12 Books For The New Year {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

Last year I set a goal of reading 12 books--one per month. I fell a bit short of my goal (mainly due to pregnancy exhaustion), but I did read the following nine books...

Books I read in 2011:

1. Shepherding a Child's Heart
2. One Thousand Gifts (The best book I read. This is in my "read and reread" category.)
3. The Digital Photography Book
4. The Fortune of War
5. The Surgeon's Mate
6. The Help
7. Loving The Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches
8. The Mission of Motherhood
9. Kisses for Katie

I'd say it was a good year, especially since I enjoyed each of the books I read. This year, however, I really would like to hit the 12 book mark (or beyond!). I'm excited to be well on my way, since breastfeeding forces me to sit down for long periods of time during the day. When I'm not reading to my toddler, I'll pick up my own book (when I'm not drawn into Instagram, that is. *sheepish*).

Here are the volumes I hope to read this year (a few are carried over from last year's list):

2012

1. The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer (just finished this one!)
2. Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider (I've started this one...)
3. Surrender: The Key to Spiritual Success by Arthur Burt (started this one as well)
4. The Great Omission by Steve Saint
5. The Ionian Mission by Patrick O'Brian
6. The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun and Paul Hattaway
7. Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
8. Grace For The Good Girl by Emily Freeman
9. Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg
10. Peace Child by Don Richardson
11. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
12. Imprisoned in Iran by Dan Baumann 

I'm excited that I'm already on track with my book reading for this year. The Hidden Art of Homemaking was a pleasure to read, once I acclimated to the author's style. The book is not a homemaking how-to, but focuses instead on giving you ideas for expressing creativity in your everyday activities. It encouraged me to be purposefully creative in my role as a wife, mom, and homemaker. It particularly made me want to keep fresh flowers in the house at all times. :)

Do you have any good reads planned for the coming year? I'd love to hear!
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12 Books For The New Year {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

12 Books in 2011 *Reading Update*

Remember my goal of reading at least 12 books in 2011? I was plugging along cheerfully with a book each month until I hit May--my 1st trimester. Sound familiar? I would read blog posts by all these women who were conquering the world--cleaning their houses, cooking fabulous food, reading books, setting goals, actually getting out of bed--and I would give a half-way groan and wonder if I would ever have energy again.

Dramatic, I know. :) But of course, I was hormonal as well. Now I'm back, and thankful it was just a season. If you're in that season, please don't be hard on yourself.

Squishy is way ahead of me on number of books read...:)

So a few days ago, I broke out my list to see how I was doing.

1. Shepherding A Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp: Read this--a very good resource!

2. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp: My best read so far this year. I'm ready to read it again, this time more slowly so I can digest it more fully. This book deserves it's own post.

3. The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby: I read *most* of this book. Skipped the part on sports photography, since I'm not super interested in that right now. I'm keeping this book handy, because it's a great photography resource with helpful, easy-to-find tips.

4. Hinduism by H.L. Richard: Not yet.

5. Peace Child by Don Richardson: Not yet.

6. The Fortune of War by Patrick O'Brian: I finished this and then followed it up with #7 in the series, The Surgeon's Mate. I enjoy these books for the intricate (and historically accurate) look they give you into the British naval world during the Napoleonic wars. The author is also incredible at painting a person's character.

7. Competent To Counsel by Jay E. Adams: I started this, but then stalled when I hit my 1st trimester. Need to pick it back up.

8. Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois: Still eager to pick this up!

9. The Autobiography of George Muller by (you guessed it!) George Muller. Sitting on my shelf, waiting for me.

10. The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer: Not yet!

11. Sampson and the Pirate Monks: Calling Men to Authentic Brotherhood by Nate Larkin: Another book that I started (actually got over half-way through) and then put down during my 1st trimester. This book takes a super intense look at pornography (a huge problem in our culture and in the Christian church today) and the affect it can have in a person's life. My advice would be to talk to your husband before reading it, and if you do read it, do so prayerfully.

12. I left book #12 up in the air...so I'll fill you in on the other books that I have read so far this year. Just this month I read The Help by Kathryn Stockett and Loving The Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic (both were awesome!). I've also started Against the Tide: The Story of Watchman Nee by Angus Kinnear and The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson.

So far, that's 7 books out of 12...I'm only one book behind my original goal!

Reading is difficult to fit in during this time of life (mothering tiny ones and all that involves), but I know I want to make it a priority. Even if it's just 10-15 minutes a day. Or 5. I'm glad I made this list at the beginning of the year to help keep me accountable (it works for me).

Do you have a reading list? Or a book you're eager to get your hands on? Would love to hear in the comments....

12 Books in 2011 *Reading Update*

12 Books In 2011

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 Tripp

2. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

3. The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby

4. Hinduism by H.L. Richard

5. Peace Child by Don Richardson

6. The Fortune of War by Patrick O'Brian

7. Competent To Counsel by Jay E. Adams

8. Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

9. The Autobiography of George Muller by (you guessed it!) George Muller

10. The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer

11. Sampson and the Pirate Monks: Calling Men to Authentic Brotherhood by Nate Larkin

12. 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. :)

12 Books In 2011

Bookin' It Update

This has been a funny reading season for me. I have a huge, ever growing reading list and seemingly shrinking time. I need to be more diligent about setting aside time to read. My favorite time is 30 minutes before it's time to sleep, reading curled up in my bed.

The only book I completed start to finish this month was The Golden Key by George MacDonald.  One evening this month I was feeling overwhelmed and overworked, and my sweet hubby whisked the baby off and they went on a "boys trip" to the store, giving me 45 minutes just to myself to sit and read on the couch with a cup of coffee. It was divine, and that's when I picked up this book.

It's about a boy named Mossy who finds the golden key at the end of the rainbow. He and his companion, Tangle, journey to find the keyhole. To do this book justice, I need to re-read it (which would not take long) to "get" more of what MacDonald is trying to say through the story. However, I love his descriptions of each colorful character, especially the ones who are both very old and very young at the same time.

My other reading has consisted of essays out of my Perspectives Reader--the last few have been about the history of missions and have included the writings of Hudson Taylor, William Carey, and Ralph Winter. So good!!!

I'd love to hear about what you've been reading lately, and also how you fit that reading into your day.

I'm linked up to Bookin' It over at Life As Mom.

Bookin' It Update