My 2017 Reading List
I'm on a journey right now to rediscover who I am. A journey to align myself with who I feel like I used to be that I'v lost upon the way. Reading is going to be a huge part of my journey. Not only do I love reading, but I fully believe it is a conduit to slow us down as our minds beg us to think and stretch in new ways. This year, my 2017 Reading List reflects these desires to stretch and grow.
How Did I Choose these Books for 2017?
I began by organizing my bookshelf. It seems simple, right? Kind of. That made it evident that it was time to admit to myself that I have borrowed books with the intention of returning them but have ended up just stealing them instead. Also, all borrowed but not yet returned books automatically went on the list so that I can return them to their rightful owners. Now it was time to evaluate what should go on the list with a few questions.
What on my shelf have I not yet read that excites me to read right now?Which book or books stands out as something I need to read in this season?What book has someone I know, love and trust recommended to me recently?Would I regret not reading one of these this year?Those books went on the list.
The book choices that flow with the current longings of my heart rose to the top of the stack. The last few years that have changed me in so many ways. I've gone from deaths of those close to me to my diagnosis of Chron's Disease and back around again. (You can read more about that here.) Throughout that time, I've experienced amazing victories, huge tragedies and everything in between. It's left me with so many conflicting emotions and lingering feelings of being burnt out. I am in need of healing. I'm in need of allowing myself and knowing how to give myself grace. I'm in need of a rediscovery and reconciliation of my own identity. These are books that have found themselves at the front lines of my list for this season because they're what my heart needs.While not all fit this, there are a lot of books on my list deal with identity, grace and healing.
My 2017 Reading List: A Year of Identity, Grace + Healing
Looking for Lovely: Collecting the Moments that Matter by Annie Downs
7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker
Ditch the Baggage, Change Your Life: 7 Keys to Lasting Freedom by Nancy AlcornThis is the actual book, but the workbook I'm reading doesn't seem to be available online anymore.
When I Relax, I Feel Guilty by Tim Hansel
EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches by Dave Ramsey
Love Lives Here: Finding What You Need in a World Telling You What You Want by Maria Goff
Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace and Learning the Hard Way by Shauna Niequist
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Deep Wounds, Deep Healing by Charles H. Kraft
Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption by Katie Davis
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown
Bread + Wine: A Love Letter to Life Arond The Table with Recipes by Shauna Niequist
Grace Not Perfection: Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy by Emily Ley
Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely by Lysa Terkeurst
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible to Be Spritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature by Peter Scazzero
For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards by Jen Hatmaker
Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist
Passages: How Reading the Bible in a Year Will Change Everything For You by Brian Hardin
No More Christian Nice Girl: When Just Being Nice - Instead of Good - Hurts You, Your Family and Your Friends by Paul Coughlin + Jennifer D. Degley
Fringe Hours: Making Time for You by Jessica N. Turner
Restless: Because You Were Made for More by Jennie Allen
Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything In Between) by Lauren Graham
Without Rival: Embrace Your Identity and Purpose in an Age of Confusion and Comparison by Lisa Bevere
H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle by Brad Lomenick
The One and Only by Emily Griffin
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
The Girls Guide to Starting Your Own Business by Caitlin Friedman + Kimberly Yorio
Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Real (Book #3) by Neta Jackson
Ashley
While that's my reading list, I hope to not stop there. I do want to read these for me, but my plan is to also read them with you in mind so that I can share what I've learned for all of us. I'll be discussing these themes of grace, healing and identity that are so prevalent on my 2017 Reading List while digging in with you. I really hope that you'll pick a book and read with me. I also hope that even if you don't have time to read any of these or that your list is always set in stone that you'd be willing to come and discuss certain ideas that come out of books with me. Because reading is better together, I'd love for us to have a book club of sorts.What are you reading this year?