This year I decided to step up my reading (which has been lacking recently) and joined the Anchored Women 2019 Reading Challenge to read 20 books in a year. It’s been such a blessing to be more intentional about reading. Have you read any of these books?
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I’ve always loved reading, but since I got married and had children my time spent reading has been a bit sporadic. I’d start a book and then it would sit on my bedside table for ages. Non-fiction books fared even worse as they often didn’t get finished at all.
So I decided to set myself a challenge to read more this year. Then I came across the Anchored Women 2019 Reading Challenge and decided this would be a great incentive. The challenge was to read 20 books – 10 fiction and 10 non-fiction.
And here we are at the end of December and I’ve nearly completed the challenge! I have one more non-fiction book to complete, which I will get to later.
But first, the books I’ve completed! Let’s start with the fiction.
Christian Fiction for the 2019 Reading Challenge
I love reading fiction to relax at night or on holiday, but I still like it to give me something to think about or challenge me. The ‘Sensible Shoes’ series by Sharon Garlough Brown were just perfect, so I read all four! You can also get study guides to accompany the books. These would make excellent books for a book club or discussion group.
Another series of books I borrowed from our church library was The Northern Lights Trilogy by Lisa Tawn Bergren. They tell the story of a group of people emigrating from Norway to the United States. They are a nice easy read while giving development to the characters as they settle in their new home and also undertake spiritual journeys.
I read two other Christian non-fiction books this year.
I downloaded Shackles to kindle for free (it is still available for free on amazon). The story is about a man who starts hearing voices and seeing visions of people wearing shackles. This leads him to find a women who is in danger and renew his own Spiritual life.
I’ve seen the War Room movie and done the Bible Study, but I still got a lot out of reading the book too, as it gave me time to reflect on what was happening to the characters. If you haven’t seen the movie I recommend it – and the book!
Classic Fiction for the 2019 Reading Challenge
‘The Remains of the Day’ by Kazua Ishiguru is the only fiction book that is not particularly Christian that I read this year.
I chose to read it because it was referred to in something I read last year about personality types. I found the main character quite amusing, but the end rather unsatisfying – but maybe that was the intent!
Non-Fiction Reads for the 2019 Reading Challenge
Reading ten non-fiction books was the biggest part of the challenge for me. Although I like non-fiction I tend to stop and start with them, so being challenged to complete the books was really helpful and beneficial for me.
Hidden Figures is another book I’ve read this year that is based on a movie. The book covers a wider time frame than the movie and goes into a little bit of detail about the work they were doing, but it was the issues of racial and sexual equality along side the space race that I found fascinating, especially since I am not from the United States.
Talking of fascinating…I’ve been quite fascinated by the life of Princess Alice (the mother of the Duke of Edinburgh, who appears in the current series of The Crown) for some time so decided to read her biography. It gave great insight and detail to the struggles that she went through. For example, she was extremely fond of the aunts she lost in the Russian Revolution, and was close to starvation and exhaustion when nursing soldiers behind enemy lines.
And now for something completely different! The Power of When, by Michael Breus, is all about knowing when is the best time for you to do just about everything. It starts with a personality quiz to help you discover your chronotype and then you can discover when you should eat, sleep, exercise and several other activities. I found it really interesting, just a few changes to your life style could help you to sleep better, balance your weight, or even help you win an arguement with your boss or spouse!
Christian Non-Fiction for the 2019 Reading Challenge
I read six Christian non-fiction books this year. ‘Make it Happen’ and ‘Cultivate’ are books by Lara Casey to help you set goals and achieve them. I loved the analogy of seasons and planting – which lead me to my word for 2019 – Bloom.
‘The Seven Laws of Abundant Living: Lessons learned from the Tree of Life’ by Eric Walker, was another book I downloaded free to kindle. I was drawn to this book as it continued the analogy of plants, drawing lessons for life from the image and function of the ground, seeds, roots, trunk and branches.
I also read Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. It gives great insight into reasons why you my find it difficult to say ‘no’ to people, feel like your life is out of control, or feel responsible for the actions of others. I think this will be a book I refer to for a while as it will take me time to learn these lessons!
I heard Lisa Bevere speak at the Sistas Conference a few years ago and was interested in what she had to say about living ‘without rival’ so I bought her book – and now, thanks to this challenge I’ve read it! Lisa challenges us to live without comparing ourselves to others and to remember that God loves each one of us uniquely.
As I’ve been looking into Bible Studies for Women and teaching women how to study the Bible one book has often been mentioned: Women of the Word by Jen Wilkins. Jen gives the reader tips and advice on how to study the Bible effectively in such a way that it would be helpful to both beginners and seasoned Bible readers.
And to finish the 2019 Reading Challenge…
I have a few weeks left to finish reading my final book for the challenge – Fervent by Priscilla Shirer. I chose to read this book because it is about prayer (something I need to work on) and it is very strategic and practical, which suits my personality.
Each chapter is on a different area where you might be under attack and need a prayer strategy – your focus, identity, family, fear, hurts. The chapters are short, so I’ll easily finish the book, but I will be referring back to it as I create my own prayer strategy.
So, that’s my list for 2019! I’m so glad I decided to take part in the Anchored Women 2019 Reading Challenge. I’ve certainly read more books than I have in previous years, especially non-fiction books. What books have you read this year? Do you have any recommendations for books for me to read in 2020?
