What's On Your Nightstand - January

 

Due to an unusual circumstance I ended up reading quite a bit of non-fiction so I had a really good month in January. I am keeping my list smallish since I love the freedom of picking up whatever strikes my fancy. We shall see what February holds!

For February:

 

From December's Nightstand I read:

• Middlemarch by George Eliot (narrator: Nadia May) - This is my third time through Middlemarch which I still enjoyed as much as ever. This time around I think I got a lot more out of Eliot's philosophical comments that she weaves throughout the story.
• Miss Dimple and the Slightly Bewildered Angel by Mignon F. Ballard - The last book in the Miss Dimple series.
• A Handbook to Morning Time by Cindy Rollins - This is a handy little book that Cindy Rollins put together sharing what she did in her morning times. A great resource in a little package.
• Letters to My Daughters: The Art of Being a Wife - Barbara Rainey - An encouraging read especially for those who are in the first 10 or so years of marriage.

I also read:

• Miss Dimple Picks a Peck of Trouble by Mignon F. Ballard - Another Miss Dimple book.
• A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters - I read this back in January of 2008 and decided to go back and revisit it. I really enjoyed it more this time than my first time through--though I couldn't tell you why.
• Straw Into Gold by Gary D. Schmidt - An interesting and different retelling of Rumpelstiltskin which I really enjoyed.
• Give Your Child the World by Jamie C. Martin - A book full of book lists that happen in different parts of the world. I love book lists so even though I doubt I'll read even half the books mentioned I found a few I hadn't heard of which will go on our list.
• My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead - Searching for Middlemarch in the library catalog brought up this book. I decided to check this one out. While there were some interesting tidbits about George Eliot I can't say it was all that interesting otherwise.
• Nurse Come You Here by Mary J. MacLeod - On the hand, this was a great little memoir. More stories of Mary MacLeod that start out in the first book, Call the Nurse.

I listened to:

• Living Forward by Michael Hyatt & Daniel Harkevy - This was a free audio for Christian Audio so I gave it a listen. Interesting concept--but it seemed overwhelming to implement. Simple speaks to me!

See what others have read over at 5 Minutes for Books.

Reading Goals for 2017

 

I started making reading goals about 5 years ago and didn't really realized how much they had helped me until I didn't make any reading goals for 2016. Well, 2017 is here and I am going to remedy that. First and foremost is daily Bible reading and then the rest of my reading goals will be non-fiction, since I have no trouble picking up fiction books. Also, I like to pick books that are languishing on my shelves and when I'm done reading them I determine if they are keepers or donations. The perfect remedy is that I would actually clean off some of my shelves, but I know that probably won't ever happen. Books come in faster than they go out.

Here is what I'm striving for this year:

1. Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin - I may need my head examined since I hated The Happiness Project, but I find the topic of habits intriguing so I'm going to attempt this one. (July - a keeper for now)
2. Becoming a Woman of Influence by Carol Kent - As a pastor's wife I'm always looking out for books that will help me on this journey so when I came across this title I snatched it up. (May - donation)
3. Fervent by Priscilla Shirer - Inspired to read due to the film War Room. (March - keep)
4. The Power of a Praying Church by Stormie Omartian - Another book to enhance the ministry. (March - donation)
5. God Has a Waiting Room by Kim Haney - This book came highly recommended by one of my best friends so I'll be checking it out. (didn't read)
6. How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind by Dana K. White - I'll admit I just added this to my pile. It was an impulse purchase during the holiday season. I'm always on the lookout for tips and tricks to keep my home orderly (is that possible?). (February - keep)
7. The Bait of Satan by John Bevere - Another book that was highly recommend by a friend. (September - keep)
8. Norms and Nobility by David Hicks - This is a current book discussion on the Ambleside Online forum. I am hoping to keep up with the weekly readings that will last for the whole year. (December - keep)
9. What He Must Be...If He Wants to Marry My Daughter - Voddie Baucham - No, my daughter is not getting married, but I do have a son who is dating/courting (whatever you want to call it now days). So I thought I this might be an interesting read. Again, another book that has sat quite a while on my bookshelf. (April - donation)
10. Cultivate: Forming the Emerging Generation Through Life-on-Life Mentoring - Jeff Myers - I believe I only added this to my shelf in the last year. This looks like a great read. (I started this book but just didn't care for it - donation)

Kindle books:
(Read in October)
 (Read January 16)