after that. She's definitely walking now, but even still prefers crawling.

It is very satisfying to have high hopes for something and for that thing to come through.

This happened twice this fall.

(1) Except for the few times they've majorly flubbed. (i.e. Cars 2), I love Pixar movies. I had high hopes for Inside Out. We watched it the day it came out on DVD and every hope was satisfied.

(2) I had high hopes when I heard that Sara Groves, my favorite singer/songwriter, was releasing an album. Since it came out, I've listened to it almost daily. The lyrics. The music. It's all so delicious. And I later found out that the album was birthed after several years of anxiety, depression, and writer's block. It's curious how the most painful stuff can produce the best art.

It is possible to write a gripping novel full of middle school drama. 

The novel Wonder by R.J. Palacio centers around the story of a fifth grader with severe facial abnormalities/differences (I don't know how to say it PC-ly) and his first year in a regular school. It's really quite good. And its message of kindness is one we could all take to heart these days.

It is possible to die with joy and grace.

Steve Hayner was the president of Columbia Theological Seminary when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died less than a year later. On his journey from diagnosis to death, Steve and his wife, Sharol, chronicled their experiences online. Their words have been turned into the book Joy in the Journey.

The title is appropriate. I was dumbstruck by how their struggles oozed with joy and grace. I wish I lived my little day to day struggles with the courage and hope that they lived Steve's last months.