In my early years of blogging, book reviews made up a pretty hefty percentage of my posts. I discovered some of my favorite authors by agreeing to write a review in exchange for a free book!

It’s been a while since I’ve regularly written book reviews, but I’ve recently read a couple of books that have been especially compelling. So, I thought I’d renew the habit. Not today, but soon. In fact, I have a book sitting on my desk right now, waiting to be reviewed.

But, that leads me to a question. What are you reading right now? Is there a book, fiction or nonfiction, that is having a strong impact on you?

I have discovered powerful books because other people have shared with me. My very well-read hubby is constantly passing me new books. They are either books he’s found that he thinks I’ll enjoy or books he’s read that impacted him greatly and he wants to share. He’s a much faster and stronger reader than I am, so I’m slow to get through them all. But, it’s worth it to try! In fact, the first review I’m going to share with you is of a book he handed me — one that convicted him, so he just had to share! Haha! And because it convicted me as well, I just have to pass on the favor.

Meanwhile, a couple of years ago I grabbed a free e-book with an interesting premise, but I hadn’t gotten around to reading it. Then I saw a friend marking progress on that same series in her Goodreads profile. I asked her about it, and she told me she was absolutely hooked on the series. So, I gave it a shot. Halfway through the book, I was so captivated that I immediately took advantage of the fact that the next two books in the series were on sale, and I added this new author to my “favorites” list.

Sharing books is a glorious thing!

So, let’s share books!

Oh, and as a side note, I do believe that listening to audio books counts as “real” reading. They’re not a great thing for me because I’m a very visual learner. But, I’m also someone who is a deceptively avid reader. Reading has never been super easy for me. I just love stories and learn so much through them. Reading is the easiest way for me to access good stories. So, I practice reading. I have established morning and evening reading times. This is what allows me to process a large number of books, even as a slower reader. If audio books are the way you can access the amazing treasure trove of literature, then by all means, listen to your books! If there is another tool that helps you practice reading well, use it! You don’t have to be a strong reader to be an avid reader. You simply need to be willing to practice reading.

Above all, share your books. Let others know what you’re reading — what you like; what you don’t like; the why behind what you do and don’t like. Find people to read with. It can be so much fun to read the same book at the same time and chat about it! (Doug and I are currently rereading Lord of the Rings simultaneously, although he is taking breaks here and there to read other things, since he reads so much more quickly than I do — and has read Lord of the Rings many more times than I have!)

However you do it, just share.

So, I’ll ask again…what are you reading? I’d love to know!

I’ve always loved to read, but I have to say that my love has only increased in the past couple of years. When I was a child, I devoured every book I could get my hands on. As a young adult and young parent, I would go ages without reading anything other than my morning quiet time Bible reading and a devotional, then I’d binge on something fiction. Only in the last few years have I discovered the discipline of intentional, habitual reading.

That intentional reading habit has led me to some really great books. As I looked back across 2018, several really stood out. So, what were my top picks from the year?

Fiction

Well, Julie Klassen, Elizabeth Camden, Patrick W. Carr, and Timothy Zahn all came out with much-anticipated sequels this year. And Tricia Goyer added to her London Chronicles series. All of those were wonderful treats, as always, and all of them continue to rank among my “favorite, will read whatever you write” authors.

But, I also made a new discovery this year: Rosemary M. White. Early in the year, I selected a book to review, only to discover it was book number two in a series. So, I decided to check A Name Unknown out of the library so I’d be prepared when I received A Song Unheard to review. Before I even finished the first book, I knew I wanted to own it to read, reread, and share. And, I was thrilled to know that An Hour Unspent was due out in the fall. (I got it for Christmas and started 2019 with that one!) Meanwhile, I checked her Ladies of the Manor series out of the library over teh fall and thoroughly enjoyed it – so when I recently found the first two books in the series on a sale rack, I snagged them quickly.

Another new discovery was Kristy Cambron when I read The Lost Castle for review. My 15-year-old daughter was even more hooked than I and immediately proceeded to check out a stack of her books. She loved every one!

Nonfiction

As for nonfiction, several books really stand out.

The first two are books that I would recommend without hesitation to anyone – and actually go further than recommend. I’d encourage them both. They are both incredibly useful for very different reasons, but they are definitely going to be rereads over the years.

Calming Angry Kids by Tricia Goyer: I reviewed it here, so I won’t rehash that review. But, I will revisit the encouragement to buy it, read it, then have extras on hand to give away. The focus is parenting, but I cannot express how helpful this book is for relationships in general. I would argue that this is Tricia’s best book, and that says a lot.
An Unhurried Life by Alan Fadling: My friend Joanna commented that she wants to underline and highlight every single word, and I agree! I had to read it very slowly and intentionally, and I still need to reread it. Oh, how convicting it was! Oh how much we miss because we are so hurried – and often we don’t even realize it. We’re just fitting in with the way things are when we should instead be breaking the mold and setting a new pattern.

But, there were several others as well. And, honestly, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend these, either.

I came back again this year to Mark Buchanan. I read a couple of his, but Hidden in Plain Sight really stood out. Then there was Survival Guide for the Soul by Ken Shigematsu, another revisited author. Such nourishment and challenge! Not God Enough by J.D. Greear felt, on the surface, like an “easy” read because Greear, like Mark Buchanan, is so incredibly conversation. Yet, the direct and challenging content forced me to read it slowly, frequently stopping and take a look at my thoughts, habits, and attitudes.

Finally, I read a book entitled Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. This is not from a Christian perspective (I am increasingly intentional about working those in, too) and is more research-based, so the writing style was definitely different from what I’d learned to train my mind to process over the course of the year. But, it was a very enlightening read. My husband read it first and kept reading quotes, so I knew I needed to give it a go. Now, I’ve challenged both of my girls to read it. It offers such a valuable insight into the nature of introverts, and it is one I will probably review in coming weeks just to explore some of the valuable insight. If you are an introvert, it will help you understand yourself better. If you know and don’t understand an introvert, it will help you, too!

Of course, there were also the homeschool read-alouds, mostly re-reads by this time. But, still wonderful titles! We’re all looking forward to 2019. I just started Shadow Spinner with Steven, and Seven Daughters and Seven Sons is coming up next. Both rank among the girls’ all-time favorite read-alouds (and Seven Daughters and Seven Sons was a favorite among my siblings as well!). But, this past year, Steven couldn’t get enough of The Incredible Journey, and I always love reading The Master Puppeteer.

So, there you go – my favorites from 2018! You are welcome to join me on Goodreads to see the rest of the titles I enjoyed (you can check out my 2018 tags).

Category: Joy of Reading

What Are You Reading?

Favorite Books of 2018

Fiction

Nonfiction