Reading List

As an elementary school aged child, my mother signed me up for the Babysitters Club Book Club. I hated to read. Reading bored me more than anything else! As a member of the Babysitters Club Book Club, the books would come by the tens or so each month. Is that a joke? The pressure I felt to read these books probably contributed to the perfectionistic tendencies I have today. I could not possibly read them all before the next batch came, so why even try? was my thought. Needless to say, that book club unfortunately ended up being a waste of money.

It wasn't until college that I began to enjoy reading. I finally found books that challenged me and seemed purposeful to read. I am grateful for the turn around in my attitude towards reading, because I realize now that books are such a valuable resource!

I am finishing up a book that has been hard not to read in one sitting. And as I finish this one, I have one lined up to read next. My list of books read and to-read got me thinking... there are so many good books out there, but often times it's hard to know if the one you pick up off the shelf at the bookstore is going to be good and worth the purchase. I have read these books over the past few years and would highly recommend them:

• Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
• A Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers
• Completely His: Loving Jesus Without Limits by Shannon Ethridge (and accompanying devotionals!)
• Every Woman's Battle: Discovering God's Plan for Sexual and Emotional Fulfillment by Shannon Ethridge
• Changes That Heal by Dr. Henry Cloud
• Boundaries in Dating by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend
• How People Grow by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend
• Safe People by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend
• The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes by Robert S. McGee
• Wilderness Skills for Women: How to Survive Heartbreak and Other Full-Blown Meltdowns by Marian Jordan
• Sex and the City Uncovered: Exposing the Emptiness and Healing the Hurt by Marian Jordan
• Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul by John & Staci Eldredge
• The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Emerson Coleman
• Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper
• Soul Print by Mark Batterson
• In A Pit With A Lion on A Snowy Day by Mark Batterson

The books on my shelf and "to-read" list:

• Radiant: Living as Light in a Dark World by Marian Jordan
• Sacred Marriage: What if God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happy by Gary Thomas
• To Be Told: God Invites You to Coauthor Your Future by Dan Alendar
• Personal Disciplemaking: A Step-By-Step Guide for Leading a New Christian From Birth to Maturity by Christopher Adsit  

What books have you recently read, enjoyed, and are worth recommending? Are there any books you have lined up to read next?