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?

Book List for Compassion Sponsors

Over the past five and a half years, books on my reading list have changed quite a bit. I have always loved to read, but the topic of global poverty and the injustices of this world have made their way into my list of books that I now read on a regular basis. It all started when I became more involved as a Compassion International volunteer.

The first book I read in this area was "Too Small to Ignore" by Wess Stafford. At the time I read this book, Wess Stafford was still the CEO and President of Compassion International. The book shares a lot of his childhood growing up in Africa as a child of missionary parents. Wess is a champion to millions of children around the world, and this book shares his heart for children. He encourages adults to invest in children, be available for them, and love them.

Since reading that book, I have read many others that encourage me to continue being an advocate for Compassion children.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch
• The 4/14 Window by Luis Bush
• When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert
• Mission Drift by Peter Greer and Chris Horst
• Small Matters by Greg Nettle and Jimmy Mellado
• One Million Arrows by Julie Ferwerda
• Just a Minute by Wess Stafford
• The Locust Effect by Gary Haugen

What books have you read on this topic that you would add to this list?

What I Have Been Reading

This year, I decided to tackle some of the books that I have acquired and haven't read yet. The hard thing is, that I am continually seeing new books coming out that I also want to read. For someone who loves books and reading, this is a constant struggle for me. I thought about not adding any new books to my stack of books to be read this year, but that would be like not eating...ever!

At the beginning of the year, I did make a list of thirteen physical books that I own, and sixteen books on my Kindle that I have set a goal to read. To date, I have finished reading seven books on that list, as well as a couple of books I borrowed from the library and five new books I purchased this year. 

I really wanted to work my way through some of the books on my Kindle this year. I kind of forget that they are there, which is why I made the list. Many of those books I downloaded for free or was able to purchase for just a couple of dollars. But when I feel like reading, my Kindle is usually the last thing I pick up for reading. So far, I have stopped reading two books on my Kindle from my list this year. I think I got a little too crazy with downloading some of those free books to my Kindle when they have been available.

When I am traveling, I still like to bring a physical book. There is something about holding a book, actually turning the pages. And if it is a non-fiction book, I love to be able to underline passages that I want to slow down and read over again.

One book that I read recently that I just absolutely loved is 'Love Lives Here' by Maria Goff. Some things I underlined in this book:

• "God stretches each of our lives before us like a canvas. He hand us the brushes and the paint and asks us to make our lives look like our unique version of His love. Pick your own colors, not someone else's. He only creates originals, not copies, and expects no less from us."
• " We all don't need to do big things, but we can do equally important small things."
• "We're not our platforms or our positions, we're His people."
• "The lessons we're learning never really end because all of us are still growing, changing, and becoming better versions of ourselves."

The tag line for this book is: 'Finding what you need in a world telling you what you want'

Don't you just wish we had all the time in the world to listen to His voice instead of what the world is telling us?

What have you been reading lately?