Have you read the original?

As long as I can remember, I have always loved to read.

When I was little, I remember creating my own card catalog so my friends could ‘check out books’ from my home library.

I loved reading books aloud to my children when we were homeschooling. I wish I had kept a list of all the books we read over those years.

In most cases, I have always felt that books are better than movies, especially movies that are based on books.

Recently, I realized there is a movie that I have always loved and I have never read the original story. I have been taking some free online classes through Hillsdale College, and one of the classes is Classic Children’s Literature. There is one class devoted to the original story of Beauty and the Beast.

Unfortunately, in today’s society, most people are only familiar with the Disney version of this classic story and many others. Considering the current agenda of the Disney executives, I decided it was time to read the original version of Beauty and the Beast. My copy of the book arrived this week and I look forward to reading this story which was originally written back in 1740!

Do you have a favorite book that has been made into a movie?

My Current Reading Pile

At the beginning of the year, I set a goal to read 36 books. There was no rhyme or reason why I picked that number. But since I am usually reading 3-4 books at a time, it seemed like 36 books in one year would be a good goal.

If you want to see what books I have finished reading so far, be sure to check out my Goodreads account. This is where I keep track of books I have read and what I want to read.

Here is my current reading and to be read pile of books. Once I have finished this pile, it should get me a whole lot closer to my reading goal for the year.

Have you read any of these books? And what books are you reading this year?

What I Will Be Reading in 2018...so far

Today, I sat down and wrote out the list of books, so far, that I hope to read this year. 

Considering that I read 41 books in 2017, I know that I will finish this list and be able to add more as we go through the year.

• A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot
• Seven Women by Eric Metaxas
• My no so Perfect Life by Sophia Kinsella
• Be Still My Soul by Elisabeth Elliot
• Awe by Paul David Tripp
• The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
• Unfinished by Richard Stearns
• Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• All the Places to Go by John Ortberg
• Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
• Indescribable by Louie Giglio, Matt Redman
• A Confident Heart by Renee Swope
• Enough by Will Davis Jr.
• The Word of Christ by R.C. Sproul
• Divine Design by John MacArthur

The first three books I am currently reading, and Pilgrim's Progress will be a re-read for me. Six of the books are on my Kindle and I have set a goal to read at least 15 minutes a day on my Kindle this year.

Overall, I plan to read at least 36 books this year. I know I went over that goal last year, but some of these books are quite meaty and may take a bit more to digest.

What do you plan on reading this year?

My Books of 2017

This past year has been a good, and a not-so-good year of reading for me.

The good?

I have completed reading 41 books so far this year. A couple of my favorites this past year have been 'The Boy Who Runs: The Odyssey of Julius Achon' by Julius Achon and John Brant; 'Wonder' by R.J. Palacio; and 'Hidden Figures' by Margot Lee Shetterly.

One thing all of these have in common, I read a physical copy of each one.

I still really enjoy reading an actual book.

The not-so-good?

I was really hoping to read more books on my Kindle. Six months ago I wrote out a list of ten books on my Kindle that I wanted to read this year. As of today, I have only completed one and am currently reading another.

Oh dear....there is always next year, right?

So, as we are drawing near to the end of 2017, I will be making a new list of books I want to read in 2018. And I will be adding these two, one that I just purchased today, and one that I picked up at the library...

What were some of your favorites in 2017?

And what do you plan to read in 2018?

My Current Book Stack

My current book stack is bigger than I thought it would be...

But then, I am actually not too surprised.

I sit down to read at least three times a day.

When I wake up in the morning, I sit down with my Bible and at least two devotionals.

After lunch, I read from at least one book.

Before bed, I sometimes read from one other book.

Right now, I am reading from the following books:

The MacArthur Study Bible - Back in June, I started a 90 Day Bible Reading Plan. Well, it is taking me longer than 90 days to finish this reading plan. Right now, I am in the middle of Isaiah. 

Seize the Day with Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Charles Ringma - This one is a quick daily read in the morning with a Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote, a verse of scripture, and a thought based on the quote and the scripture. I started this one back in May. The entries may be short, but they are powerful.

New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp - Just added this one a couple of weeks ago and have been overwhelmed with how timely some of the readings have been. 

Daily Acts of Kindness Devotional by Julie Fisk, Kendra Roehl, and Kristin Demery - I received this one from Tyndale House Publishers recently as an advance copy to review. I haven't read through all 365 daily entries, but I do appreciate the suggestions for putting others first each and every day. Our 'me-centered' society could use a good does of daily acts of kindness.

The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children by Stormie Omartian - Now that both of my children have graduated from high school, and I have been wanting to put more time into praying for others, I decided it was a good time to read this book. I haven't completely agreed with everything the author talks about in this book, but she does share some great content on the power of prayer for our children.

The Marvelous Mud House by April Graney - This is a children's book I recently received to preview from April, who is a Compassion sponsor and blogger. She wrote this book based on her family's travels to meet their Compassion sponsored child in Kenya. The book is a great reminder for all of us to be content, and that many of us have much to share with others.

Megan se muda by Jacqueline A. Wolfe - I am currently taking a Spanish class and our assignment this week was to check out a couple of children's books in Spanish so we can read them out loud in our next class. 

Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors - I am hoping to save this one for my trip next week. As much as I am trying to use my Kindle, I still love to travel with an actual book.

So what books are in your current book stack?