Stephenson Family Ties

Reading is a staple of life,

like bread and water.

Or chocolate.

-Rhett MacPheron

Picking a favorite book from all that I have read this year has proved quite difficult. As you will quickly notice..This was the year of Non Fiction for me.  And for the more astute, you may notice that Im a tree hugging, adventure seeking, peace seeking soul.
But...if I use the same criteria for picking my favorite books that I used in selecting movies, then a couple of books rise to the top.
Which book(s) do I think about the most after having read them?
The answer is... THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES by Peter Wohlleben
This book has literally changed the way I see the world and the trees and forests in it.
I say- God is masterful!!
(God is never mentioned in this book...if I recall correctly..but He is there nevertheless!!)
I thank Peter  for opening my eyes even wider to the wonders of this world.  Anyone who loves the outdoors should read this book.  The trees in your back yard and on city streets or in parks or forests will never look the same!! Love, love LOVE this book!!

This second book was oh so difficult to put into second place.
TO SHAKE THE SLEEPING SELF by Jedidiah Jenkins
This is another book (like the one afore mentioned) that when you finish reading it...you pick it up and hold it to your heart and utter a prayer of thanksgiving for a fellow human that was so good and talented to write such a book.
Oh how I wished I could have done what he has done...ride a bike, from Cally to Patagonia. If I have a regret in life...its that I didnt go for more adventures or take more risks.  Jedidiah is a young man who learned to speak his truths out-loud, and to embrace the world, and even go it alone or with fellow humans was a true inspiration for me!! He writes like a dream and is a very deep thinker! I cant remember ever wanting to actually be someone else before...but I felt this a LOT when I read this book. He has no fear, no judgments, he loves his fellow man and is truthful in his  search for himself and for God...its all so inspiring!!

Lastly...I cant leave this list without adding two more books.
PILGRAM AT TINKER CREEK by Anne Dillard

Ive been enjoying small quotes from Anne Dillard from her book for years. But now that I've read the book from cover to cover I have a whole new appreciation for this woman and her love of the natural world. This is another fascinating book along the same vein as The Hidden Life of Trees, but I found it even more calming and restful in how she describes what she sees and does outside in her "backyard". Bugs and birds and streams and trees and worms will never be the same in my eyes. Every chapter is a science course in plants, and animals and entomology and weather and anatomy and human psychology ....all so easily learned at her feet. I found  it  a form of meditation reading/listening to her. This woman can write! She can see...really see! Anne can explain what she sees with great passion and with a deep love for this natural world. Here is another book that will change how you see this magnificent, intricate world in which we live and spin around on. We must open our eyes!!

And lastly...my very honorable mention...THE UNTETHERED SOUL by Michael A Singer
A beautiful book...about overcoming the ego, and learning to love and let go. Amen

And my favorite work of Fiction this year- ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr
Oh look!! It won the Pulitzer Prize!  What a brilliant story of a blind girl during WWII. Be intrigued!!