The book you have to read

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We are a reading family. I love books. In fact, the shirt I sleep in most nights reads “I love books”. It’s really cool I promise.

I’m picky about what I read though. I’ll admit to judging a book by its cover. And if the book doesn’t grip me in the first chapter, I’ll likely toss it aside. I have no problem quitting a book midway through. Life is too short and books are too many to read boring stories.

When I love something I can’t help but tell everyone about it. If Zachary is with me when I get going he inevitably says, “Here she goes in commercial mode.”

I can’t do this for my own book, but I can do it for anything someone else wrote.

One of my 2016 goals is to read more books. In order to do this, I’m reading more out loud to my children. I rarely sit down to read for pleasure when they are awake. I reserve this for bed, but about 1 page in I feel the shades being drawn on my eyes. At that reading pace it takes months to finish a book.

2016 started out with me reading 2 family books aloud and 1 for myself.

I have to share with you my very favorite book at the moment.

At Christmas my friend stopped by, handed me this book with a big “Merry Christmas. Next to the Bible this book has impacted me more than any other book. And the whole family will love it.”

No better sales pitch could she give me. I was sold. And the book was free. Double win.

Now that I’ve read this book, I’d pay 3 times the retail price for it. I would give it to everyone I know. It’s simply that good. I do believe it is my all time favorite.

I read christian living books ALL. THE. TIME. This one is different. Really different.

The author isn’t lecturing to me. I don’t feel guilty and like I’ve messed up and need to change everything in my life immediately. I laugh. Hard laughing (and if you know me, you know I really need to laugh more….I’m just that serious). It’s stories – not just any stories. HILARIOUS stories. Wild stories. Stories that my boys say, “No way! No way!” It’s inspiring. The message is clear in each chapter. A love for God becomes something you do. Love isn’t a feeling. Love is an action. Love is a verb. Love Does.

I simply love a good story. Love Does is story after story. Woven together they tell the same message. But the stories are so wildly different that the book doesn’t get old. Many other christian living books about the mid point I feel the author is now beating me over the head with the same message. I want to scream, “I get it! I get it!” About mid-book, I feel I get the point, and the book finds its home on the bookshelf.

Get this book. Don’t get it at the library. It’s one you will want to keep.

And listen, there is one chapter that my boys have asked me to read over and over again. When you read the book, you will quickly know which chapter I’m referring to. Remember I have boys.

Oh! And Bob Goff donated 100% of the sales of Love Does to Restore International and The Mentoring Project. Love it!!

Here’s some other great reads from 2016 so far. Bridge to Terabithia. I read this to Jacob and Zachary. Great story on friendship. The writing style my boys highly appreciated. Zachary in particular loved the author’s descriptions which drew a clear picture in his mind. Andrew did not take part in this book. He wouldn’t understand it. And there were some language choices I could’ve done without.

Be warned, you will cry an ugly cry. I read the final chapters over two nights. Steve came home during night one and found me sobbing on the couch. Night two was worse. Ugly. Ugly cries. Consider yourself warned, my friends.

Now the book I’m almost done with and love is by Lynn Austin. I love her. I’m reading Hidden Places. So good. The thing with Lynn Austin’s books is that by the end, I feel I know the characters so well that I feel I’ve lost good friends when the story ends. The book is so good, I’m able to stay awake beyond my normal 1-2 pages a night. In fact, Steve is quite surprised to find he will fall asleep and wake up some time later because my reading light is still on.

If you are wanting a really great series Lynn Austin has my all time favorite series Chronicles of the Kings. Check out the first book here.

Ok, so it’s not too late to set some 2016 goals. Read more. Read more with your kiddos. Such time well spent. Who doesn’t need a good story these days?

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Happy Reading!

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