I was SO excited to get these 3 books in the mail last week! I’ve already read a pre-release copy of Do Over (it’s fantastic!) and can’t wait to dig into Savor and Safely Home!
I decided against setting any ambitious reading goals this year, but I don’t think the plan has backfired on me. Instead, I’m finding that I seem to be enjoying reading more — and getting quite a bit of it done, too.
So far, I’ve read 26 books this year — yay! (Okay, so it does help that I’m adding the books I read aloud to the kids to my list of books read in 2015. But I figured since those are chapter books they should count, too, right??)
4 Books I/We Finished This Past Week
The Imagination Station: Book 16 — All the kids were anxious for me to start this one ever since it showed up in our mailbox! As usual, we enjoyed it. I loved the fact that Silas was the one who really got into it. Since it seems many of our read-alouds are more on Kathrynne and Kaitlynn’s level, it’s fun to read one that’s for a bit of a younger audience so he can get all caught up in the story!
Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing — We L-O-V-E The Jesus Storybook Bible so I had high hopes for this one by the same author. Unfortunately, we didn’t love it as much. Some of the stories were a bit “off” from straight Scripture. If you want a good kid’s devotional, I’d skip this one and stick with The Jesus Storybook Bible.
The Relational Soul — This book came highly recommended to me by a friend. I found it thought-provoking and insightful to consider if I’m living out of my true self or acting out of a false self. That said, I loved Brene Brown’s books — Daring Greatly and The Gifts of Imperfection — and would recommend those if you want to read some really good books on authenticity and vulnerability.
For Married Women Only — This small book was thought-provoking and the catalyst for some great discussions between Jesse and me that I feel will ultimately cause our marriage to be stronger.
11 Books I'm Reading This Week:
The Green Ember — This read aloud has come highly recommended to us by multiple sources so we’re excited to dive into it.
The Meaning of Marriage — I’m reading through this with my friend, Allison, as part of our weekly accountability meetings. We’re aiming for two chapters every week and then we’ll discuss it when we meet.
Galatians for You — And another Tim Keller book! This one is what we’re going through in our new Community Group. Again, we’re doing just a few chapters every week and discussing them when we meet. So far, it’s been really good.
Their Lives and Your Life — This is a devotional I’m starting with the kids. My mom gave it to me awhile back, if I’m remembering correctly.
Parenting the Wholehearted Child — Can I be really honest with you? Parenting books aren't my favorite genre. In fact, I typically steer clear of them.
I was raised in an age and culture where many families followed parenting books and discipline plans to a tee and, well, much of the fruit from all that didn't turn out so great. It left a bad taste in my mouth for the whole "follow steps A, B, and C as a parent and you'll be a Godly family/good parent" etc.
So yes, I kinda prefer to stay far away from anything that remotely resembles a system or method of parenting. Because I truly have come to believe that there are no one-size-fits-all plans.
At any rate, I was hesitant to start this book because it fell under the "parenting book" genre. But I'm so glad that I did. I'm two chapters in and it is honestly turning out to be one of the best non-fiction books I've read in a long time.
I just want to sit and read the whole thing in one sitting. But on the other hand, I want to process it slowly so that I can take it all in!
She Reads Truth Lent Study/Bible — I am loving the Lent study so far… as I have loved all the She Reads Truth studies. Seriously, one of the best things I've invested in for my personal spiritual development and relationship with God ever.
Stepping Heavenward — My new friend, Allison Burr, sent me this book and said it was one of her very favorites ever. Can you believe I've never read it? I'm working on remedying that stat.
Love Without Limits – For years, Nick Vujicic has been a huge inspiration to me. I was excited to see that he had gotten married and is a dad now and am looking forward to reading this book from he and his wife.Lizzy & Jane — So far, I've found this to be really engaging!
Long Walk to Freedom & Kaffir Boy — I'm slowly working through these as I seek to understand more about South African history.
See all the books I've read so far in 2015 here.
What are YOU reading this week? Any great books to recommend?
CVS Shopping Trip
1 CVS Bodywash – $1.88
Used $1/1 CVS coupon from the in-store coupon machine
2 General Mills Cereal – $1.88 each
Used 2 $0.75/1 printable (no longer available)
2 Colgate Toothpaste – $2.99 each (Buy 1, Get $1.50 ECBs)
Used 2 $1/1 coupon from the 3/8 SmartSource insert
2 Crest Toothpaste – $3 each (Buy 1, Get $2 ECBs)
Used 2 $1/1 coupon from the 3/15 RedPlum insert
And used $3/$10 Oral Hygiene CVS coupon from the in-store coupon machine
Used $8.60 ECBs from previous shopping trip (took off $8.12)
Total before coupons, sales and ECBs: $27.21
Total after coupons, sales and ECBs: $0.00 (I just paid tax which was $1.19.), Plus received $7 ECBs
