“I wish I had more time to read.”
Have you ever had this thought?
I do. All-the-time. If we’re being really honest here, I’ll probably always feel this way because as far as reading goes, I simply love it.
As we were closing out 2015 and about to enter 2016, I decided it was time to put a stop to my continual pining over this same thought.
“I wish I had more time to read.”
“I wish I had more time to read.”
“I wish I had more time to read.”
OK – time to do something! What? I had to get intentional.
So, I began setting specific goals for myself. I needed to set a goal that was both measurable and achievable and knew better than to get too ambitious. Thus, one of my 10 goals for that year was to read 18 books by December 31 – an average of one every 2.88 weeks.
I hit it spot on with 18 books and 2 devotionals. One thing I learned from this first year, however, is that I need a little more balance in my categories. The business/profession books were a little on the heavy end this particular year.
Hopefully sharing my reading list with you today as we’re moving into these hot summer days in America, may give you a little inspiration for your next book indulgence.
I loved all of these books but wanted to force myself to highlight my absolute favorites that I would put on my re-read list in the near future. It was hard to narrow down but I made myself pick only 1-2 from each category. Note: I rarely re-read fiction.
Business/Profession
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
- The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
- Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
- Playing the Piano Naturally by Vicki King
- Intelligent Music Teaching: Essays on the Core Principals of Effective Instruction by Robert Duke
- Learning Sequences in Music: Skill, Content, and Patterns by Edwin E. Gordon
- How to Think Music by Harriet Ayer Seymour
Personal/Self-Help
- The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith
- The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo
- Notes from a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World by Tsh Oxenreider
- Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food by Jan Chozen Bays
- Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating by Mark Bittman
Faith/Spiritual
- The Simple Life Devotional by Wanda E. Brunstetter
- 100 Ways to Love Your Husband: A Lifelong Journey of Learning to Love by Lisa Jacobson
- The Confident Woman Devotional by Joyce Meyer
Leisure/Fiction
- The Undoing of Saint Silvanus by Beth Moore
- The Jesus Chronicles Series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins
Book #
1. John’s Story, The Last Eyewitness
2. Mark’s Story, The Gospel According to Peter
3. Luke’s Story, By Faith Alone
4. Matthew’s Story, From Sinner to Saint
What are you reading this summer?
