Favorite Reads 2023

It's hard to believe this is the last day of 2023! On average, I may have read less this year than in previous years, but that didn't stop me from finding some new favorites to place on my shelf of honor! Here's some of my favorite books from this past year and why I liked them! They are listed in no particular order, and they include both non-fiction and fiction books.

Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione, and Sir Bentley and Holbrook Court by Chuck Black

The first two books in the Knights of Arrethtrae series (which I definitely plan to finish over 2024, if I can get all the books), I'd wanted to read these books for quite some time. A few friends highly recommended them to me, and I was intrigued, but didn't end up starting to read them until later in the year, when Evelyn gifted me the first book. And I LOVED it. It was so many of my favorite things in a story, all in one. Medieval-like setting, brave knights and noble ladies, strong Christian themes and allegories. Then I got Sir Bentley and Holbrook Court for Christmas and finished it within a day. I'm not sure which one I liked more. The story of Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione had themes of forgiveness and redemption which I love, but I also loved that Sir Bentley and Holbrook Court had a maiden who played a more major role than the women in Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione, as it really inspires me to read about courageous, godly women.

Suffering is Never For Nothing by Elizabeth Elliot

I read this in a book study with some other friends and enjoyed it. It's non-fiction, transcribed from a series of talks Elizabeth Elliot did. It is full of truth, reality, and encouragement for the Christian life. Actually one of my favorite parts of reading it was making a lot of connections to characters and stories-- but I'll go more in depth on that later, in another blog post.

Beren and Luthien, by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien is definitely one of my favorite authors of all time. In the past couple years, I've enjoyed reading more of his works besides The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I read the brief account of Beren and Luthien in The Silmarillion and enjoyed it, so when a friend offered to loan me Beren and Luthien I was excited to read it. It was a little different than I expected, but that only made it more enjoyable. Christopher Tolkien walks the reader through the various versions of the tale, and it was fascinating, especially as a writer, to see the changes to the story as it progressed.

The World According to Narnia by Jonathan Rogers

Another non-fiction read, in this book Jonathan Rogers connects many truths written in the Chronicles of Narnia to the real world, and more importantly, practical but beautiful takeaways for how to live a life of faith in the real world. I actually need to reread it because there was just so much there, I'm sure I could go back multiple times and still take away so much from it. I highly recommend it.

And last but most definitely not least:

The Rebels' Daughter and Hurricane Zero by India Johnson

I. Loved. These. Books. India Johnson is an amazing young writer-- she was in seventh grade when she wrote The Rebels' Daughter-- and these are the first two (and only currently published) books in her Freedom Through Fire Saga. I'd been hoping to read them for some time and was incredibly excited when I got them for Christmas! I loved reading The Rebels' Daughter and getting to know Sky-- a spunky, witty teenager following in her parents' footsteps of fighting back against those that would destroy humankind-- and her friends, but I could definitely see the writing and plot development mature in Hurricane Zero, which I literally could not put down. (I've already read it twice since Christmas). The two books are a mixture of fantasy and modern day settings. I am definitely eagerly awaiting any future publications of this series, and highly recommend them! Seriously. If you don't have anything else to read at the moment, please go give them a try (and support a young writer!)!

What were some of your favorite books this year? Are there any I've just listed you haven't read but would be interested in reading? I'd love to know!

Blessings for this new year!

Auriel