#annualbooksblog Archives - Kristin Saatzer

My Best-Loved Books of 2022!

January 12, 2023 By Kristin Saatzer 6 Comments

Happy New Year, welcome to the annual books blog!

I enjoyed a great year of reading. There are simply too many to review, but here are a few of my favorites from the 51 books I read in 2022.

Self-help/Christian Inspirational:

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry https://a.co/d/bR6XMdj by John Mark Comer. I read this book twice and plan on rereading it—a perfect book for the new year. A few favorite quotes: “….and how we spend our time is how we spend our lives. It’s who we become (and don’t become).” “The whole point of apprenticeship is to model all of your life after Jesus. And in doing so, to recover your soul.”
WayMaker https://a.co/d/bkBI0Ro by Ann Voskamp. Beautiful prose and deep thoughts. Truly transformative for me. I read it a few times and review my highlights often. So many beloved quotes; here is one: “There is no pleasing God without trusting God. Trusting God is no small thing! To God, it is everything. God wants to be chosen too.”
No Cure for Being Human https://a.co/d/hH3n3CM by Kate Bowler. A mix of memoir/self-help/inspiration. I resonated with her words. “Life is beautiful and terrible, full of hope and despair and everything in between, and there’s no cure for being human.”

My Best-Loved Books of 2021

January 5, 2022 By Kristin Saatzer 6 Comments

Let’s talk about books. Since 2015, I have shared my best-loved books of the year on the blog. I enjoyed most of the 45 books I read in 2021, it was another great year of reading for me.

There are far too many good ones to review, but I pulled out some of my favorites…

Novels:

Moon Over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool: I immensely enjoyed this young reader’s book that is not just for kids. I often look for Newberry Award winners that I have not read, and this one is delicious. It is a story about a town, a girl, friendship, and so much more. It is a historical fiction that transports the reader to Kansas in the early 1900’s.

All She Ever Wanted, by Lynn Austin: One of my favorite Christian writers. This one focuses on four generations of women with heartbreaking stories and riveting writing. The best is that God wins in the end!

The Downstairs Girl, by Stacey Lee: A book geared to Young Adult readers that I couldn’t put down. The protagonist is half Chinese and it takes place in post-Civil War Atlanta with the beginning of segregation laws.

Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery: Yes, another “kid” book that delighted my heart. It was just what I needed this summer. Anne brings out all the feels and her outlook on life and chattering on and on is a pleasure to read. I just adore her.

Next Year in Havana, by Chantel Cleeton: If you want a fantastic history of the 1950’s Cuban revolution wrapped in romance, this book is for you. The author was inspired by her family’s stories of their Cuban past. This is the first one in a series of four and it is my favorite.

My Best-Loved Books of 2020

January 2, 2021 By Kristin Saatzer 2 Comments

Hello, friends!

I read quite a bit in 2020, as you can see by the pictures of the fifty-two books I tackled (copied from Goodreads). I reread seven from my shelves at home because of quarantine and the library was closed and I blew my book budget.

I would like to highlight some of my 2020 favorites for you bibliophiles (and wanna be’s) as I do each year on the blog. So, here we go…

Non-fiction:

Chasing Vines by Beth Moore: I deeply enjoyed the lessons on viticulture and the tie ins between the Old and New Testaments. Great questions for readers about the fruitfulness of our lives.
Doing Life With Your Adult Children: Keep Your Mouth Shut & The Welcome Mat Out by Jim Burns: So… funny timing… I read this book just before my three adult children moved back in for quarantine! There were no big light bulbs here for me, but it is all practical, doable, encouraging, and engaging.
The Third Option: Hope for a Racially Divided Nation by Miles McPherson: This book is my favorite out of all I have read on this difficult subject. The author (a beloved San Diego pastor) brings much hope and positivity while writing through a biblical and practical lens.
Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World by Andy Stanley: This is a controversial book. I find myself still thinking about it often and I read it over two months ago. There are points the author makes that are hard for me to swallow. Then, other points that challenge me in the deepest parts of my Christian soul and cause me to embrace the New Testament and Jesus as never before.
The Path Between us: An Enneagram Journey to Healthy Relationships by Suzanne Stabile: An Enneagram book by my favorite Enneagram teacher. If you know your number and the numbers of those with whom you do life, you will find this book an invaluable tool. I refer to it often.

My Best-Loved Books of 2019!

January 7, 2020 By Kristin Saatzer 2 Comments

Can we talk about books – 2019 edition?

T’was a rich, deep, and fun year of reading. I read 44 books and enjoyed most of them, so it was tough to scale my list down to 13 for this one.

This is year number 5 of doing the books blog. I always appreciate the feedback and it is a joy to write. Enjoy!

*Please note that I rate my books in part on their clean-read value.

So here we go:

Hard to put down. An unfathomable life and extraordinary success story. Brilliant writer. Brilliant woman! 4 and a half stars because of violence and language.

Loss, abandonment, and God’s healing redemption. A beautiful narrative of God’s power in our lives. God can make a life His masterpiece. Four and a half stars. Fabulous writer and storyteller. I’ve loved her books for many years. Clean-read with inferences and adult subjects

I love Bob Goff! His books are inspiration and motivation to just go out and love! I had the pleasure of hearing him speak in September and he is beyond wonderful. My favorite section is the end (witch doctors, oh my!).

I’ve read quite a few books about the Holy Spirit and this one is my favorite. 5 stars! Francis Chan is intense and oh so sold out for God. Powerful personal stories.

Loved. Loved. Loved. For such a time as this. This book spoke to me right where I was, just when I needed it. Sheila Walsh is authentic and so stinking funny. She blankets this book with grace. My favorite story is at the end. Five stars.

A book club book. Impossible to put down. The ending… wow! I give this a four-plus instead of 5 because of sex and violence. It is powerful! Beautifully written by a daughter of Palestinian immigrants. Etaf Rum takes the reader to a world of women who are second class (or last class) in their culture. We read a second book along this same vein for book club called Inside the Kingdom by Carmen Bin Ladin.Continue Reading