I fell behind on my reading goal in December. This was mostly, I think, due to War and Peace, but also because of a busy season at work that didn't allow me to read as much. However, here's what I did read!
The Pilgrim's Regress, by C.S. Lewis
This was the December book for my church's book club.
My favorite C.S. Lewis works are The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, and The Four Loves (in that order), but I've found that I don't really love his other writings, and The Pilgrim's Regress was no exception.
TPR was the first book Lewis wrote after becoming a Christian, and some of his theology seems a little off to me, like his explanation of hell. Aside from that, I'm just not a huge fan of allegories (except Narnia) because they seem contrived to me. However, I didn't hate TPR and the little headings at the top of each page were very helpful in explaining what was really going on.
Most notably, this book taught me a new word: fissiparous! Meaning: "inclined to cause or undergo division into separate parts or groups" (from the New Oxford American Dictionary).
The Language of Baklava, by Diana Abu-Jaber
I was supposed to read this book in November. That's how far behind on my reading schedule I am! And guess what: it's another food memoir! This one was different, though, in that the author is neither a chef nor a food blogger, but simply a writer who loves and has strong ties to food. Her memories of her childhood make up half the book, and I was astonished at the vividness of her recollections. Her writing was so detailed that I almost felt like I was reading fiction. The book was mainly about her relationship with her Jordanian father, whom she painted as a dynamic, larger-than-life character, and about finding home through food. I loved her descriptions of Jordan, and I almost feel like I've been there now!
I gave the book three stars because, while I enjoyed it, I didn't really take anything away from it, and I don't think I'd read it again (although some parts were very fun). I would be interested in reading more books by Diana Abu-Jaber, though.
Unshaken, by Francine Rivers
A lovely, short Christmas read! Every Christmas for the past five years, I have read one of the books in this series by Francine Rivers. Each one tells the story of one of the five women listed in Jesus' lineage in Matthew 1. I haven't read them in order, but I've enjoyed every single one of them!
Unshaken is the story of Ruth. I really liked how Francine Rivers went further with the story and explored how Boaz and Ruth might have felt in their situation. I also loved the sections that began with "And the women were saying ... And the men were saying ..." Looking back at the book of Ruth, I realized that it does include several instances of Bethlehem gossip, so it was fun to see that theme expounded on and carried throughout the book.
Francine Rivers has researched this series well and the setting is very clear. She really dives into how the Hebrew law would have affected the lives of the ancient Israelites and brings these stories to life in a way that makes me appreciate these historical narratives from the Bible more.
The Storyteller's Daughter, by Cameron Dokey
Before I gush about how much I loved this book, I have a funny story about it. I looked at my TBR list and it said Storyteller's Daughter, so I looked that title up in my library's catalogue and didn't remember putting it on the list. Then I dug a little further and found THE Storyteller's Daughter, and that made more sense, so that's the one I read. But I just looked it up again, and there's another book called The Storyteller's Daughter that is a Rumpelstiltskin retelling, so I'm not sure which book I was supposed to read, but I enjoyed the one I did read!
For context, Storyteller's Daughter is a memoir about a woman with roots in Afghanistan who was born in Britain. The Storyteller's Daughter (which I read) is a retelling of The Arabian Nights/The One Thousand and One Nights, which I greatly enjoyed! And the other The Storyteller's Daughter, as I already mentioned, is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.
Cameron Dokey is a wonderful writer. I loved her storytelling style, which felt more traditional than a lot of the YA fantasy that's on the market today (no shade, I write that kind of fantasy). It felt timeless. And it was so good!!! It contained stories within stories, as you would expect of an Arabian Nights retelling, and everything was tightly woven. The magic (having the ability to read stories in fabric) was also unique and understated, which I appreciated. Most of the actual magic happened within the stories that Shahrazad told the king. Additionally, the theme of seeing/knowing others' hearts was beautifully executed and lent an even deeper richness to the original tale.
I already put another Cameron Dokey book, Before Midnight, on hold at the library! I'm super excited to read that one because it's a Cinderella retelling! I know some people are over Cinderella, but I can't get enough of it. Classic.
That's it for December! Next Wednesday I'll be posting my 2023 "Reading Wrapped" (shamelessly borrowing from Spotify, as everyone seems to be doing). Have you read any of the books I mentioned above? If so, what did you think?
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