My godfather is the most broadly educated man I know, and I'm not even sure if he has a college degree.
As a young man, he made a decision to read a book a week. He has kept that up for years, now reading even more than ever. History, fiction, philosophy, science, biographies, and so on. When almost any topic is broached, he can converse about it with ease, instead of shrugging his shoulders unknowingly. It's awesome!
Last year I made a smaller-scaled goal of reading a book every 2-3 weeks. I love delving into a good book, but my 2010 reading goal majorly flopped. For the first time ever, I believe I spent more time writing than I did reading. The writing has been oh-so-good for me, but to write well (among other things) I must read more.
So I'm breaking it down to an even more do-able goal this year: 1 book a month. My desire is to read more than that, but a book a month is my bare-minimum goal.
Are you ready for my 12 books? They are:
1. Shepherding A Child's Heart
by Tedd Tripp2. One Thousand Gifts
by Ann Voskamp
3. The Digital Photography Book
by Scott Kelby4. Hinduism
by H.L. Richard5. Peace Child
by Don Richardson6. The Fortune of War
by Patrick O'Brian7. Competent To Counsel
by Jay E. Adams
8. Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois9. The Autobiography of George Muller
by (you guessed it!) George Muller
10. The Hidden Art of Homemaking
by Edith Schaeffer11. Sampson and the Pirate Monks: Calling Men to Authentic Brotherhood
by Nate Larkin12. To be decided! What's your absolute favorite book that you would add to this list? Besides the Bible, ya'll. That one's a given. :D
Last month, I picked up the book Bruchko
and couldn't put it down. It's the story of a 19-year-old who took off for the jungles of Venezuala (without the backing of a missions board!) in hopes of sharing the gospel with Indian tribes there. An incredible story. I chuckled, I wept, and I was reminded of the power of a single, ordinary life committed to God.What's on your book list this year? Don't forget to tell me what your favorite book is...maybe it will be the 12th on my list. :)
Linked to Bookin' It in 2011 over at Life As Mom!
P.S. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. :)
George Muller was certainly an amazing man - I'm sure that book will be interesting. Ditto on "Peace Child". Looks like you've got a great list going - for #12 I'd recommend anything by Ravi Zacharias or "Today Matters" by John C. Maxwell. Happy Reading!
ReplyDeleteGreat list! I would love to read the autobiography of George Mueller, too. My husband read it, and it really made an impact on him. All I need to do is find where we put it...
ReplyDeleteAs for favorite books, I can't think of one right now other than the Bible. :0)
You've got a great list! Shepherding a Child's Heart is very good, and I've been wanting to read a biography about Mueller, so maybe I'll check out his autobiography.
ReplyDeleteFavorite book? I don't have a favorite book, except, of course, for the Bible. There are too many good ones to have ONE favorite.
My cousin has been all about that book, Artisan Bread in 5 minutes. She's really been making some every day. I hadn't heard of it other than her, but I'm really intrigued.
ReplyDeleteMy recommendation would be Summer at Tiffany. A short read, but it is non-fiction and really good. My absolute favorite is a kids' book, so you may have read it back in the day--Jacob Have I loved.
BTW, to read a little about her bread and a LOT about her kids, my cousin is at http://www.jpmeehan.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteI love the idea to read a book a month. My favourite book of the moment is "pride and prejudice". Have you read the diary of Anne Frank yet? (I have to name a Dutch book of course!) Love Amelie
ReplyDeleteCarrie, thanks for the recommendations! I am familiar with Zacharias, but have never read any of his books.
ReplyDeleteKelley, I've never heard of Summer At Tiffany...so thanks!
Amelie, I have read both of those books and really enjoyed them. :)
A couple of favorites...The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith (silly title, but amazing book), and The Shaping of a Christian family (or any other book) by Elisabeth Elliot.
ReplyDeleteFavorite book ever (in case you haven't read it) is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I also love all Jane Austen and the Mitford series by Jan Karon.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a really interesting mix of books! I hope you'll share your reviews as you make your way through them. I'm in a fiction phase myself--some classics, some just for fun. I'm hoping to write a Booking It post later today. :-)
Sounds like a good list! George Muller is one of my heroes.... And the Hidden Art of Homemaking is another excellent book. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteI love your reading list. I have always wanted to read Edith Schaffer's classic and have hear rave reviews about Bruchko! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteI love Bruchko! I got excited when I saw it in your picture. But seeing as it's not in your list of 12, I'm assuming you've already read it =).
ReplyDeleteGreat List! My new favourite is Lorna Doone, by R.D.Blackmoore. It was lovely! I thought Jane Eyre couldn't be beaten, but Lorna might just do it!
ReplyDeleteI also recommend Shepherding a Child's Heart. There's also another one by Tedd, I can't remember the name of it now...
I also love Edith Schaeffer's writings.
I used to read 2-3 books at a time about every 5 weeks or so, but kiddos, I'm too spent by the end of the day to read. I do try for 1 a month now too! =) I usually get the free ones from booksneeze or Waterbrook Multnomah to review. There are some good ones from time to time.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you shared your reading list for the year! I have a few of the same titles on my list this year as well.
ReplyDeletePicking ONE favorite book to recommend to you would be SO hard. My favorite non-fiction read from last year is Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas. I've got a couple of his other titles on my list this year and am currently reading Sacred Parenting.
And for fiction...I recently read Little Women b/c I had never read it before and LOVED it!
Happy Reading!I'd love to hear your review of some of the books too!
Yay, happy feedback! I'm writing down all the recommended titles.
ReplyDeleteAbout half of them I've read, and half of them I haven't.
Eos Mom, Christi, and Rachelnz: Jane Eyre is one of my fav books! I hope you like it, Christi.
Rachelnz, I'll have to check out Lorna Doone.
I also love Elizabeth Elliot .:)
And the Hiding Place is my favorite book ever.
Anne, I'll have to look into the Gary Thomas book. Little Women is a personal favorite of mine.
Keep 'em coming, ladies! :D :D :D
So many books, and so little time! :-) It's great to read another book lover's list. I recently read Artisan Bread and am quite intrigued. I'd recommend "In the Presence of My Enemies" by Gracia Burnham. It's the stories of captured missionaries and to this date, one of the most powerful books I've read. I have lots to read, too, which I wrote about on my site at http://www.joyfullythriving.com/2011/01/2011-reading-plan/. Any suggestions for me? Enjoy your books!
ReplyDeleteI think I'll add Bruchko to my list. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is my favorite!
ReplyDeleteKristen @ joyfullythriving: I have read that book! It was very, very good.
ReplyDeleteKristin, I have also read Redeeming Love, but it was a long time ago. :)
I would recommend "Through the Gates of Splendor" by Elisabeth Elliot. Be sure to have a tissue nearby, though - very sad, but so inspiring.
ReplyDeleteI really should reread Shepherding Your Child's Heart. It's excellent, especially once the toddler and preschool years begin.
ReplyDeleteMy recommendation is one I posted about back in November. What the World Eats is a wonderful resource for learning about different cultures by seeing what they eat. It would complement both your other cross-cultural picks and your food interest.
Oooh Julia, that book sounds awesome sounds awesome.
ReplyDeleteLauraJane, I have read "In The Shadow of the Almighty" and "These Strange Ashes" by E.Elliot, but not "Through Gates of Splendor." Thanks for reminding me about it!
First time I've seen this blog, I like what I see. Hidden Art of Homemaking is a fav. read it many years ago, as well as many others by Edith Schaeffer. I love Lorna Doone, another favorite is Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling. In The Presence of My Enemies by Gracie Burnham was very good.
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