January Books

Here's the reading I did in January!  A few of these I started in December but finished them this month.  It's not uncommon for me to be reading about 3 to 4 different books at once.  Since I love to read, I read during my morning quiet time (usually this will be a devotion type book that I read in addition to scripture reading), I also read during our afternoon quiet time and sometimes before bed in the evening.  And I've learned the art of speed reading which helps me get through books more quickly that are not super deep.

Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food by Lysa Terkeurst- I've seen a lot about this book because I'm a fan of the author but never really had a desire to read it.  I know the Lord had me read it at just the right time!  I think the entire book was written for me!  Even though it's about using food as a substitute for the Lord, I found I could relate with other areas of my life I put in place of the Lord.  If food addiction and weight loss are not part of your struggles (the journey of the author), you can still hear from the Lord in Lysa's struggles.  I related her food struggle to my need for approval from others and any other hang ups that keep me from being who the Lord created me to be.  This book was so very powerful for me.  Helped me to open my eyes to lies of the enemy.  I would definitely recommend to a friend. 

Longing by Karen Kingsbury - Even though I have been a fan of Karen's writings, this series is not my favorite. I have read nearly all her books I can get my hands on at the library.  I won't tell you my thoughts on this because I don't want to spoil the storyline!  This is part of a series.  If you've not read any of her books I would start at the VERY beginning with the Redemption series and move your way forward.


Never Check Email in the Morning by Julie Morgenstern - I found this quite helpful despite Amazon's mixed reviews.  Since it is my personal copy, I will refer to it quite often.  I find this a great resource for me because of my business and lifestyle.  I am always looking for ways to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time.



Every Day A Friday by Joel Osteen - I passed this book up several times.  I had read a book of his several years ago but then realized there was a lot of controversy in his writings so I didn't care to read anymore.  However, I felt compelled to finally pick this up.  Even though I don't agree with everything about him and sometimes felt his writing to be quite arrogant, I did agree with a lot of he says in regards to how we view others.  The Lord did work on my heart while reading this book in areas such as viewing others positively and how I need to stop worrying about what others think about me.  I needed to hear these things (and I'm sure I'll need to hear them again!)



Unafraid by Francine Rivers - I personally would not want to be responsible for writing books such as this when you take scripture and add fiction to it.  I'm not sure how I feel about books like this because I don't want to be led astray.  However, what I did appreciate about this book is the realistic look at what Mary probably dealt with.  I found myself agreeing with the author's perception of Mary but have never thought about what Mary's journey was like.  I've never put Mary on a pedestal because the Lord chooses regular sinful men and women to do His work.  I found all the negative reviews of this book were due to people wanting to think Mary would have been perfect like Jesus.  I did enjoy reading this book for the new perspective.