January Reads
I’ll be honest, I almost decided not to continue this Monthly Book Review series that I (accidently) started in 2023. It takes time and brain power – both hard to come by these days – to photograph each book, reflect on each book enough to write an educated and coherent blurb, format a blog post, and link everything correctly. Yet here I am, currently trying to put words to how my first book of the year (Rembrandt is in the Wind) made me feel. I simply cannot help but review the books I read, and if I am reviewing them anyway (on Goodreads or simply in conversation,) I might as well record them all here as well!
After not reaching my 2025 reading challenge, I am scaling back for this new year. Not so much from a defeated place but more so a realistic one. This year my goal is 52 books – one book a week on average. I think this is a much healthier place for me to land. I truly enjoy reading and prioritize it in my weekly rhythms, but I never want it to feel like a chore. The Lord has been slowly helping me release priorities and expectations for my life so that I am able to better rest in Him and do the work that he has for me. If you are on Goodreads, please friend/ follow me – I pick so many of my next books by seeing what others are reading!
As far as formatting, planning, and photographing these monthly posts goes, I have made some personal decisions to cut down on the mental load. This may be completely irrelevant or unnoticed by you, but I like to over explain (just ask my husband!) This year I will be photographing all the photos and books in the same place – my bedroom dresser. It stays clean, looks pretty, and I’ll include my calendar girl with each month! I spend too much time wandering around my house figuring out where to take each months book photos and I am removing that decision from my life for 2026! I am also planning on starting this process the last couple days of the month instead of spending that time cramming in reading to have books done “in time” – they can always wait for the next month!
Unrelated, but also worth noting, I am going to try to not buy all the books this year. By that I mean I am going to 1) Read books I already own and 2) Borrow books from the library. I really love to buy books, and we even have a small book budget, but I am feeling convicted that our overall budget would benefit from a book spending freeze. This will be hard for me – I am already allowing for some exceptions of books I’ve preordered and people I want to support – but I know I need to do it. Be warned, this year will have much more library books featured in images. Vain me hates that – the books just look more lovely photographed without all the barcodes, packing tape, and Dewey Decimal Classification numbers – making this a lesson in both finances and vanity for me. I also am making a personal choice to get over my library boycott – I do have to drive farther to a library now, but at least I still have access to one!
Now that we have all our 2026 book related housekeeping out of the way, let’s dive into a new year of book reviews because I just cannot help myself 😉
Rembrandt is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith by Russ Ramsey
5 Stars: Goodness. Truth. Beauty. This book not only discusses these three attributes, it embodies them. I am in awe of how a book could teach me so much about art and yet also emotionally connect with my soul. I grew in my knowledge of art history AND my relationship with the Lord. This book is truly incredible. I read this as part of a book club and each one of us was surprisingly touched by this book. I love each chapter for different reasons, but there is something about Rembrandt’s that sticks with me. I have been inspired to hang up more estate sale art on my walls, booked a tour at the Denver Art Museum, ordered a picture study from A Humble Place for our homeschool, discovered the Lillias Trotter Legacy website and the Many Beautiful Things movie, and started writing a series of poems inspired by Rembrandt (although they are nowhere as good as his masterpieces!) Overall, this book was a perfect read for this season in my life and a wonderful way to start a new year of reading!
“By painting himself into the boat in The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt wants us to know that he believes his life will either be lost in a sea of chaos or preserved by the Son of God. Those are his only two options. And by peering through the storm and out of the frame to us, he asks if we are not in the same boat.” p.74
“The disciple’s question reverberates down through the ages – does God care about our perishing? Jesus came treading on our roughest seas, speaking peace into the gale. And he will do it again. His triumph over the grave calls those who are perishing to be born again into a new and living hope. The peace he has brought by his resurrection is neither myth nor fantasy. It is an inheritance that will never perish, kept for those who believe, world without end. His is a Kingdom that will live. But it is the only one of its kind. If The Storm on the Sea of Galilee still exists, Rembrandt, in all his glory, is tucked away in some closet, attic, or vault, hidden from the world. He is still clutching that rope, still trying to keep his hat from flying off his head. And he is looking out into our world for anyone who will make eye contact.” p.85
The Story of Katie Luther by Gretchen Ronnevik
5 Stars: I read the Story of Martin Luther last March and just got around to reading about his wife. While many know at least a little bit about Martin Luther, fewer know the story of his wife and marriage. As one of the first runaway nuns that Martin Luther helped escape the convent, Katie has an incredible story of God’s protection and faithfulness. I enjoyed learning more about this woman of faith and was challenged by her steadfastness even in unimaginable circumstances and difficulties. Lately I have been encouraged by the stories of everyday saints throughout time. While I am miles and generations removed from Katie Luther, I can relate to her in many ways (specifically being a mother and a wife.) I personally was moved by one of the letters that Martin wrote to Katie just before he died where he said, “Pray, and let God worry. You have certainly not been commanded to worry about me or yourself. Cast you burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.” p.107 The Lord used these words to comfort Katie as she walked through grief and difficulty after her husbands death and it is still incredibly relevant now. This is a middle-grade biography and makes a great read aloud – there is something for everyone to learn! I also appreciated the illustrations, timeline, and discussion questions.
Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child’s Moral Imagination by Vigen Guroian
5 Stars: I started reading this, loved it, and kept it on my “currently reading” list for months. It isn’t because it is boorish or boggy (it is simply neither) but because it is heady and imaginative in the best ways and my heart and brain got all tangled up with it. If you haven’t yet read one of the books Guroian references, you are inspired – driven even – to put a bookmark in this one and go directly to read that very story. So many of his references and examples are beautiful and so much more meaningful when you know the literary friends he is referencing. I can honestly say I love Lucy (The Chronicles of Narnia) and Irene (The Princess and the Goblin) even more than I did before and, believe me, I loved them! This book makes you realize the joy and importance of good – truly good – books and how the lack of quality literature in the lives of our youth has detrimental ramifications on their overall wellbeing and our society. Written in the 90’s, this warning and plea still remains true to this day. Good books inspire and teach faith, courage, love, friendship, evil, redemption, immortality, and more. Read the classics (they are classic for a reason), discuss them, enjoy them, befriend them, and share them!
Phantastes by George MacDonald
5 Stars: I am giving this book five stars because during the time I was reading it (and still for weeks afterwards), I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Although, I feel like I have to point out, I had no idea what was going on in some parts of the story. It is very strange and much more abstract and perplexing than The Princess and the Goblin & The Princess and Curdie – both of which I absolutely adored. At the beginning we meet Anodos and he is then sent to and through Fairyland where he encounters countless adventures, learns many lessons, forges new paths, makes several big mistakes, but comes out on the other end (which at that point I did have tears in my eyes.) It is a linear storyline with many side characters and quests such that I did get lost sometimes, but always found myself again as I continued on. I, like Anodos, never knew what would happen next, yet I longed for hopeful, helpful, growth and redemption. I got what I wanted and Anodos got what he needed!
Two things I wanted to point out – 1. I was reading Proverbs while reading this book and couldn’t help but see Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly archetypes in this story. 2. About halfway in, I googled “Anodos” just so I could pronounce the main character’s name correctly and I learned it is Greek for “ascent” or “way up” which changed how I read the rest of the book!
“Though of a noble family, he was poor, and prided himself upon the independence that poverty gives; for what will not a man pride himself upon, when he cannot get rid of it?” p. 92
“Yet I know that good is coming to me – that good is always coming; though few have at all times the simplicity and the courage to believe it.” p.198
Anne Bradstreet: Passionate Femininity by Douglas Wilson
5 Stars: I have recently discovered Anne Bradstreet’s poetry and as a wife, mother, and Christ follower, her poetry has deeply touched me. When I went to learn more about her, I was a bit unsettled by how the Poetry Foundation (the top link for learning more about poets) described her and her poetry. Since she was the first published poet in America (not just published woman, but published in general), feminists were eager to claim her as their own. They try to say she was a rebel who was made small by her religion and her life as a Puritan. Without understanding true Christianity (therefore the freedom Anne had in Christ), you have to force her achievements into a box that can fit your narrative. But if you read her poetry you see authentic love for her Lord, her husband, her children, her country. It was a Biblical view of Femininity and Womanhood that gave her a voice – her father educated her, her husband encouraged her and relied on her, her brother-in-law took her poems to England to have them published – all because they so valued the gifts God gave her. This book was a great encouragement to me and I loved learning more about this women who loved the Lord and glorified him with all her gifts and talents. Next time someone asks me the five people from history I am inviting to a dinner party, Anne will be one!
Without meaning to, I themed my January books – all either written by or about great men and women of faith! Ironically, not one novel in the pack but all five star reads! 10/10 recommend each one of these – what a great way to start the new year!
Book Tracker: 6/52 books read in 2026. If you don’t already, follow or friend me on Goodreads where you will see what I am reading, what I want to read, my favorite books, and every review I write! I also share all the books that I have rated 4 or 5 stars on my Amazon storefront AND here is my Monthly Book Review archives where I have monthly chronicled my reading list since 2023! Always feel free to share recommendations with me in the comments too – I am a big fan of word of mouth!