History & Geography

Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery — At 67 years old Grandma Gatewood told her family she was “going for a walk” but actually she was headed to walk the Appalachian Trail. She had a blanket for a sleeping bag, a shower curtain for a raincoat/tent, a pair of Ked tennis shoes, and a sack with just a little bit of food. She foraged for berries and stayed with people who lived along the trail and she became the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail alone! But that wasn’t the end. She hiked it again years later and hiked several other trails. I enjoyed the book very much. I would love to hike the AT someday and to know Grandma Gatewood did it at 67 years old gives me hope! If I do it, however, I’m not going to do it in Keds with a shower curtain!

She introduced people to the A.T., and at the same time she made the thru-hike achievable. It didn’t take fancy equipment, guidebooks, training, or youthfulness. It took putting one foot in front of the other—five million times. ― Ben Montgomery

Walking Thru: A Couple’s Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail by Michael Tyler — As I live on the West Coast now, I thought a story about the Pacific Coast Trail might be nice. It was. The writing wasn’t top of the line, but I still enjoyed the stories and descriptions of the trail. One of my favorite things about the books was the way the author and his wife actually found their relationship was strengthened by the journey. It wasn’t even something they thought about until a family member brought it to their attention.

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard — Candice Millard is an excellent storyteller. I’ve read all three of her books now, including River of Doubt and Hero of the Empire, and I’d be hard-pressed to choose a favorite. In this book, she writes the intertwined stories of President Garfield, Alexander Graham Bell, and Joseph Lister. I knew I wanted to read it because Millard is so good that I trusted it would be good, but how much of a story can there be when the president was shot after only 6 months in office? Well, months after reading it I am still marveling over the details and wishing I could have met this great man. It was SO good! I recommend everyone read this and I dearly hope Miss Millard is working on her next book.

What has survived of Garfield, however, is far more powerful than a portrait, a statue, or even the fragment of his spine that tells the tragic story of his assassination. The horror and senselessness of his death, and the wasted promise of his life, brought tremendous change to the country he loved – change that, had it come earlier, almost certainly would have spared his life. ― Candice Millard

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Science & Nature

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben — This was a great book. A little whimsical at times, but I learned many things that I never knew about trees. For instance, I had learned that they communicate through mycelium underground, but I didn’t know that they actually share resources to support the growth of weaker trees and even stumps. I didn’t know that they release toxic chemicals to protect themselves from beetles, and release scents to warn other trees to prepare a defense. The whole thing was really incredible. As Annie Dillard said, “I never saw a tree that was no tree in particular.”

But we shouldn’t be concerned about trees purely for material reasons, we should also care about them because of the little puzzles and wonders they present us with. Under the canopy of the trees, daily dramas and moving love stories are played out. Here is the last remaining piece of Nature, right on our doorstep, where adventures are to be experienced and secrets discovered. ― Peter Wohlleben

This Green World by Rutherford Platt — This is the best old botany book I’ve ever read. I liked how it was organized differently than any of the others I’ve read. For one, the author covers trees first and then flowers. He also approaches the material in a way that is easy to understand and had me on the edge of my seat during some chapters, wanting to know what he would tell me next. I know, I’m a little passionate about these things, but I’m here to tell you there are some boring botany books out there! This was an exception. I hope to see it reprinted someday.

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren — Hope Jahren is passionate about her job as a geobiologist and through this book we learn what it means to teach and research at a major university. I had no idea how much effort goes into raising money or the unrealistic number of hours one must work. Jahren also gives us an intimate look at her struggles with bipolar disorder and the deep friendship she shares with Bill, whom she met in graduate school. There are some deeply moving parts and some hysterical and even gross parts.

Science has taught me that everything is more complicated than we first assume, and that being able to derive happiness from discovery is a recipe for a beautiful life. It has also convinced me that carefully writing everything down is the only real defense we have against forgetting something important that once was and is no more, including the spruce tree that should have outlived me but did not. ― Hope Jahren

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I have never shared a personal reading list before, but I very much enjoy reading other people’s lists. I thought maybe you would appreciate the same from me. This is only the second year that I’ve kept a good record of the books I read, but I’ve found that keeping a list has helped me organize what I’m reading so that I don’t end up reading all science and nature or even all non-fiction. I loosely follow Charlotte Mason’s lead from her Mothers’ Education Course, by separating my list into five categories: Bible, Science & Nature, Education & Parenting, History & Geography, and Novel, Essays & Short Stories.

I listened to many of these through my favorite audiobook app, Scribd. They have a very good selection for a very good monthly price, and I’m not limited to a certain number of books each month or how long I can continue to listen to them.

Bible

The Bible, in full — I used a Bible app this year to organize my Bible daily reading and I want you to know about it. In many ways, it reminds me of how Charlotte Mason suggested we prepare lessons for our kids — get them to remember what they read last time, and sometimes give them a little hook or relevant background that inspires their reading for that lesson. Each new book is introduced and each day’s reading includes two Old Testament selections, usually one prose and one poetry, and one New Testament selection. You can find it through the YouVersion Bible app, by searching for Digging Deeper Daily. The original podcast can also be found online here. This wasn’t a huge commitment, just about 20 minutes each day, and I stuck to the habit by drawing a line in the sand for myself — I was not allowed to open any app on my phone until I had completed that day’s reading. (That includes reading texts, listening to Voxer, or checking my email.) Usually, I choose a new “plan” for Bible reading each year, but I enjoyed this one so much that I started the whole thing over again for 2020. I hope you will join me.

Knowing God by J. I. Packer — Some people read this book every year, and I can see why! I read it slowly over the course of the whole year and I just might do so again. There are people who can shift our focus just a tiny bit and make us see things more clearly than we ever have before. J. I. Packer is one of those people. You sense from his writing style that he is pulling for us — he wants us to see God for who he is and understand how he loves us and what he expects from us. I highly recommend this, but I will warn you that I couldn’t read it when I was exhausted. I needed my brain to be functioning well to follow his style of writing. Still, it’s worth it.

Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life’s problems fall into place of their own accord. ― J.I. Packer

Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World by Bob Goff — I started this book years ago and somehow forgot about it midway through. (I mentioned losing track of books, and one thing I have completely sworn off is reading them on a kindle. I’ve lost track of more books that way!)  This time my teenage girls listened to it with me in the car and we sometimes laughed so hard that I could barely see the road. I won’t pretend that I can relate to the life of Bog Goff! but he does make you think about what it means to actively be a Christian  — how to BE loving rather than just FEEL it. Love DOES, it doesn’t just think about it. I will note that there were times that I thought, naw, that’s not exactly right theologically. But you know, we can read books by the biggest names in gospel theology and they won’t all agree on everything, so I’m ok with enjoying this book as is.

Living a life fully engaged and full of whimsy and the kind of things that love does is something most people plan to do, but along the way they just kind of forget. Their dreams become one of those “we’ll go there next time” deferrals. The sad thing is, for many there is no “next time” because passing on the chance to cross over is an overall attitude toward life rather than a single decision. ― Bob Goff

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