Reading List 2011

I really like to read, but like so many people, I have a hard time finding the time. I mostly prefer non-fiction books about things like raising children, homeschooling, organizing, food, health, marriage, biographies, etc. Here is a list of 10 books I would like to read this year, in no particular order. I am thinking about putting all my 2011 lists, including my reading list, on my side column somewhere.

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

Emma by Jane Austen

Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot by Elisabeth Elliot

Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp

The Bible (finish Old Testament)

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It by John Seymour

Don't Make Me Count to Three: A Mom's Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline by Ginger Plowman

The Truth War: fighting for certainty in an age of deception by John MacArthur

Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope by Mary Beth Chapman

Those are just a few that I would like to get around to reading this next year.

The Duggars: 20 and Counting!

A few days ago I finished reading the Duggars book 20 and Counting! Let me just start off by saying that I absolutely LOVED this book! I expected it to be good, but it actually way exceeded my expectations; I could hardly put it down. It is definitely one of the best books I have read. I still haven't returned it to the library because there are a few chapters I want to re-read. I highly recommend this book to everyone - especially to mothers. There were several times I found myself nodding my head and my eyes tearing up as I felt like I could totally relate to many of Michelle's comments and situations. The book is candid, interesting, informative, encouraging, and challenging. Both Jim-Bob Duggar and his wife Michelle wrote the book. I really like how several of the kids also contributed by answering commonly asked questions about their family. In this book, the Duggars discuss faith, finances (how they live debt-free), recipes, homeschooling, child training, organizing tips, and their philosophy about children. My favourite thing about their book is how they talk so openly about their faith and how God has worked in their lives. They are so honest and real that I found myself feeling like I was actually sitting down and having a cup of coffee with them in a home that sounds so full of the joy of the Lord, fun, and craziness! I cannot say enough good things about this book. If you get the chance, read it!!

Books, Books, Books!

Sometimes I get on these "kicks" where I get a little...shall we say...crazy about certain things. For example, all of a sudden I'll get into this organizing mode where I have to organize everything from top to bottom and I'll do that for a whole week. Or, I'll decide I want to try new recipes and then go crazy making new things for an entire week. Then, I'll decide that I want to learn about canning and spend a long time researching everything there is to know about canning. It seems I just want to know about so many things, but there is only so much time in a day! The challenge is making sure I take care of my household tasks and keep my husband and my daughter's needs #1 and not get too carried away with learning new things.

Lately, I've been on this reading kick. There are WAY too many books that I really want to read. Pretty much all of them are non-fiction. I don't know why I want to read all of them at once, though. LOL. So, this afternoon I took a walk to our library and took out the book Nourishing Traditions. I can hardly wait to get started on it, but it is really thick. The only problem is that I have also recently started reading a book by Warren Smith and am in the middle of reading Preparing to be a Help Meet (although I already am a help meet :-) ) by Debi Pearl. In fact, Preparing to be a Help Meet has a list of Mrs. Pearl's recommended books for young women to read to expand their knowledge on various topics. Now I have even more books I want to read! Too many books - not enough time!
Well, it's a beautiful spring day right smack in the middle of a very rainy forecast, so I'm off to help hubby set up our patio set.

Then maybe I'll enjoy one of my books while sitting outside on the deck with our patio set! :-)

What I'm Reading

I really do enjoy reading but have a hard time making time for it. Mostly I read non-fiction, but I do read the occasional fiction book once in awhile - usually a classic or a Christian book. I have, however, found it difficult to find good Christian fiction books. I personally do not care for and do not read most Christian romance novels because I have found most of them to be quite sensual in nature. Unfortunately, they are often so sensationalized and unrealistic that they remind me of nothing more than a "cleaner" soap opera. In the past, I have found that reading Christian romance novels sowed seeds of discontentment and ungratefulness in my heart as my life often seemed so dull and boring compared to the dramatic and exciting lives of the heroines. Thus, I tend to avoid reading them. That is not to say that there are not some decent ones out there, but my personal experience has been that finding a good, edifying, Christian romance novel has been difficult.

I had been reading the first book in the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers, but after reading almost half the first book, I had to stop reading it because something about it just didn't sit well with me. I personally found it to be too sensual and unnecessarily descriptive. I think I would enjoy Christian historical fiction as I enjoy learning about history, but like so many Christian romance novels, I have found that many of them are just too sensual for me.

So, what am I reading now? Currently, I am reading a non-fiction book by Warren Smith called A "Wonderful" Deception. Smith, who was formerly into the new-age but is now a born again Christian, has written several books exposing the new age teachings going on in many popular so-called Christian circles these days. I have read a few of his other books and they are well-researched and biblically sound. I am also on the library waiting list for the Duggar's book called The Duggars: 20 and Counting! I have heard that it is an excellent book and can't wait to read it.