We’re back from our holiday! Apologies for not getting this post set up to schedule before. I’m planning on putting some photos from our Scotland sleeper train adventure on as soon as the camera is accessible, in the mean time here’s some thoughts on some great books I’ve read in the last few years.
Since I was little, I have loved stories. I read so many wonderful adventure stories growing up, made my way through Enid Blyton, Arthur Ransome, CS. Lewis… and through university read many inspiring authors of novels written long ago and ones more recently. My brother, however, would read both fiction and non-fiction, and absorb knowledge from books about how things worked, read factual books, encyclopaedias and I didn’t understand the fascination with non-fiction. For me, all the excitement was in another world, in discovering someone else’s life, another place, another time, or just another person living this thing we call life and encountering challenges different or similar to mine.
But in my personal reading lately I’ve been feeling more of a shift towards reading non-fiction. I’ve wanted to read things which have not only entertained and interested me but things that really enrich and challenge the way I live life day to day. (That’s not to say that fiction can’t, and hasn’t deeply impacted life and the way I see it- but my personal interest lately has been more from non-fiction books which do this).
I thought I would share a few of my favourite non-fiction books. Although having thought about it, I can’t think of one non-fiction book that I have read which I wouldn’t recommend, which hasn’t challenged me. There’s not really any order to these, just the order in which I read them.
7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker really resonated with me about how much excess was, and is in my life. Not just possessions, but media, money, consumerism in so many ways. This set me off on a different path of thinking and a journey towards simplifying.
Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Eliot is essentially a letter from Elisabeth to her daughter before she gets married, giving her wisdom and advice about marriage and her future. It contains some real gems.
Guinea Pig for Breakfast: A Rich Tapestry of Life and Love, Tragedy and Hope in Ecuador by Andrea Gardiner is a fascinating account of a missionary’s life in Ecuador, the poverty and need she encountered, and the things which Andrea has been doing to help. And yes, she is also my cousin!
Gospel-Centred Marriage by Tim Keller we read through as part of a marriage enrichment course we did at our church. We actually read one chapter from each section at a time, and it again had some really great gospel centred truths. Once I can find our copy we will be reading the Gospel Centred family book in the same series.
Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe I have mentioned before, a few times, because it’s just comforted and helped me in really practical ways in this period of new motherhood. It’s a book that feels like you could be best friends with the authors, instantly, because they understand.
The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful has really encouraged me to invest (in time and money) in the house we’re in right now, whatever house that is, to make it a place where we can really do life, and not feel like we’re in a waiting space for the next, better one. That it doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does need to meet our needs and be a place we can all enjoy.
I just finished on holiday, Set-Apart Motherhood by Leslie Ludy. It has some great principles which can be applied to motherhood and some really great Bible references to get you thinking and studying passages for yourself. And I’ve just started Storylines, a great help with Bible reading, and Death by Living.
Currently reading list
Storylines: Your Map to Understanding the Bible
What have you been reading?
iwillbloom says
Love your new header. Great recommendations! I always, always wanted to head on up to Scotland in one of the overnight sleepers! How romantic! Hope you had a lovely time!!
Zoe Rose says
Thanks! You’ve no idea how long I’ve tried to get it right from paper to screen, and it’s still not great but I’m letting go of perfection! It was lovely, hopefully I can sort and share the photos soon 🙂