books: 2008

1. The Girl with the Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier
2. Falling Angels, ibid
3. Chronically Happy: Joyful Living in Spite of Chronic Illness, Lori Hartwell
4. Please Understand Me: Character & Temperament Types, David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates
5. Katherine, Anya Seton
6. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Anne Lamott
7. Victorian London: The Life of a City, 1840-1870, Liza Picard
   
8. Elizabeth's London: Everyday life in Elizabethan London, ibid.
   
9. Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey, Allison Weir
10. The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece, Jonathan Harr
    
11. Thunderstruck, Erik Larson
12. Isaac's Storm: A Man, A Time, and the Deadliest Storm in History, ibid
13. The Warrior Queens, Antonia Fraser
14. Mary, Queen of Scots, ibid
    
15. Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King, ibid
16. Journey From the Land of No, Roya Hakakian
17. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Rebecca Wells
    
18. Little Altars Everywhere, ibid
    
19. Leaving a Trace: On Keeping a Journal, Alexandria Johnson
20. The Hidden Writer: Diaries and the Creative Life, ibid
21. Wisdom of the Celtic Saints, Edward Sellner
22. Open the Door: A Journey to the True Self, Joyce Rupp
23. Praying by Hand: Rediscovering the Rosary as a Way of Prayer, Basil Pennington, O.C.S.O.
24. The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society, Henri J.M. Nouwen
25. Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life, Nouwen, et al
26. Called to Question: A Spiritual Memoir, Joan Chittister
27. The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully, ibid
28. There is a Season, ibid
29. The Story of Ruth: Twelve Moments in Every Woman's Life, ibid
30. The Dark Night of the Soul: A Psychiatrist Explores the Connection Between Darkness and Inner Growth, Gerald May, M.D.
31. Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal, Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.
32. How Much is Enough? Hungering for God in an Affluent Culture, Arthur Simon
33. The Challenge and Spirituality of Catholic Social Teaching, Marvin L. Krier Mich
34. Cloud of Witnesses, Jim Wallis and Joyce Hollyday
35. Joan: The Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint, Donald Spoto.
36. The Bible: A Biography, Karen Armstrong
37. How Firm a Foundation: Leaders of the Liturgical Movement, Robert L. Tuzik, ed.
38. Prayers of the Women Mystics, Rhonda De Sola
39. Woman, Why Do You Weep? Spirituality for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Sandra M. Flaherty
40. Touching the Holy: Ordinariness, Self-Esteem, and Friendship, Robert J. Wicks
41. Thirsty for God: A Brief History of Christian Spirituality, Bradley P. Holt
42. Pilgrim's Almanac: Reflections for Every Day, Edward Hays
43. In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
44. Hitler's Willing Executioner's: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust, Daniel Jonah Goldhagen
45. Wait 'Til Next Year, Doris Kearns Goodwin
46. Light a Penny Candle, Maeve Binchy
47. Tara Road, ibid
48. Quentin's, ibid
49. Scarlet Feather, ibid
50. Silver Wedding, ibid
51. Evening Class, ibid
52. The Glass Lake, ibid
53. Firefly Summer, ibid
54. Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague, Geraldine Brooks
55. People of the Book: A Novel, ibid
    
56. The Chronic Illness Experience: Embracing the Imperfect Life, Cheri Register
57. Dim Sum, Bagels, and Grits: A Multicultural Adoption, Myra Alperson
58. Lincoln: A Novel, Gore Vidal
59. Attaching in Adoption: Practical Tools for Today's Parents, Deborah D. Gray
60. Life's Companion: Journal Writing as a Spiritual Quest, Christina Baldwin
61. Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language From the South of France, Kristin Espinasse
62. Coastliners: A Novel, Joanne Harris
63. Five Quarters of the Orange, ibid
64. Chocolat, ibid
65. A Vision of Light: A Margaret of Ashbury Novel, Judith Merkle Riley
66. In Pursuit of the Green Lion: A Margaret of Ashbury Novel, ibid
67. The Water Devil: A Margaret of Ashbury Novel, ibid
68. The Birth of Venus: A Novel, Sarah Dinanat
69. Murder in the Rue De Paradis, Cara Black
70. Murder in Belleville, ibid
71. Murder in the Marais, ibid
72. Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis, ibid
73. Murder in Clichy, ibid
74. Murder in Montmartre, ibid
75. Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl, Debra Oliver
76. Hardball: How Politics is Played by One Who Knows the Game, Christopher Matthews
77. Lean Forward Into Your Life, Mary Anne Rademacher
78. The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova
79. Good Living With Fibromyalgia, Arthritis Foundation

All while typing this list I kept thinking of two of my favorite readers: Emilie, and my mom. "Oh, I've got to tell Emilie about this one," I'd think, only to remember...I've had more time to get used to my mom's death, but I still can't help wanting to call her on the phone to tell her every time I discover an especially intriguing, complex, mystery story.

But still. Today, this is how I honor them, and the legacy they've left me, a legacy filled with love and appreciation for the power and mystery of language. And I'm grateful, too, for the many friends with whom I still share a mutual love of books, of delight in a cleverly turned phrase, in that magical feeling of discovering something new and traveling on a magic carpet--all thanks to our common love of the written (and spoken!) word.

And mom, it's taken me many years, but I finally--well, mostly--forgive you for all those horrible puns.

(For an example of another friend who loves words, too, check out Liz's beautifully written recent post.)