My Goodreads challenge for this year is to finish reading at least 2 books per month, so a total of at least 24 books this year. So far this month I’ve finished reading 1 book & I’m working on 3 others. All 4 of these books are fantastic. 2 of them are continuations of books I’ve been working on, but 2 of them are new. They all have had an impact on me, though, in the way I view others, my work, myself, my husband, & my God. These are great books. I’d love for you to check them out, too.

1. Hiding in the Light by Rifqa Bary: This book is the story of a Muslim girl that converted to Christianity & gave up everything for the sake of her life & faith. Her story describes life in Sri Lanka, moving to NYC in early 2001, then moving to Ohio a little after that. It describes her encounters with other young Christians, what her home life was like, & how all of these things helped lead her to faith in Christ. You may have heard about her back in 2009…she was the Christian teenage girl who ran away from her Muslim family that had threatened to kill her. Her story described the things she went through before, during, & after she ran away. The things she endured at the age of 16 opened my eyes. Her faith in God inspired me, & her story opened my heart for Muslim people & what their faith really looks like. The way God moved in her life, to create a testimony in her life that points to Him, that established peace in her soul even in the face of some of the worst experiences, it was amazing. It reminded me to reflect on all the ways God has moved in my life. I highly recommend this read!
2. Me, Myself, & Lies by Jennifer Rothschild: My mom got me this book for Christmas. Full disclosure? My mom knows me all too well. I’ve always been my biggest, meanest, worst critic, so I’m actually quite thankful she got me this. The idea behind the book is that more often than not, we are okay speaking things to ourselves that we would never speak to others. We act like it’s normal to speak negatively to ourselves in ways that would be considered rude, mean, & even abusive if we said it to others. This book takes a look at how we speak to ourselves but not just from a worldly perspective but rather from a godly perspective. It challenges the reader to take the way you speak to yourself & compare that to God’s word & how God speaks of His people. Typically…they don’t line up, so one of them has to be wrong (gee…I wonder which it could be?). This book has challenged me to stop my negative, abusive thinking in its tracks & change it to line up with God’s Word. If you often feel discouraged & down on yourself…crack the spine of this book & begin to line your heart & thoughts up with God.
3. The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian: This is one of the books I’ve been reading for like…ever…I’m a little over halfway through it. The more I read it the more my eyes & heart are opened for my husband. As a woman, it’s easy to feel like men have no issues they deal with. We often hear “it’s a man’s world,” therefore, women deal with all the problems & men have none. This book has reminded me that is not the case. Men deal with just as many insecurities & difficulties as women. It has opened my eyes to the fact that I can be praying for & encouraging my husband in so many more ways than I thought or expected. It’s another good reminder that prayer shouldn’t just be about my own issues & desires, but to dedicate time to pray for others & God’s will for them. I can’t wait to see how God moves.
4. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: This is a massively long book & I am a massively slow reader, but this book is OOOHHH so worth it. I’ve been reading this for a while. I’m about a third of the way through it. I’ve discussed it before so I won’t do it all over again…but here are some of my favorite quotes so far…

“I started my life with a single absolute: that the world was mine to shape in the image of my highest values and never to be given up to a lesser standard, no matter how long or hard the struggle.”

“Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think that you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong.”

“Devotion to the truth is the hallmark of morality; there is no greater, nobler, more heroic form of devotion than the act of a man who assumes the responsibility of thinking.”

“Never think of pain or danger or enemies a moment longer than is necessary to fight them.”

“Let me give you a tip on a clue to men’s characters: the man who damns money has obtained it dishonorably; the man who respects it has earned it.”

“She did not know the nature of her loneliness. The only words that named it were: This is not the world I expected.”

“Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil. That sentence is the leper’s bell of an approaching looter.”

“Live and act within the limit of your knowledge and keep expanding it to the limit of your life.”

“There is no such thing as a lousy job – only lousy men who don’t care to do it.”

“‘Why yes, I can,’ said Midas Mulligan, when asked whether he could name a person more evil than the man with a heart closed to pity. ‘The man who uses another’s pity for him as a weapon.'”

What lovely books have you been reading lately?

Happy reading & be blessed, friends…don’t let your “want to read” list eat you alive like mine is about to!