I’m so excited that last week’s experiment to share what I planned to read last week (instead of sharing a post once a month on what I hoped to read during the whole month) was a success for me.
It feels like breaking things down into more bite-sized pieces. At this season of my life when it feels like I’m focusing on living one day at a time, this approach seems more doable and less daunting.
Plus, it motivated to me get in more reading — which is always a good thing!
This week, I’m reading:
I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t) — I’ve had this one started for quite awhile, and it’s good. It’s just deep and it’s taking me awhile to get through!
A Proper Pursuit — I’ve not started this book yet, but am hoping to have some down time some evening this week so I can actually read a fiction book from cover to cover. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve done that and I’m itching to just get lost in a good story!
Love, Skip, Jump — Multiple readers have told me I must read this book. It looks good and I can’t wait to dive in!
All In — I’ve been so blessed by all three of the Mark Batterson books I’ve read so far and I’m guessing this will be another challenging and life-impacting read.
Eight Twenty Eight — I know very little about this book, but it showed up at my doorstep from the publisher. And I was so intrigued by the story when I read the back cover and flipped through it, that it went to the top of my book pile immediately!
Manage Your Day-to-Day — This book came highly recommended to me by a friend whose book recommendations I value, so I’m excited to see what thoughts and ideas I can pick up from it on better time management — something I love reading and learning about!
On the Alaskan Trail — I picked up this little book at a homeschool conference last year and have been meaning to read it to the kids ever since.
Last Week, I Read:
100 Days of Real Food — This was a great read! I enjoyed it so much that I wrote an entire post on it here: 10 Reasons I Loved 100 Days of Real Food.
Made for More — I read a little bit of this book every morning as part of my morning devotions. I really appreciated the thoughts on how to live in God’s image in our everyday lives. I especially loved this quote, “When you embrace God’s providence in your life, you are free to reflect His power and love. Instead of being paralyzed by what you can’t control, you are empowered by the knowledge that God is in control.”
Essentialism — Michael Hyatt recommended this one and it was a challenging read. I would recommend that everyone read this book. You might not agree with all of the principles, but it will definitely cause you to step back and examine your life and choices.
The Cure for the “Perfect” Life — I ate this book up! I can so relate to the perfectionist tendencies in this book and loved the insights and wisdom the authors shared for how to overcome the desire to have a “perfect” life and instead live with braveness and authenticity.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle — We read this aloud at lunch time and the kids really enjoyed it. It’s an easy and entertaining read — great to foster kids’ imaginations!
Ebooks read: The Eczema Cure, The Nourished Metabolism, All Natural Living, Clean & Simple, Kids Eat Real Food, Grain Free Freezer Cooking, and Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Baking, Sweets, and Treats.
Last Week, I Listened To:
Insider Secrets Podcast With Ruth Soukup — Ruth always has such great insight and this podcast was no different. If you are looking for some encouragement and inspiration as a blogger or online business owner, I think you’ll really enjoy this podcast.
Chris LoCurto Podcast — I love Chris and learn so much from him. I listened to his latest two podcast on building a team, putting people in the right positions, and encouraging your team to succeed. Such great wisdom and inspiration!
Last Week, We Watched:
Mom’s Night Out — I’ve heard about this movie over and over again since it released, so we finally watched it as a family. Jesse and the kids loved it and laughed their heads off. Since I had already read the book, I knew the storyline so I don’t think it was quite as funny to me since I already knew what was coming. 🙂
I’m kind of “meh” about the movie… I think it was nice that it was clean and wholesome and genuinely funny in parts. But I also love movies with more depth in them and this one just felt fluffy to me, if that makes sense?
Shark Tank — Everyone in our family is fans of Shark Tank, so we watched one episode together this week. Our kids love to analyze the business ideas and offers made and give their own running commentary. And Jesse and I not only love doing the same, but we love the entrepreneurial conversations we have with our kids as a result of watching the show.
What are you reading right now? Any book recommendations for me?
Reading Charlotte’s Web to my class. Re-reading Left Behind Series. My mom comes to visit in two weeks and is bringing the new Karen Kingsbury book Angels Walking!
I love reading your book reviews! Thank you!
You’re very welcome!
Crystal, if you are looking for a movie with a lot of depth in it with a powerful message , you need to check out The War Within. Here’s the website: http://www.thewarwithinmovie.com. Ray Comfort has endorsed it saying, “‘The War Within’ gives insights into the internal battle that rages within every person and how everything changes when we are subject to the Word. A real tearjerker.” Enjoy! 🙂
Hey Crystal! I always love reading your book recommendations and getting ideas for what to read next. And our family loves Shark Tank too 🙂
One of my favorite books from this past year (second actually, as Say Goodbye to Survival Mode was first) is Success is Not an Accident by Tommy Newberry. It is so motivating and has really inspired me to live with passion and purpose. He also wrote The 4:8 Principle, which is about applying Philippians 4:8 to our thinking and ultimately transforming our attitudes and lives. I highly recommend these two books!
Thanks for your kind encouragement and the book recommendations!
Crystal, do you take notes when you read? Or do you have magic retention skills 😉
Do you have any tips on how to retain information while reading?
Sometimes I will copy out a quote that I love and stick it somewhere. Sometimes I will write a post on something I read. Often, I will tell my husband or a friend about something I’m reading and what I’m learning from it.
I also have really good memory (this is according to my friends and husband) so I believe that helps, too. 🙂
Love you shared podcast and movie stuff! I like listening to Michael Hyatt, church sermons.
Reading:
Shepherding a child’s heart
What’s so amazing about Grace
( haven’t started) Intimate book to get my mind thinking about my husband. (My husband was asking me what I was reading and I answered time management stuff, he said how about you read something intimate?)
I saw a video about Ian and Larissa in the book Eight Twenty Eight. I look forward to reading it.
“Biblical Beauty” is a great book that I really enjoyed reading. It combines ancient wisdom with modern solutions.
http://thejewishlady.com/biblical-beauty-book-review-giveaway/
Funny..we just watched Mom’s Night Out last night….I have to say I felt the same. I had many friends wanting me to see it, but something just didn’t sit with me well when I saw previews. As I popped the movie in last night..I turned to my husband and said, “I won’t like this if they are simply making men look incompetent.” That’s what bothered me the most. Society dumbs men down so much that I think it is detrimental. I am a mom to 4 boys and I never want them to feel that they can’t tackle or handle anything. While there were points of the movie I liked and I found things entertaining in parts. I especially enjoyed what the character Bones told in ther police station….God wants you to just be you. I get the message is needed by moms and I loved that part of the movie..but I disliked how the dads were portrayed. But, hey…it least it was a clean one with a Godly message and I give them kuddos for that…and I want more of them!
Set Apart Motherhood by Leslie Ludy
I’m currently reading “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. Even though this was written in the 1930’s, the advice is timeless and still relevant today. I also read “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coehlo. It’s short and simple and reads more like a fable. I would also recommend “Quiet” by Susan Cain, especially if you’re an introvert.
Got to say, I LOVED Mom’s Night Out!!! I rarely have time for watching anything and with a group of friends after a very stressful day, we laughed and laughed!!! There is so much heavy” and serious stuff I deal with, and how fun and refreshing it was to laugh!
It’s definitely a great movie if you just want something light and funny!
What did you think of Excema Cure? Have you tried anything in it? I have a daughter with excema and we have tried a number of things, including allergy testing. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
I agree with you about “Moms’ Night Out.” My friend and I kept looking at each other and at our watches, wondering when and IF the overly-long chase scene would e-v-e-r end, plus others. Big disappointment for both me and the other mom was with.
I always enjoy seeing the books that you have read (or are planning to read). The podcast & movie reviews were interesting as well. I have several books on my “Want to read” list currently. They include:
Interrupted: When Jesus Wrecks Your Comfortable Christianity (Revised, Expanded) by Jen Hatmaker
Women of the word : how to study the Bible with both our hearts and our minds by Jen Wilkin
Taking God At His Word: Why the Bible Is Knowable, Necessary, and Enough, and What That Means for You and Me by Kevin DeYoung
Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism by D. A. Carson; Thomas R. Schreiner; John Piper; Wayne Grudem
I’m currently reading (and both are excellent):
A princess found : an American family, an African chiefdom, and the daughter who connected them all by Sarah Culberson
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney
I’m going to go check our library for ‘A Princess Found’. That sounds fascinating! Thanks for the recommendation!
Thanks so much for the link to the Chris LoCurto podcast! I just listened to his podcast on inspiring your team. I got a lot of great tips I’ll be incorporating into my business!
Ok. I have to know how you find time to read all these books, sleep, homeschool, and run such a successful blog. I bet you’ve already written about this. I’m SURE you’ve been asked 1000 times. Can you tell me where to look, and I’ll go find it? The new book you wrote? A tab on your blog that I haven’t noticed yet?
Just remember this: I’m sure there many things you do that I don’t. I have a lot of help with the blog thanks to a great team, my husband and I both share homeschooling responsibilities (and he’s doing extra right now to give me more time to write my book), my kids are old enough to be big help around the house with cleaning/laundry, etc, and my husband and I share cooking responsibilities.
Practically speaking: I have a few times set in my schedule for reading — in the morning with my devotions and on the treadmill. I get through at least a few chapters every day that way. And then I read whenever else I can — while waiting, before bed, on the weekends. It helps that I love to read, I’m a fast reader, and I don’t watch much TV or do much on social media outside of business work.
O–Thank you!!!!!!! Less social media–I call it the newspaper, my Facebook newspaper. I definitely spend too much time on it. That would definitely help. My husband’s getting his master’s degree right now, so his help share went way down. You probably remember what that was like–bleh. I feel like if I just keep tweeking our plan here, I can make my life a little less stressful and a little more fun! I love to read too. I keep buying books and not reading them.
That’s interesting that you didn’t like “Mom’s Night Out”, I’m glad to know there was a reason behind why the whole concept just didn’t appeal to me. I’m all for supporting good clean movies, but like you, I crave more depth. Thank you for the honest review! I always like to hear what other homeschooling Moms watch/enjoy……and what they don’t;)
Have you seen “God’s Not Dead”? I DID enjoy that one!
Bless you!
Oh, we LOVED God is Not Dead! Until we got to the end. I still can’t believe that’s how they ended it!!! 🙁
Kathrynne really wanted to watch God’s Not Dead, so we watched it together not too long ago. I thought it provided a great springboard for good conversations with her and, overall, I liked the movie — especially that there was depth to it.
I went to see “Mom’s Night Out” in the theater (which I rarely do). MOPS had been advertising it for awhile. I agree with you.. It kind of reminded me of the movie “Date Night” but not as funny. A couple moments did make me a little misty eyed. I found myself referencing the movie later on because it does have some valid points that not every moment of motherhood is glamorous and sometimes it’s just plain hard.
DH & I know the couple that eight twenty eight is about. We used to attend the church that his dad pastored. They are an amazing example of Christ’s love!
I can’t wait to read the book!
We are big Shark Tank fans too! I’m so glad we are not the only family that watches Shark Tank with our kids. It opens the door to talk to our kids about business ventures outside of our own family business.
Yes! We’ve had SUCH great conversations after watching it!