2023 — Best of Rereading

How long's it been since you reread these? Pardner, that's too long.

My top picks from last year. In no particular order.

A Song for Nagasaki

by Paul Glynn

The biography of Takashi Nagai, a young Catholic Japanese doctor who lived through the bombing of Nagasaki and became an inspiration for spiritual healing for his people. Paul Glynn combines vivid descriptions, character insights, and just enough Japanese history so that we have context. 
(My review here.)

War for the Oaks

by Emma Bull

Rich urban fantasy that pulls the reader into the world of Emma Bull's making. We learn about champions, love, truth, honor ... and, of course, musicians. 

(My review here.)

West of Eden

by Harry Harrison

What if the dinosaurs had survived to evolve intelligent life? This is an exciting adventure in a world where the descendants of the dinosaurs struggle with a clan of humans in a battle for survival.
(My review here.)

Aunt Dimity's Death

by Nancy Atherton

Lori thought that Aunt Dimity was a character her mother invented for charming bedtime stories. Until she found that the real Aunt Dimity just died, leaving her an inheritance. A cozy mystery that is a fairy tale, ghost story and mystery.
(My review here.)

The Blue Sword

by Robin McKinley 

This is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk. And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who became King's Rider, and heir to the Blue Sword. And this is the song of the kelar of the Hillfolk, the magic of the blood, the weaver of destinies...

A near-perfect fantasy. Just reading the description makes me want to pick it up again.

(My review here.)

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

by Dorothy Gilman

When the elderly Mrs. Pollifax's doctor recommends she tries something new that she's always wanted to do, she applies at the CIA to be a spy. Thanks to a misunderstanding, she's sent on a courier mission and winds up in the middle of something dangerous where her inexperience leads to a sort of inspired mayhem that throws the bad guys off kilter.
(My review here.)

Christy

by Catherine Marshall

A fascinating story about people in the Smoky Mountains in 1912 cut off from any outside civilization except for a few people who came in to try to help their poverty stricken situation. Including the 19-year-old young woman, Christy, who comes to teach the children. She is naive and from a well-to-do background so she's completely unprepared for what she finds. Also extremely inspirational.

The Hiding Place

by Corrie ten Boom

Sheltered spinster, Corrie Ten Boom is 50 years old when the Nazis invade Holland. She and her family shelter Jews targeted by the Nazis and when they are caught, they are sent to prison and eventually concentration camps. This sounds gloomy and like a familiar story. It is not. Every Christian should read this book. Simply fantastic.
(My review here.)