5 New Books You Need to Read in March 2018

Thank you so much for your kind and generous words regarding our Oakley girl. We are forging forward with each day bringing lots of new surprises, like the fact that an 80 pound dog can in fact get stuck in between the legs of a patio chair. Who knew!? We really do appreciate the prayers and guidance y'all have been able to give us as we venture into this unknown new season.Forgive me as the past few weeks have left me a tad brain dead on even how to segue into something else. Is dog mommy brain a thing? Can I just blame it on that? I'll leave that for you to decide. If you've been around here for awhile, you know that reading is something that's huge in my life. Perusing book stores, checking out all the new releases, stockpiling books so that I never run out. These are tell-tale signs you may be a bookworm. Here's some of the fun reads that are available for preorder in March that have caught my bookworm-ish self's attention.

The March 2018 Reads You Can Preorder Now

March 1 – Cherished by the King: Discovering God's Extravagant Love Through Ancient Customs and Symbols by Carole Engle AvriettI will admit, I am not in love with this cover. It's just too girly for my liking. I do love the concept of looking at ancient customs and symbols and reconciling them with the Bible. It's so easy to put our own cultural understanding on top of what we read from the Bible. We lose so much of the beauty of the ancient text this way though. I'm excited to see how she walks us along through scripture with drawings, fun facts and discussion questions to really make one think about what they are reading.March 6 – The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi: My Journey to the Heart of Scriptural Faith and the Land Where It All Began by Kathie Lee GiffordI love the way Kathie Lee Gifford isn't just taking us on her faith journey in this, but is showing us how deep our own faith journeys can go. Walking along Jerusalem with a rabbi, she delves deeply into the ancient texts in the original languages of Greek and Hebrew to uncover the historical truths that we so often miss today. I love how this is part biography, part Biblical study, and part travelogue. It's such a fun trifecta to take one deeper - especially if you love those genres!March 6 – Why Her?: 6 Truths We Need to Hear When Measuring Up Leaves Us Falling Behind by Nicki KoziarzI keep coming across this book by Nicki, who also writes for First5 from Proverbs 31 ministries. I think we all feel like we're falling short of measuring up. In fact, I just took a 2 hour break from writing thanks to falling into that trap from a single instagram post. It's soooo hard though! I was able to read an extended review that has actually soared this book to the top of my list. Nicki provides insights and wisdom along with some peppered humor as she shows biblical insights in her daily life. She also teaches us practical tips and advice that we can take into the battlefields of our own failings. These are done by filtered questions to ask yourself in a moment of comparison crisis, challenges to help you evaluate the truth at hand, and more.March 6 – Seven Practices for the Church on Mission by David E. FitchThese seven practices are a sweet reminder of the simplicity of church practices that we so often throw to the wayside as we look for bigger and better things in ministry and missions. It's not a how-to book that will transform your church into the perfect missional church, although it does have a few practical insights that have worked in some constructs. It's more of a beckoning call to work together as a church to reach those outside of those Sunday morning walls.March 20 – Selfies: Searching for the Image of God in the Digital Age by Craig DetweilerFeel free to roll your eyes. This really is a book on selfies. I almost passed it by until I really read the description. Craig takes his readers on a journey of the selfie-culture in a unique twist of turns starting long before cell phones were a thing. He begins in the first self-portraits found in art, literature, and photography to explore what is truly a different take on this modern dilemma. He traverses into the social media world in this critical yet challenging read that looks at what we consume, why, and where God is in the midst of it. This is a must-read for anyone who works with youth, young adults or has children of their own.

More March titles That I'd Love to Get My Hands On

Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? by Alyssa Mastromonaco (March 6) // Sex, Jesus and the Conversations the Church Forgot by Mo Isom (March 6) // Have Dog, Will Travel by Stephen Kuusisto (March 13) // The Cafe at Seashell Cove by Karen Clarke (March 15)Ashley, these look great and all. Waiting that whole week or more to get a book just isn't going to work for me. Girl, I get it. Here's some already released Winter titles I'm interested in reading. (And a few I've already started or finished even!) I 100% recommend Jamie Ivey's, If You Only Knew book that I talked in detail a few weeks ago. I'm also currently devouring Rachel Hollis' Girl, Wash Your Face. Like, the can't-stop-reading-it kind of devouring it.What are you currently reading? I just finished The Good, The Bad and the Grace of God by Jep + Jessica Robertson and The Yada Yada Prayer Group #3 by Neta Jackson a couple of weekends ago. I loved them both, even though they're very different reads. I posted a few of my thoughts on one of them over on my instagram with the hashtag #karlenreads. As for this list though, did I miss a really good book that needs to be on here? Let me know!