I love reading! It is one of my favorite pastimes to be cuddled up with a good book. I only wish I had a nice fireplace in our home to cuddle in front of (memories of childhood). “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body” is my motto. Mark Twain once said, “The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” I began back in 2008 to record my reading list and goal for the year here on my blog. Since taking this step, I have been challenged and motivated to read far beyond my original goals. I have been inspired again and again through the rich materials published for our benefit. Reading brings such joy and refreshment to my life. I highly recommend cultivating a habit of reading. Here are some favorite highlights from 2009!
Womanly Dominion: More Than A Gentle and Quiet Spirit
by Mark Chanski was by far my favorite read from 2009! This book challenged me to really understand the position, domain, and calling God had assigned for me as a women. It was a call to play your position and to play with a win it mentality! Do your work unto the Lord! A must-read for all women, young and old, single or married. Read my full review here.
From Clutter to Clarity: Simplifying Life from the Inside Out by Nancy Twigg was my second favorite book for the year. I was so blessed by the way this book challenged me to root out all the emotional and spiritual clutter in my life. She addresses how to reduce clutter in your home as well, but most importantly starting with your heart! Read my full review here.
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto
by Michael Poland is my new favorite read on the history and industrialization of food. He gives you all the amazing details as to where most of the standard supermarket food comes from and how you can find the “real” thing. Read my full review here.
Don’t Make Me Count to Three: a Mom’s Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline by Ginger Plowman is a fabulous read for mothers on training your children through the Word of God. She focuses on training the heart by using soul-searching questions and Biblical truth to draw out here children. I love this book!
Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World by Carolyn McCulley is a fantastic, eye-opening read on the history of feminism. This was both a fascinating and moving read, stirring up women to come to a proper understand of our culture and times and what we can do about it.
Practical Theology for Women: How Knowing God Makes a Difference in Our Daily Lives by Wendy Alsup is a sort and yet powerful read on Biblical theology written for women. She challenges women to grow deep roots in the Word of God for it affects every area of your life. Theology is for everyone! Read my full review here.
The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections
by Amanda Soule was such a delightful read in encouraging fun, interactive, creative play as a family. She gives a wealth of ideas for supplying your children with the tools necessary to strengthen imagination. I appreciated the focus on building relationships – the most important thing. Read my full review here.
The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey was another book that was very valuable to our family this past year. I had heard so many good reports from this book and his methods that we knew we had to read it. Dave Ramsey offers valuable principles in helping individuals and families get out of debt and be financially free. The principles are practical and his step by step system works. We were able to save our $1,000, get out of debt, and now we are making strides on step 3 to build our emergency fund more strategically this year, thanks to Dave’s motivation!
Check out my new 2010 Book List.
Previous reading lists and recommendations:
“The more that you read, the more things you know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” -Dr. Seuss
“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” –Atwood H. Townsend
Have you made a book reading list/goal for yourself this year? What books would you like to read?
One of my favorite books on parenting is Hints on Child Training by H. Clay Trumbull . It is old fashioned and written over 100 years ago, but very common sense and I loved it! My husband and I are now reading it together. It is one that I wish I had read before kids or when they were very little!
You will absolutely love anything by Sally Clarkson! I live in CO and go to a monthly lifeline meeting at her house. She is an amazing woman and I love what she has to say to mothers.
I read several books this last year that I loved, some of them at Lindsay’s recommendation. I read
1. Revolution in Missions by KP Yohanan
2. Death of a Guru by Rabi Majaraj
3.The Crossroad by Beverly Lewis (I indulged in this one fiction book since some aspects of Amish life fascinate me)
4. From Clutter to Clarity by Nancy Twigg,
5. In The Defense of Food by Michael Pollan,
6. Created to Be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl
7. Power of the Wife that Prays (or at least I think that’s the English title… I read it in Spanish) by Stormie Omartian
8. Teaching Like Jesus by LaVerne Talbert
And I can’t seem to remember any others, so they must not have been that impacting
Have you ever read Husbands and Wives by William J. Peterson? I have read it twice over the past 5 years of marriage and have just started it again this week.
It is the marriage stories of “famous” Christians – Billy Graham, Martin Luther, John Newton, Jonathan Edwards, C.S. Lewis, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Grace Livingston Hill, etc.
The book is fascinating for, as the author puts it; “This book is about marriage, not about church history… when you focus on the marriage you look beyond his or her greatness and you see his or her humanity… as you read this book you will discover that the marriages of these Christian leaders are made out of the same stuff that composes all marriages.”
I read “The Creative Family” over the summer and it was full of wonderful ideas that I have very much been enjoying trying to do. Pollan’s “In Defense of Food” and his other book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” have changed the way our household eats. Have you read it? I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in the industrial food system and alternatives to that system. Thank you so much for sharing your reading list, I’m looking forward to exploring some more of the books.
I am waiting for Radical Womanhood in the mail. I really enjoy your blog…from book list to recipes! Have you read Crazy Love by Francis Chan? Excellent book if you can squeeze one more on the list!!
We read the Dave Ramsey book last year as well and it really changed our outlook on our money. The cash system has been invaluable to us. I’m SO thankful that God led us to that book as we just found out we are expecting our first baby and now I will be able to stay home!
Thank you for posting your book list. I love to read and really like your selections. It is nice to look at your reviews and choose the next book I will read. I am currently reading Womanly Dominion and I really like it – it is very motivating. Thank you for taking the time to research!
This is cool – I haven’t read a single one of these – new books – woohoo! Thanks for sharing – I just posted my most recent book review as well
I used to keep an ongoing list like this – of books I had read and books I wanted to read. I would like to do it again after reading this post. You made some great selections! Where do you get your books – do you buy them, or find them in the library, etc.?
I absolutely love your reading list. I am a reading fanatic. So, of course I marked down quite a few of your selections. Beautiful site, God bless.
I loved Practical Theology for Women. Great Book.
Okay, so your 2009 list is going to be my 2010 list. Seriously, you had four books on there that were already on my list. I loved Womanly Dominion; that is the only one from your list I have checked off already.
Thanks for the great post! This year, I’m going to try to read the following books: Comforts from the Cross (Fitzpatrick), The Discipline of Grace (Bridges), A Call to Spiritual Reformation (Carson), Keep Me Near the Cross (Guthrie), Desiring God (Piper), Living the Cross Centered Life (Mahaney), William Tyndale: A Biography (Daniell), The Mother At Home (Abbott), Grace Abounding (Bunyan), and Future Grace (Piper). As a Mom, I find it tricky to fit in time for reading. May God help us to challenge our minds and lives this year through reading!
Do you purchase all of your books or check them out at the library? I have definitely found some interesting books in your reviews…Thank you.
I do a mixture of both. Many of the books I can find at my local library or through interlibrary loan. I always ask for a few books for Christmas and birthdays as well. If its a book I know I will be turning to again and again (like Mission of Motherhood, Womanly Dominion, Clutter to Clarity), I will purchase a copy.
I cannot tell you how blessed and excited I am by your booklist. Booklists are my most favoritest things!! Thanks! Lots of good stuff to unpack and review.
Thanks, Lindsay, for the reviews and the list of books you hope yet to read. I had fun adding some to my amazon wishlist and checking our library for others. Looking forward to reading!!
I started reading the Well Trained Mind while I was visiting my parents and have really enjoyed it so far (just one of the many joys of being the daughter of homeschooling parents, I get to borrow all those great books!). Since my baby is still several months away from being born, it might be a tad early to start planning curriculum but I like the perspective it has on education in general.
I’m just one of 5 bibliophiles in our family and a book list excites me to no end! Your list looks fabulous! I think I’ll be adding several to my own – especially Womanly Dominion and In Defense of Food (I’ve wanted to read it for some time). I’m thinking the Practical Theology would be excellent as a group read with our ladies Bible Study at church.
Gary Thomas is one of my favorite authors – I think I have all his books but I need to finish reading some you listed. Have you ever read Seeking The Face of God by him? Awesome and life changing! I read Uncommon Union and was surprised at how many times I referred back to what I read in those pages. It was not a book that kept me on the edge of my seat, but it influenced me far beyond the initial reading. Hope you enjoy your 2010 books!
You may also enjoy reading Voddie Baucham’s book Family Driven Faith or What He Must Be. My husband especially has grown through Voddie’s challenge, clarity and Biblical wisdom.
Yes, Aaron & I have read Family Driven Faith and loved it! Very powerful!
I can’t wait to read through your book list to see what you’re reading–I was an English major in college and love reading, too! And I LOVE* to talk books
Your “radical feminism” one looks very interesting & is something I have thought abotu a lot–I think I’ll read it too!
Sarah M
Hi, I cannot remember how I found your blog, but I really enjoy reading it. You are an encouragement as a Christian and mom!
I was wondering how you determine what your book list will be for the year. I have a hard time narrowing it down since there are so many fabulous books out there, any thoughts?
I try to focus mainly on books that will really build me up spiritually, as you can see from my list. I also include one book on marriage that A and I read together each year and usually one book on mothering/child training. I also like to choice 1-2 books on food, money management, etc. I narrow it down by keeping a master list of all the books I want to read and then choice my favorites to start with. If I complete those, I move on to reading the others. Throughout the year I always find more books that get added to the master list. Ultimately, it came down to setting my goal of 20 books each year and then choosing my favorites (or books that are on a topic that is most meaningful to my life at the moment) and going from there.