Well, we’re somehow about halfway through the year?! As always, I’ve been squeezing in as much reading as I can and have made it through 20 books so far.

I wanted to share all I’ve read thus far in case you’re on the hunt for a good book. I’ve read a random assortment, to be sure. Lots of books on midwifery and the Amish as well as marriage, parenting, a novel and some nonfiction.

Here’s all the books I’ve read by category because it’s truly all over the board in terms of topic. I’m also sharing the three books I’m currently reading and a small list of the books I want to read next.

Let me know what you’ve read this year in the comments as well as any recommendations you might have!

1. The Unexpected Mother by Susan Ring. The author of this memoir became a surrogate of triplets for a family who then decided that they didn’t want the babies. The book details what happened next. It was pretty intense!

2. The Midwife’s Here by Linda Fairley. This memoir detailed the life of one of Britain’s longest serving midwives. It was the first of two books and shared a lot of stories from her nursing school experience. Some were heartbreaking, others were hilarious, and it was overall a nice book.

3. A Midwife’s Memoir by Carol Duncombe. Similar to The Midwife’s Here, this memoir was about an English midwife. It was fascinating to learn about maternity care overseas because it’s very different from here in America!

4. More Memoirs of a Midwife by Carol Duncombe. This was the followup to A Midwife’s Memoir and shared tons of birth stories as well as personal stories from the author. I think I finished this in three days because I was so into it!

5. Bundles of Joy by Linda Fairley. This was the followup to The Midwife’s Here and detailed more of the author’s experience as a midwife. I enjoyed this more than the first book in the series because it focused on birth and midwifery.

6. Midwife Memories by Renee Popova. This was a quick memoir written by a woman who had a traumatic birth and was inspired to become a midwife. She then went on to serve the Amish community in her area.

7. A Midwife in Amish Country by Kim Woodard Osterholzer. Another midwife memoir! The author felt called to become a midwife and the book was all about her journey as well as what it was like to serve Amish women during childbirth.

8. The Baby’s Coming by Virginia Howes. The author had four kids and decided she wanted to become a midwife. Her memoir shared how she worked to earn her degree while balancing parenting and life.

9. Diary of a Midwife by Juliana Van Olphen-Fehr. This was written by a woman who was a teacher, had a baby, and decided to become a midwife. She had two more children and worked in rural Virginia as a labor and delivery nurse as well as a homebirth midwife. It addressed a lot of the legalities and politics surrounding midwifery.

10. Delivery by Jennifer Crichton. This was a fun midwifery novel! The author interviewed midwives in New York for an extended period of time and created a composite character based off of those interviews. The book follows that composite character, Holly, a midwife, who works in a hospital and private practice.

11. Our Births, Our Stories by Heather Baker. If you’re interested in homebirth or unassisted birth, this would be an interesting read for you. It’s a compilation of unassisted homebirth stories from women around the world.

12. My Life as An Amish Wife by Lena Yoder. I have read this memoir by an Amish woman a few times and it’s always very interesting to read about daily Amish life. What I love most is the author’s attitude about the joys and trials of life.

13. In Plain View by Judy Stavisky. This book gives an inside look at the daily lives of Amish women. The author spent years driving them to and from places and had countless conversations with them about everything under the sun. Based off of those conversations, the book is divided into topics and discusses how the Amish do things like schooling, laundry, church services, cooking, and more.

14. Becoming Free Indeed by Jinger Vuolo. This book was written by a Duggar daughter who got married and decided to figure out her faith for herself. It wasn’t a tell-all, but more of a journey of how Jinger learned she basically grew up in a cult and how she has bravely reconciled her faith today.

15. Deaf Utopia by Nyle DiMarco. When I first began reading this memoir, I was thinking “Yes! A memoir by someone who is happy to be Deaf.” As someone living with hearing loss, this book reminded me of a truth I know: Deafness is something that doesn’t need to be “cured” or “fixed” and that it can be a beautiful way of life.

16. Not Just An Elder’s Wife by Sherri Wynn. Jimmy bought this book for me during a church leadership retreat he went to. While Jimmy is a deacon in our church (so that makes me a deacon’s wife, lol), this book had plenty of practical advice, stories, and encouragement.

17. His Needs, Her Needs by Willard Harley. Another favorite book this year! I’m not exaggerating when I say this book has revolutionized our marriage. We read it as part of a marriage course we’re taking at our church and we’ve been learning to meet each other’s emotional needs and how important it is to schedule time together and as a family.

18. 8 Great Smarts by Kathy Koch. This book was all about the eight general intelligences (nature, people, music, self, body, logic, picture, and word) and how parents can nurture their child’s intelligences. While it’s geared towards parents, anyone could read this book and find a lot of understanding in their personality, how they learn, and how they best communicate.

19. Risen Motherhood by Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler. This was definitely one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. I loved how the authors addressed different aspects of motherhood and how the gospel applies to them. It was very encouraging.

20. Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout. While I don’t read a lot of novels, this one was gripping. It was set in the midst of 2020 and dredged up a lot of memories of uncertainty from that wild year. While the topic was tough, the writing was awesome. I’d like to read more books by this author at some point!

1. Grace Upon Grace by Sophie Hudson. I’ve been working through this journaling devotional about trusting God. It has 100 devotions and lots of questions and space to journal and reflect–my favorite!

2. Loving God with All Your Mind by Elizabeth George. My mom, sister, and I are doing a book club with this book and it has been fantastic. The author shares scriptures, how she applied them to difficult times in her life, and how she ultimately learned to love God with all her mind.

3. Loving God with All Your Mind Growth and Study Guide by Elizabeth George. Also working through the study guide for the aforementioned book with my mom and sis. I love that it helps me connect the author’s points in Loving God with All Your Mind to my own life and challenges.

1. Babies are Not Pizzas, They’re Born, Not Delivered by Rebecca Dekker.

2. His Needs, Her Needs for Parents by Willard Harley.

3. Remedies for Sorrow by Megan Nix.

4. The Longest Race by Kara Goucher.

5. The Unhurried Homeschooler by Durenda Wilson.

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There you have it! Those are my 20 books, the books I’m reading, and the ones I’m looking to dive into next. Putting everything into topics made me realize that I read a lot of birth and midwifery-related literature, but I’m a firm believer that you should read what you like and are interested in.

I wouldn’t have read 20 books this year if I forced myself to read about topics I don’t have interest in or genres I’m not into, you know? I say: like what you like and embrace it!

I’m hoping to keep up the reading spree and maybe hit 50 books by the end of the year 🙂

What are you reading at the moment?

Tell me your book recommendations!