Summer Reading List 2014

Our youngest daughter has discovered Anne of Green Gables.  She spent much of yesterday walking around the house with her nose buried in it. (I tried to get a picture, but all I managed were blurry shots of her running away. :))  I cautioned her about being careful to watch where she was going, but I couldn't say much, as I spent a great deal of my childhood and youth doing the same thing. :) 

I've always loved to read, and from a young age I read everything I could get my hands on.  I've always read a wide variety of books, fiction and non-fiction.  I'm even one of those odd people who actually sit and just read cookbooks.  (I inherited that from my Aunt Emma Jo! :))

This last year, though, my reading has been severely limited.  I usually have several non-fiction books going at a time, plus a fiction book that I read for a bit at bedtime.  We've spent a great deal of the last year dealing with sleep issues in various members of the family, and I've experienced some of the worst sleep deprivation I've ever had....which is saying a lot. :)

Because of that, my non-fiction reading has pretty much gone out the window this year, both because I've spent much of my morning reading time trying to catch up on lost sleep, and because when I have been awake I've been too brain-fogged for heavy reading.  The most I've been able to manage has been online articles/blog posts and my nighttime light fiction.

After reading this article by Crystal Paine, I decided to jump-start my non-fiction reading again by setting a reading list goal for the summer.  I'd originally intended to finalize and post this list weeks ago, at the "not-technically summer-yet-even-though-school-is-out-start-of-summer".  That obviously didn't happen, and last week I began to panic that "summer" was almost half over and I hadn't posted my summer reading list! 

Then I realized that summer didn't actually begin until Saturday, so I was good.  I'd post my list on the first official day of summer, and extend my timeframe until the first day of fall, September 23.  Since we don't follow the "school year" calendar for our school anyway, there was no need for me to use that timeframe for my "summer reading" either. :)

Then I ended up in the ER with my mom Saturday, and all my plans for the weekend pretty literally went splat on the pavement.

So...here's the list, albeit still a bit late:

Educating the Wholehearted Child, by Clay and Sally Clarkson ~ This is one of my all-time favorite homeschooling books, one of those I re-read periodically.  A friend some quotes from it on Facebook back in the spring, and my thought was, "I need to re-read that this summer!"  That was another part of the impetus for this list. :)

Real Learning in the Heart of My Home, by Elizabeth Foss ~ This is another one of those read-it-again-and-again homeschooling books.  It's time for another read!

Forgotten God, by Francis Chan ~ One of those I scored free for Kindle and keep wanting to read but just not getting to.  Since last June, God has been putting teaching about the Holy Spirit in front of me again and again.  I'm excited to read Chan's take on the Person of the Trinity we so often ignore.

Give Them Grace, by Elyse Fitzpatrick ~ This is one of those books I've read parts of here and there over the years, but I really feel the need to give it a complete read-through this summer.  God still has so much to teach me in this area! 

Called to Write, by K.M.Logan and C.M. Logan ~ K.M. and I are in a blogging group together.  I was so excited about reading this e-book last year, and then my unplanned non-fiction reading hiatus set in.  I'm really looking forward to reading it soon.

Evernote User Guide, by Edward Johnson ~ I know, I know, captivating reading, lol!  In all seriousness, though, I really want to learn to get the most out of Evernote.  I'm typing in it right now, as a matter of fact!  This is one of those "need to read" choices, as I'm planning to set up Evernote accounts for the kids this summer to use for schoolwork and other things. 

Is Sunday School Destroying Our Kids?, by Samuel Williamson ~ From super-boring title to attention grabber!  I've read an excerpt and review or two of this book, and I'm really anxious to read more.  Not that Sunday School itself is evil, but often the way we go about it is just counter-productive.

GTD for Homemakers, by Winkler ~ I did a quick read-through of this last winter, and really intended to put quite a bit of it into practice.  And then life went a bit cuckoo and I never got back to it.  I'm ready to get my system working this summer!

Memoir of Ann Judson ~ Can't believe this is the only biography that made it onto the list!  It was a Kindle freebie I've been wanting to read for a while 

Victim of Grace, by Robin Jones Gunn ~ This is the only book on the list that I don't already own, either in traditional or ebook form.  That makes it a bit iffy, as it will depend on the book budget. :)  But I have really been wanting to read this non-fiction offering by a fiction author whose work I always enjoy. 

Home Discipleship, by Kimberly Williams ~ I was supposed to review this book quite some time ago, and it just didn't happen.  The subject excites me, though, so I'm hoping to read and review it soon.

Wrestling Prayer, by Eric and Leslie Ludy ~ As I mentioned in yesterday's "Prayer Ponderings" post, God has been bombarding (and convicting!) me about  the  topic of prayer.  I started this book a couple of years ago, and it's time to finish it!

E.M. Bounds Complete Works on Prayer ~ Another book I've had for a long time, and read bits and pieces here and there.  It's a thick one, so I may not finish the whole thing this summer, but I'd like to cover a big chunk of it.

Radical Well-Being, by Rita Hancock ~  This is another book I am way behind on reviewing.  I think I'm in a much better place to read it right now, though, as we are working hard to build healthy habits.

Southern Vegetarian, by Justin Fox Burks ~ I won a copy of this cookbook last year and really haven't had a chance to do much with it.  I decided summer was a great time to read through it and hopefully try some recipes. :)  (And no, I'm not a vegetarian, nor do I have any plans to be, but this cookbook has some great-looking recipes, and with the price of meat these days, I'm excited about adding some meatless meals to our repertoire. :))

So there you have it.  15 books in 13 weeks.  What are you reading this summer?  Let me know in the comments here or on Facebook!

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