Happy 2016! Are you a reader? Whether you love to read or only read one book per year, I'm pulling out some favorites to recommend. These aren't necessarily recently published, but they're good.

Non-Fiction

When People Are Big and God is Small - I know I have recommended this one before, but it bears repeating. If you struggle with remembering that your worth and validation comes from Christ alone, When People Are Big and God is Small is a breath of life you need to read. It's an annual book for me.

The Prodigal God - We're all familiar with the story of the prodigal son, but the question is, are you the younger brother or the older brother?

Unoffendable - Brant Hansen has written a book that turns all my anger on its ear. And just when I thought I'm not easily offended, I get cut off at an intersection and realize there's a lot more under the surface than I knew. But what if we live a life free of offense? How does that change us?

Come Back, Barbara - When I signed to publish my book with New Growth Press, I did not know what a gift of an editor I would receive. Barbara's story is written here, by both herself and her father. It's the true story of how far and fast she ran away from her faith and family, and how God changed them all in the process.

The Other Side of the Dale - The first of a series of well-written memoirs by a school inspector in England in the 1980's. Charming, funny, and addicting!

Fiction For Moms and Older Kids

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Want a fun mystery serious to binge on? Start with this one and read the whole Flavia deLuce series. Flavia is an 11-year-old girl who dabbles in chemistry and solving murders, but as you keep moving along, you'll find she's much, much more.

Tristan's Gap - A perfect Christian family, a run-away teen daughter, a mom who pursues her fearlessly. Nancy Rue's writing is solid and interesting and non-cheesy, to boot, which I find rare in Christian fiction.

Biographies

The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen - I'm a huge Jacques Pepin fan, and his biography made me like him even more. Humble in light of the fact that he has cooked for some of the world's most famous men and women and interesting, particularly if you love all things culinary.

Same Kind of Different As Me - An art dealer and a homeless man, this is the true story of how God brought them together and used them in beautiful ways.

Cooking

The Best Make-Ahead Recipe - I rely on it. See the next books.

Slow Cooker Revolution, Volumes I and II - I rely on them. See the above book.

For Kids

The Day the Crayons Came Home - Second in a series, this one is just as funny as the first. The crayons are ready to come home, but some of them have a bone to pick with their owner. We laughed out loud!

The Elephant and Piggie Readers - Why didn't we have readers like these? I would have been very, very motivated to learn. Also laugh-out-loud funny.

Gus and Me - Never in my life did I think I'd enjoy a children's book written by The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, but I loved this heart-warming story of how his grandfather Gus used to walk the streets of London with Keith and teach him to play the guitar.

Wonder - Have you read Wonder yet? My teen girls and I listened to it together and all four of us loved it. A boy born with a facial defect and the world's response. It's a lovely story told from his perspective and it made us all think about how we choose to respond to those who are different than us.

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