This month, I’m celebrating 20 years of writing Sonderbooks by revisiting favorites from each year. Today, I’m looking at Sonderbooks Stand-outs 2007, the year I was working half-time and attending library school online — and too busy to write very many reviews. But here are some that I read and loved:

Sacred Choices: Thinking Outside the Tribe to Heal Your Spirit, by Christel Nani

Christel Nani teaches about tribal beliefs and how we let them harm us — but also how to let go of them and heal.

The Gaslight Effect: How to Spot and Survive the Hidden Manipulation Others Use to Control Your Life, by Dr. Robin Stern

At this point, I was still married but had been separated for two years. It was not a pleasant or nice divorce. And I was working through things that happened in the marriage. Any time someone has an affair, a whole lot of lies get told. This book helped me work through what had been lies and what had been truth and what patterns of covering things up had already been present in my marriage. Best of all, it got me to stop arguing with him about what I thought or what I felt or what I had done. I learned the powerful words, “I disagree.” And then I was able to move beyond arguing. A powerfully insightful and eye-opening book.

Enchantment, by Orson Scott Card

Here’s a fabulous fairy tale for adults. What if Sleeping Beauty woke up today? Orson Scott Card weaves this into a love story that’s far more complex than the fairy tale, but every bit as beautiful.

Austenland, by Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale’s first book for adults — and perfect for this Austen fan. Our heroine goes to a Jane Austen theme park — and finds love, with some pride and prejudice involved.

Grandpa for Sale, by Vicki Sansum and Dotti Enderle, illustrated by T. Kyle Gentry

Another dear friend and writing buddy got published! This picture book tells what happens when Grandpa gets offered for sale among the antiques.

Book of a Thousand Days, by Shannon Hale

One of my favorite books by a favorite author, this one tells about a mucker girl locked up in a tower with her lady for a thousand days — and what happens after. Beautiful portrayal of healing after great danger.

Saving the Griffin, by Kristin Wolden Nitz

Another book by a writing buddy, this book features American kids in Italy who discover a baby griffin. They need to keep him hidden while trying to figure out how to get him back home.

I began writing Sonderbooks in 2001, so I’m celebrating 20 years this month!

I’m looking through all my Sonderbooks Stand-outs posts and highlighting some extra-special books I read and reviewed each year. Today we’ll look at 2006, which was the year my husband separated from me, we left Germany after ten years, and I moved to Virginia.

But let me get straight to the books!

Once again, I’ll start with relationship books.

You Don’t Have to Take It Anymore: Turn Your Resentful, Angry, or Emotionally Abusive Relationship into a Compassionate, Loving One, by Steven Stosny (Later retitled to Love Without Hurt)

This is an amazing book if you’re in a verbally abusive situation, to help you stop the cycle and change your own attitude. It helps you turn your resentment and hurt into compassion, thus feeling much better about yourself. This was my introduction to Steven Stosny’s writings, and all his insights are tremendously helpful.

Forgive for Good: A PROVEN Prescription for Health and Happiness, by Dr. Fred Luskin

When trying to deal with my husband leaving me, I read many books on forgiveness. This one was by far the most helpful. He reminds the reader that forgiveness is good for you. Why should you let someone continue to harm you?

How We Choose to be Happy: The Nine Choices of Extremely Happy People–Their Secrets, Their Stories, by Rick Foster and Greg Hicks

This was another book that helped me adjust to all my major life changes. I got to choose to be happy while I faced it all, and this book helped remind me that’s what I wanted.

Waking the World: Classic Tales of Women and the Heroic Feminine, by A. B. Chinen

Another book of fairy tales from Allen Chinen, this time an international collection of tales featuring strong women changing the world.

NOT “Just Friends,”: Protect Your Relationship from Infidelity and Heal the Trauma of Betrayal, by Shirley P. Glass, Ph.D.

By this time, I’d learned that my husband had an affair. This book is outstanding for helping me work through that revelation and get on with healing.

I’m Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers, by Tim Madigan

This is a beautiful and inspiring story about a man going through hard times and the help he got from Mr. Rogers being who he is.

Diary of a Medical Intuitive: One Woman’s Eye-Opening Journey from No-Nonsense E.R. Nurse to Open-Hearted Healer and Visionary, by Christel Nani

I was surprised how much this book moved me and helped me. A very personal story with lots of insight into life and health.

Busting Vegas: The MIT Whiz Kid Who Brought the Casinos to Their Knees, by Ben Mezrich

This is a second book by Ben Mezrich about brilliant kids using math to beat the casinos — and getting in danger because of it.

Now for Fiction:

The Canterbury Papers, by Judith Healey

Amazing historical fiction with suspense, romance, intrigue, and a smart, capable heroine.

Jane Austen in Scarsdale or Love, Death, and the SATs, by Paula Marantz Cohen

A retelling of Persuasion about a modern-day high school guidance counselor.

The King of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner

Oh, how I love Megan Whalen Turner’s books! I read the first two before I started writing Sonderbooks. Every single one is a treat.

River Secrets, by Shannon Hale

The third in the Books of Bayern series. Another series I love.

Ptolemy’s Gate, by Jonathan Stroud

And yes, another third book, this time the culmination of the Bartimaeus trilogy, where I enjoyed each book even more than the one before.

Hit the Road, by Caroline B. Cooney

A wild intergenerational road trip novel about a 16-year-old inexperienced driver behind the wheel as her grandma makes plans for a reunion with her friends, complete with a kidnapping caper.

Happy Reading!

This month, I’m celebrating 20 years of writing Sonderbooks! I’m looking back at all my Sonderbooks Stand-outs posts of each year and highlighting the books I still remember with great love.

So far, I’ve been skipping the books I reread each year, since there are too many! But do take a look at my Stand-outs posts if you want to see even more — I reread books that are wonderful, knowing they’re wonderful.

2005 was the year my life fell apart. I learned my then-husband was seeing another woman behind my back, but believed him that it was not an affair. (It was.) I learned that he was very unhappy with me and all about every way I’d disappointed him over the years, but thought that, now I knew, I could make it up to him and win him back. (I was not able to do that. I sure did try.) So — I read relationship books and feel-good stories that year.

Here are some of the highlights from my 2005 Sonderbooks Stand-outs:

The Divorce Remedy, by Michele Weiner-Davis

No, this book did not save my marriage. But it may have saved my sanity. Among many things to try for less far-gone cases than mine, she presents a Last-Resort Technique: Stop pursuing. Get a life. Wait and watch. She convinced me that trying with all my might to keep my husband was more likely to push him away. The step of “Get a life” involves remembering who you are and enjoying life again — whether or not your spouse comes back. You’ll be more attractive that way, but you’ll also be much happier. Though it may have taken a while to sink in, eventually that advice helped me in so many ways.

The Script: The 100% Absolutely Predictable Things Men Do When They Cheat, by Elizabeth Landers and Vicky Mainzer

This book told what was happening to me even better than I realized at the time. When I picked it up, I recognized at least nine lines from “The Script” verbatim from things my husband had said to me. Things about how he would take care of me. Things about how he needed to be alone. But especially things about how it was all my fault. It was this book that opened my eyes to the fact that these were lies. And I needed that validation badly. I was used to believing my husband, and being lied to was crazy-making. Of course, I thought the book was wrong that the husband who goes through the Script so far is always having an affair. But no, that’s what was happening — the book was right. I still highly recommend this book to any woman whose husband has been cheating. Because it’s good to hear that, contrary to what he says, it is not all her fault. I can’t ever emphasize enough how helpful this book was to me.

A Generous Orthodoxy, by Brian D. McLaren

The subtitle of this book is: Why I am a missional + evangelical + post/protestant + liberal/conservative + mystical/poetic + biblical + charismatic/contemplative + fundamentalist/Calvinist + anabaptist/anglican + Methodist + catholic + green + incarnational + depressed-yet-hopeful + emergent + unfinished CHRISTIAN. This book was my introduction to Brian McLaren’s writings, and I love his more expansive, much less rigid approach to the Christian faith. Refreshing and inspirational!

What Does the Bible Really Say About Hell?, by Randy Klassen

Now I was finding more and more authors defending universalism and explaining why these teachings are in line with the Bible. And I was delighted.

My Descent into Death: A Second Chance at Life, by Howard Storm

This book stuck with me. It’s a book about a near-death experience — but the author was an atheist and was attacked by demons until he cried out to Jesus for help. Then he was overwhelmed by God’s love in heaven, and after he came back to earth, his life completely changed. The whole thing is a powerful story of life-transforming love.

Once Upon a Midlife, by Allen B. Chinen

This truly marvelous book uses Jungian psychology and fairy tales from around the world to take a look at midlife. So helpful as I faced my husband’s midlife crisis, which started a crisis of my own.

Leaving the Saints, by Martha Beck

Another powerfully told memoir, this time about her family, embroiled in the Mormon church, and how she left.

Here Speeching American, by Kathryn Petras and Ross Petras

Hilariously bad translations into English to give you a laugh and a dose of humility in case you’re thinking about trying to speak in another language. How much I enjoy this book may have something to do with my decision to start writing Sonderling Sunday later.

The Confessions of Super Mom, by Melanie Lynne Hauser

I loved this one so much! A single mom gets super powers — Super Cleaning, Super Hearing, Super Mom Sense, and a Merciless Gaze. Perfect!

Q & A, by Vikas Swarup

This is the book they based the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” on — the story of a kid from the slums who wins a million dollars in a quiz show — and the fascinating coincidences in his life story that enabled him to know the answers. I think the book is better than the movie, because I love the way his story is told in the order of the questions, instead of chronological order.

Zorro, by Isabel Allende

The magnificent, swashbuckling story.

Knitting, by Anne Bartlett

A beautiful novel about widowhood and friendship — and knitting.

In the Coils of the Snake, by Clare B. Dunkle

The third book in the amazing Hollow Kingdom trilogy and goblins who need human wives.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J. K. Rowling

Book Six! The last of these we got to read as a family.

The Golem’s Eye, by Jonathan Stroud

This is Book Two of the Bartimaeus Trilogy, and I enjoyed each book more than the last. Amazing world-building about alternate-reality England where magic is done by commanding demons.

By These Ten Bones, by Clare B. Dunkle

A werewolf novel by Clare Dunkle! Also one of the first books I got to read as an advanced reader copy.

Unlikely Pairs: Fun with Famous Works of Art, by Bob Raczka

I still love this book — and it still makes me laugh every time I read it. The author simply puts famous works of art next to each other, and they interact in hilarious ways.

The Adventures of Cow: The Amazing Exploits of a Huggable Holstein, by Cow, as told to Lori Korcheck, photographed by Marshall Taylor

Another one that still makes me laugh. To add to the fun, we had a toy identical to the squishy cow featured in the very silly picture book.

The Story of Honk-Honk-Ashoo and Swella-Bow-Wow, by Ralph Cosentino

I can’t even explain why this one strikes me so funny. Read it yourself!

This month, it’s been 20 years since I began writing Sonderbooks! To celebrate, I’m doing 20 posts reminiscing about my favorite books I read each year. So far, it’s been extra fun to realize exactly how long I’ve loved the books of some of my now-favorite authors. With some of the nonfiction, I’m discovering when my thinking started going a certain direction.

Today let’s look at favorite books from 2004. As usual, I’ll start with the Sonderbooks Special Edition I wrote summing up my reading year. I’m not going to repeat the books I reread, mostly listed here as “Old Favorites” and “Classics.”

Oh wow! When I look at the list — this is going to take awhile. I read some amazing books that year. Again, I’ll start with the three favorites:

Crown Duel, by Sherwood Smith

How I love this one! I read it because of a story in the Firebirds anthology I mentioned in the 2003 post. It’s one of those slow-burn romance fantasy stories that’s just exquisite. Two books were put together in this edition. Both have wonderful twist endings. The second has a relationship building in letters, so she doesn’t even know who she’s falling in love with as it happens.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke

This one’s so good, too! Despite being extremely long and for adults, I couldn’t stop reading it. This is alternate reality England during the Napoleonic Wars where magic exists. Magic users must decide what they’re willing to do to fight Napoleon.

The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness, by Joel ben Izzy

I still think of this as one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. Joel ben Izzy was a storyteller — and he lost his ability to speak. He tells that story in this book, weaving in tales from around the world for a completely enchanting tale.

Sabriel, by Garth Nix

Wow! That’s still my reaction to thinking about reading Sabriel. It presents an elaborate fantasy world where some have the power of necromancy — walking into the realm of Death and sometimes learning things, sometimes bringing people back, but many times helping send people on or keeping things away that should not come out of death. That same year, I read the wonderful follow-ups, Lirael and Abhorsen.

Sorcery and Cecilia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot, by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

So much fun! This is essentially a Jane Austen book with magic added. The two authors wrote it in letters to one another as letters between the young ladies in the book. I also read and enjoyed the follow-up, The Grand Tour.

The Hollow Kingdom, by Clare Dunkle

This wonderful novel is about a teen who gets pulled into the underworld to be the Goblin King’s bride — but things don’t then go as the reader expects. This author lived near me in Germany, and I think of her as a friend after some wonderful conversations together. Later that same year, I read the also-wonderful follow-up, Close Kin.

Enna Burning, by Shannon Hale

This sequel to The Goose Girl goes beyond the fairy tale that inspired the original and adds to the system of magic in that world as Enna, a friend of Ani, discovers a power that can be used in war.

Wren to the Rescue, by Sherwood Smith

This is the start of a trilogy, and I also devoured Wren’s Quest, and Wren’s War. Yes, I read them because of how much I loved Crown Duel. This is a full fantasy adventure trilogy for kids.

Defending Irene, by Kristin Wolden Nitz

Yay! Another good friend and writing buddy got published! This tells the tale of an American girl wanting to play soccer — while her family lives in a town in Italy.

Indigo’s Star, by Hilary McKay

Hilary McKay’s stories about the Casson family continue to be wonderful.

The Schwa Was Here, by Neal Shusterman

This was my introduction to Neal Shusterman, with a character who is memorable for being unmemorable.

godless, by Pete Hautman

This one’s sticking with me. A kid decides to worship the water tower and recruits others to his new religion, and consequences ensue.

Nights of Rain and Stars, by Maeve Binchy

More Maeve Binchy! This one’s about a small group of tourists who meet on a Greek island.

Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett

My first Ann Patchett novel! This tells about an opera singer who gets taken hostage by a group of terrorists — and somehow makes an enchanting and haunting story out of that.

The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde

Oh boy, my first Jasper Fforde book, featuring literary detective Thursday Next! In his alternate-reality England, people can go in and out of books, and Jane Eyre’s life has been threatened. But that’s only a little bit of the wackiness.

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho

A fable for adults, poetically told.

An Assembly Such as This: Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman, Book 1, by Pamela Aidan

This is the beginning of a delightful trilogy that gives us the events of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy’s perspective. I read the second book, Duty and Desire, that same year, and the third book, These Three Remain, the following year. Marvelous!

Expecting Adam, by Martha Beck

This is a memoir about an incredibly difficult pregnancy while the author was a grad student at Harvard, combined with the pressure to abort the baby because he had Down syndrome. And what an amazing gift that baby turned out to be.

The Inescapable Love of God, by Thomas Talbott

I became a Universalist from reading books by George MacDonald along with the Bible, before I started writing Sonderbooks. But Thomas Talbott’s book was the first book I read by a living author arguing that Universalism is the clearest and most straightforward way to interpret the Bible. He gives a systematic defense of Christian Universalism.

If Grace Is True and If God Is Love, by Philip Gulley and James Mulholland

These books aren’t as Bible-based as Thomas Talbott’s, but they do present a logical case for Universalism, and they opened my eyes to how many of the church fathers taught Universalism.

Count Down: Six Kids Vie for Glory at the World’s Toughest Math Competition, by Steve Olson

Another book about brilliant kids and Math! With thoughts about doing math.

Earth From Above, by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

I’ve read other books that do this — gorgeous photographs of our beautiful world, taken by satellites. I’ll never get tired of looking at them.

Actual Size, by Steve Jenkins

This was my introduction to Steve Jenkins’ amazingly realistic paper-cut artwork. In this book, he shows parts of animals in actual size, and it’s visually stunning.

I, Crocodile, by Fred Marcellino

Why do I so enjoy picture books where someone gets eaten? (Don’t answer that.) Anyway, this story of a crocodile taken to Paris still makes me chuckle.

This list is so long, you won’t believe me it’s only the highlights from 2004! But take a look at my full list of 2004 Stand-outs to appreciate that I really am pulling out a few.

This month I’m celebrating 20 years of writing Sonderbooks by looking back at some of my favorite books I’ve read over the years, the ones that have stood out among the Stand-outs.

As I look these over, I’m blown away by what good books I was reading! It must have helped that at the time, I worked half-time. More time for reading! Once again, I’m only going to focus on the books I read for the first time in 2003.

Tonight I’ll reminisce about my favorites from the Best Books of 2003.

That year, I posted my three favorite books of the year on top of the page, so I’ll start with them.

The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale

The first of the Books of Bayern series, and the book that made me fall in love with Shannon Hale’s writing! It’s a retelling of the classic fairy tale about a princess who must learn her own worth. Still one of my all-time favorite books.

Beyond the Limit: The Dream of Sofya Kovalevskaya, by Joan Spicci

Another that’s still one of my all-time favorites. A novelization of the life of the great mathematician Sofya Kovalevskaya, who had to enter a fake marriage in order to leave Russia and study mathematics, but who still faced incredible obstacles.

Saffy’s Angel, by Hilary McKay

This is the first Hilary McKay book I read, introducing me to the amazing and chaotic Casson family. Brimming with joy.

East, by Edith Pattou

Another fairy tale retelling that arrived at the Sembach Base Library the same day as Goose Girl. This one retells “East of the Sun, West of the Moon.” It’s also amazing.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J. K. Rowling

Yes, Book Five came out that year. We were still reading them together as a family.

The Rumpelstiltskin Problem, by Vivian Vande Velde

So much fun! Six new versions of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale that all make more sense than the original.

Feed, by M. T. Anderson

This one’s already a classic. It’s set in a future society where people get a chip implanted in their brain to stream the internet — and we can see that their language and ability to think deteriorates.

A Coalition of Lions, by Elizabeth E. Wein

The first Elizabeth Wein book I read! It’s about a daughter of King Arthur who has had to flee to Africa and the kingdom of Aksum.

Run from the Nun!, by Erin MacLellan

My own friend Erin got published! This delightful book is about a girl who tries to get herself kicked out of Catholic school.

Firebirds, edited by Sharyn November

This truly wonderful short story collection led me to some new favorite fantasy authors.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon

A novel for adults, this story is told by an autistic boy who solves a mystery.

The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger

This novel was an amazing accomplishment, telling the story of a man with an illness that makes him skip around in time without any warning. Who manages to fall in love and get married. The book skips around in time, and yet the author pulls it off.

Life of Pi, by Yann Martel

Another astonishing and memorable book. About a boy in a lifeboat with a tiger. Amazingly, he lives to tell the tale — and we believe it. Or at least maybe we do.

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons, by Lorna Landvik

Isn’t that the best title? A fun story of female friendship and how it can get you through the crises of life.

Children of the Star, by Sylvia Louise Engdahl

This is an amazing science fiction trilogy about a society built on a new planet.

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith

Wow, that was when I read the first of these wonderful books. I now have seventeen reviews of books from that series posted, about a woman who starts a detective agency in Botswana.

The Road from the Past: Traveling through History in France, by Ina Caro

A wonderful combination of history and travel guide — my only sorrow is that we never did make it to these parts of France while we lived next door in Germany.

Feynman’s Rainbow: A Search for Beauty in Physics and in Life, by Leonard Mlodinow

Some really wonderful musings about life based in the author’s relationship with Richard Feynman.

What Should I Do With My Life? The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question, by Po Bronson

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book and how much it stuck with me — true stories of how people decided what they’d do with their lives.

Take Joy! A Book for Writers, by Jane Yolen

A book that reminds writers to take joy in what they’re doing.

The Myth of Laziness: America’s Top Learning Expert Shows How Kids–and Parents–Can Become More Productive, by Mel Levine

This eye-opening book explains that nobody wants to be unproductive — but many different things block the productivity of children and adults. It’s also full of ideas for helping open up that productivity.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, by Mo Willems

This classic picture book was my introduction to Mo Willems, one of the greatest picture book authors of them all.

Serious Farm, by Tim Egan

This picture book about a farmer who’s too serious still makes me laugh.

The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds

A picture book about making art your own way.

August 2021 marks twenty years of writing Sonderbooks! To celebrate, I’m writing posts about favorites I read each year.

This is simple, because I make a Sonderbooks Stand-out post every year, but I’m looking at each year’s list and highlighting a few extra-special favorites. It’s making me want to do a lot of rereading!

2002 was my first full year of writing Sonderbooks. As with 2001, I was still posting in “issues” and trying to review an Old Favorite for every issue — so I reread some truly amazing books each year. Again, I’m not going to highlight those, but let me say that every single one of the books I list as a “Reread” in the Special Edition is wonderful.

Books I read the first time in 2002 and still remember with love:

Heir Apparent, by Vivian Vande Velde

This is a kid-trapped-in-a-computer-game story, so I shouldn’t have loved it, but I did. The computer game is a medieval fantasy tale, and the author pulls it off. I think this was the first book I read by Vivian Vande Velde, and got me started on some other wonderful books.

The King’s Swift Rider, by Mollie Hunter

This one’s a historical novel set in Scotland during the time of Robert the Bruce with a young protagonist riding for him.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares

Here’s a classic friendship novel, showing a group of girls each living their own summer, but always having their friends — and having the pants.

The Best of Times, by Greg Tang

I still think this is the best book ever for kids learning to multiply. Instead of just blindly memorizing the times tables, it helps kids understand how multiplication works and be able to figure out answers when they forget the rote memorization.

Cleopatra’s Heir, by Gillian Bradshaw

Another amazing historical novel from Gillian Bradshaw — immersing the reader in a time I didn’t know much about.

Quentins, by Maeve Binchy

I’d read some Maeve Binchy books before this one, but this was the first one I reviewed. I love her immersive fiction, making you feel like you know the characters. I read many more over the years.

Crocodile on the Sandbank, by Elizabeth Peters

The first Amelia Peabody mystery!

Angles of Reflection: A Memoir of Logic and a Mother’s Love, by Joan L. Richards

So good! This book is about a mathematician and a mother who is dealing with her child’s severe illness and trying to juggle her motherhood and her career.

In Code: A Mathematical Journey, by Sarah Flannery with David Flannery

Another wonderful book about a mathematician! This time, she’s a 17-year-old girl who figured out an improved algorithm in cryptography. A very fun story.

Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M. I. T. Students Who Took Las Vegas for Millions, by Ben Mezrich

I read lots of math books that year! This one is about how a team of students from M.I.T. figured out a method to win at blackjack. Though the casinos fought back.

A Mind at a Time: America’s Top Learning Expert Shows How Every Child Can Succeed, by Mel Levine

This was a fascinating look at how people learn. I like this line from my review: “Dr. Levine believes that every mind has strengths and weaknesses. When a child comes up against an obstacle to learning, he does not believe we should blame the child, but help the child get around the roadblock via his strengths.”

Hungry Hen, by Richard Waring, illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church

This is still one of my favorite picture books. Someone gets eaten — and it’s not the hen!