Every once in awhile, you will come across a book that you will still be processing YEARS later—books that are filled with words that delve deep down into your soul and change who you are and how you think. These are books that have done that for me. Many of these I’ve read several years ago, but I’m STILL thinking about them.
I’m a different wife, a different mother. I homeschool differently and think about God’s Word differently. I look at politics differently. I process difficulty differently knowing I’m in good company. I’ve learned how to deal with people and how to empathize with people. I’ve seen example after example of how to walk through the fire gracefully, and I hope that rubs off on me when my turn comes. I’ve shed tears, laughed out loud, shuddered at the sheer debauchery of humanity and have been overwhelmed at the toughness of the human spirit.
Although not all spiritual or Christian books, the Lord has used them to mold me and make me into the person He wants me to be, and time and again I thank the Lord for allowing such a simple thing as a book to really impact my life.
Books are powerful. It is so important that we are very intentional about what we are reading. Read books that change you…the kind that change you for the better.
Spiritual Growth
Treasuring Christ When Your Hands are Full by Gloria Furman
This book is a fantastic reminder about keeping eternity in view as we go about our monotonous tasks in the home. It’s a true look at what it means to live out the gospel in our daily rhythms and routines. It’s one you’ll want to savor, because each paragraph is just packed to the core with thought-provoking nuggets that are worth pondering and writing down. This book is for you if you are weary in welldoing and need the reminder that God’s grace and strength are there for the taking!
*non-KJV
The Battle Within by J. Robin Wood
This is THE BEST book I have read dealing with specific sins a woman struggles with. It is so convicting. I tried to read a little bit every day during my daily quiet time, and it took me forever to get through just because there was so much to think about and work through. It is technically a book about motherhood, but it would still be applicable to all women. This is for you if you find yourself battling the flesh. (Basically, it’s for everyone!)
*KJV
Eve in Exile by Rebekah Merkle
This is possibly one of the most life-changing books I have ever read. The first part includes a brief history of feminism, and the last portion takes a look at Scripture and spells out exactly what we as women are designed for. It is so, so good. I have a few favorite chapters that I will go back to from time to time. I have realized after reading this book that some feminist mindsets have unknowingly creeped into my own life! It’s time to stop believing the lies that say keeping the home and raising children is unfulfilling! No! God created us for this!!! If you need a renewed vision of biblical womanhood, then this is for you!
*Non-KJV
Marriage
Cherish by Gary Thomas
Easily one of my top favorite books on marriage! We promise to cherish our spouse in our wedding vows, but what does that even mean? How is that different than just plain old love? The author explores these topics, plus problems we may be blinded to, what we can do to make our spouses feel so cherished, and how to have the best possible marriage that we can! You’ll love this if you want to learn to truly CHERISH your spouse.
Parenting
Parenting With Mercy by Michelle Brock
This is one of the most convicting parenting books I’ve ever read. It’s less about parenting and more about imitating Christ, our ultimate example. Have a pen ready for underlining because it is chock-full of wisdom! The author looks at how our Heavenly Father handles His children and then applies that to how we should deal with our own children. It’s a very challenging book and one that brought me to my knees many times! I think this would be a great read in general, even if you’re not a parent. This book is for you if you’re looking to be more compassionate in your relationship with others (or more specifically in your relationship with your children).
*Non-KJV
Homeschooling
Awaking Wonder by Sally Clarkson
This book truly gave me a new vision for homeschooling. It’s easy to get stuck in the rut of checking off all the boxes for getting everything done in a school year, but are we truly educating our children? Learning can be a beautiful lifestyle, not something that should be stuck into an 8 hour a day box. And the end goal—give our children a love for learning so that they will go on learning the rest of their lives. And we can create this lifestyle all while enjoying the learning process ourselves…learning along side of our children. Such a great book!
Mother Culture by Karen Andreola
There are so many great nuggets and takeaways in this book, I have practically underlined every single page. One thing that stood out loud and clear—you can’t pour into your children the way you want to without pouring into yourself. The author touches on homeschooling in this book, but mostly it’s an excellent book about mothering in general. Highly recommend for all mamas! And to top it off, the book is beautiful too! You’ll love this book—well, if you’re a mother. I appreciate all of Karen Andreola’s work and enjoy following her on Facebook.
Self-Development
Atomic Habits by James Clear
This is probably my very favorite book on developing habits. It is so practical, and there are so many easy concepts that you can implement into your life RIGHT NOW! My favorites include the two-minute habit and habit stacking which I implement in my life on the daily. He has some AWESOME quotes in his book as well. “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” This book is for you if you are looking for inspiration to make progress in certain areas of your life.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
This book is so good. It’s a practical book that challenges you to really think about the way you treat people. I love reading through this with a parenting lens as well. (And I even just started reading it out loud to my daughter because it’s simply about manners and we can all use some practical tips.) A few things he covers: begin with praise and honest appreciation, call attention to people’s mistakes indirectly, talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person, ask questions instead of giving direct orders, praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement, give the other person a fine reputation to live up to, use encouragement, make the faults seem easy to correct, make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest. See what I mean about reading that through the parenting lens. Wow! Anyways it’s a great read…probably one of those “at least read this once in your lifetime” kinds.
The Lazy-Genius Way by Kendra Adachi
This book probably wins for one of the MOST PRACTICAL books I’ve ever read. It was also a very favorite. Kendra’s ideas are pure, well… genius! Her chapter on “the magic question” was a huge game changer for me. Like the subtitle says, you will learn to “embrace what matters, ditch what doesn’t and get stuff done.” What is important to you? What are your priorities. Focus on those and let go of everything else. If you are looking for some inspiration to put some simple habits into practice RIGHT NOW, then this is for you.
Live Not By Lies by Rod Dreher
I’m not exactly sure how to describe this book other than saying, “You must read this book!” It is so eye opening and so needed. The part I remember most in this book is where the author talks about a family who resisted Communism by READING to their children! Their kids would be in the school system all day, the mother would be working all day, and when everyone got home, she would read to them for three hours undoing all of the propaganda they had learned during the day and teaching them about true heroism and how to stand up for truth! That story comes out of my favorite chapter, “Families are Resistance Cells.” This is definitely one I’ll be revisiting. This is for you if you need some inspiration to stand up for TRUTH in a totalitarian-leaning society.
Memoirs/Autobiographies
The Insanity of God by Nik Ripkin
WOW! WOW! WOW! This book has wrecked me! And I know it will do the same for you. It will convict you. It will change you. It will fire you up. The first several chapters of the book remind me of A Long Walk to Water, while the rest of the book has a Live Not By Lies flare. Nik Ripken was called to be a missionary to Northern Africa. He got into Somalia by running a relief agency there. His descriptions of his trips into Somalia are harrowing. After a life altering family emergency and deep guilt over seeing no converts, he went back to the States to get some answers. He had too many questions. But the question of all questions was this: Could God still work in a place like Somalia: where there was so much death and so much evil, and people were killed for just being in contact with a Westerner? He just couldn’t see how God could move hearts in such a hard place. This led him on a journey into 48 persecution-battered countries around the world, while holding countless interviews with Christians who were still standing for Christ even in the hardest of countries. This is where the book gets INSANE and POWERFUL! This book had me in tears several times. How easy we have it here in the United States! We are in for a brutal wake up call if and when persecution comes. I won’t give any more away, but by the time you get to the end of the book, I think you’ll agree with me that this book is incredibly moving. The documentary is good too, but just doesn’t quite capture the gut punch of the book since man of the stories were excluded.
Saving My Assassin by Virginia Prodan
This is one of those books that will give you the courage to stand for our freedoms and for truths in God’s Word no matter what backlash you are facing. Whenever I read books like this, I’m always struck at the importance of KNOWING God’s Word! And the surprise ending is just the best, so make sure you read all the way to the end…the epilogue and beyond! Once you finish reading the book, you’ll have so many unanswered questions. The author kindly took the time to answer all of these questions, and they can be found in the back of the hard copy of the book. This book is for you if you love a good suspense with a mix of God’s awesome providence. (This book is part of the Audible Plus collection so don’t waste a credit if you get it there.) There are several different interviews with Virginia Prodan on YouTube. Her story is fascinating, so of course, listening to the interviews is an extra treat.
Murder, Motherhood, and Miraculous Grace by Debra Moerke
This book is a very clear look into the fostering system…the good, the bad and the ugly. The story is harrowing and hard, but beautiful all at the same time. It’s a story ultimately of forgiveness and, just like the title says, miraculous grace. This book is for you if you’re needing a “BUT GOD” story. And also for you if you are interested in the foster care system. This book is also part of the Audible Plus collection so don’t waste a credit!
Fiction/Fantasy
The Giver by Lois Lowry
As a dystopian novel, this is not my typical genre, but it is now one of my favorite fiction books. The community is led to believe (and the reader at first), that they are living in a beautiful, normal, utopian society; but they are being fed lies under the guise of “protection.” The author is just amazing as she weaves the story in such a way that you don’t realize what is going on until you’re halfway through the story! This book is considered a young adult book, but I’d recommend a pre-reading to see if it’s right for your child. A good number of mature issues must be understood to really understand the gravity of the wrong actions in the book (how a family is formed, puberty, etc.). This is for you if you enjoy an “outside of the box” and thought-provoking read. The book ends and just kind of leaves you hanging. The good news is, there are three more books in the series that neatly wrap up the story and tie everything together! I have detailed reviews of each book in my book list. Also, the movie adaptation is excellent! (Eye roll at the teen romance, which is not in the book, but other than that, it’s great!) Find that on Amazon Prime!
The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson
Ok. I know these are children’s books, but this series is such a poignant story of sacrifice, hope and redemption all woven together in such a beautiful masterpiece. It was, and IS, incredible! I literally shed tears as we finished the last book. I loved the books so much I wrote an entire blog post about it here. The free TV Series put out by Angel Studios is wonderful too. I feel like the episodes would make more sense once you’ve read the books though.
Historical Fiction
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
This is my all-time favorite classic! Mystery, thriller, suspense, heroics, love, the perfect ending…all wrapped into one beautiful story placed during the French Revolution! Hang on for the first few chapters while the stage gets set. You might be lost for a bit, but once you figure out what is going on, you may have a hard time putting it down. The ending is just THE BEST! I’ve read this book so many times, and each time I’m still spellbound. Check out the other books in this series as well. You’ll love this book if you enjoy a good mystery/suspense/thriller with a teeny bit of a rocky love story. Not that the “d word” is used many times throughout the book although it’s spelled differently to account for their English accent.
The Auschwitz Escape by Joel Rosenberg
Every once in a while, you will come across a book that just sticks with you, and this is one of those books. Taking place during the atrocities of WWII, this is the journey of one Jewish boy not only as he matures from boyhood to manhood, but also as he learns, grows and changes into someone the reader will long to be. You will laugh, you will cry, you will change, and you will be inspired. It’s a powerful and moving story. This book is for you if you enjoy a gripping World War II story. Note there are a few tough torture scenes in Auschwitz, but the author does a good job of passing over them quickly. Also, a war book with no language for the win! A great book for teens!
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
Where to start with this one. It is heavy. It is harrowing. But at the same time, it is riveting. It follows the story of two girls who suffered horrifically at the hands of child-trafficker Georgia Tann and her scandalous Tennessee Children’s Home Society. The level of sheer debauchery just leaves me outraged, and how this wicked woman got away with it all for so many years is nightmarish. Just wow! Needless to say, this book had me doing research on the real story of this horrible woman. If you need a gripping story, read this one. The story jumps back and forth from modern day to the 1930’s. Just wanted to mention that because I know that style of writing can drive some people bonkers. It does take a while to figure out who all the characters are and how the two stories intertwine, but your patience is worth it. The audiobook has top-notch narrators making for an enjoyable listen. Note the deepest depravity of man is alluded to, including kidnapping and child molestation, but no graphic details or descriptions are given. Just enough to know that it is going on. The word heck is used one time and there are two instances of “dear God” near the end of the book. (Also check out other books by this author! I also loved The Book of Lost Friends.)
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