I started the summer with a stack of books and a completely naive perspective. Not only have painting + house projects plagued any relaxing book-reading-time I might have enjoyed this summer, I now find myself cleaning a house over three times the size of our old one.
The learning curve has been...intense.
I've barely read in three months what I read in ONE last summer...but I have a renewed summer attitude and I'm determined to get some good August reading in. Here are my brief reviews (and Amazon links) to the books I've read since June 1st.
1. A Simplified Life, Emily Ley ***
Bow down to the queen. Emily Ley is the goddess of organization, and it's like I'm sitting at the feet of the master when I read her books. First of all, this book is so pretty and has large text, so it's a really fun, quick read. I felt like I accomplished so much when I had finished it, and I'd literally done nothing...because I was in the car on the way to Waco. Had I been at HOME, while reading, I would have taken the opportunity to scribble all my ideas inside the questions/journaling part and then tackled each part of our house alongside each chapter. I plan go back and do just that next spring because everything in the book was so practical.
2. The Magnolia Story, Chip and Joanna Gaines
Once was good. Twice was better. Listening via Audible for a third time was the best. This book was written by both Chip and Jo, and the text makes that obvious, but I really liked listening to them tell their story. It definitely added something.
3. Breathe, Priscilla Shirer
I did this study with a group of ladies from church, and while we all liked it...we also agreed it wasn't what we were expecting. It was strictly a topical study with some scripture thrown in...not a true Bible study (like many of her other studies). So if you go into it knowing what it is, then great. Just don't expect an in-depth look at Sabbath. It was good for reflection + discussion though. I would recommend doing in a group alongside the videos, I'm not sure I would have gotten anything out of it otherwise.
4. The Simplest Way to Change the World, Dustin Willis, Brandon Clements
Read this one as a small book club and really enjoyed it! It was good to learn about hospitality from a more intentional approach...it really is so much more than just opening our home for parties with friends and getting excited about setting the table with my antique dishes, it's about reaching people for the Gospel...something about our home should be 'special' in a way that draws them in and lures them to Christ. I'm happy to report we've welcomed quite a few people into our home this summer, that are outside our usual 'family and friends' circle, and while it's created endless amounts of busy housework it's stretched me to dive deeper in a different direction when it comes to the way we use our house as a hospitality tool for the Gospel.
5. Glory in the Ordinary, Courtney Reissig ***
Probably in my Top 3 from the summer! Also read this one with a group of gals, in 'book club' format, on my back porch. The dream that I clung to all winter while I was scraping wallpaper and painting trim and powerwashing decks...that I was DOING ALL OF THIS WORK so I could open our home and enjoy it all summer by hosting things like book clubs...turned out to be my favorite group of mom's discussing motherhood under twinkle-y lights. The book was a good, easy read...I'd recommend having your pen ready for underlining.
6. Treasuring Christ When Your Hands are Full, Gloria Furman
I had high hopes for this book...I also read it in two parts (with a month+ in between) and that is just not how I read books, so that's probably why it wasn't my favorite. Don't get me wrong, Gloria is amazing, but her writing is almost *too* full for me...like...I could have underlined the whole thing it's so good and heavy. Every sentence is packed with SO MUCH wisdom. I would try and focus and then just get glazed over because I couldn't digest so much at once. I probably need to get better at doing this kind of reading. Doing this one in a book club would have probably helped me.
7. Loving the Little Years, Rachel Jankovic ***
Also in my Top 3 for the summer. Short chapters, easy to digest, lots of really great little bits of solid wisdom. I would read every book by the author but because she has four kiddos under four, I'm guessing it will be a few years before she's cranking out books for us to buy and read. ;) I would definitely recommend this one if you're 'in the trenches' as the sub-title states.
8. The Meaning of Marriage, Timothy Keller
Full disclosure, I've been trying to read this one for over a year and because it's really intense writing on an intense topic...I've struggled. I'm pushing through because everyone says it's their favorite book on marriage, ever. I read the first half last fall...I started the second half last night, and like I already mentioned, that is not how I typically digest books best. But I have so many others I'm excited about that I feel like I'd lose all my steam if I start it back at the beginning right now. So I'll hopefully have a better review in a couple months and I'm already planning to read it again at some point.
And because I just realized I forgot to tell you what I read last fall and I can't leave these off the list...
Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff, Chip Gaines
I read this in one weekend spent at the lake, then listened to it with Josh on the way to and from Galena. It's so good, you guys. Chip has worked so hard for what they've built in Waco. He loves what he does and his heart is so incredibly generous it pretty much brings me to tears. I honestly can't think of better role models, so you're all just going to have to get over our obsession. I'd highly recommend, and for my entrepreneur-husband it was a HIT.
Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers
HOW HAD I NOT READ THIS BOOK BEFORE?! I CAN'T EVEN ACCURATELY DESCRIBE HOW GOOD IT IS. IF YOU DON'T READ ANYTHING ELSE FROM THIS LIST, READ THIS ONE. I'M SO SERIOUS. I stayed up until 2am one night while I was deathly sick with a cold + ear infection during my busiest week of the fall (women's conference week) to finish it because it's just THAT good. It might be one I have to read every year, but warning, it's pretty long and it makes things like feeding your kids, doing the laundry, and any level of human interaction with your husband seem unnecessary.
Titus, Precepts study at Cornerstone
My first Precepts! I loved it! I feel like I got SO MUCH out of it, and Titus is only three chapters. Having a large-class for weekly discussion helped my retention...having Teresa Dodge as a teacher certainly helped..and Josh being home in his slower season, allowing me to slip away on a couple Sunday afternoons during naptime to crank out my homework helped too. Turns out that beautiful season was short lived because it was right at the beginning of our house-offer-renovation
1 & 2 Samuel, She Reads Truth
I never knew I could get so much from two Old Testament chapters. I got deeper with this study than any Bible study I've ever done before and really grasped how everything in each OT story, chapter, and verse points to the one, true King who was coming. The entire Bible fits together as one big, beautiful story, and the Old Testament is such an important part of that. Which is why it's so WORTH studying. I grabbed a group of girls to do this one alongside me and we met every other week as our schedules allowed, which was good, but I was excited enough about this one all on my own. I can't recommend She Reads Truth Bible studies enough...something about the structure of the study all written out for me in a pretty book sets me up for success. Worth $24.
Born is the King, She Reads Truth
The saddest review of them all...you all KNOW how much I love Christmas and I was looking forward to this Advent study ALL YEAR. Then the Christmas season came and buying a giant house came with it. I think I might have made it to Day 14 (only because I started super early), but pretty much everything from December 8th to the end of March is a blur. A word about the SRT Advent studies...unless you have a study tool to use in addition to the book (like this one I use from Risen Motherhood) you might 'wander' around kind of lost. They're pretty books but they're a little *light* on content...(probably feels that way because it's verses you've heard every Christmas for the past 30 years). If you want more out of their Advent studies, you're going to have to commit to adding a study method alongside their verse selections + journaling sections.
What's coming up...
Grace Based Parenting, Tim Kimmel
Undone, Michelle Cushatt
1 & 2 Corinthians, She Reads Truth
The 5 Love Languages, Gary Chapman
Everybody Always, Bob Goff
Home Body, Joanna Gaines (you knew I ordered this for pre-order the very day it was made available...this is the one I've been waiting for for two years and I'm positive it will be my favorite)
What are you reading and loving?!
MmB
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