The Book Shelf

Huzzah!!  I've completed my 50 books in two years goal!  (*The Bible = the only one I have not totally finished reading in 2017-2018, but I'm up-to-date with my reading plan and should complete it by the end of this year.)

For anyone who cares, below = my brief thoughts or review for each book, in alphabetical order:

1. 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You -- Well-researched book on the way our smart phones have affected our daily lives and our world, for better and for worse.
2. A Grief Observed -- The best book on grief I've ever read - the brilliant C.S. Lewis sharing his own personal experience after the loss of his wife. One of his shorter books, but worth reading! (Quotes here.)
3. Adamant -- Lisa Bevere encouraging believers to stand adamantly for the truth of the Word of God, regardless of cultural shifts.  Solid Scriptural principles and content!
4. Adventures in Alaska -- Fun kids book I read to Jaceman, where Jace and Brownie the Bear had fun times in Alaska! lol  I recommend Mumablue and their personalized books.
5. All Things New -- John Eldredge writing about the coming Kingdom of Christ and how we can get better at setting our ultimate hope in that promise! (Quotes and full review here.)
6. Dancing Through Life -- Candace Cameron Bure recounting her experience on Dancing With the Stars and staying true to her faith in the process.  I like her, but don't like DWTS enough to care much about all the details.
7. Every Bitter Thing is Sweet -- My book club book with Elizabeth, Kelly, Monica, and Lindsay!  A good read about how God can bring beauty out of the most difficult seasons of our lives.
8. Friendships Don’t Just Happen -- Really well-researched and interesting book about forming and maintaining solid friendships!  (Quotes here.)
9. George Washington -- A short biography of our first president, who was Godly and brilliant and humble, and who strongly prioritized unity at the time when we needed it most.
10. Girl, Wash Your Face --  Rachel Hollis encouraging Christian women to be resilient, to get up and try again and be fiesty and fierce and unwilling to be defeated by setbacks!  Really good!
11. Good Wives -- The sequel to Little Women, so naturally, I'm a fan. Louisa May Alcott writes brilliantly and makes you want to be a better person!
12. Grace, Not Perfection -- Emily Ley's book encouraging overworked women to have more grace for themselves and do a few things well rather than trying to do everything. Good, but not super applicable to my life, as I'm not overworked or overstressed in that way.
13. Harry Potter 1 -- (Sorcerer's Stone) The brilliance of JK Rowling will never cease to amaze me. And I don't think I'll ever get through this book without tearing up multiple times at the sweetness of the beginning of the friendships of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. And the end of the first chapter. ❤All the tears.
14. Harry Potter 3 -- (Prizoner of Azkaban) The entire story is so expertly woven together, and the scene in the shack at the end is just epic - the fear, anger, joy, etc. are intense. Highly recommend these audio books read by the talented Jim Dale!!
15. Harry Potter 5 --  (Order of the Phoenix) My favorite book in this series - I love all the odd-numbered books, apparently!  The spiritual warfare metaphors in this book are crystal clear, and it inspires you to keep fighting for what is right and good and true, even when you may feel alone or overwhelmed by loss.
16. Hello, My Name Is ___ -- My missionary friend, Michael Wilson, wrote this e-book about overcoming the labels the world puts on us and finding our identity in Christ, and I loved that he mentioned Jeffrey Edward and the major influence he's had on his life!
17. Holy Bible -- I'm not going to attempt to "review" this one, but I will say I'm very happy with my decision to read the physical book this year rather than using my phone app or listening to it. And I love the way God can speak and show you something brand new in passages you've read several times!
18. How’s Your Soul -- Judah Smith writing to encourage believers to dive a little deeper and take better care of their souls through rest, relationships, restraint, and responsibility. I liked this one, but I always like this type of book!
19. Little Men -- Following the story of Jo as she and her husband run a school and raise boys to become good men... another well-written and inspiring Louisa May Alcott book!
20. Little Women -- One of my favorites - this and the Harry Potter books are the only fictional stories I want to read again and again. Their personalities and character flaws and strengths are so well written, and I love the way each sister strives to improve and grow and mature. It's sweet and simple, heartwarming and challenging.
21. Love Does -- Bob Goff's book about how we need to put love into action, not just say the words. He mentioned a practical joke he played on a friend that I didn't find funny at all, but other than that, I liked the book, and I'm a fan of him!
22. Made to Crave -- Lysa TerKeurst writing about food addiction and specific ways to pray and work to turn our cravings for food into a craving for more of God's presence. (Sadlly, the girl who read this audiobook (not the author) was crazy-annoying, so I may need to buy the real book to actually get something significant out of it!)
23. Make It Happen -- I'm a fan of Lara Casey, and this book is great for anyone who has a very specific dream they're pursuing.  For people like me who are trying to figure out the best dream to focus on, it's not particularly helpful.
24. Man’s Search for Meaning -- Holocaust survivor and psychologist Viktor Frankl tells his own story and talks about how we can find meaning and hope in the midst of great tragedy. Not an easy one, but very worth reading.
25. More Than a Manager -- My friend, Elizabeth Wiegner, wrote this e-book about virtual management. Doesn't apply for my job, but it's great content for team leaders, and I'm impressed and proud of her for writing it!
26. No Greater Love -- Mother Teresa's book - I was curious to learn more about her life and story, and this was really good in some ways and really sad in others... She is dearly loved and did a wonderful job of loving other people, but her end goal was to achieve salvation through her own works, and that's not something any of us can accomplish. #onlyJesus
27. Nobody’s Cuter Than You -- Melanie Shankle's autobiographical stories about her closest friendships.  I listened to this one as an audiobook.  She has a fun accent, and the stories were mostly fun and heartwarming. Parts of it made me miss having a trusted best friend, which was a little sad.
28. Of Mess and Moxie -- Jen Hatmaker can be fantastic and relatable and funny and sassy, and there's a lot of good stuff here about being resilient through the messy parts of life. Still, I can't recommend her at this point because she's decided she's smarter than God and has deemed certain sins "holy." =(
29. Opening Up by Writing it Down -- So good. It's a lot of psychology and research, but the gist is that holding on to secrets or secret feelings can be very detrimental to our health, and using expressive writing as a safe outlet can have amazing healing effects!
30. Party of One -- Joy Beth Smith's book about Christian singleness - the irritating things people say, the hard emotions, the good things to be found in it, and the fact that God does not promise us a spouse. I find her very likable and thought this was really good!
31. Peace with God -- Billy Graham's book about the importance of repentance and salvation. Soooo fantastic and anointed. Highly recommend! (Quotes here.)
32. Present Over Perfect -- Shauna Niequist writing about the importance of living in the moment, loving people well, and focusing on being present and engaged with them rather than trying to make everything perfect. Great read for perfectionists!
33. Seriously… I’m Kidding -- Random choice of audiobook by Ellen - surprisingly unfunny. =(
34. Seven Women -- Short biographies of seven Christian women who changed the world. Not sure if it was his writing style or what, but I didn't love it.
35. Ten Little Princesses -- A precious children's book I read to the Miss K! lol  I also got to make up princess names for the girls in every picture. "Who's she?  And who's this one!?" lol
36. The Attributes of God, V. 2 -- Another great book by A.W. Tozer, each chapter focusing in on one specific character quality of God in great detail. Well written, insightful, and draws you closer to God!
37. The Dream of You -- Jo Saxton (she has a really fun accent!) writing about finding the confidence to live out our dreams. Again, it would help if I had something real specific I was picturing for that.
38. The Explicit Gospel -- Another audiobook that should've been read by the author!!  Matt Chandler's passion did not come across with random reader guy, and I kept trying to resay it in Matt's voice. The content, of course, was great and full of challenging Biblical truth!
39. The Happiness Project -- Gretchen Rubin writing about spending a year trying several new things with the goal of becoming a happier person. The main thing I got from this book was the idea of coming up with 12 Personal Commandments that you want to live by.
40. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up -- Unintentionally hilarious because the author literally believes that socks and books and such have feelings - I laughed pretty hard at some of what she said. But her KonMari method of cleaning up made sense, and I'm about halfway through the checklist. =)
41. The Magnolia Story -- Chip and Joanna Gaines telling the story of their relationship, family, work lives, HGTV show, etc. Chip is funny, but he's a hot mess, and I was impressed with Joanna's patience and kindness in several of the stories!
42. The Purpose of Man -- A.W. Tozer writing about how we were created to worship and glorify God... but writing it in a way that really makes it come alive!
43. The Screwtape Letters -- C.S. Lewis is so creative. This is a demon mentoring another demon in how to torment the person he's been assigned to. Over the course of the book, the man becomes a Christian. There are several eye-opening letters about the strategies of Satan and how he works to tempt and distract and dishearten and disable us.
44. Through the Eyes of Lion -- Wonderful book by Pastor Levi Lusko following the death of his young daughter. About holding on to God through the journey of grief, and about seeing life from a new perspective.
45. Unashamed -- Christine Caine's awesome book encouraging believers to let go of past shame and guilt and receive the forgiveness and love and hope God offers us!
46. Uninvited -- One of my favorites on this list. Lysa TerKeurst writing about rejection and how to get through it with God's help, including a chapter on friendship breakups and a lot of great writing on forgiveness.
47. Waking the Dead -- Reread this -- one of my favorite John Eldredge books, especially helpful to Christians who are feeling disheartened and needing eyes to see the spiritual warfare surrounding them, to fight for life and find a fresh start in Christ!
48. Without Rival -- A lifegroup study book by Lisa Bevere about women being loved uniquely and individually and without rival by the God who created us!
49. Yes, Please! -- Amy Poehler's autobiographical book. Somewhat crude, somewhat funny. 
50. You are a Badass -- Completely ridiculous book by Jen Sincero. I thought it might be fun and good for building confidence and resilience, but our core beliefs about life are not at all aligned, so I just rolled my eyes at most of her advice.