41. The Enchanted Hour by Meghan Cox Gurdon: I have read multiple books on the importance and benefit of reading aloud to children. I am 100% convinced, and our family is very much a “read-aloud” family. The author presents many strong reasons for this emphasis in the home, but it was not in my top favorites for this topic. I was disappointed in several of the author’s book recommendations to read to young children. Many had sexual references, dark magic, etc.

42. Pray Big for Your Marriage by Will Davis Jr.: 4 Stars- Simeon and I enjoyed reading through this book together. The author is very humorous and had us laughing so hard we were crying! While this probably isn’t in my top favorites for this topic, it presented some very solid, helpful truths. The author challenges husbands and wives to pray pinpoint prayers for their spouses and marriages. These pinpoint prayers are specific prayers that God can answer in very specific ways. He also challenges for husbands and wives to pray Scripture over the spouse and marriage. That really challenged us, and this has been something I am working to implement more into my marriage and prayer life.

43. You’re Not Enough (And That’s Ok) by Allie Beth Stuckey: 5 Stars- It is shocking how the self-love culture has crept into to Christianity. Author David Platt writes, “Talk about countercultural. In a world where everything revolves around yourself- protect yourself, promote yourself, comfort yourself, and take care of yourself- Jesus says, Crucify yourself. Put aside all self-preservation in order to live for God’s glorification, no matter what that means for you in the culture around you.” We live in a me-centered society. Christ calls us to deny self, take up our cross, and follow Him.  Allie Beth Stuckey does a masterful job presenting the devastating results of self-love culture. As believers who are striving to be Christlike, we need to be discerning, differentiating between God’s truth and Satan’s lies. Then, we need to run from the lies, and cling to the truth. Was this book countercultural? Yes. Did it present truth? Yes. Truth is all that matters!

44. Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch: 5 Stars- Western culture has us all feeling like we are entitled to a certain standard of living. Instead of seeing the things in our life as blessings, we see them as our birthright. Kids expect to get the latest clothes, gadgets, and phones when all their friends do. Young couples expect to have a large, fully furnished house with a brand new car parked in the garage. It is how our society has conditioned us to think. While it’s not a sin to have these things, how are we to raise grateful kids in a world where entitlement reigns supreme? Kristen Welch does a good job answering that very question! As parents, we want to give our kids the world. But is that the wisest decision? The author shares truths that she’s learned from first-hand experience as she and her husband have tried to raise kids who have hearts full of gratitude and minds that have a strong, dedicated work ethic.

45. I Can’t Believe You Just Said That by Ginger Hubbard: 5 Stars- I have read a lot of parenting books, and this is one of my favorites. Author, Ginger Hubbard, tackles many of the sins that affect our children’s tongues from a biblical approach. Instead of being appalled and often shocked about our kid’s outward actions, we should expect it. They are sinners, just as we are. We fail, so will they. When you expect it, you can better prepare to address not just the action, but the heart behind it, from the Bible. Ginger tackles issues such as arguing, whining, tattling, lying, and so many more. The challenge was presented for parents to arm themselves with Scripture to combat these sins, and use discipline opportunities to guide our children’s hearts to the gospel.

46. Come Let Us Adore Him by Robert J. Morgan: 4 Stars- I love reading the stories behind hymns. It gives such depth to the message they present. This book was unique in the fact that it presented the story behind the writing of our beloved Christmas carols. Some of the songs were unfamiliar to me, but most of them are songs that I have sang all my life. The circumstances that led to their writing vary from little detail to incredible stories of God working to an author that was more famous for his Christmas song about Santa Claus. Knowing these stories gives a whole new perspective on the carols we love.

47. Saving My Assassin by Virginia Prodan: 5 Stars- Virginia Prodan shares her story which is a powerful account of God’s guiding hand and the evils of communism.
Virginia grew up in communist Romania. It was hard for me to even begin to imagine what life would be like to never have experienced freedom- of choice or even of thought. This is the world Virginia grew up in. God orchestrated every detail to draw Virginia to Himself. He was the truth she had always been looking for. God used her and her skills as an influential attorney to fight for Christians who were being persecuted under the rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu. This put a target on her back, as well as all those she loved. God never failed to protect her family, even when death stared her in the face.
The message of the forgiveness and love found only in Christ leaves the reader challenged to be more passionate about taking a stand for truth, no matter the consequences.

48. Eve in Exile by Rebekah Merkle: 5 Stars- I read this as an audio book earlier this year, and it was so so good! I knew I wanted a physical copy to highlight and take notes in. I was able to get it several weeks ago, and have been devouring the book for the second time this year.
Rebekah Merkle addresses the stirrings that led to our modern-day feminist movement. As you delve into the movement’s history, you’ll see that it’s leaders and ideals were most often rooted in thoughts and emotions that are direct contradiction to what God intended for woman. She then looks at Scripture and discusses God’s plan for biblical womanhood. God’s perfect design is not in line with our culture’s thinking, but His way is always the best way!
I HIGHLY recommend reading this book. There is a very good reason that I read it twice in one year.
This is one of my favorite quotes from the book: “I believe that if we women decided, as a group, to take that road, we would knock a serious dent in the side of our culture’s rebellion. But the truth is, a movement of women doing this wouldn’t be terribly exciting or sexy … It would involve a lot of women manning their own separate battle stations in their own lives, in their own families, in the day-to-day grind. It would involve disciplining ourselves in the small, seemingly inconsequential areas of our lives- what we admire, what we try to get good at, what we strive for, what we prioritize, what we love. It would involve faithfulness, obedience, and sacrifice. … God loves to use the seemingly trivial things to accomplish staggering results. We may each feel like an insignificant little drop of water, and it may seem like the direction we take in our day-to-day lives doesn’t make any difference to anyone. But when all the drops of water move the same way, what is more powerful and unstoppable than a wave?”

49. Call of the Wild and Free by Ainsley Arment: 5 Stars- This is one of my favorite books I’ve read on homeschooling and education! Ainsley shares her story of why their family decided to homeschool and the gift that decision gave to their relationships. She then dives into debunking myths about why homeschooling isn’t a good idea. The final sections delve into different homeschooling methods, how to choose the best method for your family, and developing a family culture. Wild + Free has became it’s own homeschooling method since the writing of this book. The method is founded on the pillars of nature, story, play, curiosity and wonder. While our family is not an exclusive “Wild + Free” homeschool family, many of the principles presented in this book and method have helped shape our family culture.

50. Adorned by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: 5 Stars- This book dives deep into the truths found in Titus 2, especially in the command to the older and younger women. The command that God gave in regards to personal discipleship has so captivated my heart! I know this is God’s perfect design, for women who are mature in their faith to invest in and train women who are growing in their walk with the Lord. How this looks in the life of each individual might be a bit different, but we are all commanded to have a part in this transfer of the life Christ is forming in us. While I don’t agree with every conclusion Nancy draws when outlining the different characteristics of Titus 2, I gleaned much truth from her study that helped me ponder through my own study.