At the beginning of 2018, I decided I wanted to start actively reading, so I signed up for a library card, downloaded their audio-book app and started listening. Throughout the year, I’ve been listening to a variety of books and sharing them with you every quarter.
This post is a roundup of my favorite reads of 2018.
Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo || It’s a true story about the 3-year-old boy, Colton, who goes to Heaven, comes back and tells his family about his experience. Written a few years after the life-changing experience by his father, it is a phenomenal book and so much of what Colton shares lines up with scripture. It tugged on my mama-heart, challenged my thinking, made me laugh and got my wheels turning.
Magnolia Story by Chip & Joanna Gaines || A phenomenal story going all the way back to when Chip & Jo first met. They re-live some of their biggest moments – life before each other, dating, life as newlyweds, how they started flipping houses, starting their family, and how they landed their show “Fixer Upper.” It’s a great testimony to how God uses small beginnings and blesses hard work. I highly recommend this book, even if you’ve never seen the show.
Live, Love, Lead by Brian Houston || Sharing the story of how Hillsong Church was started, Brian reminisces on some of their biggest wins and biggest heartaches throughout the 30+ years of the church. Each chapter was full of wisdom and encouragement. It really inspired me and I learned a lot from reading it. It is definitely one I would read again!
The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis || I read all the books in the series for the very first time and I loved each of them so much! I cannot wait to share these treasures with my children one day.
The Shack || Wow. Great story! This book has been on my list to read for a while now and I am so glad I was finally able to pick it up. It had an intriguing beginning that caught my attention and broke my heart at the same time. The story is about Mack, a father who suffers a tragedy and becomes estranged from God because of it. But when he is asked to go back to the place where the tragedy took place years later, he is met by God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The author did a beautiful job of presenting them to us in an “outside of the box” way, and I thought it was a great story.
Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst || Such a powerful book by Lysa about how to uninvite those feelings of rejection that can so easily creep into our lives. I found some great phrases through this book that really changed my thinking. Whether you struggle with feeling rejection or are just looking for a new read, this book is sure to give you freedom and a refreshed outlook on your life. So good!
Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist || I loved this book! Such a good reminder of what “being present” in your life really means. So encouraging and insightful. Definitely on my “read again” list.
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You can see all the books I read by checking out the posts below:
Books I read in January, February and March 2018
Books I read in April, May and June 2018
Books I read in July, August and September 2018
Books I read in October, November and December 2018
Total Books Read in 2018: 25