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Perhaps your 2012 Goals include reading more. I love to read, and the reason I write this list isn’t to be overly organized–it’s simply to make sure that I take the time for reading. If I didn’t write it down and share it with you, I would get to the end of December having read nothing, or having read things that didn’t really matter. I want to be discerning about what I read. My preference is nonfiction, but I also enjoy reading Christian fiction because it encourages me in the Truth. I want to fill my mind with things that will make me better.
In this digital age, it is easy to put down the books and flip on the TV. But I want to urge you to get a book list going, not only to stretch your thoughts, but also to broaden your vocabulary and your imagination.
My Proposed Reading List for 2012
I have these segmented out by month. I’m hoping this will help to keep me on track.
JANUARY
Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis
Life Lessons from the Princess and the Kiss by Jennie Bishop and Susan Henson
I’ll be doing this one with Ainsley to follow up from The Princess and the Kiss.
FEBRUARY
Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy
MARCH
As Good as She Imagined by Roxanna Green
APRIL
Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons by Meg Meeker
MAY
JUNE
JULY
Educating the Wholehearted Child by Clay Clarkson with Sally Clarkson
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Contentment
OCTOBER
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt
NOVEMBER
Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrow’s Success by John Maxwell
DECEMBER
168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam
Additional Books I’d like to Read:
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
- Raising a Modern-Day Knight: A Father’s Role in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood by Robert Lewis
- Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic
- What’s Eating Your Child?: The Hidden Connection Between Food and Your Child’s Well-Being by Kelly Dorfman
- Six Ways to Keep the “Little” in Your Girl: Guiding Your Daughter from Her Tweens to Her Teens by Dannah Gresh
- Jesus Lives by Sarah Young
- Dear Jesus by Sarah Young
- Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope by Mary Beth Chapman
More Recommended Reads
Here are some other books that I would like to be able to fit in this year. These are sorted by topic to make it easy for you to choose from.
BUSINESS/SAVING MONEY
My Number One pick for this is…Saving Savvy: Smart and Easy Ways to Cut Your Spending in Half and Raise Your Standard of Living…and Giving! If you haven’t already grabbed a copy of my money-saving book, I would love for you to! My desire was for the book to reflect my heart to really mentor you in the strategies of saving money–and living generously! It is offered in a variety of ways, for however you learn best.
- Saving Savvy (soft cover) — Do you like underlining and dog-earing pages? Do you read with a highlighter and a pad of post-it notes? Then the paperback version is for you.
- Saving Savvy Audio (Audio Book) — If you’re not a reader, or if you really wanted to attend one of my workshops and were unable to, this Audio version is just for you. Since it’s me reading the book, it’s like having your own private workshop session.
- Saving Savvy (Kindle) — The book is also available on Kindle.
EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches by Dave Ramsey
FAITH
Jesus Calling by Sarah Young (my absolute favorite!)
One in Million: Journey to Your Promised Land by Priscilla Shirer
One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp
Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan
REFERENCE BOOKS TO KEEP ON HAND FOR BIBLE STUDY
These are books I used in my Precepts by Kay Arthur study, and they were great to dig deeper into the word.
The New Strong’s Complete Dictionary Of Bible Words by James Strong
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament by Gleason Archer
FICTION
Chronicles of the Kings Series by Lynn Austin
#1 Gods and Kings
#2 Song of Redemption
#3 The Strength of His Hand
#4 Faith of My Fathers
#5 Among the Gods
Eve’s Daughters by Lynn Austin
Be sure to check out my Recommended Reading List from 2011 HERE.
Have you read a good book lately? I’m still looking for a few more books to fit in. What are your favorites? What’s on your list for this year? Let me know. The best books I have read are suggestions from my readers.
2 recent favorites – 1) Kisses From Katie – best book I’ve read in a very long time, and 2) A Confident Heart by Renee Swope – very challenging!!
A new author I found and really like is Roseanna White – A Stray Drop of Blood…hard to put down!!
Enjoy!!!
My recommendations aren’t for books released this past year, sorry.
I don’t get around to fiction much, but I love Chris Fabry’s books. I liked Dogwood more than June Bug & haven’t gotten to the more recent one.
One of my all time favorites is by Susie Larson, The Uncommon Woman. Chockfull of Scriptural truths.
This book is a new book–Prayers for Today by Kurt Björklund. Wow!! I never thought I’d like a book of written prayers, but the author’s intro really opened my eyes to how to use the book & it’s changed my prayer life. I don’t feel like now I’m just bringing God a laundry list. And I look forward to each day’s prayers.
An older book I got from the library, I ended up ordering it from amazon, Praying God’s Promises for My Child by Linda Taylor. I love how it’s a little devotional, a teaching & scripture & just about every time I learn something reading it. It’s a nice small book.
And of course, One Thousand Gifts. Just so much to soak in, it’s taking me a while to get through it.
I feel like I’m forgetting one. Or some.
Kelly, thank you for the great list. I have to say that Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow changed my walk with God. So of course, I would say move that book to now on the list, not September.
Here are some of the ones on my wishlist:
Going Deep: Becoming A Person of Influence
by Gordon MacDonald
Finite and Infinite Games
by James Carse
The Power of Flow: Practical Ways to Transform Your Life with Meaningful Coincidence
by Meg Lundstrom
Grace for the Good Girl
by Emily Freeman
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry
by Jon Ronson
Give Your Kids the Keys: Navigating Your Child to a Personal and Sustainable Faith
by Adam Stadtmiller (Paperback)
Nobody Told Me: What You Need to Know About the Physical and Emotional Consequences of Sex Outside of Marriage
by Pam Stenzel (Paperback)
The Twelve Sacred Traditions of Magnificent Mothers-in-Law
by Haywood Smith
Their Last Suppers: Legends of History and Their Final Meals
by Caldwell Andrew
The Jefferson Key: A Novel
by Steve Berry
Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God
by John Piper
Hungry for God: Hearing God’s Voice in the Ordinary and the Everyday
by Margaret Feinberg
WEIRD: Because Normal Isn’t Working
by Craig Groeschel
Love this list! I will add these. I need to get hoofing on my reading now!
You MUST read Glass Girl by Laura Anderson Kirk. Quick read, amazing fiction book! Radical is awesome, and also Crazy Love.
Hi Kelly,
Do you have any daily devotional books that you would recommend? You recommended one last year and I got through it all and loved it. It was Take My Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time. I would love to start another one this year.
Thanks so much for all you do! Also, for posting all the free kindle books! I have read several and they were so hard to put down.
I read Calm My Anxious Heart as well by Linda Dillow- it was so great and I highly recommend. Also Leota’s Garden by Francine Rivers was a book I absolutely could not put down. I think I read it every chance I got between work and sleep and (you can forget cleaning
). I read it within 2-3 days. To Love Anew (Sydney Cove Series) by Bonnie Leon was also a good read. So many books out there to read, so little time 
Thanks so much!
Katie – My two favorites are Jesus Calling by Sarah Young and My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers.
Thank you for the ideas, will have to add them too!
Great- thanks!
Great list- thanks for sharing! I just got a Kindle and absolutely LOVE it… Ive just started my first book and can’t put it down… “Shepherding a Child’s Heart” by Tedd Tripp. I’m going to add several of these to my list- thank you