January Books

a cozy month for reading

My husband’s prediction was right and this month has flown by, which is very unusual for January. What is usual for January is that I’m editing this post on Wednesday, which is my day at home to work on Hebrew, and it’s raining and I’m having to pull my concentration from a cozy nap under a blanket in a quiet house back to Hebrew ordinal numbers and verb conjugations. This Substack work is a delightful break; thanks for being here with me.

January has been a great reading month. I read for work and for myself and found a string of great fiction which doesn’t always happen.

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Leading Small Groups That Thrive by Ryan T. Hartwig, Courtney W. Davis, and Jason A. Sniff

I bought this book to dive into groups for my new job and it was very helpful. It’s research based and very practical and I left with a better idea of how to cultivate healthy groups and how to help my group leaders. 

Middlemarch by George Eliot

George Eliot is actually a pen name for Mary Ann Evans, who was one of the leading writers of the Victorian Era. I read most of this book in December but when I finished it, I felt deliciously satisfied. It’s less than a 100 pages shorter than Anna Karenina so there was some large book reading this year. Some of these books are a commitment but I’ve determined to make space for them. 10/10 recommend. 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

I included a picture of this cover because isn’t it beautiful? I have a sticker on my Yeti water bottle that says “read banned books” at the bottom of a “shelf” of books and I’m going to work my way through the ones I haven’t read. This one was up first. I would have sat under a blanket and read it cover to cover if I could have. There’s heavy content but the people are so alive and the story-telling is vibrant. 

The Four Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership by Jenni Catron

I’ve read some “meh” leadership books but this one really struck a note with me. She talked about leadership in four quadrants—heart, soul, mind, and strength—and provided an assessment to gauge where you were in each area. She highlighted ways to grow in areas that weren’t natural but also pointed out the dangers of your strengths as well. I actually found this book helpful. 

This is also the book I was reading on my Kindle app. It’s become my goal to have a book there that I’m reading both because it’s usually accessible

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and because it’s practice reading digitally which I don’t love. 

A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet

This isn’t a Bible of any sort but I found out about it because Karen Swallow Prior shared that she had read it sometime early last year. She said she couldn’t recommend it though because she didn’t know what other people liked to read. I understand that now that I’ve read it. It won’t be universally loved. It’s a dystopian story featuring children and there were a few times when I felt like there were cracks in the world she created. However, it did make me think, mostly about parenting, and her writing is strong. 

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What I’m reading now

I’m still plowing through this commentary on the Pentateuch. I try to pick it up a couple of times a week for a few minutes. A Wrinkle in Time is on nightstand as my pre-bedtime novel because I needed something I knew I loved and wasn’t as heavy as the rest of my fiction this month has been. I’m reading Short Stories by Jesus by Amy-Jill Levine (don’t you love that cover?) and Bearing the Cross, a humongous book about Martin Luther King, Jr., is open on my Kindle app. 

What have you been reading this month? 

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Normally this end-of-the-month book post is only for paying subscribers. This time I sent it to everyone so you can get a taste of what a paid subscription offers you. Whether you get the free version or are a paying supporter, please share Becoming with friends if you enjoy it.

1. Here’s a post on the blog of what I’ve added to my wishlist lately.

2. Which, now that I’ve written it, might be a bad thing.