My Top 12 Books from this year

I had a fairly successful year of book reading.  I aspire to read more of course, and find it is mainly a matter of cutting back on other sources of entertainment (i.e. Facebook and movies).  I've recently read a few articles of various people reading a book a week.  I was about 1 book every other week.  Lets see how this next year goes.

I picked my top 12 books from this year to share (#1 being my favorite):

12.  Kim- Rudyard Kipling.  I don't get to classics often, so it was good to get one on the list.  I enjoyed it because it fit in with my goal to read books about this region.

11.  Cross Cultural Servanthood/Cross Cultural Connection- Duane Elmer.  Two books, but of the same genre.  insights in living and serving in another culture.  Helped me in this very transition this year.

10.  Introducing Medical Anthropology- Merrill Singer. A basic intro to this science.  I have a very strong interest in the weaving of cultural values/beliefs and medical practices/beliefs.  People view medical issues differently here.  I want to know how to understand this!

9.  An Artist of the Floating World- Kazuo Ishiguro.  A random read as the book was left at my house by a friend.  A story of a Japanese artist during the reconstruction era after WWII.  I feel like the book gave me insight into my dad.

8.  A Thousand Splendid Suns- Khalid Hosseini.  Lets be honest, this guy knows how to write captivating novels.  I just feel so bad for the plight of women, knowing too that it really is a reality.

7.  Respectable Sins- Jerry Bridges.  I always like Jerry's practical theology.  This book was convicting and enlighting to sins that I know I brush off as no big deal.  I begin pondering how different cultures may have their own sets of respectable sins.

6.  Revelations of a Single Woman- Connally Gilliam.  Quite entertaining, but also, I feel, really hits the mark on describing the single life.  While I am no longer single, I can appreciate what she talks about.   I desire to stay connected to that time period in my life and be a friend to the singles around me.

5.  Urdu: An Essential Grammar- Ruth Schmidt.  This may have been the most enlightening about myself.  I found studying this grammar book fascinating.  Sadly I am learning my first language in my mid-30's.  Never did I know how much I would enjoy it!

4.  Freedom at Midnight- Larry Collins.  History of the partition between India and Pakistan at the time that they gained their independence from Britain.  Many interesting characters involved in this true story.

3.  Urdu Bible.  To read the Bible in a new language with a new script is seeing things in a new way.  I can't wait to go deeper.

2.  The Memory Keeper's Daughter- Kim Edwards.  The tale of a man who makes a huge decision that effects the remainder of his life as well as many around him.  Amazing job at character development and the impact of a split second decision.  The book was profound for me.

1.  The Great Game- Peter Hopkirk.  The history of the fight for Central Asia between Britain and Russia in the 19th century.  It was a huge scope of history and seemed like it gave so much understanding even into events of today.