2018 Booklist

It’s no secret that I love to read, a LOT. I don’t use any sort of fancy tracking for my booklist except a Word document that I’ve been updating since 2010. I know many people who set reading goals each year but I’ve never had the compulsion to do that. For me, I consider healthy reading to be akin to healthy eating: essentially doing so intuitively works the best for me. Sure, there are some books that I seek out more aggressively than others, but most times I’m at the mercy of the library hold list. Wink. I also pay attention to book recommendations from fellow bookworms and I love the booklists that our local independent bookstores put out. I’ve also recognized that some seasons I am able to read more than others (when toddlers were afoot, not much!). All that to say is that I’m not hung up on the actual number; I don’t numerate as I track as I’ve always felt then it would begin to seem like work to me, I just tally them up at the end of the year. This year I did read the most I have since I begun keeping track in 2010: a total of 88 books (last year it was 79). Note that this does include middle grade and young adult fiction, books that I’m able to get through quite quickly. I did not include family read-alouds in that total but I’ve included those, as well as audiobooks that we listened to as a family below. As I work from home I don’t have a commute so the audiobooks that we enjoy on road trips tend to be those that we do as a family. I do note trends in my reading though! Two years ago it was year of non-fiction. Last year it was historical fiction. This year was clearly the year of the memoir. I am realizing I read the least non-fiction this year than any other years but I believe this to be due to the fact that memoirs can toggle the line between non-fiction/autobiography. However, there are some topics I look forward to delving into deeper this year. I will look forward to seeing what 2019 brings!

For years I have done my own literary superlatives, I’ve listed those first but the list in its entirety is below as well. I didn’t include middle grade/YA in the superlatives as I don’t read as many in that genre and the ones that I did read were ALL fabulous. Please comment if you see a favorite or a book you’d like to read. Happy Reading!

2018 Booklist Superlatives

Best All Around

Where the Crawdads Sing

Best Fiction

Americanah

The Cactus

Best Historical Fiction

Lilli De Jong

Best Non-Fiction

Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life

Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions

Most Helpful (in my season of life)

Going Public: Your Child Can Thrive in Public School

Most Unique

The Monk of Mokha

Most Poignant

The Line Becomes a River

Before We Were Yours

Most Humorous

Dear Mrs. Bird

Best Memoir

The Soul of An Octopus

Becoming

2018 Living by the Page Booklist

FICTION

Americanah Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

In Bloom: Trading Restless Insecurity for Abiding Confidence Kayla Aimee

That Kind of Mother Rumaan Alam

Us Against You Fredrik Backman

Lilli De Jong Janet Benton

How to Walk Away Katherine Center

The Great Alone Kristin Hannah

The Cactus Sarah Haywood

Small Country: A Novel Gaël Faye

The Atlas of Love Laurie Frankel

Last Christmas in Paris Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

Every Note Played Lisa Genova

An American Marriage Tayari Jones

The Queen of Hearts Kimmery Martin

Happy People Read and Drink Coffee Agnes Martin-Lugand

Still Me JoJo Moyes

Little Fires Everywhere Celeste Ng

This Must Be the Place Maggie O’Farrell

Where the Crawdads Sing Delia Owens

Dear Mrs. Bird AJ Pearce

A Spark of Light Jodi Picoult

The Optimist’s Guide to Letting Go Amy Reichert

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane Lisa See

Mr. Dickens and His Carol Samantha Silva

Sourdough Robin Sloan

By the Book Julia Sonneborn

The Good Thief Hannah Tinti

The Space Between Us Thrity Umrigar

The Book of Essie Meghan MacLean Weir

My Oxford Year Julia Whelan

Before We Were Yours Lisa Wingate

Something Like Happy Eva Woods

The Map of Salt and Stars Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry Gabrielle Zevin

MEMOIR

Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman’s Awakening Manal Al-Sharif

The Line Becomes a River Francisco Cantú

Between the Dark and the Daylight: Embracing the Contradictions of Life Joan Chittister

The Middle Place Kelly Corrigan

Tell Me More: Stories about the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say Kelly Corrigan

The Monk of Mokha Dave Eggers

 Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People Bob Goff

At Home in This Life: Finding Peace at the Crossroad of Unraveled Dreams and Beautiful Surprises Jerusalem Jackson Greer

Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight Out of this Wild and Glorious Life Jen Hatmaker

10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help that Actually Works-A True Story Dan Harris

Girl, Wash Your Face Rachel Hollis

Imperfect Courage: Live a Life of Purpose by Leaving Comfort and Going Scared Jessica Honegger

To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regrets Jedidiah Jenkins

The Joy of Doing Nothing Rachel Jonat

From Good to Grace: Letting Go of the Goodness Gospel Christine Hoover

Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry Katrina Kenison

 The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir Katrina Kenison

The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food and Love Kristin Kimball

A Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living Emily Ley

Daring to Hope: Finding God’s Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful Katie Davis Major

Falling Free: Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted Shannan Martin

Come & Eat: A Celebration of Love and Grace Around the Everyday Table Bri McKoy 

Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons Dr. Meg Meeker

Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion Sara Miles

The Soul of An Octopus Sy Montgomery

The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood Sy Montgomery

How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals Sy Montgomery

Becoming Michelle Obama

Beauty in the Broken Places: A Memoir of Love, Faith and Resilience Allison Pataki

Going Public: Your Child Can Thrive in Public School David and Kelli Pritchard

A Thousand Hills to Heaven: Love, Hope, and a Restaurant in Rwanda Josh Ruxin

Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith Barbara Brown Taylor

It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way Lysa TerKeurst

Educated: A Memoir Tara Westover

First, We Make the Beast Beautiful Sarah Wilson

NON-FICTION

Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior Jonah Berger

Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life Bill Burnett & Dave Evans 

Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions Valeria Luiselli

The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life Into a Work of Art Erwin Raphael McManus

YOUNG ADULT AND MIDDLE GRADE

Where the Watermelons Grow Cindy Baldwin

The Wild Robot Peter Brown

The Wild Robot Escapes Peter Brown     

The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming J. Anderson Coats

Finding Esme Suzanne Crowley

The Great Hibernation Tara Dairman 

The Lifters Dave Eggers

Fortunately, the Milk Neil Gaiman

Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel Kimberly Willis Holt

Bob Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead

The Flourishing of Floralie Laurel Fiadhnait Moser

The Book of Boy Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Eleanor & Park Rainbow Rowell

Front Desk Kelly Yang

POETRY

Devotions Mary Oliver

Audiobooks[1]

·      Mary Poppins

·      The Penderwicks in Spring

·      The Penderwicks at Last

·      Eugenia Lincoln and the Unexpected Package

·      The War That Saved My Life

·      The War I Finally Won

·      Who Was? Scientists and Inventors

 Family Read Alouds:

• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

• The Beauty and the Beast

• The Wind in the Willows

• The Hobbit: Illustrated Edition

• Good Night Tales: A Family Treasury of Read-Aloud Stories

• MacBeth for Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun Series)

• A Little Princess (Puffin in Bloom edition)

• Tales of Wonder: 8 Essential Fairy Tales

• Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia)

• A Christmas Carol

• A Year Full of Stories: 52 Classic Stories from All Around the World

• Bartholomew’s Passage: A Family Story for Advent 

[1] Note that the Audiobooks and Family Read Alouds are in the order that we read/listened to them. This doesn’t include the copious amount of picture books we read this year, please visit my the ‘Book Review’ section on this site or visit my IG @livingbythepagewithnatalie to see those titles and reviews.

How We Hike: Nature Journaling Resources and more

As you may have noticed, we are in full nature hike swing over here with the arrival of spring in Michigan after a long winter! Yes, we do hike in the winter but it's harder to include some of the other aspects of our hikes during that time, namely nature journaling. Pencils aren't easy to grip in gloves, wink. But fall, summer and spring are glorious seasons in this part of the country for nature study so the moment it's warm enough to sit and pull out of sketchpads on various trails and parks, we do!  Part of what has been fun this year for my 7 and 8 year old has been the addition of a field microscope.  I'm noticing that my two sons, while only 18 months apart, are quite different in the way they approach nature study.  My eldest is more xtroverted so when we are on hikes, with friends or just us, it's a bit harder for him to settle down and sketch in the moment. He will do so, but does get a bit more distracted and is often ready to move onto the next part of the hike a bit quicker or wander around with his magnifying glass and binoculars talking about what he is seeing.  But when we get home, he loves to pull out the microscope and observe all that is going on in his specimen! (The addition of little specimen jars has been a huge hit this spring as well!).  He is much more excited about pulling out his journal and sketching his specimen as seen under the microscope versus in the field! He's my 'non-fiction at heart' kid so I love seeing this side of him emerge.  My second, by contrast, is much more introverted by nature and has zero problem zoning out his surroundings on a hike and focusing in on a tree, flower, bark or insect....studying it carefully and sketching it! He loves to look at it later under a microscope as well but feels no need to sketch that!  All this to say is that nature journaling will look different with each child, for some, fieldwork is immediate, in the moment...and for others, more of the learning and processing may take place more in the quiet of the home.  Either way, Ive loved how nature journaling has allowed us to be more intentional of our surroundings and notice all the 'treasures' as my four year old puts it, around us.  Linking some of our favorites below and know that we didn't invest in all this overnight. I'd say it's a culmination of the last two years of birthday gifts, Christmas presents, end of year gifts, etc...we started small, just with binoculars and a magnifying glass and slowly added from there.  Feel free to comment and add in anything else that makes your hikes more enjoyable! 

Our favorite hiking/nature study resources:

Binoculars

We do have a pair of kids one from the $3 bin at Target for my 4 year old but once they are ages 5 and up, I invest in the real deal and these are a great pair for a fabulous price. they come with a neat case as well:

Magnifying Glasses

For under $10 you get a set of six and it's fun to have a few pairs at home and keep a few in a backpack or car! Each of mine have their own in their backpack.

Colored Pencils

We've used a few different brands and you could just share one set, but it's been easier for each of mine to have their own set/case. And a hard case is a must given how tossed about they get on the hikes, smile. I've noticed they've taken much more ownership and pride over them than when they just shared one! Some ones we've used have included Eboo and Colore (which I can't find that set anymore as it was a few yeasr ago but this Diamond Driven  set is very similar). 

Field Microscope

This is exactly what we have and such a good deal! It's $9.99 and literally around the same size as the binoculars.  Right now we've used it mainly at home but now that they are comfortable with it, I can't wait to take it out in the field!

Backpack

My dad gifted the boys these Gregory Miwok 12L backpacks (around $40 each) from Sierra Trading Post last year for their birthdays. But know that for a few years we just used their school backpacks or whatever had our hand. They got very excited last spring about carrying all their own gear so we wanted to take advantage of that especially as I had my hands full at that point with a 2.5 year old!

Regarding nature journals, the boys and I are using one from Simply Charlotte Mason this year but really, you can use whatever you think is best: blank, lined, one with prompts, without.  One year we did these blank ones and I loved them (and the price, wink).  My four year old is using one from the Target dollar bin this year, smile. 

In bloom

Ah, spring. There you are.  It's been a long time coming in Michigan this year but it never fails to amaze me to see the new life, the growth that has occurred even when the ground appeared void of life. And you can see that even the trees here aren't yet filled out as we are still in early spring.  The spring doesn't come in a blaze of glory as it did in GA where I grew up or in NC where we lived for five years. Instead it's a slow burn...signs of life appear once I slow down enough to open my eyes to them. Tiny buds on branches, the tips of crocuses peeking through the ground, all a reminder that the seeds have been busily working in the soil, receiving nourishment invisible to the human eye. And if I think about it, the winter personally for me was life-giving in its own unique way...the quietness of deep winter after the holidays gave our family space to breathe before the busyness of spring sports and activities, the warmth of the fireplace brought daily gratitude for the hearth, hosting a myriad of family and friends over the past few bitterly cold months brought a sense of coziness and joy into the home. The intensity of winter brought focus to my work, visions were seeded to several projects that I needed to start before spring began.  January brought us a new babysitter who at one point was a stranger, but through daily life and hospitality and many games of Ticket to Ride later, is now considered part of the family, attending my son's second grade play tonight on her own volition. So much growth in such a short time; winter is indeed magical. And now we herald a time of new beginnings.  In a college town, spring is synonymous with farewells and fresh starts: nests are built, and the hatchlings are pushed out. I witness my kids rushing to put on sandals, shoes, and shirts they haven't worn since the fall that now feel too snug, too tight.  Again, growth, some lessons painful, others fruitful. But all in all, now a chance to turn our faces to the sun and bloom. 

Lenten thoughts

Spring is hard-won here...we woke up to this winter wonderland this morning after having temps in the 50s/60s earlier this week.  Snow in March used to throw me into an emotional tailspin when we first moved to Michigan and while it’s still not my weather de jour, I know it’s not permanent.  Lately, it's serving as a reminder that spring doesn't come overnight....that true change takes time...you can almost sense the earth moving these days..birdsong in the trees, the sound of river-ice crackling and thawing, the delight of bearing witness to those first green shoots coming out...only to be buried again by a few inches of snow. A reminder that we are not in control...some days that looks like digging out the Hunter boots again, other days it's a treat to slide our feet into flats! Either way it's preparing my heart for Easter....for the hope and rest that comes with new life. And there is something about spring snow to me...I used to bemoan it and now I sense that it's perhaps the last snowfall of the season so the maximizer in me wants to treasure it...one more evening of night sledding with the kids, one more taste of snow ice cream with a drizzle of maple syrup, one more cozy snow day by the fire with a stack of books...seasonal living does come at a cost but it comes with some glad surprises too...

I heard birds singing as I took this picture-so different than just a month ago when there was only silence. So the earth waits, we wait. Lenten life reminds us that there is hope after the darkness; that new life will reveal itself when we thought all was lost. There are things I’m waiting for, for myself and others, and it’s easy to get antsy and skip over this part. To get right to the happy endings and warm days and fruit so ripe it hangs off the vine. But we can’t get there until we live through these late winter and early spring days, knowing that roots are being nourished under that snow and growth is taking place even when we can’t see it. Here’s to the waiting.