“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book!” -Jane Austen from Pride and Prejudice

At the beginning of 2020, I challenged myself to read a total of 25 books this year. Not only did I accomplish that goal, I exceeded it by quite a lot! This required much discipline and intentionality. As I reflect back on my year of reading, I am so happy that I stuck with the resolution! I have read so many amazing books. God has used many of these books to shape my thinking, values and mission. Even greater than that would be that it has rekindled my passion for books.

Back in June, I wrote a post summarizing the books I had read in the first half of the year. There, I also listed my top 5 favorites from what I had read up to that point. You can read that post here- https://nohighercalling.wordpress.com/2020/07/09/my-2020-book-challenge/

Below, you will find listed all the books I’ve read in 2020 ordered as I read them.

1. Don’t Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman
2. Devoted: Great Men and Their Godly Moms by Tim Challies
3. A Love Letter Life by Jeremy and Audrey Roloff
4. The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie
5. Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
6. Unoffendable by Brant Hansen
7. Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
8. The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex by Sheila Wray Gregoire
9. 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke and John Piper
10. The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield
11. Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow
12. Husband-Coached Childbirth By Dr. Robert Bradley
13. When God Doesn’t Fix It by Laura Story
14. Home Management: Plain and Simple by Kim Brenneman
15. Gospel-Centered Mom by Brooke McGlothlin
16. To Cross the Widest Ocean by Becky Martin
17. Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney
18. Revival Praying by Scott Pauley
19. Chasing Contentment by Erik Raymond
20. All That’s Good by Hannah Anderson
21. The Awaking Wonder Experience by Sally Clarkson
22. The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman
23. Introverted Mom by Jamie Martin
24. Awaking Wonder by Sally Clarkson
25. Different by Sally and Nathan Clarkson
26. Balanced and Barefoot by Angela Hanscom
27. The Lifegiving Home by Sally and Sarah Clarkson
28. Adventuring Together by Greta Eskridge
29. You’re Already Amazing by Holley Gerth
30. The Complete Book of Home Organization by Toni Hammersley
31. The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
32. Fierce Marriage by Ryan and Selena Frederick
33. The Duties of Parents by J. C. Ryle
34. The Complete Works of Beatrix Potter (I never count the books I read to my children, but I felt that this one deserved credit. It was quite the long read, but Eden and I enjoyed every minute of it!)
35. Clutterfree with Kids by Joshua Becker
36. In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake by Ruth and Patrick Schwenk

Books 20-36 are the ones I’ve read during the second half of the year. Life has been extremely busy for us during the fall months, so I was not able to read as much as I would’ve liked. Even so, I was able to finish quite a few wonderful reads! These are my top 5 from this selection of books.

*Awaking Wonder by Sally Clarkson

It was such a joy for me to get the opportunity to be a part of the launch team for this book! Sally Clarkson is one of my favorite “virtual mentors.” Her messages of honoring Christ and bearing His light in every area of our lives have challenged and changed my heart. This book is written primarily with home educators in mind, but every person who is involved in the education of children would benefit greatly from this book! You can read a more in depth review I wrote here- https://nohighercalling.wordpress.com/2020/08/18/awaking-wonder-book-review/

*The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman

Years ago, I read The Five Love Languages. Gary Chapman does a marvelous job of helping the reader analyze their relationships (in the case of that book their spouse) and better communicate love. I’ve implemented the truths from that book over and over again in my marriage, so I was excited to see his take on the same ideas in regards to your children. It was so helpful! Since reading it, I have made conscious decisions to seek to express love in different ways to my littles. They are still young, so it’s a bit harder to say what their primary love language is, but I have been shocked at the response I’ve gotten from intentionally expressing love in different ways!

*In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake: Trusting the God Who Meets Us in Our Storm by Ruth and Patrick Schwenk

WOW. My heart has been through some dark waters, and this book resonated with me on such a deep level. Life is hard, and it will bring with it many trials. Does that mean that God is not there, that He doesn’t care or that He is no longer in control? Absolutely not! He promises that He will walk through the storms of life with us. From personal experience, I know that to be true! This is a must-read because either you’re in a storm, you just got out of a storm, or you are soon to be going into a storm. The Scriptural truths presented in this book will strengthen your heart! This is one of my favorite quotes from this book- “It’s hard to see Jesus in the storm, isn’t it? We want to get out, move on, or go back to life as it was before. We don’t always recognize the ways God is present and working in the pain, inviting us to come to him. But ultimately the storms open our eyes to our need for Jesus: to be saved, forgiven, rescued, redeemed, and remade. The swirling winds enable us to see that there is no anchor or hope other than Jesus, who died and rose again for us. This is what God is doing. The storm is no mere interruption.”

*Fierce Marriage by Ryan and Selena Frederick

Simeon and I read this book together, and we both enjoyed it! We often found ourselves laughing at the authors real life stories depicted with humor and candor. I appreciated the correlation made between marriage and the gospel. The books subtitle is “radically pursuing each other in light of Christ’s relentless love.” They write about doing this in five key areas: priorities, communication, sex, finances and conflict.

*The Duties of Parents by J. C. Ryle

This is more of a booklet than a book. It’s around 50 pages long, but it is packed with truth and biblical principles! This is a must-read for every Christian parent. Using Proverbs 22:6 about training a child in the way they should go, he works through different areas that will shape them into mature adults who seek to glorify the Lord. I love this quote, “Precious, no doubt, are these little ones in your eyes, but if you love them, think often of their souls. No interest should weigh on you so much as their eternal interests. No part of them should be as dear to you as that part which will never die.”

“If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am convinced that reading will make me a better person, a better wife, a better mother and a better follower of Jesus Christ. While I have enjoyed all these books, the best book I’ve read by far is the Bible. The main reason I have enjoyed this previous list of books so much is because the majority of them center their topics around principles found in the Scriptures. Because I am a Christian, even if a book isn’t about God’s Word or Christianity, that is the filter with which I read. Therefore, everything relates. When I read a book about homemaking or home organization, I read it with the intent of how will this help me run my home more efficiently so that we have time for the most important things- prayer, a family devotional life, hospitality and world evangelism?

God has grown me this year in more ways than I can count. I attribute much of that growth to this area of reading. I pray that the lessons and truths I have learned will shape me and my family for the rest of our lives.

A new year is soon to dawn. What resolutions will you set? Maybe reading 25 books is too lofty a goal for you. How about challenging yourself to read 10, or even 5. Maybe you can was exceed 25, good for you! Go for it! I’d challenge everyone to start their reading goals with the Bible. Determine to spend time reading God’s Word daily. It will change your life- for the better! I’d love to hear what your reading goals are for 2021. My resolution is to read 40 books next year. I’m dreaming now of all the incredible books I hope to devour!