Monday, August 4, 2014

Top Book Recommendations: Marriage, Parenting, Faith, Clean Eating, Finances, Personal Growth/Leadership

I have always loved to read, but I have made a lot of excuses in my day about “not having time.” The truth is, we all have 24 hours in a day, and we make time for what is important to us. In reality, it’s not that I “didn’t have time,” but rather, I “wasn’t making it a priority.” Since we no longer have tv (and even before we made the decision to have cable shut off- saving well over $1200 a year, whoop whoop!), Jonathan & I have made a valiant effort to MAKE time to read every night before bed.  Yes, we “read for fun,” but also  because we believe in the discipline of it. For us, these topics below are what interest us. We are interested in investing our time reading books that we know are going to make US better, improve our mindset and thinking, and ultimately benefit our family. Plus, we want our children to be readers (and not gamers or couch potatoes), so we know the best way to get a child to do anything is to lead by example. Win-win, right? We have Amazon Prime, which is awesome & I highly recommend. We have a space in our budget specifically for books each month because I like to re-read, write in, underline, highlight, etc., but if I didn’t have room in my budget I would march my hiney right up to the public library and check those babies our fo FREE. We also order some books on c.d. for car rides. I know some people love their Kindles and other electronic reading devices, and I wish I did, but it hurts my eyes I just really prefer a book in hand.

This is only my list & does not include Jon’s- I’m not 100% sure what he has read, but I can ask if any fellas are interested. I’m not 100% this is all I have read because I just browsed through my bookshelves in my suhweeeeeet new library Big Jon built in our upstairs room. (Are those not AWESOME?!? Still have to put the cabinet doors/drawer fronts on, but I absolutely LOVE it!) Now we’ve just gotta finish bringing our books up from the basement.

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So, here are some of the books I have read in the past year and a half or so that I recommend. I should probably start journaling about what I read…(Yep, I think I’m going to start that tonight.)

Marriage:

  • The 5 Love Languages
  • The Virtuous Life of a Christ-Centered Wife
  • Women Living Well
  • Created to Be His Help Meet

Parenting:

  • Raising Your Kids to Love the Lord
  • Praying for Boys
  • BabyWise
  • Praying Circles Around Your CHildren
  • Pre-Toddler Wise
  • Baby-Led Weaning
  • The Vaccine Book
  • Nurture Shock
  • The Baby Whisperer
  • The Noticer Returns

Faith:

  • The Circle Maker
  • Praying God’s Way
  • Lord, Change My Attitude
  • So Long, Insecurity
  • James, Mercy Triumphs
  • The Journey
  • Experiencing God
  • Jesus Calling
  • Radical
  • Lies Women Believe
  • Unbroken
  • Passion & Purity
  • Calm My Anxious Heart

Clean Eating:

  • The Eat Clean Diet

Finances:

  • Rich Dad, Poor Dad
  • The Total Money Makeover
  • Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich
  • The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class
  • Tax-Free Wealth

Leadership/Personal Growth:

  • The Traveler’s Gift
  • The Slight Edge
  • The Noticer & The Noticer Returns
  • How to Win Friends & Influence People
  • Let Go of Whatever Holds You Back
  • The Final Summit
  • The Greatest Salesman in the World
  • Positive Impact
  • 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
  • 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
  • Strength-Based Leadership

To Read: (I have these but haven’t started yet…)

  • Becoming a Woman of Strength
  • Living Free
  • Breaking Free
  • Platform
  • The Normal Christian Life
  • Victory in Christ

Here is the post with book recommendations from our Sunday School teachers. We have ordered several of them & plan to dig in soon!

Happy READING!!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

i love your book shelf its amazing

P!nky said...

I love reading and need to be better about reading to better myself. I enjoy history and biography books, but need to start investing time in myself, my faith and learning more about being a better prayer.

Kelly said...

Thanks for sending this post to me! I'm definitely buying some of these!