Red Land, Black Land by Barbara Mertz

I listened to this with Truman. I liked it.

Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase

Poor characterization, improbable plot, cheap tricks . . . and yet somehow engaging. So it is one of those that I am embarrassed that I kept reading.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante

meh

(So I loved the first two books and didn't like the second two.)

Narrative Space and Mythic Meaning by Elizabeth Malbon

This is a solid book.

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante

So I didn't love this as much as the first two, but I still raced through it and am eager to read the fourth.

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

I listened to this for Truman's book group. I really liked it.

The Man from St. Petersburg by Ken Follett

I'm embarrassed to admit that I enjoyed this.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

This was INSANE. I cannot for the life of me understand why this was so popular. This is the craziest thing I have ever heard.

The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante

Once again, I was entranced, perhaps even more than with the first book, although I'm not sure exactly why this book was so compelling.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

The crushing weight of all of the gushing reviews of this series finally got to me and so I decided to give it a try. And I was completely enthralled by this book, although I don't entirely understand why.

What Was Mine by Helen Klein Ross

The strength of this book was the portrait of how a seemingly-normal person could convince herself to kidnap a baby. The weakness was the ending (it just sort of ended without resolving much).

Review copy provided by publisher.

My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

I kept expecting this to do something that it just didn't do. There are some interesting strands here, but it doesn't hold together.

Review copy provided by publisher.

If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home by Lucy Worsley

This was really interesting.

Sistering by Jennifer Quist

This was quirky. I can't decide if I liked it. It was just . . . uneven. Some aspects were phenomenal but some plot points totally didn't work.

The Messiah of Peace by Thomas Boomershine

This was solid. Some great insights.

Dietland by Sarai Walker

Some great elements here, but it just didn't come together. Pity.

How God Became King by N. T. Wright

I like Wright, but this didn't do much for me.

Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt by Patrick Mason

This is a very good exploration of faith and doubt. I would almost say that it is geared more toward those in a position to help folks who are agonizing than geared toward the agonizers themselves. 

I do need to express one concern: the vision of the church expressed here is substantively different than that you hear from some church members and leaders. I do worry about the growing gap between the two. There's no doubt that I prefer Mason's vision, however.

Review copy provided by publisher.

This Is Your Life, Harriett Chance! by Jonathan Evison

This didn't do anything for me.

The Theological Intentions of Mark's Literary Devices by Dean B. Deppe

I loved this, because looking at the theological functions of literary devices is pretty much my favorite thing.

Mark 8-16 by Joel Marcus

This was probably my favorite of all of the commentaries because of his close attention to biblical allusions.

Binding the Strong Man by Ched Myers

You know, I think a Marxist reading of Mark works rather well.

Mark 9-16 by Robert H. Gundry

What I liked about this was how curmudgeonly it was: very rarely do commenters engage other scholars to disagree with them the way that Gundry does. I also appreciated his close attention to grammar and syntax.

Sowing the Gospel by Mary Ann Tolbert

Tolbert was on my thesis cmte., so I have fond feelings for her approach to Mark. This is a solid commentary.

Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett

I enjoyed this. Very suspenseful.