2017 Reading List

Last year I met my goal of reading 100 books by reading 105 books. It was a year full of great reads (see my favorites HERE). This year, I want to focus not on the quantity of books, but rather on reading books that I already own. My bookshelf is stuffed with books, many of which I have read and love, but also many that I have had on my to-be-read list for the past few years and left untouched and almost whispering "Read me, Elena!" every day (in a non-creepy, very nerdy way, lol)

Last year I opted for many novels that I breezed through fairly quickly, but this year I am going to slow down with books that encourage introspection, journaling, processing, and praying. Sure, I will still have plenty of novels to read, but I want the quality of my reading this year to outweigh the quantity of books I get through.  I am going to try to avoid making a goal to read a certain number of books. Rather, I will try to get through as many of the following books I can without rushing or resorting back to my ultra-productivity mode that can sometimes cause me to skim surface level rather than digging deep in what is written. 

Here are the books I own that I am hoping to get through this year:

CHRISTIAN LIVING

Steadfast Love: The Response of God to the Cries of our Heart by Lauren Chandler (currently reading)

Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community by Dietrich  Bonhoeffer

When People Are Big and God is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and Fear of Man by Edward T. Welch

Restless: Because You Were Made for More by Jennie Allen

Discipline: The Glad Surrender by Elisabeth Elliot (re-read)

Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes (re-read)

Creative Counterpart: Becoming the Woman, Wife, and Mother You've Longed to Be by Linda Dillow

MEMOIRS

I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy by Angie Smith

Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle by Mary J. Macleod

The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom by Henri J.M. Nouwen

THEOLOGY

The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith by Timothy J. Keller

Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promise of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters by Timothy J. Keller

The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis 

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan

SCIENCE

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships by Daniel Goleman

The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-Term Health by Justin and Erica Sonnenburg

FICTION

Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford

Pilgrim's Regress by C.S. Lewis

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (currently reading)

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

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What books are you hoping to tackle in 2017? Do you use Goodreads to track/review your reading? If so, find me HERE.