My Book List

Never in my life have I read so much as I have since I had kids. Sure, many of those books have been on child rearing and being a "better"  mommy. I'm not so much a fiction reader. If I don't find something useful that I can put into practice I tend to get bored easily. I've read the occasional Nicholas Sparks book while on vacation but that's because vacation is meant to be brainless. I generally prefer books that make me think.
Anyway, I figured I'd share some of the goodies I've been reading as well as those I'm hoping to read soon and others that have been recommended to me.
After all, it was reading over someone else's book list that got me going in the first place.



Am Reading 
America's Cheapest Family: Gets You Right On The Money by Steve & Annette Economides



Have Read

Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins we Tolerate by Jerry Bridges - This was a pretty basic book, in my opinion. It did a good job of getting to the heart of specific sins we tolerate but it wasn't very thorough. I recommend it as a supplement but as a whole I thought it was a little dry.

Radical by David Platt - The premise... "we have missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable... we are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves". This book is full of challenging stuff that required me to stop and think several times about where I'm at as opposed to where I ought to be in the charge I was given as a follower of Christ. Platt discusses how "real success is found in radical sacrifice", how "ultimate satisfaction is found not in making much of ourselves but in making much of God", how "the purpose of our lives transcends the country and culture we live in", how "meaning is found in community, not indvidualism; joy is found in generosity, not materialism; and truth is found in Christ, not universalism." "Ultimately, Jesus is a reward worth risking everything to know, experience, and enjoy."
The book comes with a lot of practical applications and is even accompanied by a website that furthers the reader along in the challenge that is at the end of the book (i.e. The Radical Experiment). This challenge involves five components to be accomplished in one year's time:
1. pray for the entire world {Platt suggests resources to do this with your family}
2. read through the entire Bible
3. sacrifice your money for a specific purpose
4. spend your time in another context
5. commit your life to multiplying a community
And yes, I recommend it.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
- I've read this a couple of times. Lewis does a phenomenal job breaking down Christianity to such basic components. I think it's beautiful.

Created to be His HelpMeet by Debi Pearl
- This is a controvercial book. Be warned! I started reading this book knowing that many women struggled with what was behind the cover. I started out very optimistic. The first half of the book was great and challenging. The second half... was hard. I read it in bed at night next to Sweet Hubs and ran some of the ideas by him. He thought some things were a bit extreme even though they were in his favor. I recommend this book but with caution. You've been warned!

How To Raise a Healthy Child... In Spite of Your Doctor by Dr. Robert S. Mendelsohn
- This is a "go to" book for me. My natural inclination is to not completely trust doctors. If you're in the medical profession, it's okay, we can still be friends. I've just experienced how doctors tend to think they have the cure for everything and they all too often offer remedies that are questionable to me, at best. I don't like drugs of any kind though I realize their use and benefits. All of that is to say that I recommend this book as a reference or something to consider before running to the doctor. This book has served our family well.

The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
- This is one of my "Top 5". There are so many beautiful examples and practical applications for how to make motherhood an artform. She goes beyond the day to day tasks and encourages instilling things like hospitality, organization, and creativity in your kids. Admittedly, she sometimes makes it sound so easy {and I can personally attest that it is not!} but, at the absolute least, I found a renewed motivation and fervor in the pages of this book. I'll be reading this several times over.

The Birth Order Book by Kevin Leman
- I found this to be very interesting. Leman even admits that it's not an exact science since there are an infinite number of ways which families are organized. Leman gives recommendations on ways to parent different birth orders such as: acknowledging that first borns and only children tend to be perfectionists and that it's important to not try to "improve on" everything they say and do... or making sure you don't get too sentimental in parenting the last born that you over-spoil them and enforce their already perfected ability to duck out of responsibility.

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
- There are at least 1,000 wonderful things I can say about this book! I read it at a time where I was struggling with complacency and discontentment. If you're there... it's the perfect time to pick up a copy! I warn everyone that Voskamp's style of writing is a bit more poetic than I'm used to but her message rings clear... God has blessed each and every one of us with gifts beyond measure and it is when we fail to stop, recognize, and say "thank you" that we lose our love of our Creator and our joy. I've shared this with many friends and plan to continue to pass it on. 
 

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
- This was a quick and easy read for me. I flew through it. I rushed through the book so I could see the movie and I thoroughly enjoyed them both. If you have time, pick it up. So worth it, in my opinion!

Hoping to Get to...

Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas
The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer
Steady Days by Jamie C. Martin
Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
More than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation by William Hendriksen
Open Heart, Open Home by Karen Mains

P.S. All of the "reviews" here are my own. Take them with a grain of salt and read them for yourself.