Now, you should know right away that I love to read books.  But something happens when I read non-fiction. I have this habit of starting a book – but never finishing it.  I can be really involved in the information and honestly enjoying it –  but, then, I hear something absolutely amazing that I need to read about – right this very instant – so I set aside my partially finished book to (hopefully) come back to at some point. I’m going to work on that in 2017…

So far, I’m sticking to it!  I have been working, (yes, literally working), through my first book on the list for a couple of months.  It isn’t that it’s not a great book – it is.  I just don’t want to rush through it without taking the time to really soak it all in and start applying it to my life as I’m reading.

This has been extremely difficult, though, because I got an amazing book for Christmas, (#2 on the list), Fervent. We had watched the movie, War Room, as a family and it was a really impactful movie. (So much so, in fact, I have big plans for the guest room closet…) I am really excited to learn about and put into action some of the prayer principles and strategies I know I will learn about in that book. (See why it’s hard to just read one book at a time?!?) But now, the beautiful book sits closed on my nightstand, waiting patiently to impart wisdom on me. So, I will be patient as well and focus on discovering God’s plan for me and all of the important things I am learning right now.

So, here is a list of 10 books I want to read in 2017.

Books to Read

1. Sacred Influence: How God Uses Wives to Shape the Souls of Their Husbands

by Gary Thomas

2. Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan to Serious, Specific, and Strategic Prayer

by Priscilla Shirer

3. Love & Respect

by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

4. Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God

by Henry & Richard Blackaby and Claude King

5. The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts

by Gary Chapman

6. Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World

by Joanna Weaver

7. Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds

by Jen Wilkin and Matt Chandler

8. Dear Mary: Lessons from the Mother of Jesus for the Modern Mom

by Sarah Jakes

9. Present over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living

by Shauna Niequist

10. Margin:  Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives

by Dr. Richard Swenson, Glenn McMahan, and Jim Petersen

There they are!  So, what books did I miss?  What have you read lately that is an absolute must read? I would love to hear your comments and suggestions! Thank you!

And now, I’m out – I have some reading to do…