10 books I loved in 2023:
NON-FICTION
Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Lisa D’Amour
I’ve referred to this book again and again to remember that teens who can express & acknowledge emotion of all sorts are healthy, even if they’re feeling sad or stressed out. {More…}
The Spiritual Child and The Awakened Brain by Lisa Miller
Dr. Lisa Miller shares research that suggests spirituality protects against depression, anxiety, & substance abuse at far higher rates than any other medication or intervention. {More…}
Never Enough by Jennifer Breheny Wallace
A book not just for me as a parent, but also as a human who is unlearning all the lies I’ve believed about what makes us valuable. {More…}
Life Worth Living by Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun, & Ryan McAnnally-Linz
A book about life’s big questions, how to pursue answers to them, and how to learn to disagree with respect, friendship, & kindness in the midst of those questions. {Podcast episode}
The Revolt against Humanity by Adam Kirsch
A VERY short but meaty primer that explains trans-humanism & anti-humanism and what they have in common & why we need humanism in order to flourish.
BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
King: A Life
Jonathan Eig’s masterful storytelling helps us wrestle with the complexities of King’s moral compromises & failures alongside his commitment to the gospel & to justice & his depth of conviction that goodness can win out. {More…}
Necessary Trouble by Drew Gilpin Faust
This memoir of Faust’s childhood and early adulthood weaves together the history of the Civil Rights Movement & her own participation as a young white liberal southerner longing for the Beloved community to come into being.
How Far to the Promised Land
Esau McCaulley’s beautiful memoir about the hurt & hope of being Black in America was a book I couldn’t put down. {Podcast episode}
NOVEL
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
This novel is full of McBride’s characteristically quirky, fascinating, compelling prose. Dodo in particular represents all the people who are marginalized & vulnerable as a result of the power structures of this nation, and who can nevertheless forge friendships, community, & networks of courageous care that can bring light out of darkness. {More…}
More with Amy Julia:
Favorites and AJB Recommends
Favorite Books I Read in 2022
Favorite Books for Kids and Adults That We Read in 2021
9 Non-Fiction Books I Loved in 2021
Subscribe to my newsletter to receive regular updates and news. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube, and you can subscribe to my Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
