This past fall, a book discussion group formed at my church and it has rekindled my love for reading! I have always enjoyed reading, but I haven’t done much in the past few years.
Throughout the year, I’ll be sharing the books I’m reading, most likely every couple of months. You can find some of those posts here.
Here are the 5 books that I read over the past 2 months, along with some of my thoughts.
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#1. Money Making Mom
I ordered this book right when it came out a few years ago, but never finished it. It was good, so I don’t even remember why I didn’t get all the way through it! After I decluttered my books recently, I decided to finish this one. I’m so glad I did.
Crystal Paine has been running a successful online business for years and since I’ve followed her during much of that time, I knew her book would be a great resource. While it lacked the nitty gritty details of how to start a business, it was filled with lots of inspiration and ideas to help someone to get started along the path!
If you are a mom trying to earn some extra income, then you should definitely read this book. It’ll inspire you to think outside of the box and to dream big!
#2. Things Fall Apart
I vaguely remember reading this book about 20 years ago during my freshman year of college, but I couldn’t have told you anything about it! Pathetic, I know! I really enjoyed re-reading it, especially in a non academic setting where I could process it with friends from my book group.
While this is fiction, I really enjoyed getting a glimpse into Nigerian life before and after colonialism. I admittedly don’t know a lot about either of these topics, so I felt like I was able to glean a lot. I learn so much when I read about times and places that are much, much different than my own “world.”
I also found myself analyzing the main character Okonkwo, which was sort of fun and reminded me of my sociology classes in college. This book also challenged me quite a bit and I was left with a lot to consider, especially as a Christian myself.
#3. Unplanned
I remember hearing about Abby Johnson and her story a few years ago, but when couldn’t find her book at our local library I just put reading it on the backburner. A family member purchased the book around the time the movie was released this past spring, so I was able to borrow it recently. I read it in about 2 days.
I know that the abortion debate is hot and extremely polarizing, but I’d encourage anyone to read this book no matter where you stand on the issue. Simply put, this is Abby Johnson’s story.
Yes, she worked for Planned Parenthood for many years, and yes, now she’s a strong pro-life advocate, but we can all learn a lot from hearing each other’s stories. Listening and learning about the life and experiences from others is how we learn and grow as people. At least that’s my opinion! 🙂
#4. Becoming a Welcoming Church
This was a really quick read, but is a great resource for churches or church members who are interested in becoming a more welcoming place for visitors. The author of this book has done numerous consultations with churches, so he has a lot of experience to share.
If you or your church are not willing to take an honest look into the mirror, then this book is not for you. On the other hand, if you and your church genuinely want to become a more friendly place for visitors, then this book has some good insights that are worth considering!
#5. O, Pioneers!
This book is set in the prairies of Nebraska in the late 1800’s, so I appreciated taking a step back in time and to a place where I have never seen. I seriously need to travel more!
While I enjoyed this book overall, I may have lost interest had it not been for some of the relationship “drama.” I’m certainly sucker for a love story, but this element of the book is what kept me going since I felt like the book lacked character development.
Maybe I just couldn’t relate to some of the characters or maybe they just didn’t draw me in, so I was thankful those other elements kept be reading. It was certainly no Little House on the Prairie, but I’m still glad I read it!
Have you read any good books recently?
Please let me know in a comment so I can add some to my list!!
