Mom’s Summer Reading List

Good summer morning to you! This one’s for the book worms out there!

In addition to catching up on the household chores and projects I can’t get to during the school year, I’m working on catching up on some reading. I have several books I either started during the school year and didn’t finish, or couldn’t even get to altogether. And there are also books I’ve read in years past and have put back on my list for a reread. At the end of this post I’ll tell you what I’ve done this summer to try and reach my reading goals, or at least come close. So stick around!

Don’t feel like you’ve got to read this entire list, but feel free to only look at the topics of interest for you. So here goes!

The Bible: 

I’m putting the Bible first and foremost because it’s the most important one on the list, and how I start my day, everyday. This year I’ve been studying through the New Testament. I’ve read through the Bible-in-a-year plan in years before, but this year I wanted to take more time studying the New Testament in further detail. My husband gave me a nice big journal (perfect for my big handwriting) at Christmas, and I’m loving journaling my way from Matthew to Revelation! I’m currently in Romans, and I’m enjoying these summer mornings not being as rushed so I can linger in the Word more.

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Marriage and Parenting:

Raising Body-Confident Daughters: Eight Conversations to Have With Your Tweens by Dannah Gresh —This is geared more for moms of tweens, but even though both of my girls have passed that age, I was very interested in what Dannah had to say about the heartbreaking topic of girls and bad body image. I’ve finished this book and learned some good stuff that still applies to my older girls and to ME too!

This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence by John Piper— My husband and I like to read and share marriage books with each other. He read this one a while back and recommended it to me. It’s been in the waiting stack so I’m anxious to get to it!

Mother and Son: The Respect Effect by Emerson Eggerichs— Taken from the same ideas of the “respect effect” in his book Love and Respect, Eggerichs dives deep into the mother/son relationship, and teaches moms how to apply “respect talk” in their communications with their sons. I’m halfway through this book and already changing the way I communicate with my little man in the making. Let me tell you, it’s ALREADY WORKING! So far this book has already been a game changer in our relationship! And what’s more, women of grown sons are reading this too and saying it’s working in the older relationships too.

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Spiritual:

Discipline: The Glad Surrender by Elizabeth Elliot— The late Elizabeth Elliot is one of my spiritual heroes! I find her so inspiring. I picked this book up at a book swap and started it twice during the school year, so I’m looking forward to finally finishing it!

Spiritual Mothering: The Titus 2 Model for Women Mentoring Women by Susan Hunt— It might first seem that this should fall under my parenting selections, but this is not just about mothering the children you are raising in your home. That’s included, but it’s really more about women mothering ALL women in the Titus 2 model. I’ve heard Susan Hunt speak on Revive Our Hearts, and, not only did I appreciate her views on this topic, but I have to say she has the sweetest older lady voice that just makes me want to listen to anything she has to say! This one is a little further down my list but I’m really hoping to get to it before summer’s end.

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Coffee Table Books:

Ok, so these are not your typical coffee table books but here’s why I’m calling them that: I keep them on my coffee table so anytime I stop during the day to sit down for a minute, I can grab one of these and not be tempted to start mindlessly scrolling through my phone (unless I’m stopping to finally answer texts or emails). They are devotional style books, so I can read an entry in a short amount of time before I’m back up again. They leave me with a nice thought to ponder as I continue on with my daily chores.

Keep a Quiet Heart by Elizabeth Elliot— Again with my hero, Mrs. Elliot! This book is a collection of what she calls her “newsletters”, but after reading several entries, I realize this was the blogging of her day. These are short writings about what she might have done that day that had a moral lesson to it, or a brief devotional thought. Really sweet, simple, and meaningful.

A Jane Austen Devotional by Steffany Woolsey—Any Jane Austen lovers out there?! If so, this devotional book is for you! Each devotional takes an excerpt from different Jane Austen books, and offers a little Bible lesson and life application. It covers a very wide variety of topics, and approaches them in a soft and lovely manner that many of us women find appealing. If you’ve read and enjoyed  Jane Austen’s books, you will love this!

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Skill Improvement:

The Art of the Handwritten Note: A Guide to Reclaiming Civilized Communication by Margaret Shepherd—I picked this book up on one of our visits to The Biltmore Estate. At the time, I read through it on our drive home. A few weeks ago our church hosted one of their fun Sister Saturdays—workshops on topics of interest for the Christian woman—and the topic this time was writing. It included creative writing, letter writing, poetry, and blogging. I was so inspired by it all, but especially the letter writing session, so I came home and pulled this book from my shelf for a reread.

Blog, Inc.: Blogging for Passion, Profit, and to Create Community by Joy Deeangdeelert Cho— I picked this up at a book swap and finally read it a couple of weeks ago. I was hoping to really bump up my blogging knowledge with this one. It’s an older edition book so a lot of the information is no longer applicable (the tech world changes SO fast, doesn’t it!!), but there were still plenty good takeaways   that still apply to my blogging today.

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Homeschooling Inspiration:

These are books I just skim back through each summer because, of ALL the homeschooling books I’ve read over the years, these 3 have had the biggest impact on my homeschooling.

100 Too Picks for Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing the Right Curriculum and Approach to Your Childs Learning Style by Cathy Duffy—This was a life saver for me when I first started homeschooling in 2008. My copy is waaaayy outdated (I think she’s up to 102 or more top picks now), but I have my own notes in there that I like to look through, and I don’t really need the part of the book that has been updated.

Homeschooling With a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell—Just looking at the title alone, need I say more, mamas?! But, I will because this book has been more helpful to me than any book about teaching styles, learning styles, schedules, or curricula choices. It deals with the mom’s heart. I can’t tell you how many times people say to me, “You must be a very patient person to homeschool your children”. Ummm, nope! And my children will confirm that! I was not ALREADY patient; it’s a work in progress! God is teaching me patience through my homeschooling, and this book has aided in reminding me of His truths that get me there.

Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace by Sarah Mackenzie—Again with the mama heart issues! This kind of rest is not about lounging in bed in our pjs and eating chocolates all day while schooling with the kiddos (not that we’ve never done that; we do have special days). The rest that this book speaks of is a rest in the Lord that allows us to trust Him through raising and teaching our children. It’s a peace that does not allow for worry, panic, stress, chaos, comparison, and overdoing to rear their ugly heads.

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Organizing Home and School:

The Home Edit: A Guide to Organizing and Realizing Your House Goals by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin— A sweet friend gave me this book for my birthday because we like to talk home organizing and share any great info or books we find on the topic. This was my first read for summer break because I wanted to get a leg up on my annual summer clean out! Really great tips here on organizing every room in my house, plus a lot of rooms I don’t have! Ha!

Managers of Their Homes, Managers of Their Chores, and Managers of Their Schools, each by Teri Maxwell—I first went through these books about ten years ago in great detail, studying Mrs. Maxwell’s methods of managing home, chores, and schools. I can’t tell you how they helped me get myself, my kids, and my household on a good track for everyday living and learning. I certainly haven’t had my ducks in a row every year of homeschooling (the struggle is real!!), BUT the years I’ve followed these methods have been our most productive years by far!! Again, these copies are old editions, but I’ve underlined and made so many notes in them, that I keep them and am able to just do a quick read through each summer.

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Soooooo, how will I ever accomplish this list, or even come close?

I gave up social media for the summer! It’s mainly because of Instagram. Facebook* doesn’t really temp me so I don’t get on there much anyway, but it’s easy for me to get sucked into Instagram if I’m not careful. So I said bye-bye for the summer!!! And I’ve got to say, it’s pretty liberating! I also don’t watch much television so that gives me extra time too. More on breaking that habit in an upcoming post later this week!

(*disclaimer: I do check FB when I get an email notification for an update on a dear friend who’s battling cancer. But I can go straight to her page and not get pulled into the other feeds)

I hope this list gives you some fresh ideas for new reads! And I’d love to hear any book suggestions you have for these topics!