Best of 2023: BOOKS!!
Hey friends! Welcome to the first of our Best of 2023 series! For the next two weeks, we’ll be sharing our favorite books, kids resources, faith resources, and planning resources!
Today we’re sharing our favorite BOOKS read in 2023. Some of these might be older, some recently released, but every single one was read by either Stephanie or myself this year, and took a top spot on our favorites list! Stephanie and I have totally different reading styles, so hopefully between the two of us, you’ll find something you love!
Ready? Let’s dive in!
This was probably my favorite book of the year. I have long loved Elisabeth Elliot’s writing, so it was fascinating to me to learn about her life! She really became a little more “normal” to me, as I was introduced to more of her struggles and life experiences. Also – it made me want to write EVERYTHING down, because this book was pieced together through the help of her own journals! Amazing. This is actually only the first book, covering the first part of her life. The second one just came out and I can’t wait to read it. (You can also find it as a Book Club Pick for 2024!!)
I really loved Hello Stranger – a story about a portrait artist who has a brain aneurysm and is left unable to see faces. (Note: I did NOT know this was a real thing!! Again – so fascinating.) It included a storyline of a mom who died too early, so I really related to the character. I just loved this book, and then promptly re-read all of Katherine Center’s books again!
This was a new-to-me author, but I really enjoyed this story. (I did not enjoy the sequel as much, but this one was delightful!) A clean, sweet and FUNNY romance between a starlet who escapes to the rural town of Rome, Kentucky and falls in love with the local baker. Perfection.
Jon and I used to binge all the episodes of 18 (…19…20?!) Kids and Counting, so I really looked forward to this book from Jinger Duggar Vuolo. It was more than I even expected, in the best way. I loved how she described her journey of “disentangling” her faith – separating the truth from the lies she’d grown up believing. Instead of throwing out the entirety of Christianity, she kept coming back to Scripture, and what it actually said. She also didn’t throw her family under the bus in any way, and I appreciated the maturity and wisdom she brought to this book. It was an easy, fun, thoughtful read – I loved it.
This book came highly recommended from a few creatives that I follow, and it did NOT disappoint. I listened to this on audible (all 3 books for 1 credit!) while I walked around my neighborhood each morning. In a season where work felt heavy and creativity was lacking, this trilogy gave me some simple, common sense inspiration. It was exactly what I needed!
In this honest, yet encouraging look at church history, Dickson reminds us that the church is and always has been made up of flawed humans – some who have caused great damage, but many others who have called the church back to the heart of God.
The first in a series, this book tells the story of Parveen Mistry, the first female solicitor in India in the 1920’s. I was fascinated from the first page, and quickly realized that I knew zero things about India’s history and diverse religious and cultural make-up.
I consistently found myself moved and humbled by this meditation on the heart of Christ. I worked my way through slowly, recording my thoughts and reflections after each chapter. This is one I definitely plan to re-read!
Crouch’s books are always non-stop action thrillers. That’s not always my thing, but I loved the way he brought this story to a surprisingly redemptive, yet satisfying conclusion.
Andy Crouch (no relation to Blake!) has a way of making me see things in a different light. This meditation on what it means to be humans made in God’s image and the ways that technology hinders or helps us in that quest kept me thinking long after I had turned the last page.
What about you? Share YOUR favorite books in the comments below!
Kayse Pratt serves Christian women as a writer + designer, creating home + life management resources that help those women plan their days around what matters most. She’s created the most unique planner on the market, helped over 400 women create custom home management plans, and works with hundreds of women each month inside her membership, teaching them how to plan their days around what matters most. When she’s not designing printables or writing essays, you’ll find Kayse homeschooling her kids, reading a cheesy novel with a giant cup of tea in hand, or watching an old show from the 90’s with her husband, who is her very best friend.
In no particular order… Once Upon a Wardrobe, The Secret Book of Flora Lea, Lovely War, Secrets of a Charmed Life, The German Wife, Museum of Ordinary People, If Mama Ain’t Happy, The Late Mrs Willoughby, oh goodness! I really enjoyed a lot of the books I read.
What’s funny is one I really disliked is the book of the year. 🤷🏼♀️