My Top 10 Favorite Books from 2013

I read 106 books total in 2013 (see the full list of titles here). Do you know how hard it is to pick my top 10 from that long list? Very hard!

I ended up going with the titles that most impacted me… that I gleaned from, that changed the way I thought about life, and/or that inspired me as a person. So here they are, in no particular order:

Daring Greatly — This book impacted me deeply and my life will never be the same as a result. In fact, I was so challenged by it that I had a necklace made that I wear almost all the time as a reminder.

Two caveats: the book is not written from a Christian perspective and has a lot of fairly strong language in it. However, it messed with me in such a good way and motivated me to confront the shame in my own life that I didn’t even realize I was there. Powerful stuff that has forever changed how I think and live.

What’s So Amazing About Grace? — I believe every Christian should read this book. It caused me to step back and examine what grace means to me and how I’m displaying that grace to others. It’s a very thought-provoking read — even if you don’t agree with all the conclusions.

One Thousand Gifts — I feel like I was the last person on planet earth to read this book and, after reading it, I know why it’s been recommended so highly to me. I love Ann to pieces. She’s so heartfelt, deep, and Jesus-filled. This book is a little piece of her soul… and it’s beautifully inspiring.

I didn’t expect to be so moved by the book, but I was. It challenged me to slow down, savor, and count the gifts that God has given me. And to be a noticer of the little things that we often fail to see as we rush through life.

Wild Goose Chase — Mark Batterson (the author) has a way of writing that powerfully challenges complacency. And this book is no different. I think my biggest takeaway was that we often put God in a box and believe He’s only capable of doing what seems possible to us. But He’s the God who delights to do the impossible — that way He gets the credit and glory! This book really inspired me to pray big prayers and believe God for big things in my life.

Loving the Way Jesus Loves — This book takes 1 Corinthians 13 and walks you through how Jesus exemplified each verse in His own life. The section on how Jesus loved Peter in spite of how Peter denied Him, walked away from Him, and turned his back on Him was so convicting to me in my own relationships with people in my life. It’s easy to love those who love us back, but I want to love like Jesus and love those who hurt or mistreat me.

Embracing Beauty — I royally surprised myself. Because I loved this ebook! It was breath of fresh air for me. I loved Trina’s perspective on beauty from a Christian standpoint in the beginning chapters. In fact, it really challenged some of my preconceived ideas and beliefs–which I appreciated.

This ebook inspired me to break out of some of my same-old, same-old ruts in what I wear and try new colors, styles, and looks. And believe it or not, I’ve actually found some new styles that I love — and I never would have tried them had I not read this ebook! (Read my full review of this ebook here.)

Sleep: It Does a Family Good — I was fascinated by the research in this book and it really inspired me to make sleep a higher priority in my life. My favorite part? Reading about how your body runs on a 7-day cycle and how you can make up for a bad night’s sleep by sleeping extra on another night or during the day — so long as you make it up within 7 days. I’ve been trying to go to bed early and sleeping in and napping on the weekends as a result of reading this book. (Looking for more ideas on how to get a better night’s rest? Check out this post.)

Early to Rise — I was so inspired by this book that I did a month-long challenge here based upon it. If you want to develop the habit of early rising, I think you’ll find this book to be very beneficial and helpful. Andy’s ebook is not for someone who isn’t willing to endure some discomfort and put forth some effort. If you’re happy with how your life is and you’re satisfied with your mornings and your productivity, then you probably don’t need Early to Rise.

Or, if you’re a mom who has young ones and you’re thankful for every second of sleep you can get, you also probably don’t need to read this ebook. {The last thing you need is to feel guilty for getting sleep that your body desperately needs!}

However, if you struggle to get up in the morning and you struggle to be productive during the day wish you could regularly get up earlier and get more done in the mornings, Early to Rise will challenge and motivate you. It’s broken down into easy, manageable steps to get you started on the path to consistent lifelong early rising. Even though I typically get up fairly early, I was re-inspired by it to make early rising even more of a priority in my life.

The Myth of Multi-Tasking — This book is a really simple and quick read, but it’s very thought-provoking. I always thought I was a pretty good multitasker. Now I’m not so sure. You see, according to the book — and I’m beginning to be persuaded it’s true — there is no such thing as true multitasking.

Instead, the author makes the case that what we call “multitasking” is really just an inefficient way of switch-tasking. When we are trying to do two things at once, we’re really just switching back and forth between two different things — taking a much longer time to do both.

The author does say that there’s such a thing as background tasking, where you are listening to music while cleaning, etc. But when it comes to tasks that require concentration, he makes a strong case that multitasking is a misnomer.

The more I’ve been testing this theory out in real-life, the more I’m beginning to believe that it’s true. And reading this book has caused me to step back and evaluate how I’m spending my time and how I can be more productive by not trying to multi-task but instead just concentrate completely on one task at a time.

Bread & Wine — I loved reading Bread & Wine. It moved me. It inspired me. It challenged me. And it made me want to spend more time in the kitchen and around the table.

However, the phrase that stuck out to me most was: Present Not Perfect. Shauna shares how we can get so wrapped up in trying to make life perfect — to get all our ducks in a row and keep them that way — that we miss the present.

We rush through life with our plans, our goals, and our lists. We check things off. We pat ourselves on the back for being a powerhouse of productivity. And we forget to breathe. To slow down. To soak up the moments. To savor the here and now.

Present not perfect. That’s how I want to live.

photo credit: DaySpring

What were your top reads from 2013 and why? I’d love to hear!