Mary Graham

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8 good-for-your-soul books

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My reading tends to fall into seasons. Not so much the calendar seasons, but certain weather calls for certain books.

In the summer, I need fiction. Chick lit, murder mysteries, good storytelling–things that make me stay up late and can hold my attention for hours at the pool. I do not need to be challenged or grow from the books I read in the summer, they are for entertainment purposes only.

Maybe it’s because I will forever be conditioned to think of the end of summer and fall as a time for learning, but right now, I’m all about growing and healing and thinking. My current to-read stack is Love Over Fear by Dan White Jr., Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (a re-read for me), Addiction and Grace by Gerald G. May, MD, Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr, When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron (a book I’ve skimmed but never read all the way through), and Not Quite Healed by Cecil Murphey and Gary Roe. I’ve got some fiction sprinkled in for book clubs and I’m listening to some non-fiction audiobooks, but I’m ready to buckle down and learn as the weather (hopefully) cools off.

Do you have seasons for reading?

I don’t have a rhythm for encouraging books, but I know when I need them. After I read a heavy book or when things in real life feel extra challenging, I can search out books that will soothe my soul and quiet my heart. Maybe you need that right now?

These books are ones I run to when I need hope, freedom, and lightness:

Embracing Weakness: The Unlikely Secret to Changing the World
By Shannon K. Evans
I like this one because it’s short and helpful. I don’t know if it’s just the Enneagram Eight in me, but I need the reminders that weakness isn’t an ugly word. There is a lot of beauty that can actually come from the weak pieces of us, and Evans reminds us that there is power in our weakness if we are followers of Jesus.

The Next Right Thing podcast
Okay, this is a podcast, but there’s a book too so I’m not cheating. I haven’t read the book (it’s on my Christmas list, if you’ve started shopping already…), but the podcast which inspired the book is so good I’m recommending it without reading it. Emily P. Freeman is thoughtful and wise. She doesn’t give you answers, but invites you into the questions so you can, on your own, find the way. There’s almost a therapy-level quiet and safety in her podcasts. Her voice is soothing and her stories always jar something in my heart. If you’re not buying any books this year and the library doesn’t have any of the ones I’m suggesting, just subscribe to this podcast for free and start exploring the archives (a new episode comes out most Mondays). I hope this will be encouraging for your heart.

If you are buying books right now, get this one and let me know how it feels: The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Decisions by Emily P. Freeman)

Everybody Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Unhappy People
By Bob Goff
Goff is a pleasure to read. His view of this world and life is so joy-filled that you can’t help but want what he has. (He has Jesus, but also an extra spark of something I can’t put my finger on.) I read Bob Goff when I want to remember what open arms can do. Not just because it’s fun, but because it points people to Jesus. His stories are unbelievable and exciting and push me outside my comfort zone in the nicest way possible.

Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace
By Anne Lamott
Often God doesn’t change my circumstances when I ask, He changes my heart. A lot of these books do that for me, but especially Small Victories by Anne Lamott. Beside her ability to craft a good sentence and a great story, I enjoy her reminders about how much grace is all around us if we just pay attention.

Let Me Feed You: Everyday Recipes Offering the Comfort of Home


By Rosie Daykin
Sometimes my heart needs quieted in the kitchen. Let Me Feed You is full of recipes that feel comfortable. I don’t like fussy recipes, things that require me to buy things I’ll never use again. I like cookbooks full of ingredients I normally have and with food my family will actually eat. Pretty pictures do not mean a successful dinner. But this one does it all: gorgeous photos and food the Graham girls devour. I like to borrow cookbooks from the library to try a few recipes before spending the money on them. This one passed the library test and I can’t wait to give it a home on my kitchen shelf. Sometimes what your soul needs is a messy kitchen with something warm in the oven and this book is perfect for that.

Simple Living for a Frantic World
By Brooke MCAlary
When things feel too loud in the world, I walk around my house and make a pile of things to donate to Goodwill. I can’t control the chaotic things outside my front door, but I can make sure my home doesn’t reflect it. I know this isn’t what everyone does, but when I feel extra twisty inside, I turn that energy outward to making my home more cozy. Simple Living for a Frantic World is about that task, about making our lives less full so we don’t get consumed by the world’s pace and energy. This book talks about schedules, boundaries, home, and creating a life we don’t want to escape from. I know what to do to make this happen, but I still enjoy hearing other people’s stories of real life balancing.

Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff
By Myquillyn Smith
One way I balance the world’s pace is by making home a soft place to land. We’re not home as much as I would like in the fall, but when we do stumble through the back door, you better believe it feels cozy. Cozy Minimalist Home isn’t about stripping the house bare, but quieting rooms so they feel like rest when you’re in them. I grabbed this book as soon as it was released and spent the next two weeks walking around my house taking things off of walls, shelves, and surfaces. Less stuff out meant less stuff to manage. Then I let it sit to see if I missed what I had taken away. Spoiler: I didn’t. And my rooms felt like they could breathe, like there was more space to live. If you’re in a season that feels full and overwhelming, this book will help you quiet your home so you can regain some balance.

Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Living
By Shauna Niequist
Do you have a book you return to when you don’t know what to read? Or when you need a reset? Cold Tangerines is that for me. I’ve read this book countless times in the 10+ years I’ve had it. For me, it opened my eyes to a style of writing and storytelling I didn’t know people were allowed to do. I bought this at a bookstore on a college campus in Louisville, Kentucky right after Chris and I were married. I devoured it. It became a way for me to center myself, remind myself why words matter, and how good words can connect us to others. This is probably not Niequist’s best writing. It is her first published collection of essays and she’s grown and evolved a lot since then, but I still love this book more than the others because of who I was when I discovered it. (Also, if I let you borrow this, please kindly return it. I miss it.)

Do you have a favorite good-for-your-soul book? Do you have seasons for reading different genres? Tell me all your book thoughts please.

*DISCLOSURE: affiliate links used.

9 books you should read right now

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I wanted to start this post by telling you how summer is the perfect time for reading: lazy days by the pool, weekend road trips, cool nights on the patio.

But then I realized I’d say the same thing about winter reading: free afternoons wrapped in blankets on the couch, evenings by the fire, early to bed because it’s so dark out there isn’t really anything else to do.

There’s really not a bad season to consume books is what I’m saying. Maybe just different books for different seasons? I could argue for and against that.

Just read books.
Bottom line: just read books.

Here are books I’ve read recently that moved me, kept me up all night, or still haunt me even after I’ve returned it to the library:

(Edit note: I’m having some technical issues with my site right now. If you can’t see a review or the text seems off, it’s being worked on and should be back to normal soon. Hopefully.)

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

by Gail Honeyman
Oh, Eleanor. You’ve probably read this one already or at least heard of it. It’s a bestseller and Reese Witherspoon picked it for her book club. But when too many people rave about something, I’m suspicious and avoid it. Don’t ask why, I just do. But now I’m here to tell you to read this beautiful book as soon as you can. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is wonderful and funny, sad and shocking. There were times I didn’t like her (she’s so rude!), but as the story progresses, we get glimpses of the broken pieces and by the end, you cannot help but love her. And the ending! the twist! Gah, read this right now please and thank you

Educated by Tara Westover
We read Educated for book club in late winter. This memoir is about Westover’s unconventional childhood growing up in the Idaho mountains with a mentally ill father and family. The Westovers are anti-government, live off the grid Mormons who do not school their children. Her childhood is violent, abusive, and hard. These stories will feel unbelievable at times; Westover’s resilence is encouraging and hopeful. After our book club talk, we all spent time stalking the family online. I hope this isn’t the last we hear from Tara Westover. She is still young and has a lot of healing to do, and I’m hopeful she can reconcile her past with her present in a way that doesn’t feel so damaged.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Dorothy showed up to book club, handed me this book, and said she thought I’d like it. She was right. My Sister, the Serial Killer is a short, dark read about Korede and her beautiful younger sister who keeps killing her boyfriends. Korede is smart and plain and often overlooked, and when her sister starts stabbing her boyfriends in “self-defense,” Korede helps her clean up. But the bodies are starting to pile up and Korede can’t keep this up, especially as her sister sets her sights on a kind, gorgeous doctor Korede works with. This is a quick read, but creepy and good too

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
This books haunts me. The story starts out with two rookie cops who quickly become intertwined through proximity, family, violence, and trauma. The cops’ children, Pete and Kate, are the main characters and the book follows them from the beginning of their parents’ relationships to their eventual marriage and their own family. In between is heartache, addiction, bad choices, and childhood wounds. I’ll be honest and say I didn’t know what I was picking up when I grabbed Ask Again, Yes off the shelf at the library; it looked interesting, and it was on the display case. I’m a sucker for display case books. About halfway through, I realized the parallels to real life for me were, at times, too much. I have never read a book and felt moved to contact the author, but the way Keane writes about childhood trauma, a mentally ill mother, a father who abandons his family, a son who keeps it together until one day he can’t, and alcoholism was too real to be made up. I just want to ask her how she knows, how she knows what it all feels like. How does she know what you think when it all happens and how, how did she know? This is fiction that feels like real life; fiction that has to be written from experience. I sobbed through some chapter. This hurt to read, but it was good and beautiful too. I would never have the words to write what she did so well, and I’m glad this exists in the world.

Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner
Since I left the classroom, I’ve been skipping young adult novels, but for this I am asking for forgiveness. Thankfully, a friend got me a subscription to a monthly YA book club and they’ve been showing up on my doorstep this year forcing me to read them again. Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee is a fun book about high school best friends as they try to balance senior year, new relationships, and expectations. I was a little hesitant to read a book about female friendship from a male, but Zentner did a good job of writing smart girls who don’t just have sleepovers, pillow fights, and obsess over boys. This is a book that reminds me how good YA lit can be and you don’t have to be a teenager to enjoy it.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Born a Crime is a moving account of Noah’s childhood growing up in apartheid in South Africa, hidden because his mother was black and his father was white. He was not literally not supposed to exist. When he’s still a boy, apartheid ends and his world changes forever. I loved Noah’s stories, a mix of history, commentary, humor, and lessons, his writing style and his intelligence make hard topics accessible and relevant. A few people told me to listen to the audio book for this one because Noah reads it, but the waitlist was too long at the library. I read the book, but if you have the ability to listen, I bet it would be even more wonderful than the already-wonderful book…if that’s possible

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Look, I know I’m late to this party. Whatever. If you haven’t read The Glass Castle, please read it. It’s along the same memoir genre as Educated, but a different family, a different mental illness, and a different outcome. I’m drawn to memoir because I write a lot of it, but even if that’s not your thing, this book about a family growing up in extreme poverty and constant transiency is engaging and interesting. (Also, there’s a movie, but I haven’t seen it. I’m normally against books made into movies, but if it shows up on Netflix, I might watch it.)

Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer
This isn’t a life-changing YA book, but it was fun to read and I consumed it in one weekend. It’s the common plot of a dorky girl and a bad boy falling in love. Nothing surprising, but why I loved Call It What You Want so much is because of the topics and minor characters. Things this book addresses that would be good for kids to read: the main character is in a platonic friendship with a gay character and it’s not made weird; there is a lot of discussion between characters about privilege and money and the haves and have nots; and there is a crime in town that wrecks a lot of lives and forgiveness is a huge component of this story. The story might be a little basic, but the details aren’t and this would be a great book for high school kids to read and discuss. There are a few make-out scenes, but nothing too risky or inappropriate.

Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos
Marisa De Los Santos writes good summer reading. I wouldn’t call it chick lit because the term holds so many negative connotations, but if chick lit were not looked down on , this would be a good example of why it’s wonderful and you should be reading chick lit. Adult love and relationships and heartache and family, a vacation read that could also just keep you up late on a school night. I accidentally picked up the sequel to Love Walked In years ago and read it before I realized it was not a stand-alone book. When I started this one, it sorta annoyed me because there is a lot of internal dialogue from the main character and I felt it was unnecessary, but once I fell into the rhymth of the characters and De Los Santos’ writing style, I really enjoyed this book. Just fun fiction that makes you sad when it’s over.

Have you read anything amazing lately? Tell me about it!

(Also, if books are your thing, I send out a monthly book email to subscribers telling you what you should and shouldn’t be reading. I read a lot and I love talking about it! You can sign up here to receive the book email.)

DISCLOSURE: AFFILIATE LINKS USED.

I’m still into cookbooks

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Are cookbooks still a thing?

Answer: YES.

I don’t care what the internet or Pinterest or all the end-of-traditional-publishing alarmist say, I’m still in love with cookbooks and use them regularly.

There’s just something that feels really good about cracking open a well-worn cookbook, flipping to a page you’ve used again and again, noticing the little dried bit of butter or olive oil on the corner, and feeding your family a tried-and-true meal.

Sure, I use the internet for dinner ideas or something quick-and-easy to take to the pitch-in, but it won’t ever take the place of a book full of recipes, food crumbs, handwritten notes on measurements, and love.

I will hear no arguments about it.

Okay, since we’re all on the same page about cookbooks being amazing, here are my favorites for your viewing pleasure. Add them to your collection, give them as gifts, or just nod your head in agreement as you read. And try not to get hungry.

Skinnytaste Fast and Slow by Gina Homolka
I love Skinnytaste Fast and Slow, and I love Gina Holmolka; I follow her on Instagram and buy all her cookbooks. She does healthy-ish recipes but none of them taste healthy, if you know what I mean. I make the Slow Cooker Korean-Style Beef Tacos (pg. 140) often, and it’s a big hit with Chris Graham. The slaw topping she has you put on top of the beef is delicious as a stand-alone salad too. I had a hard time narrowing down only one recipe from this book to tell you about if that tells you anything.

Magnolia Table by Joanna Gaines
This is a new one for me, I bought it with some birthday money last year after borrowing it from the library. Listen, I like the Gaines. I like their show. I like their style. I like their line at Target. But I’m also leery of celebrity books because as long as you have a good following, you can publish a book–it doesn’t have to be good. I’ve learned that the hard way. So I borrowed Magnolia Table from the library to test it out, and it passed all my tests. (I’m a teacher so realllllly good at making hard, impossible-to-pass exams.) For Christmas morning, I made the Overnight French Toast (pg. 41) for my family, and it was so decadent and delicious. Some of the recipes are more intense than I normally do, but it’s still worth a buy. I’ve got the Cinnamon Squares marked (pg. 65) for this weekend so I’ll let you know how it goes, but I’m anticipating success and lots of sugar highs.

Classic Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals
Is it showing my age to say I used to binge-watch 30-Minute Meals on the Food Network when I was in college? I don’t know what she’s doing today, but Rachel Ray in the early 2000s gave me the courage to just throw stuff in a pot without measuring, eat new foods like polenta, and try scary recipes like risotto. I still use Classic Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals for dinner inspiration. We really like her soups and stews, things that can be made in one pot. The Chile Verde (pg. 127) is delicious with some tortilla chips, sharp cheddar cheese, and green onions.

Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast
Okay, so it’s obvious I like things that don’t take too long to make. Who really does? Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast isn’t fancy, but it’s full of normal food my family will actually eat which makes it a win in my book. Being able to make a sandwich feel like a full meal (like the Grilled Chicken Reuben [pg. 81] or the Sloppy Skillet Beef Sandwiches [pg. 69]) will always make me happy. There’s lots of good soup recipes in here too. I’m a big fan of the Spicy Poblano and Corn Soup (pg. 26).

The Taste of Home Cookbook
This is a classic in my humble opinion. Growing up, my mom subscribed to and used often The Taste of Home magazine. I remember this from-scratch pretzel recipe that I loved to make. Throwing that pretzel dough around pretending I knew had to twist it into pretzel shapes was so much fun. When I moved out, my mom gifted me my own The Taste of Home Cookbook and I’ve used it ever since. It’s a good reference for traditional recipes and things you’d never, ever make, but I still love it. It also has lots of conversion, substitution, and cook time help in it. It’s not just recipes, but an actual how-to book for the kitchen. It might be a little outdated (my link is to the 4th edition while I have the original), but I’m loyal to it regardless.

Reader’s Digest Kitchen Secrets
This one is good but also a little silly? It’s not aged well, but there’s good stuff so don’t be thrown off by the ugly cover or the how-to for a cheese mold. *gag* Because recipes like the Bayou Red Beans and Rice Casserole (pg. 119) or the Steak with a Spicy sauce (pg. 234) are delicious. Reader’s Digest Kitchen Secrets is also entertaining to look at. It’s got a lot of general how-to and recipe help in it, but the pictures are gold and worth a peruse.

America’s Test Kitchen: The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs
Ellie got this one for Christmas and it’s been in heavy rotation ever since. She’s used it for desserts and breakfast food at least once a week since our kitchen has been operational again. I love America’s Test Kitchen: The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs because it talks about the science behind cooking and baking so kids are learning how to make things, but also the theory (if that makes sense…) so they could then transfer that knowledge to other things they want to make. Plus, this stuff is just good. It’s not silly kid stuff that is super easy and insulting, they have to follow real recipes and actually work for the yummy food they’re creating. Ellie loves to be in the kitchen, and she absolutely loves this cookbook.

Skinnytaste One and Done by Gina Homolka
I told you I loved Skinnytaste. This is me submitting documentation. Skinnytaste One and Done is her most recent cookbook. Quick, fast meal options are my love language. That and leaving me alone with my books. But mostly fast meals. These recipes are filling, good for the whole family, and easy-ish. I’m really feeling the one sheet pan meal idea, where you throw lots of different things on one pan and then bake it so the Roasted Sausage, Peppers, and Potatoes meal (pg. 89) was a home run. I used turkey sausage because it’s what I had on hand, but I’m sure chicken sausage is delicious too.

Let Me Feed You by Rosie Daykin
I don’t own this one (yet). I just got Let Me Feed You at the library this week. I’ve wasted enough money on cookbooks I don’t end up liking to know if the library has a copy, I’ll try it through them first. I’ve never heard of Rosie Daykin, but she has a dog on the cover of her cookbook so I think we’re going to be best friends. I’m hoping to make Butter’s Granola (pg. 20) and, when my garden is ready to harvest, the Zucchini and Couscous Salad (pg. 145). I predict I’ll ask for this cookbook for Christmas. Stay tuned.

What about you? Do you still love a cookbook sitting on the shelf in your kitchen? Could you spend the afternoon looking through cookbooks like me? What cookbook can you not live without?

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Resolution: Read more books

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One of the most powerful and inexpensive ways to grow and learn and stretch is by reading. I love to read and even if you don’t, I want you to read more this year.

Can I tell you to read twelve books in 2019? Just one book a month? I don’t care how you read it: audiobook, Kindle on your phone, borrowed from the library, or stolen from the store (just kidding). I just want you to read books this year.

I’m not telling you what to read. If you want some ideas, you can choose the “weekend read” category on the right and see what I loved last year or in years past, but you might not like to read the same books as me. That’s okay.

Let me put on my English teacher’s hat and tell you why you need to read:

1. Reading makes you smarter. Higher level thinking skills dull over time if you’re not challenging yourself with facts and stories and opinions. Your mind is getting slower and less sharp as you age, combat this with reading books!

2. Reading helps you know what you believe. If you only read books that mirror your own opinions, you live in a vacuum and that’s dangerous. You don’t have to agree with every book you read, but you need to know how to hear other opinions, hear other thoughts, and hear stories not like yours because you’re a human and other people besides you matter. Sometimes I read books and don’t like the author or what he or she is saying very much. I formulate reasons and arguments in my head to respond to what the author is presenting. This translates into a real life skill we all need. Sometimes I read books and I really like the author or what he or she is presenting. I pick apart why I like it, how it fits into my worldview or life experiences, and I’m a better at articulating who I am because of those books.

3. Reading helps us be more creative: WORDS! IDEAS! PLACES! PEOPLE!

4. Reading allows us to model good habits for our children. I can’t tell you how many hundreds of parents I’ve talked to through my years as an educator who wanted their kids to love books and read books at home and at school yet NEVER READ A BOOK THEMSELVES. Guys, that’s not how this works. Our children pay attention to our actions. That is how it works. Kids learn behaviors and skills and patterns they’ll follow by imitating their parents. We teach the majority of important lessons to our kids without words. I can’t tell my daughters to be kind to each other, but then talk to every person I come in contact with like a butthole. The parenting philosophy “do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t work and is really bad parenting. Your kids won’t grow up to be readers, love reading in school, read themselves to sleep at night, pretend to write novels in middle school, and all the other great things book-loving kids do if you don’t read at home, don’t fill your house with books, don’t take your kids to the library to stock up on books you read on the couch together. Read books this year because it’s a powerful parenting strategy. I don’t care if the chick lit novel you’re reading isn’t something you’d actually read to your kid, but you can sit on the couch reading as they play; you’re modeling a skill you want them to pick up. (But also, read age-appropriate books to your kids, especially when they’re little. Language acquisition is happening even when they can’t talk yet. Start reading to them when they’re fresh little babes and don’t stop.)

5. This is a secret, please don’t tell everyone: Did you know the majority of movies and TV shows we’re watching are stories originally written in books? I KNOW. That’s insane. Even more insane: The books are 99.99999% always better than the movies. It’s true. Head to the library, tell a librarian what shows you like to watch, and they’ll recommend some books in the same genre. For real, they make books about everything. Try it.

Reading books is a great equalizer; we don’t have to have money to have access to books, and we don’t have to have loads of free time. There are few excuses to not reading books this year.

How about just twelve books? I know you can do it.

Some personal book related resolutions for me:
I’m not buying new books this year. I’ve known for months this was coming. I’ve told my people, ones who will hold me accountable and question where my books come from. One of the things I learned writing about my 38 books to read in 2018 was I still borrow a lot of books from the library even though I have ones at home to read. I learned that I like audio books (for free) using my public library’s free app. And that I still have plenty of books to read at home. I can easily spend a year reading as many books as I can and not need to buy a single one.

BUT.

Always a but with me. *disappointing head shake* Some things I need to confess: I get sent books from publishers to review. I’ve already received new books this year, books I didn’t buy or ask for. That won’t stop in 2019 which means I’ll still be accumulating book this year. I knew this book freeze was coming, and I ordered five books on December 31st because I’m a cheater and a fake. Two of them were Bible study/devotions because I’m officially out of those at home. The other three were not. My friend Jess, who is an enabler in the best possible way, knew this book freeze was coming so for Christmas she gifted me a young adult book of the month club for 2019. That means once a month, I get a new (SIGNED!) YA novel in the mail. So I’m still getting new books because my friends are awesome. At the Front Room Studio, we’re doing a monthly book club this year. (If you’re local, check out the schedule here and join us!) Jess and I created the reading list around books we (mostly) already own and want to read, but there are a few I don’t have. I’ll borrow them from the library or, as a last resort, buy them. But I’m going to try really, really hard not to. And finally, my last caveat: I am actively looking for a new Bible. This hurts me to say because getting a new Bible is not something I take lightly (all my notes! all my underlining! all my tear-stained pages!), but I would really like a study Bible with two translations (NIV and something else; NLT? The Message?). I’ve been going back and forth for months, so this isn’t a new idea, but I didn’t want to stress-buy one in December and not like it, so I’m allowing myself to still buy a new Bible when/if I find the one my little, very picky heart desires.

I don’t have the time to type up all 100+ books waiting on my office shelves, but here are 20 I’m really excited to read this year:
Educated by Tara Westover
Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr
Adult Children of Alcoholics by Janet Geringer Woititz
Sparkling Gems, Volume I by Rick Renner
The Path Between Us by Suzanne Stabile
Black and White Bible, Black and Blue Wife by Ruth A. Tucker
Inspired by Rachel Held Evans
Mystics and Misfits by Christiana N. Peterson
The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
Fifty Days of Solitude by Doris Grumback (this will be a re-read)
Addiction and Grace by Gerald G. May, MD
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron
Shrill by Lindy West
The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison
Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin
Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle
Giddy Up, Eunice by Sophie Hudson
Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Breaking Free by Rachel Jeffs

If you do need some book recommendations, you can check out any of these posts for books I love:
10 best books of 2018
13 books I’d give to anyone for Christmas
9 Christmas gift book ideas from your favorite book recommender
9 favorite books of 2015

*I also send out a monthly book review email, sharing all the books I read last month, if you should read them or not, what books my kids are loving, and anything else book-related I come across. You can subscribe to it HERE.

*You can also follow my book Instagram account where I share what I’m currently reading and short blurbs about books I’m loving and hating.

*DISCLOSURE: Affiliate links used.

MAKE SURE YOU SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER! GO HERE TO GET MONTHLY BOOK REVIEWS & SUGGESTIONS, SURPRISE GIVEAWAYS, SUBSCRIBER-ONLY POSTS, AND THE MONDAY BUSINESS MEETING EMAIL WITH ENCOURAGEMENT, NEWS, & FREE STUFF.

Love podcasts? May I suggest you listen to the Not Terrible Podcast? My friend Jess and I co-host a weekly show where we discuss hard stories with hope and humor. I’d love for you to listen and subscribe.


how I did on my 2018 reading list

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The moment of truth is here: what I actually read in 2018.

*SIGH*

First of all, let me tell you an excuse I have: the library needs to stop tempting me with good book displays right inside the front entrance. That is an evil set up for someone who has many, many books at home and should be focusing on them.

Okay, now let’s see what I tackled in 2018. This was my original post from January 13, 2018. My to-read shelves were starting to suffocate me so I vowed to focus on what I already owned. It sounded daring and outrageous, but I was dedicated and focused. In January. I was dedicated and focused in January.

Fine, let’s just go over the results and then I’ll continue my excuses below.

Parenting books
Battlefield of the Mind For Kids by Joyce Meyer
Bringing Up Geeks: How to Protect Your Kid’s Childhood in a Grow-Up-Too-Fast World by Marybeth Hicks
13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do: Raising Self-Assured Children and Training Their Brains for a Life of Happiness, Meaning, and Success by Amy Morin
Bringing Up Girls: Practical Advice and Encouragement For Those Shaping the Next Generation of Women by Dr. James Dobson

Enneagram books
The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth by Christopher L. Heuertz
The Road Back to You Study Guide by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert

Quiet time books or studies
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
30 Days to Peace: A One-Month Creative Journal
30 Days to Joy: A One-Month Creative Journal
The Most Misused Verses in the Bible by Eric J. Bargerhuff
Out of Context: How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible by Richard Schultz
The Most Misused Stories in the Bible: Surprising Ways Popular Bible Stories are Misunderstood by Eric J. Bargerhuff
Write the Word: Cultivate Renewal by Lara Casey
She Reads Truth: Romans

Fiction/Memoir/Poetry books
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle
Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan
The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
Shrill by Lindy West
Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture by Adam S. McHugh
What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by Kristin Newman

Writing + creative books
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir by Beth Kephart
Blog Inc.: Blogging for Passion, Profit, and to Create Community by Joy Deangdeelert Cho
On Writing by Stephen King (I’ve read this before and wanted to re-read it.)
On Writing Well by William Zinsser (I read this in college but wanted to re-read it as well.)

Self-Help + healing books
Safe People: How to Find Relationships That are Good for You by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend
Codependent No More by Melody Beattie
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD
Option B by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
Boundaries by Dr. Henry Coud & Dr. John Townsend (I read this last year and want to visit it again.)
Not Quite Healed by Cecil Murphey & Gary Roe
Getting the Love You Want Workbook by Harville Hendrix (A counselor friend recommended I not read this book because it was out of date and probably not helpful so I skipped it.)

According to my not-very-accurate Instagram log, I read at least 85 books this year. Only 20 of the books were on the list I promised to read in 2018.

Well, well, well. If I was grading that, 20/38 would be a solid F. Nice work, Graham.

Based on the categories, I didn’t do much business or writing reading this year which bums me out. While I’d argue reading any good writing helps make you a better writer, I wanted to spend some time focusing on craft, and I didn’t. I’m going to better about that next year. (I seem to be light on the self-help section too, but that list was mostly made up of books I wanted to re-read. I did read books from this category, just not the ones listed. *sheepish grin*)

I’m planning on sharing a reading list for 2019 even though I wasn’t 100% successful with my 2018 one. I’m also making some changes to my book-buying habit next year, but we’ll talk more about that next week. For now, I’m accepting semi-defeat for this list.

BUT on the bright side, I still read tons of great books this year. Did you see my top ten books of 2018? All hope is not lost, I still read lots of good books this year.

*DISCLOSURE: AFFILIATED LINKS USED.

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10 best books of 2018

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We’ll talk tomorrow about my 2018 to-read list. (I have good news and bad news.) But before I grade myself on the reading homework I assigned myself in 2018, I want to tell you about my favorite books of 2018. There’s no real criteria for this list (like when it was published or the genre); this list is just the ten best books I read this year.

If you’re looking for a good read to start 2019, I’d wholeheartedly recommend these books:

The Immortalist by Chloe Benjamin
The Immortalists is engaging, creative fiction. The story centers around four children who go see a fortune teller when they’re young; during the visit, they each learn the day they will die. As they grow, their dates loom in the back of their heads, dictating and leading them more than they could ever imagine. This book made me laugh and cry, watching the way each child’s life was ruined or enhanced by a random visit to a fortune teller.

The Year of Less by Cait Flanders
I loved The Year of Less by Cait Flanders for what it encouraged me to do. Flanders is a finance blogger who decided to try to live one year without purchasing things. Her specific rules are in the book, but she was really disciplined about what she brought into her home, how she spent her money, and what she surrounded herself with. She was also really good at processing the emotions behind why she was spending money. It spurred lots of good change in our house and made me re-think some habits. This book isn’t exceptionally well-written or exciting, but it really influenced me this year. (And it’s shaping my 2019–more on that next week.)

Dopesick by Beth Macy
I think this should be required reading. Dopesick by Beth Macy looks at the way a drug company addicted America through ignorance, lying, and greed. The heartbreaking stories of kids and adults used as pawns by a pharmaceutical company will infuriate you and make you look at the addiction epidemic with new eyes.

Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan
I like Kelly Corrigan because she’s a good storyteller, but I love her because she’s such a talented writer. Tell Me More: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say is thoughtful and wise. I’ll read anything Corrigan writes and become better from it. If your attention span isn’t the greatest, you can pick this one up and read one chapter/essay without having to invest in the whole book immediately.

Barking to the Choir by Gregory Boyle
If we truly want to follow Jesus, we need to spend more time and thought on the people our world tells us are not worthy. Gregory Boyle does that well and he writes about his lessons and experiences with humor and mercy. I love Boyle. I borrowed this one from the library but had to stop after the first chapter and buy my own copy–there was just too much that needed underlined, highlighted, and notated. You’ll read this one again and again.

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
An American Marriage is fiction, but it’s full of social justice issues, relationship lessons, and so much reality about the state of race in America that it will feel real. I often want happy endings in my books–I like the happy even when it feels cheesy–but there was no way this realistic look at injustice and racism could end the way I longed for. I think about this book all the time, and I think it will stick with you too.

Everything is Horrible and Wonderful by Stephanie Wittels Wachs
Addiction is addiction is addiction. Wittels Wachs writes about her brilliant, kind, funny brother as he descends into a heroin addiction that will eventually kill him. Writing from a place of honesty is hard when you want to strangle this addicted person whom you love so much, but she does it really well; you mourn her loss like it’s your own. Reading about addiction, especially books like this, helps to get rid of the stigma of what an addict looks like and gets us closer to helping people with compassion and mercy. I loved Everything is Horrible and Wonderful.

The Most Misused Stories in the Bible by Eric J. Bargerhuff
I used The Most Misused Stories in the Bible (and The Most Misused Verses in the Bible by the same author) in my morning Bible time this year and learned so much. Bargerhuff writes well-researched and accessible essays on popular Bible teachings and how we’ve been taught wrong or incomplete truths from them. I really enjoyed these two books and keep them handy for reference when I’m writing. (I bought these two plus Out of Context: How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible by Richard L. Schultz for about $30 and have been really challenged by all of them.)

The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist by Radley Balko and Tucker Carrington
I found this on my library’s audiobook app and joined the waitlist thinking it was a true crime novel (I love true crime and don’t read as much of it as I would like). Once it came available, I quickly realized I was listening to a book on social injustice and could not stop. If our criminal justice system or systematic racism interests you (it should), I’d highly recommend you read this book. It would make a good companion piece to The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. Learning the history of how coroners came to be and the way forensic science has helped (and hurt) so many people will outrage you. At one point, I did have to stop the recording because I was just so, so brokenhearted. This book will overwhelm you and leave you changed.

Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved by Kate Bowler
Kate Bowler is clever and funny. Reading this quick book was a highlight for me because she shares hard stories with wisdom and honesty. She’s a professor at Duke Divinity School and has studied the prosperity gospel for years. Weaving her diagnosis of stage four cancer at 30-something and her faith, Bowler teaches us how to be better humans to each other. I loved this book, and I think you will too. (Bonus: We chose this as our next Not Terrible book club selection and will release an episode in March discussing it. If you want to read it in preparation for that episode, that would be cool.)

*For some reason, I thought I wrote about my favorite books every year, but I’ve only done it once, in 2015. What a disgrace, Mary. So disappointing. But if you’re interested, here are my favorite books from 2015.

*DISCLOSURE: AFFILIATE LINKS USED.

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13 books I’d give to anyone for Christmas

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Buying a book for someone else is tricky.

We don’t all like the same things. We don’t all enjoy the same genres. We don’t all laugh at the same jokes.

But what if there were some fool-proof books you could give almost anyone and they’d love?

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

Before I begin, if you give someone one of these books and they don’t like it, it probably means they have horrible taste in books and it has absolutely nothing to do with me. I know good books. I stand by this list and it will never be my fault for someone not clicking with one of them.

Okay, now we can begin:

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
I read this years ago and still think about it often. Doughty is a mortician whose life mission is to make us rethink our traditions and customs of honoring the dead. I loved this book; it’s full of research, stories from around the world, and honest discussion about the way we’ve created a culture afraid of the dead bodies of our loved ones.

Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Sister by Kate Clifford Larson
As someone who doesn’t have any real interest in the Kennedy family, this book was engaging and interesting from beginning to end. The bigger story of our mistreatment and misunderstanding of mental illness and differently-abled people will break your heart and, hopefully, reframe the way you think and talk about God’s children the world often deems second class.

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (or any Sedaris book, really)
This is not Sedaris’ first book, but it’s the first one I read as a sophomore in college so it holds a special place in my heart. Me Talk Pretty One Day is a collection of essays about his childhood and family. As a writer, I respect this book for the craft; as a reader, I love his voice and family, the way he paints such authentic, flawed people with love and honesty.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
This book is about two children, a blind girl and a young soldier, whose paths cross in occupied France during World War II. All the Light We Cannot See is such a well-written story, the talent and dedication it takes to tell such a moving fiction is awe-inspiring. I haven’t met anyone who didn’t love this book.

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
I’m throwing a little young adult fiction on the list because I will forever work against the stereotype that the label YA makes it childish or not valid for the adult reader. I participated in an adult book club read of Made You Up with my local library and sitting in a room full of elderly adults discussing this moving book made my heart so happy. Of course some YA literature isn’t engaging for adults, but this one is, so don’t write it off because of the genre.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman
I made my dad read this book, and he begrudgingly did it. We read very different things and while he won’t say he loved it, I can tell in his eyes he did. A Man Called Ove is about a crumedgeon who seems to hate everyone. Underneath his grumpy exterior is sadness and pain, so as the reader gets to know Ove, you can’t help but fall in love with him even though you want to strangle him. The storytelling and character development in this one is beautiful to witness.


The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
I couldn’t put a gift list together without a side of social justice. I think The New Jim Crow should be required reading for everyone in America. Reading this well-researched and thought-provoking book about mass incarceration in the US will change your perspective on how race influences our criminal “justice” system. This will push lots of us to confront some bias and privilege we tend to ignore.

Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits–to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life by Gretchen Rubin
Want to feel pumped and excited for the new year? Grab this book. If you’ve got someone on your list who loves self-improvement and self-help and encouragement, Better Than Before is the perfect gift. I listened to the audio version on the treadmill every morning, and I felt so inspired. There’s good stuff for everyone in this one.

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
There are two groups of people who read this book: people who see themselves in the Vance family and those who know people who are the Vance family. Either way, Hillbilly Elegy is a frank and honest look at the upwardly mobile white lower class struggles. Race and class in American is so twisty and complicated, and if we want to talk openly about all the parts, we all need to read this book.

Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
If you’ve been here for a while you know I recommend this book on all my gift lists. It’s just funny. Leave it on the coffee table and let the people laugh. If you’re a sensitive Nelly who doesn’t like curse words, you’ll want to sit this one out, but otherwise, it’s an entertaining and fun book that most (non-prudish) people will enjoy.

Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World by Bob Goff
Children’s version: Love Does by Bob Goff and Lindsey Goff Viducich
We all feel ordinary and stuck sometimes. In Love Does, Goff helps us change our perspective from boring to exciting with a call to see and interact in our world differently. This book feels happy and joyful and life-giving in a way we can all relate to.

The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
You didn’t think I’d make a book-buying list without including this one, did you? If I was asked one book outside of the Bible that got me through the roughest year of my life, it would be The Road Back to You. Seeing myself through the lens of the Enneagram began a journey of work and healing, both for myself and my marriage, that I’m not sure would have happened otherwise. It feels crazy to say this book filled in blanks that were killing me in ways I wasn’t yet aware, but it’s the truth. I seriously do give this book to everyone, and I think you should too.

Remember: If you buy one of these books and the receiver doesn’t like it, it means they’re tasteless chumps who wouldn’t know a good book if it bit them in the butt. Because these are good great books everyone should love.

Have a good one to add to the list? What book would you give to anyone because you love it so much? Help us spread good books!

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Love podcasts? May I suggest you listen to the Not Terrible Podcast? My friend Jess and I co-host a weekly show where we discuss hard stories with hope and humor. I’d love for you to listen and subscribe.

38 Books in 2018: Progress Check

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At the beginning of the year, I shared 38 books I wanted to read in 2018. I did this for a number of reasons, but the main one was I have too many books.

Now I’m not really complaining about that, I love books and one day I imagine I will die a tragic, untimely death when a bookshelf I’ve crammed with too many books tips over and crushes me. But I was starting to accumulate too many books I hadn’t yet read. And that is a problem. This week I rearranged my office and moved books around, and I have at least 50 to-read books, not counting the ones I started this 2018 list with. So I’m working really hard to stop buying books and read through the ones I already own.

Hence the 38 books I wanted to read this year.

Shocking announcement: did you know the year is half over?? I know. Sit down if you need to. I can’t believe it either. But since it really is, I thought I’d check in on my book progress. I’m no math scholar, but if my calculator is correct, I should be done with about 19 books at this point to stay on track to be done by the end of the year.

Let’s see where I’m at…

Parenting books
Battlefield of the Mind For Kids by Joyce Meyer
Bringing Up Geeks: How to Protect Your Kid’s Childhood in a Grow-Up-Too-Fast World by Marybeth Hicks
13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do: Raising Self-Assured Children and Training Their Brains for a Life of Happiness, Meaning, and Success by Amy Morin
Bringing Up Girls: Practical Advice and Encouragement For Those Shaping the Next Generation of Women by Dr. James Dobson

-GUYS. I haven’t read ANY of those books! I’m a failure. This post was the worst idea of all time. I need to quit writing and go read books immediately.

Enneagram books
The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth by Christopher L. Heuertz
The Road Back to You Study Guide by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile (I read the book last fall, but my friends and I are going through it together and we’re using this guide.)
The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert

-I finished the study guide with friends a few months ago. I don’t know about other people who study and learn about the Enneagram, but for me, I read and re-read the same books over and over to let them sink in. Technically I read the Rohr book already but I want to re-visit it again and again.

Quiet time books or studies
(I’m finishing The Daily Bible by the end of January. Yes, I am taking thirteen months to read the Bible in a year. *high five* When I’m done, I’ll be using these for my morning Bible study time.)
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
30 Days to Peace: A One-Month Creative Journal
30 Days to Joy: A One-Month Creative Journal
The Most Misused Verses in the Bible by Eric J. Bargerhuff (reading this one right now)
Out of Context: How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible by Richard Schultz
The Most Misused Stories in the Bible: Surprising Ways Popular Bible Stories are Misunderstood by Eric J. Bargerhuff
Write the Word: Cultivate Renewal by Lara Casey (working through this one right now too)
She Reads Truth: Romans

-These are the books I’m using for my morning quiet time this year. Slowly working my way through them, some I’m enjoying more than others, but being consistent in setting aside a part of my morning to get quiet in the Word is something I’ve never regretted making space for.

Fiction/Memoir/Poetry books
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle
Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan
The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur (taking this one with us camping this weekend to read)
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
Shrill by Lindy West
Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture by Adam S. McHugh
What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by Kristin Newman

Writing + creative books
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir by Beth Kephart
Blog Inc.: Blogging for Passion, Profit, and to Create Community by Joy Deangdeelert Cho
On Writing by Stephen King (I’ve read this before and want to re-read it.)
On Writing Well by William Zinsser (I read this in college but want to re-read it as well.)

-Well, that’s embarrassing. None from this list either. I’ll be honest and say I’m struggling to enjoy a bit of summer with my kids being home but also begin to focus more on writing and creating every day. Whenever I have a busy day and didn’t get to “work” I tell myself August will be go-time. So that’s what I’m saying about these books too. August is time for business and these books feel like my professional homework for August.

Self-Help + healing books
Safe People: How to Find Relationships That are Good for You by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend
Codependent No More by Melody Beattie
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, MD
Option B by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
Boundaries by Dr. Henry Coud & Dr. John Townsend (I read this last year and want to visit it again.)
Not Quite Healed by Cecil Murphey & Gary Roe
Getting the Love You Want Workbook by Harville Hendrix (Chris and I will do this together; we haven’t read the book it goes with so we might have to add that to the list at some point.)

-I have decided not to do the Getting the Love You Want workbook. I got some recommendations for better, more current books for Chris and I to do so I donated this one to our local thrift shop. I’m going to let someone else get the love they want. I’m starting the van der Kolk book soon for an upcoming podcast episode and a few of these are re-reads, but I think I needed a break from so much emotional baggage work after last year. I’ll be ready for these soon, I think.

Official book progress count: 12 out of 38 completed, 3 in progress right now.

So I’m a little behind.

Here’s a secret: I’ve been reading other books too. Like a lot of other books. According to my IG book account where I share glimpses of what I’m reading, I’ve read 34 books not on this list in 2018.

I am a cheater and a fraud. What is the point of a list if I keep ignoring it?

But on the flip side, this is the absolute best problem to have. Too many books and too much reading. And now, when that overflowing bookcase finally falls over and crushed me to death, I can die happy.

DISCLOSURE: AFFILIATE LINKS USED.

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38 books for 2018

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I don’t hoard many things. My friend Krissy jokes when my kids get presents, I immediately throw them in the trash, because I don’t want more things in our home.

That’s a slight exaggeration, but I do sometimes worry my kids will be in therapy later about the ruthless way their mother got rid of all their stuff. But in all honesty, they’re already in therapy, and I throw away everyone’s stuff, not just theirs, on a regular basis.

My point is, I hate stuff. I’m against clutter. I don’t think more is better.

Except for books.

Give me all the books.

I predict one day I will die as a result of a very tall pile of books falling on me while I’m trying to add just one more to the top. I have no restraint when it comes to books.

With that confession out in the open, I have decided I need to stop buying all the books for a minute and focus more on reading them. Not that I haven’t been reading. I read all the time. But I buy them faster than I can read them and things are getting a little out of balance.

This year, I want to be intentional about tackling some of the books I’ve been meaning to read, but haven’t because I get distracted when I randomly grab a new book at the library or order another new book from Amazon. It’s embarrassing how many great books I have waiting to be read. So here’s what I’m reading in 2018:

Parenting books
Battlefield of the Mind For Kids by Joyce Meyer
Bringing Up Geeks: How to Protect Your Kid’s Childhood in a Grow-Up-Too-Fast World by Marybeth Hicks
13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do: Raising Self-Assured Children and Training Their Brains for a Life of Happiness, Meaning, and Success by Amy Morin
Bringing Up Girls: Practical Advice and Encouragement For Those Shaping the Next Generation of Women by Dr. James Dobson

Enneagram books
The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth by Christopher L. Heuertz
The Road Back to You Study Guide by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile (I read the book last fall, but my friends and I are going through it together and we’re using this guide.)
The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert

Quiet time books or studies
(I’m finishing The Daily Bible by the end of January. Yes, I am taking thirteen months to read the Bible in a year. *high five* When I’m done, I’ll be using these for my morning Bible study time.)
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
30 Days to Peace: A One-Month Creative Journal
30 Days to Joy: A One-Month Creative Journal
The Most Misused Verses in the Bible by Eric J. Bargerhuff
Out of Context: How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible by Richard Schultz
The Most Misused Stories in the Bible: Surprising Ways Popular Bible Stories are Misunderstood by Eric J. Bargerhuff
Write the Word: Cultivate Renewal by Lara Casey
She Reads Truth: Romans

Fiction/Memoir/Poetry books
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle
Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan
The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
Shrill by Lindy West
Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture by Adam S. McHugh
What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by Kristin Newman

Writing + creative books
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir by Beth Kephart
Blog Inc.: Blogging for Passion, Profit, and to Create Community by Joy Deangdeelert Cho
On Writing by Stephen King (I’ve read this before and want to re-read it.)
On Writing Well by William Zinsser (I read this in college but want to re-read it as well.)

Self-Help + healing books
Safe People: How to Find Relationships That are Good for You by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend
Codependent No More by Melody Beattie
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD
Option B by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
Boundaries by Dr. Henry Coud & Dr. John Townsend (I read this last year and want to visit it again.)
Not Quite Healed by Cecil Murphey & Gary Roe
Getting the Love You Want Workbook by Harville Hendrix (Chris and I will do this together; we haven’t read the book it goes with so we might have to add that to the list at some point.)

Confession #2: As I was making this list, I kept grabbing more books off my shelves to add, because I’m starting to get anxious about saying I’m going to read these specific books. WHAT ABOUT ALL THE OTHER GOOD BOOKS THAT NEED ME TO READ THEM?

I’m an Enneagram type 8 so the minute anyone tries to control what I do (even myself!), I react by doing the opposite. I hate being bossed around so this will go well, I can tell. *sighhhhh*

This is normally the part where I ask for your recommendations or book suggestions, but I’m too weak right now. I can’t even hear what someone else is reading, because I will get distracted by it. So instead, have you read any of these? I’m all over the place with books. I can tell you without even reading these that some of them will contradict each other (I mean, come on, Lindy West and Dr. Dobson on the same list? We’re in for some exciting times, guys!).

 

DISCLOSURE: AFFILIATE LINKS USED FOR SOME OF THESE BOOKS.

9 Christmas gift book ideas from your favorite book recommender

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(That title, am I right?)

I’ve been getting 10-15 phone calls a day asking about Christmas gift ideas so I’ve finally put together a list of fail-proof ideas for all the people on your list.

I’m just kidding about the phone calls. People know not to call me. If you called me, I would send it to voicemail, let the voicemail sit for a few days, and then delete it without listening to it.

Please never call me. Thanks.

But Christmas gift book ideas! People really do ask about that, just not via the dreadful telephone. And here’s what I’m telling the people:

For the creative doodler or a teenager girl: 30 Days of Peace or 30 Days of Joy
That designation might be misleading since I have both of these in my stack to complete in 2018, and I am neither of those title. Both of these one-month creative journals are full of scriptures to encourage, space to draw or doodle, and writing prompts to help cultivate a heart of peace or one full of joy. So really, these journals would work for anyone. They’re not overwhelming or time-consuming, but small bites to help you breath in some scripture and then live in the truth they’re sharing. If someone you know could use a new way to read scripture or just likes to be creative in their quiet time, these would be good gifts.

For small kids: the My Little Cities series by Jennifer Adams
These amazing board books introduce little kids to different cities around the world (Paris, London, San Francisco, and New York). The illustrations by Greg Pizzoli are beautiful and the simple rhyming phrases are great for those little brains acquiring new words on a daily basis. We have some friends who’ve spent the last ten years traveling the world and just had their first baby (Hi, Rhett!). We’re going to meet the little guy today and these books are perfect gift for him. (If you’re getting the books for toddlers, they have a super cute matching game to go with the series as well.)

For the goal-setter: The Daily Bible
I’ve shared this multiple times this year, but I’m nearing the end and still loving it. The Daily Bible is a chronological reading of the Bible to be completed in one year. Besides reading the Bible in the order it actually happened (which is opening my eyes in a whole new way), it also has commentary and insights that make it easier to understand, help connect dots, and pose thoughtful questions. I can’t tell you enough how highly I recommend this Bible.

For the self-help guru: The Road Back to You
If you’ve been paying attention the past month or two, I’ve become obsessed with the Enneagram. The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile has given me a life-changing shift in my thinking. I see weaknesses and strengths better and it’s making me more compassionate and kind to others and myself. It’s given me renewed energy for healthy relationships and helping me to relate better to people. This book would be an amazing introduction to anyone who likes to learn about personality types. I love that this book acknowledges we were all made in His image and getting back to a healthy spot that glorifies God and gives us our best selves is a noble journey.

For the hurried soul: The Daily Question
This would make a great stocking stuffer or gift exchange addition. The Daily Question is a five-year spiritual journal. It would take two to three minutes a day to fill out, and be such a neat way to look back at your personal growth and progress. Each day has a prompt (like when did you have to be honest even though it wasn’t easy?, who brought you joy today? and in what circumstances are you able to put your gifts to best use?) and a year for you to fill in. You answer in a few lines and then don’t come back to that prompt again for a year–I’m starting this in January and can’t wait to see how my answers change over the next few years.

For the conscious food-lover: Food Rules
Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan and illustrated by Maira Kalman is beautiful to look at and full of simple, yet practical ways to think about food. If you’ve got someone on your Christmas list who loves talking food, is interested in the clean food movement, or just loves to collect books on food (*ahem* me), this would be a welcome gift.

For the social justice advocate: The Hate You Give
Don’t skip this recommendation when I mention it’s a young adult novel. YA novels get such a bad rap, but The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas on the shooting of an unarmed black teenager is important and compelling. Get it for your favorite teenager and then ask to borrow it when they’re done.

For the anxious worrier: This I Know
This one is a Bible study that comes out in January so pre-order it now and have it arrive to your favorite worrier in January when they’re too cold to leave the house. Or buy it for your girlfriends and start 2018 with a Bible study. This I Know: Trusting Your Unknown Future to a Known God by Laura Dingman is for anyone who has felt lost, out-of-control, or consumed by doubt and worry. I had the honor of reading this study in the fall (and writing an endorsement so look for my compelling short paragraph blurb in the front *pats self on back*), and it was exactly the reminder I needed when things felt so hopeless. Reading God is trustworthy versus living like God is trustworthy are two very different things and This I Know helps us figure out how to the second one well.

For your mom: 31 Proverbs to Light Your Path
This is legit for my mom, so Ruth go somewhere else for this paragraph. 31 Proverbs to Light Your Path by Liz Curtis Higgs would make a great addition to a bedside book stack (everyone has one of those, right??). I love reading Proverbs because each nugget seems so wise and timely that I end up highlighting the whole book. It’s probably a little much. The scriptures in this book were chosen by hundreds of women as their favorites and Curtis Higgs helps the reader examine them with humor and encouragement. Reading one every day or just sporadically will still fill your favorite mom-reader with truth and light. (Is it weird to say this is a mom book? I’m allowed to say that because I’m a mom. I am tempted to keep it for myself.)

Okay, I’m out of clever titles, but here are the books my kids are getting under the tree this year: The Action Bible (it’s the Bible as a graphic novel!), the newest Dairy of a Wimpy Kid book for Ellie (The Getaway), and a box set of Owl Diaries for Harper.

What books are you getting your favorite people this year? Share them below–you know we all need shopping help.

Also! I’m giving away copies of many of these books on Facebook and Instagram book account this week so keep your eyes peeled to get a copy just in time for Christmas.

DISCLOSURE: THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS.
DISCLOSURE: THIS IS A SPONSORED POST BUT ALL OPINIONS ARE MINE AND YOU KNOW I’M NOT TELLING YOU TO BUY SOMETHING I DON’T ACTUALLY LOVE.

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