Hello Friend,

This year, I am determined to read more books – last year I spent a less time reading and more time on activities that didn’t really feed my mind and soul. My goal for this year is to read 52 books (one per week). To help keep me accountable with my reading goal this year, I decided to share what books I read at the end of each month. Maybe I’ll even surpass my goal?

January is always an excellent reading month for me (we spend a lot of time indoors and it usually snows!) so I ended up reading a whopping NINE books.

1. Girls’ Club: Cultivating Lasting Friendship in a Lonely World by Sarah, Sally, and Joy Clarkson

This was such a fun book written by Sally Clarkson and her daughters. The title is a wee bit misleading because it’s more about cultivating lasting friendships than it is about having a girls club. Regardless, this book was excellent! We live in a day and age where online relationships trump real ones… and this book had so much insight for women who are longing for friendship that goes beyond that. On Goodreads I gave this book 5 stars.

2. Stop Calling Me Beautiful: Finding Soul-Deep Strength in a Skin Deep World by Phylicia Masonheimer

I mentioned this book in my last post as well. Phylicia Masonheimer wrote a very edifying book encouraging woman to go deeper in their walk with God. I did not agree with everything in this book but still gleaned a lot of spiritual encouragement. I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.

3. Leading and Loving It: Encouragement for Pastors’ Wives and Women in Leadership by Lori Wilhite and Brandi Wilson

This book was written for ministry wives (specifically pastors wives) and gave a lot of practical insight to the joys and “woes” of ministry life. I definitely picked up some helpful advice… although the two authors had a very different ministry background than me. I probably won’t pick up this book again – but did enjoy it the first time around. I gave this book 3 stars on Goodreads.

4. The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill America’s 16th President-and Why it Failed by Brad Meltzer

It’s been a long time since I read a history book! This was a fun and intriguing read and gave me a really good “refresher” on Lincoln’s life and the events that came before the Civil War. This book was all about the little known assassination attempt on Lincoln before he was even sworn in as president! It was a long book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.

5. Which Justice: Examining the Social Justice Movement in Light of Scripture by Paul Chappell

This was just a little booklet (three chapters I believe) written by Paul Chappel in response to the social justice movement. This was a very helpful book for me to read, because I have been confused by everything going on in our nation in regards to racism and justice. It left me with a lot of questions, but this book helped to clear up some of confusion – explaining what the Bible says about justice and racism and how we should respond. I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.

6. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear

I have read a few “habit books” in the past… and this one was SO good and practical. James Clear really lays out easy-to-understand concepts to help any individual cultivate good habits and break the bad ones. This is definitely a book to read and re-read as necessary (like at the beginning of every new year!). He did reference psychology and science but it wasn’t overdone. There were some things I disagreed with (he is a secular author after all). There were several mentions of evolution. Overall, it was a great read! I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.

7. GraceLaced: Discovering Timeless Truths Through Season of the Heart by Ruth Chou Simons

I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful devotional. Ruth Chou Simons is quite the artist! Her paintings were all throughout this book. I needed the reminder about seasons and how God works through winter, spring, summer, and fall… and how our own lives have cyclical patterns as well. Understanding the seasons can help us a we live through the unique seasons of our own lives. The scripture in this book was not from the KJV. I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.

8. Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson

This was such a delightful story, albeit sad. The story closely follows 3-4 young people as they struggle through the Nazi takeover in Austria. The books flip flops back and forth from the 1940’s to present day, where Josh and Callie are attempting to find out what happened to a woman named Annika. In their search, they uncover what happened to these friends. I cried at the end when I found the full story – it shows on one hand, how evil can takeover and cause such destruction and then the sacrifice of love when one person lays down their life for another. It was a remarkable story and one I would definitely read again! I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.

9. Catching the Wind by Melanie Dobson

This was a very intriguing book and one that I could not put down. I started reading this book the same day we had a large snowstorm, and I finished the last chapter shortly after midnight. It’s been a long time since I read an entire book in ONE day. This book follows the story of two friends that escaped Nazi Germany, but got separated shortly after they arrived in England. It’s a sweet story of an old man trying to find the friend he lost as a child. There are a lot of twists and turns which kept me turning the pages! While this book was incredibly intriguing, I did not enjoy it as much as some of Melanie Dobsons other books (such as the one mentioned above). There were also some mentions of loose women, drugs, an extra-marital affair and some drinking scenes (they were all written tastefully in a sensitive manner though). I gave this book 3 stars on Goodreads.

Final Thoughts

It was definitely a great month for reading… and I hope I can keep the momentum going throughout the rest of this year. We shall see. 😉 You can read my full review of these books on Goodreads.

Did you read any books in January? Please tell me about them below!

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Until Next Time!