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One of my goals for 2013 was to read more non-fiction books. Reading is something I enjoy, and I can plow through a fiction book very quickly. Non-fiction and I have a different relationship though.
Painful, to be truthful.
Part of it stems from my desire {and/or feeling of obligation} to squeeze every morsel of wisdom from the pages of the book. The other finds me in a delicate balance of trying to focus my attention long enough on intelligent words without my eyes glazing over and my brain going ‘huh’?
Please tell me I’m not alone??
While fiction allows me an ‘escape’ of sorts and doesn’t require a lot of focused attention to read, non-fiction requires me to actually engage in the book. Sometimes my brain just isn’t up to that.
SO – this year, my goal was to read a total of twelve non-fiction books. The list wasn’t completely finished when I shared my goal, although I did have at least four or five piled next to my bed to get me started. Others have been pulled from the depths of my nightstand and welcome seeing the light of day again {ahem}.
Here’s the list of books that have made it to the official list {several I hope to rope my husband into reading with me – you are reading this, aren’t you Rick?}. So far I’ve managed to read five of the books on the list and have a few in progress {because why work on just one at a time, eh?}. I’m guessing that I might slow down a bit in the summer months, so I’m trying to stay steady in my reading! {affiliate links below}
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7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker {done}
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Unglued by Lysa Tyrk {done}
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Desperate by Sally Clarkson and Sarah Mae {done}
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Just a Minute by Wes Stafford {done}
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The Mom Walk by Sally Clarkson {done}
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A Praying Life by Paul Miller {reading}
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The Five Love Languages of Children by Chapman and Campbell} {reading}
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Give Them Grace by Else Fitzpatrick & Jessica Thompson {reading}
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Beyond Ordinary by Justin & Trisha Davis {reading}
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The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
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Everything by Mary DeMuth
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Platform by Michael Hyatt
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???
What book would you recommend be added to the list as an alternate pick? Leave a comment below with your suggestion.
Coming Up in April 2013 and a Thanks to Our Sponsors
April finds up in the final six week stretch of school {which reminds me that I need to order our end of the year testing!!}. Stay tuned as well – I’ll be continuing the Homeschool Basics series this month and have at least four more installments planned. I’ll also be revisiting the topic of chores and our workbox folder system, so keep an eye out for those!
We so appreciate our sponsors at Homeschool Creations. This month there are several fun giveaways planned from HEAV {Home Educators of Virginia} and Little Passports {and possibly one more!}.
Be sure to stop by and visit the following companies this month as well!
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Home Educators of Virginia – Celebrating 30 years of helping homeschool families, April is a month of BOUNTIFUL blessings for you! Stop by the HEAV blog for more information on 30 days of giveaways during the month of April. Registration for the convention opens this month!
Time 4 Learning – Perfect for homeschool, afterschool, and summer skill sharpening, Time4Learning’s award-winning prek to eighth grade curriculum combines the technology kids love with the education they need to make learning fun!
Little Passports – let your kids travel the US or the world without ever stepping foot out the door!! Little Passports is delivered to your mailbox monthly and provides educational games along with hands-on fun for your children, all focused on geography.
Favorite Posts in March 2013
Curious to see what others have been reading this last month? Below is a list of the ten most visited posts over the last month:
- ABC Bible Verse Flashcards
- Printables from A to Z
- Preschool Chore Charts
- Our Chore System and Chore Chart Printables
- St. Patrick’s Day Math Printables
- Angry Birds Printables for Preschool and Kindergarten
- Koolaid Playdough Recipe
- How to Make a Resurrection Garden
- Garden Preschool Pack
- Book Report Form and Reading Log
The printables shared on this site are FREE of charge unless otherwise noted, and you are welcome to download them for your personal and/or classroom use only. However, free or purchased printables are NOT to be reproduced, hosted, sold, shared, or stored on any other website or electronic retrieval system (such as Scribd or Google docs). My printables are copyright protected and I appreciate your help in keeping them that way.
If you download and use some of my printables and then blog about them, please provide a link back to my blog and let me know - I'd love to see how you are using them! Please be sure to link to the blog post or web page and not directly to the file itself. Thank you!
I’m not a fan of non fiction either! I can read 4 fiction books and still barely get through half of a non-fiction book, LOL.
Great list! I read to my children a lot (!) and want to foster in them a love of reading that I never developed. I personally don’t do a lot of reading (I think it’s because I’m mildly dyslexic). But when I do read, I ONLY read non-fiction because I don’t want to struggle through reading something without having a greater purpose of self-improvement. I just finished Unglued (the first book I’ve read in about 4 years), and it has stirred a desire in me to read more books that challenge me and encourage me to be a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, and Christian. I’d love to know your top suggestions of books in these categories so that I can focus my energy on the ones that may have the greatest impact. I hope you reach your goal in 2013!
Oh, and add….”homeschooler” to the list of areas where I need challenge and encouragement.
Andrea,
If you are looking for one to encourage you in almost all of those areas, I would highly recommend Mission of Motherhood or Seasons of a Mother’s Heart by Sally Clarkson. Both were very encouraging to me! Ministry of Motherhood is on my list ass well, but those two were fabulous!!
Good list… Yes non-fiction needs more “energy” as every non-fiction has a rich life to it. The fictional books are good for entertainment… but rarely you will find resonance in it…
Thanks for sharing your list! How do you like Give them Grace so far? I’m reading Grace-Based Parenting and, while I’m enjoying it, it doesn’t seem to offer practical advice, only theory. So, when I’m done with GBP, I have a feeling I’ll be on the lookout for another book that focuses more on practice.
I’m not too far into it, but had the same issue with the Grace-Based book, so hoping this one is more what I am looking for. I also have another from from Clay Clarkson called Heartfelt Discipline which might be more practical advice as well – just haven’t read it {sigh}.
Thanks for the list! I love anything by Sally Clarkson. I found Seasons of a Mother’s Heart especially encouraging when I first started homeschooling.
Thanks again,
Jamie
lifefullyloaded.com
I really enjoyed Resolved by Orrin Woodward. He took the resolutions of Ben Franklin, George Washington, and Jonathan Edwards and studied them to see what made these men great. Then Mr Woodward separated the ideas into 13 resolutions that we can use for our daily lives to keep us on track. I’ve read it twice in the year and a half I’ve owned it.
Love your list. Keep learning.
that sounds really interesting!!
I recommend Kisses from Katie!
“Katie Davis left over Christmas break of her senior year for a short
mission trip to Uganda and her life was turned completely inside out.
She found herself so moved by the people of Uganda and the needs she saw
that she knew her calling was to return and care for them. Katie, a
charismatic and articulate young woman, is in the process of adopting thirteen
children in Uganda and has established a ministry, Amazima, that feeds
and sends hundreds more to school while teaching them the Word of Jesus
Christ.”
Have you read Radical by David Platt or Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman?
no – neither of those. Off to check them out!!
Let it Go by Karen Ehman. So true, so good and so “right between the eyes!” I have read most of your list. Thanks for posting!
That’s another book that I actually found in my nightstand the other day and it went into the ‘possible’ pile!! :) I’ll pull it back out!
same here, Jamie!! That was the first book that I read by Sally.
I have been reading through a pre-release copy of a really great book called “Making Manifest: On Faith, Creativity, and the Kingdom at Hand”! It’s a book of devotional meditations and writing exercises that teaches poetry and reflective journal writing in a really low impact and engaging way. I think I’m even going to use pieces of it with my kids this coming fall for homeschooling. It would be a two birds with one stone situation if you liked it as well! :-)
Here’s the link: http://store.seedbed.com/products/making-manifest-by-dave-harrity
off to check it out!
“The Power of a Praying Wife,” by Stormie Omartian. And, although I know you’re trying to get away from fiction, try “A Painted House,” a non-lawyer, semiautobiographical tale by John Grisham. It’s outstanding.
Oh, and “In the Grip of Grace,” by Max Lucado. Another good one.
Gospel Powered Parenting! Such an amazing book to refocus parenting on Jesus!
The Joyful Homeschooler
You’re not alone. That describes me exactly! I have a difficult time explaining this to my nonfiction-loving husband and mother. Anyway, I am trying to read more nonfiction, but I keep picking up fiction books to read WHILE reading the nonfiction. So, right now, I’m reading both When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (Judith Kerr), which is a child’s historical fiction, and The Circle Maker (Mark Batterson), which is actually a very good (nonfiction) Christian book…I’m just having to read it slowly.
Christ in the Chaos, by Kimm Crandall. We’re reading it on the Preschoolers and Peace book club and it’s really had an impact.
Bringing Up Boys and Bringing Up Girls by James Dobson
Those are both in my pile too. :)
I loved all of Malcolm Gladwell’s books: What the Dog Saw, Outliers, Tipping Point, and Blink. They were each so interesting, and provide a new perspective on what makes success, how we make decisions, and why we practice what we love for 10,000 hours.
Just released today: David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
Thanks, Madon! :)