My Book Recommendations

This is for you, Brandi! ...and anyone else who's interested. ;0) First off, it's pretty funny to me when I stand at the foot of our bed and look at my stack of books, and then look over to the other side and look at my hubby's stack of books... very, very different material, let me tell you! Corey has stacks of different Bibles, theology books and the like. I have a couple Bibles, too, but my pile is mainly comprised of Christian Fiction, Decorating and Gardening books, and Christian Parenting/Family books.

Of course, my first book recommendation is the Bible! ;0) It is a MUST READ! Over and over! All the time!! Until you can recite it like movie lines! ;0)

My next favorite is Christian Fiction. My hands down favorite series is the Mitford Series by Jan Karon. Read 'em all; loved 'em all! I just finished a series by Janette Oke, the author of the "Love Comes Softly" series that the four Hallmark Movies were based off of. This series was about Virginia, one of Clark and Marty's grandchildren. Janette Oke has also written a lot of other books, so I will probably be checking those out soon. I'm not actually keen on her writing, but I enjoy the settings and story lines. I have also read, and thoroughly enjoyed, all of the books published so far in three different series by Alexander McCall Smith. They are not Christian, but I love the author's writing. He offers very accessible windows into life in different countries. My favorite series of his is set in Botswana, and chronicles the life of a private detective named Precious Ramotswe. I also enjoy his Isabel Dalhousie series, and his Love Over Scotland series.

As for the Decorating and Gardening books, I should really throw them all away, because the most helpful thing I ever learned was from my Aunt Lynnae: Just buy/do what you like, without worrying about it suiting one particular style, and it will all come together perfectly.

Finally, there is Christian Parenting/Family books. My all time favorite parenting book is Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. I gave away my only copy, and just bought another along with a Parent's Handbook. I also got some for gifts, and purchased a Leader Guide--as we may use it for a Parenting Bible Study at church. My favorite marriage book is The Sacred Marriage, by Gary Thomas. In regard to being a wife and mother, I have been reading a lot of Nancy Wilson lately. I disagree with some of her theology, but she offers so many great challenges that I still really enjoy what she has to offer.

So........ there you have it! ;0)