2022: Books I’ve read

Lots of people have New Year's goals. My goal for this 2022 was to read 20 “fun” books (any not required for my job!). Feel free to peruse the list below of books that I read this year, with my mini-reviews. I hope you find some that you have enjoyed or are curious about reading yourself!

Books I Read Before my Baby was Born

1. Thinking, Fast and Slow (D. Kahneman). Finished 1/8/22. Daniel won the 2002 Nobel prize in economics and waxes autobiographical in this explanation of his research career. The central idea is that our two “selves” (automatic, stereotyping System 1 and fatigable, more logical System 2) interact to guide our reactions to and conceptions of the world. System 1 dominates most of the time, but System 2 can be trained to work more consistently to allow true critical thinking.

2. Babywise (R. Bucknam and G. Ezzo). Finished 1/9/22, probably reading a second time this year. The parent-directed feeding approach described is a middle ground between on-demand and scheduled infant feeding. Retrospective studies referenced indicate equal or better weight gain outcomes and nighttime sleep of at least 7 hours by 6-8 weeks of age. Some typos near the end but otherwise an easy, informational read.

3. I Love Jesus, but I Want to Die (S. Robinson). Finished 1/11/22, worth a second read and a spot in my office. Sarah deals with chronic and recurrent depression and anxiety, and offers this book as a "walk alongside" people, especially fellow Christians, who may feel guilt and shame that faith alone does not heal them. Chapters are autobiographical, with comprehensive resource recommendations throughout as well as in an appendix.

4. Mother and Baby Care in Pictures (L. Zabriskie, 1941). Finished 1/12/22, a fun picture-based book. My mother gifted me this book last year after receiving it from her mother-in-law. It’s interesting to see how recommendations and customs for prenatal care through toilet training have changed over the years.

5. What Does This Mean: Principles of Biblical Interpretation in the Post-Modern World (J. W. Voelz). Finished 2/2/22, a decent reference text but not one for a second round of pleasure reading! My husband and I are attending an apologetics class at our church, and this Lutheran (Missouri Synod) text describes how sound interpretation, the foundation of sound doctrine that can be defended, has been done, spanning the postmodern era but incorporating older sources as well.

6. Mama Bear Apologetics (edited by H. M. Ferrer). Finished 2/7/22, a great introduction to worldview apologetics for the Christian, focused on mothers/mother figures. I will read this again in the future as needed. Worldviews include rationalism, progressive Christianity, feminism, and Marxism. The text acknowledges the strengths of each worldview while walking the reader through the “chew and spit” discernment process.

7. The Peter Principle (L. J. Peter & R. Hull). Finished 2/11/22, a satirical inspection of promotion-to-incompetence, the effects thereof, and strategies to avoid this otherwise inescapable phenomenon. My husband and I have had supervisors of varying competence through our careers so far, and my decision to read this book was inspired by one in particular.

What Books I Read in the Newborn Stage

8. Grasping God's Word (J. S. Duvall & J. D. Hays). Finished 3/9/22 after my baby was born. This unexpected good find of a college-level textbook was accessible at a trained lay level as an introduction to exegesis of the Scriptures. I intend to reference it, share it, and use it in education and study.

9. Someone to Walk With: a Woman's Guide to Christian Mentoring (D. Paape). Finished 3/17/22, a practical guide to mentoring intergenerationally within a Christian institutional context. Using many biblical narratives including John’s account of the Samaritan woman at the well, Darcy brings the reader along in conversation about aspects of mentor relationships.

10. Single Case Experimental Designs: Strategies for Studying Behavior Change (D. H. Barlow, M. K. Nock, M. Hersen). Finished 3/26/22, an older edition of a classic textbook on experimental methods using one case at a time as opposed to groups in a randomized controlled trial design. This text expands on the basics that I already knew from teaching evidence-based practice courses and taking PhD-level statistics.

11. Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew about the Bible (M. F. Bird). Finished 3/30/22, a surprisingly dense and engaging read by comedic theologian, priest, and seminary professor. Because I enjoy providing theological content, here is the summary (cited from the back cover and appendix)!

• How the Bible was put together
• What "inspiration" means
• How the Bible is true
• Why the Bible needs to be rooted in history
• Why literal interpretation is not always the best interpretation
• How the Bible gives us knowledge, faith, love, and hope
• How Jesus Christ is the center of the Bible

Appendix of key Old Testament scriptures with which to preach the Gospel:

• Psalm 118:22-26
• Leviticus 19:18
• Psalm 110:1, 4
• Daniel 7:13
• Psalm 2:7

What Books I Read Returning to Work

12. Teach Students How to Learn (S. Y. McGuire). Finished 4/3/22, a simple yet effectively profound take on learning strategies for the college and graduate classroom. McGuire combines metacognition, motivation, and Bloom’s taxonomy in a way that can be presented in a single classroom lecture and, once applied, can increase test grades by 1-2 letter grades.

13. Scripture and the Authority of God: How to Read the Bible Today (N. T. Wright). Finished 4/6/22, a lay-level exploration of one aspect of Wright's theology that is explored at a higher level in his ongoing 5-volume project. I find it easier to understand Wright when I listen to him rather than read his work, which is apparently typical for many would-be readers.

14. Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What we can Do (C. M. Steele). Finished 4/14/22, a popular-level summary of the results and implications of Dr. Steele's research career related to why minority groups underperform in academia and other societal endeavors. Stereotype threat is a major factor impacting physiology and cognition, effectively making any person in a stereotyped group dual-task unless the threat is reduced by (1) emphasis on learning, (2) mentorship style communicating confident high standards and belief in one's ability to meet them, and (3) information emphasizing the aspects of a challenging experience that are common to all regardless of group status.

15. Diffusion of Innovations (5th ed.) (E. M. Rogers). Finished 4/14/22 (sort of), Rogers' classic text provides detailed examples and explanation of the concept of an innovation adoption curve. The total number of adopters of an innovation, over time, forms a slanted S shape, and the breakdown of how many adopters are in each category (early, middle, late, nonadopters) forms a skewed bell curve. I read this because a PhD colleague focused her dissertation on innovation in nursing.

16. To Be a Christian: an Anglican Catechism (ACNA, 2020). Finished 4/21/22, this official catechism of the Anglican Church in North America is a document both of us are reading as we investigate the teachings of this denomination

17. Family Cycles (W. L. Carter). Finished 5/2/22, this popular-level text by a marriage and family therapist discusses reasons and practical solutions for generational problems in communication among family members, specifically parents and children.

18. The Heritage of Anglican Theology (J. I. Packer). Finished 5/15/22, this posthumously published historical survey traces the history of Anglicanism in an easy-to-understand way. My husband will be reading this book once he finishes the 4 or 5 he's working through, as we learn more about the ACNA.

19. Anglicanism: a Reformed Catholic Tradition (G. Bray). Finished 5/30/22, this short explanation of the Anglican statement of faith (the 39 Articles) traces the rationale for each article through the history of the Anglican Church.

20. The Empowered Wife: Six Surprising Secrets for Attracting your Husband's Time, Attention, and Affection (L. Doyle). Finished 6/4/22 (goal MET for this year!), this self-help book on relationships is surprisingly helpful and reasonably evidence-based, aimed at wives. Mrs. Midwest recommended the book on her blog. The "secrets" are to

• focus on self-care (what makes you, the wife, happy in the moment)
• restore or increased verbalized respect for your husband (even if you disagree!) and his autonomy
• give up controlling your husband (again, because he is his own person)
• receive gifts - simply say "Thank you!" and leave it at that
• learn vulnerability with your husband
• refocus on expressing gratitude for the little and big things. GOAL MET!

What Books I Read Beyond my Goal

21. M is for Mama: A Rebellion against Mediocre Motherhood (A. Halberstadt). Finished 7/8/22, this long-in-the-making book gives practical, Christ- and Scripture-centered advice for navigating motherhood centered on faith and the fruits of the Spirit. Abbie also has a website with more frequently updated content.

22. Hermeneutics: An Introduction (A. Thiselton). Finished 7/23/22, this introductory textbook traces the history of the discipline of how to study the Scriptures, based on philosophical and linguistic traditions. Admittedly, I did not retain much of what I read (because I wasn't taking notes or slowing down enough!). However, Thiselton is one of the bigger names in the discipline, so is worth becoming familiar with.

23. The Anglican Way (T. McKenzie). Finished 8/1/22, this easy read outlines the essentials of the historic Anglican tradition and its closest adherents today, members of the Anglican Church in North America. 

24. The Well-Trained Mind (J. Wise and S. Wise Bauer). Finished 8/21/22, this updated resource (1982 then 1999) provides a thorough explanation and outline for completing up to 12 years of a classical education curriculum at home. As someone who was homeschooled through high school, I found the text balanced, albeit dated with some information toward the end on college admissions and internet-based resources.

25. Breaking the Social Media Prism (C. Bail). Finished 8/27/22, this book summarizes several social science studies that the author designed for social media users. Surprising (and debatable, according to my husband) findings include the need for real-life or anonymous online conversations to help people understand others' political views and moderate their own.

26. When Strivings Cease (R. Simons). Finished 9/17/22, this Reformed perspective on the individual understanding of the grace of God and its outworking on the Christian mind and life was an artistic read. Ruth is mother to 6 boys, with a Chinese-American background, both of which inform how she discusses grace.

27. The Lost World of Genesis One (J. Walton). Finished 9/17/22, this short read lays out Walton's cosmic-temple interpretation of Genesis 1 incorporating historical context of the ancient Near East, a knowledge of Hebrew lexicons, and a high view of God and Scripture. I had not heard of this perspective until less than a year ago.

28. Systematic Theology (A. Thiselton). Finished 9/24/22, this concise introduction to systematics from an Anglican perspective with 15 equal-length chapters. It is meant to spur curiosity and help the student/reader see the broad range of historical perspectives on important theological topics, while being short enough to complete in one semester.

29. Won by Love (N. McCorvey). Finished 9/27/22, this quick autobiographical read is by "Jane Roe" of Roe v. Wade. It tells how she was involved in the abortion industry almost by accident, then was brought kicking and screaming to Jesus Christ and started her own pro-life ministry.

30. Teaching What You Don’t Know (T. Huston). Finished 9/30/22, this was recommended to me by a slightly newer colleague. As someone with less than 2 years of full time teaching experience in an academic setting, I greatly appreciated Therese’s practical strategies and reassurance. 

31. The Mother’s Almanac (M. Kelly & E. Parsons). Finished 10/31/22, this sassy 1970s book gives age-appropriate, from-scratch ideas for thriving in and enjoying the child-rearing years. 

32. Nervous Energy (C. Carmichael). Finished 11/2/22, this self-help book is unfortunately based more on an explicitly Eastern mindset than I would like, but the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy tools described for harnessing anxiety are supported by adequate research evidence. I am already incorporating the techniques with my students. 

33. Intimate Allies (D. Allender & T. Longman). Finished 11/4/22, this mix of psychology and theological commentary explains five core issues/questions for married couples in light of Genesis 1-3 and other key passages. 

34. Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, 2nd Ed (S. McCutcheon). Finished 11/13/22, this classic explanation of the Bradley Method of unmedicated childbirth has additional references to and interpretation of clinical trials, evidence syntheses, and a layman’s distinction between the layers and types of evidence-based practice. 

35. The Trivium (M. Joseph). Finished 11/22/22, this classic by Sister Miriam Joseph uses a Thomist approach to describe and give examples of the components of the three parts of classical-education liberal arts: logic, grammar, and rhetoric. 

36. The Coddling of the American Mind (G. Lukianoff & J. Haidt). Finished 11/30/22, this book-club book documents causes, effects, and possible solutions for the culture of safetyism most commonly seen in Generation Z.

37. Reading Romans Backwards (S. McKnight). Finished 12/12/22, this book that engages with scholarship without actually quoting any (by the author's own description) communicates a rationale and method for reading the early chapters of Romans in light of the later chapters. I plan to read it again when I come to Romans in my daily Bible reading.

38. Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (C. Trueman). Finished 12/21/22, this book traces the historical development of the modern concept of therapeutic/psychological/sexually politicized selfhood, its natural expression in the transgender and LGBTQ+ movements, and implications for Christians. It has a shorter summary in the book Strange New World, also by Trueman.

39. Irreversible Damage (A. Shrier). Finished 12/25/22, this highly contested book describes the author's exploration of the separate but related phenomena of transgenderism related to (1) lifelong gender dysphoria and (2) adolescent-onset (and usually temporary) dysphoria precipitated by prolonged social media use and peer group exposure to influencing ideas.

40. Little Women (L. M. Alcott). Finished 12/23/22 on the nth re-read, this classic 1800s fiction novel (in two parts!) has been a long-time favorite of mine. I wrote a separate post (12/24/22) about reflections on books 38-40 on this list.

What books did you read and enjoy this year? Feel free to share below in the comments!