Every month I try to read at least one book from the following categories: nonfiction, devotional, and fiction. In 2019 I’m not participating in a formal reading challenge, but rather The Unread Shelf Project 2019, a challenge to read books that I already own. So I’ll be listing where each book came from this year instead of listing a particular challenge category. This is my January 2019 Reading List, my brief reviews and book recommendations for January 2019. Hopefully I’ll provide you with some inspiration for your future reading as well!

Books Finished:

A Little Love by Amanda Prowse

Already owned Kindle e-book.

My sister-in-law tipped me off to Amanda Prowse over Christmas, and there was a sale on her books (only $0.99 each!), so I picked up a few in December. This was a sweet book about a woman who owns a bakery in London and has made it up from her modest start. There is love, loss, betrayal, and redemption. It’s a very lovely book.

The House by the River by Lena Manta

Already owned Kindle e-book.

This book started really slowly for me, and I almost put it down. But I decided to read a little further, and was hooked by the story. The book starts from the perspective of the mother, and then switches to the perspectives of each of her daughters. I think that my initial ambivalence about the book was just due to a translation/language issue. What I mean by that is that the beginning portion is quite repetitive, which may be something that is common in Greek writing (I don’t know, I’m guessing). I stuck with it, and enjoyed it. But it probably won’t be among my favorites books of the year.

The Jesus Cow by Michael Perry

Borrowed from a friend.

This was a delightful book that I’d been waiting a few months to borrow. I really enjoyed the story (a calf is born on Christmas Eve and has the face of Jesus on his side), and found the characters to be quirky, fun, and also relatable. I wasn’t sure that the ending was going to satisfy me, but it delivered. A great book!

A Different Kind of Happiness: Discovering the Joy That Comes from Sacrificial Love by Dr. Larry Crabb

Already owned physical book.

This book was a slow read, only a chapter per day. It is a tough read that requires a lot of concentration while reading, and then a lot of thought afterwards. The author covers topics including what joy and happiness really mean, what Jesus really wants for us, and how to be brave enough to follow Jesus truly. I’m glad that I read it, although it was not an easy read. 

Flawed Convictions: “Shaken Baby Syndrome” and the Inertia of Injustice by Deborah Tuerkheimer

Already owned Kindle e-book.

This book took me a long time to read, because I kept getting so angry that I had to stop reading it. And when there were stories of convictions and cases from Nebraska, and involving one particular child abuse doctor in Omaha (who I find to be reprehensible with respect to her willful ignoring of changing science and new literature, and her willingness to see people go to prison based solely on her ignorant testimony), I almost quit the book. I have had a case involving shaken baby syndrome/abusive head trauma, and lost on the basis of just the kind of outdated science that this book is all about. What made me continue reading was the simple fact that I’m likely to have another shaken baby syndrome/abusive head trauma case in my career, and I need to be aware of the changing science and legal response to these cases. This is a tough book to read, but one that attorneys in particular, but really all people need to read.

The Boy on the Bus by Deborah Schupack

Already owned physical book.

A boy arrives at home, and he looks like the mother’s son, but a healthier and more perfect version. He’s sort of her son, but sort of not. Shouldn’t a mother, of all people, know her own child? This book made me wonder, over and over while reading the entire book, what was going on. Is she crazy? Is there something supernatural going on? Was her son actually kidnapped and replaced with a look-alike? Or was your first inclination, that she really is just crazy and disengaged from her own family the correct one? You’ll have to read it and decide for yourself. But the book is fairly short and won’t take you long to read.

The Brave Ones: A Memoir of Hope, Pride and Military Service by Michael J. Macleod

Already owned Kindle e-book.

I really wanted to love this book, as I’ve read some other military memoirs that were so compelling. But I didn’t. The stories didn’t seem to have any theme or common element to tie them all together. This was not for me.

The Snow Gypsy by Lindsay Jayne Ashford

Kindle First book, so new but free.

This novel follows a woman veterinarian at the close of World War II. She is a Jew from England and goes to Spain looking for her missing brother. She forms relationships with Gypsies, and their stories and lives are more entwined than she ever imagines.

Good Behavior by Blake Crouch

Borrowed through Amazon Prime Reading.

This book is actually a series of short stories written by Blake Crouch and that were transformed into a television show. It also includes essays by the author about what changed from the short story versions to the TV episodes, and why. The version that I have is also a Kindle In Motion book, so there were also photos and GIFs included. It really made me want to watch the TV show. 

Power Moves: Lessons from Davos by Adam Grant

Audible Original book, so new but free.

In this Audible original, Adam Grant interviews attendees at Davos. They talk about what power is, and what it means for our society. This was really interesting, and was easy to listen to, like a podcast.

Hunted by Kevin Hearne

Purchased using Audible credit.

Book six of the Iron Druid Chronicles, this one was sort of slower moving, since the main characters spend much of it on the run. But the run is studded with periods of action. By the end of the book, Hearne has managed to restore some equilibrium in the story that has been missing through the past few books. But don’t worry, there’s a twist at the end that means that the next book is going to be pretty exciting too.

Hilda Hopkins, Murder, She Knit by Vivienne Fagan

New but free on Kindle.

I heard about this book series on the podcast, What Should I Read Next. The premise, an old woman knitting serial killer, who uses her knitted items to kill people, was so absurd I had to check it out. The book was weird and a page turner. But the main character, Hilda, is a sociopath and not terribly likable. So I probably won’t be reading the rest of the series.

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerger

Purchased Kindle e-book this year, using gift card received for Christmas.

Between this book having been on my to-be-read list for years, a Kindle sale, and a gift card, this was the right time to purchase this book and finally read it. And the timing was just so right. I’ve been thinking lately about what the next stages of my business, my law practice, look like, and how to get it to where I want it to be. This book helped to clarify my thinking about what is working in my business, what isn’t, and why. 

The Dutch Wife by Ellen Keith

Purchased Kindle e-book this year, using gift card received for Christmas.

I first spotted this book on an end cap at Target, and the cover caught my eye. It’s really a beautiful cover. But the premise of the book, a Dutch woman is in the resistance during World War II, and ends up captured by the Nazis. She is put into the concentration camps, and given a shocking choice. What will she choose to do? And what will that mean for the rest of her life, or what remains of it? This book is so good, and so thought-provoking.

Books in Progress:

Twelve Women of the Bible by Lysa TerKeurst (Already owned Kindle e-book.) My bible study is working through this book and the associated videos.

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky (Borrowed from library using Libby app.)

Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry (Already owned physical book and Audible.)

Books Abandoned:

None.