8 Books I Read in January

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One month into it, I’m really enjoying my new reading plan for 2015!

Here are the four books I had selected to read in January.

• If God is Good by Randy Alcorn.  This book is on my Kindle, so when I added it to my list for January, I didn’t realize that in hardcover form, this book is 528 pages!!  Yes, that’s a bit ambitious to read in one month, even for an avid reader like me.  (You warned me, Nikki!)  Once I realized that, I decided to read half the book in January and finish it in February.  Right now I’ve completed 58% of it on my Kindle, so I’m on track.

• Now You’re Speaking My Language by Gary Chapman.  This book reminded me to celebrate the differences between my husband and myself while figuring out the best ways to communicate clearly in all five levels of communication.  The last section of the book discussed intimacy in four areas of our life and emphasized how growth in each area – especially spiritually – strengthens every part of our marriage

• Give Them Grace:  Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson.  While I appreciated the overall theme of this book – relying on God’s grace and not my own parenting skills to produce Godly children – I didn’t agree with some of the parenting techniques the authors promoted.

• Today Matters:  12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrow’s Success by John Maxwell.  I’ve read a couple of other John Maxwell books (my favorite is 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth) and I always find motivation for improving my life.

I read four additional books last month.

• Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper.  I bought this book because I love having traditions in our family and thought this book might provide a few new ones.  However, the greatest lesson I learned from this book was to ask myself – is the purpose of my traditions to point my family to Jesus?  While traditions can be fun, ultimately we want the reason we celebrate to be for our children and families to be drawn to better know and love Him.

• Clean Slate by the editors of Martha Stewart Living.  You can read my full review of this book here.

• The Confession by Robert Whitlow.  I was excited about reading this fiction book, but the storyline didn’t pull me in like several of his other books have.

• Vanished by Irene Hannon.  This was my fiction read for our recent weekend trip to Myrtle Beach. 

Here are the books I plan to read in February.

Spiritual:  If God Is Good by Randy Alcorn (second half)
Marriage:  Making Happy:  The Art and Science of a Happy Marriage by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott
Parenting:  Smart Money, Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze
Personal Growth:  Throw Out Fifty Things:  Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life by Gail Blanke

What have you been reading lately?