I’m a bit obsessed with books, as I’m sure you know.  My goal for this year is to read at least 40 books and so far I’ve already read 13!  Here’s a rundown of my favorite books so far.  Perhaps you’ll find something you’re interested in.

Imagine Heaven by John Burke was SO much more than I expected!  I still find myself thinking about some of the stories from this book.  It forever changed the way I think about Heaven.  You can read my full review of the book here.

I think this book came at the perfect time for me.  Rest Assured by Vicki Courtney felt like a long talk with an old friend who wants desperately for you to be happy and healthy.  I was encouraged and loved on through her words and recommend that every woman read this book!  You can read my full review of the book here.

This was the most important book I’ve read so far this year – and possibly the most important book I’ve read in many years.  I started reading it in the morning and could not put it down until I finished it by dinner time.  Torn by Justin Lee reads like a memoir and is filled with so many important thoughts and ideas that I recommend every Christian read it.  My husband and I talked about this book for weeks after I finished it because I just couldn’t stop thinking about all the things and feeling all the feelings.  If there is anything in you that wants to understand and/or connect with your LGBTQ neighbor, family member, coworker or friend – you NEED to read this book.

If you’re looking for a  practical book filled with parenting ideas and tips, Raising Uncommon Kids by Sami Cone is a great one.  She talks through 12 biblical traits to instill in your kids and how to go about doing that on a day to day basis.  It took me a while to get through this one, but there is definitely some good, helpful stuff here.  You can read my full review of this book here.

This is a tiny little book (64 pages) that you can read in an hour, but it is so entirely worth the read!  If you’ve never read anything by AW Tozer, this book would be a great place to start.  I highlighted at least half of the words in this book – it was just so good.  Much of this book is an explanation of who the Holy Spirit is, why He’s important and how we, as believers, can either ignore Him or be filled entirely with Him.  This book was like a really great sermon that you’d want to listen to again and again.  You can read my full review of this book here.

21 Seconds to Change Your World by Dr. Mark Rutland was not at all what I expected.  It was so much more!  The best part about this book is that it will speak to you no matter where you are in your relationship with Jesus.  If you are a brand new Christian, you will get something out of this book.  I you have been following Jesus your whole life, you will get something out of this book.  It truly meets you where you are and takes you a little deeper, a little further.  You can read my full review of this book here.

The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership by Jenni Catron is my favorite leadership book that I’ve read in a very long time.  The concept of using Mark 12:30 (“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”) as a model for great leadership is really wonderful!  A great leadership book is supposed to help you with three things: to recognize where you are as a leader, to see where you need to be and to know what you need to do to get there.  This book does all three in the most clear and concise way possible.  You can read my full review of this book here.

I absolutely loved The Gift of Friendship by Dawn Camp.  It was a breath of fresh air in my heart and soul during a very busy time.  Every once in a while I need a book to just read – nothing life altering, nothing I need to put into action immediately, but just a sweet book that makes my heart feel happy.  This was that book for me so far this year.  It was like a really great movie – it made me laugh, cry, think and feel deeply and it filled me up with joy.  You need to read this book and then give a copy to your very best friend.  You can read my full review of this book here.

I read this book at the hair salon while I was waiting for my color to set.  It took a full 30 minutes to read partly because it’s super short (about 60 pages) and partly because it’s so interesting.  There is not one sentence wasted in this little book – every one is filled with new and fascinating information.  I learned so many things I didn’t know about angels, demons, satan and the spiritual realm.  So much of it was new to me that I found myself looking up the scripture references to make sure Dr Evans got it right.  The only thing that would have made this book better is if there were more of it!

That’s it for me so far this year.  I’ve started about five more books – some good, some great – and I’ll give you the 411 when I finish them.  What about you – what have you been reading so far this year?