Hello Lovelies, I have an exciting post today. A giveaway! YAY! I am giving away a new book of your choice from this reading list. It is super simple, use the entry box below to boost your chances, and tune into my Instagram and Facebook for other ways to enter. A winner will be selected at random May 1st, so you have until then to enter.
I think that reading books is so important in this device filled world. It is a workout for our minds. Growing up with my Mimi, I read a lot and she always encouraged me to, however I quit, when I met and moved in with my dad. Leisure reading wasn't considered important in his family. I have over the past few years taken back up with my love for it, and I am so glad that I did. I try (and sometimes fail miserably) to read before I go to bed rather than letting myself get sucked into an hour of phone browsing. If I choose technology before bed, I find it harder for me to relax or wind down or sleep. I also have noticed that the chances of me having a nightmare are significantly higher too when I stay up super late on my phone, computer, or Ipad. I am not for sure what the connection is, but it is so true. I have a lot of nightmares as it is, so I try to fall asleep to some thing positive, so that it is the last thing on my mind. That being said, I have some recommendations for you that are good positive before bed reads.
1. Redeeming Love was recommended to me by SO MANY people, but for some reason, it took me forever to give it a chance. A cousin of mine actually starting reading it to me once, but I guess that I just had to wait for the perfect timing to read it. After the hundredth time of her telling me to read it, my mother-in-law actually handed me a copy one day and told me to read it. I finally took the hint that I needed to read it. I instantly fell in love. No one ever told me what it was about, they just told me to read it. Now I am doing the same to you.
This book literally changed my life. It impacted the way that I viewed my relationship with Jereme (I guess enough because we are now married, ha!), the way I dealt with my past, the way I viewed my relationship with my own family, but most importantly the way that I viewed the Lord. The book was inspired by the story of Hosea in the Bible, but honestly had I known that beforehand, I probablly would have avoided it at all cost. I did not even sense anything spiritual until already deeply engulfed in the story. I had several offenses against The Lord at the time and if it dealt with religious anything, I was not having it. It isn't that I did not believe, I was just angry and uneducated about his love. This book not only tricked me into reading something religion based, it stemmed me to open my Bible for the first time in awhile. This is a good one whether you are "religious" or not. If you have not read it, I HIGHLY recommend you do so, like now.
2. The British Brides Collection is a compilation of stories from a few different authors, recounting the journey to love for nine young ladies. They are all set before the mid 1800's, and you will get to learn some jargon from those time periods. Each story has a bit of mystery or danger to it, but do not fear, they always end happy. I know some will argue that its not like real life because not everything ends like a fairy tale. My philosophy is that there is plenty of negativity in the world that I do not have to willing read about it. Look for what is good and focus on those things. You will find that little hints of some of the stories will pop up in others throughout the collection. It was fun to make those connections for me.
3. Kisses from Katie is the powerful life so far, story, and Journal of Katie Davis. Katie traveled to Uganda on a mission trip, and ended up finding her life calling. She gives up her entire life to pursue helping others. I love this quote from her "I can't change the world, but I can change the world for one person." She ends up adopting thirteen children. Can you even imagine? I was blow away by the selflessness this woman has. And to think, she did that all with not even so much as a significant other. (Side note: the book was published in 2012, AND SHE JUST GOT MARRIED IN JANUARY.) Can you imagine going through all of that without "a person" (Bolt reference ha)? Maybe that is just me, I do not know how anyone could go at that alone. The book is so moving. Its a great easy quick read.
“The truth is that the 143 million orphaned children and the 11 million who starve to death or die from preventable diseases and the 8.5 million who work as child slaves, prostitutes, or under other horrific conditions and the 2.3 million who live with HIV add up to 164.8 million needy children. And though at first glance that looks like a big number, 2.1 billion people on this earth proclaim to be Christians. The truth is that if only 8 percent of the Christians would care for one more child, there would not be any statistics left.”
4. and 5. The Power of a Praying Wife and The Power of a Praying Husband. These books show you how prayer for you spouse can really protect and mold your marriage into a lasting bond. Jereme and I received these for Christmas last year and we use them both for nightly devotional. Jereme and I do not really know about huge marital problems yet (I have faith that we never will) and I can't speak for him, but my version has taught me so much about myself, and my flaws. Are you having trouble in your marriage? Are you needing spiritual growth as a whole in your relationship? Do you want to prevent problems in your marriage or fix already present problems? I am telling you, these books can help.
6. A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet is the last but certainly not the least book I want to mention. I ran across this book while blog surfing one day. The author is a blogger too, Boo Mama. This book can make you laugh and cry all on the same page., but I promise it is so good. It is a quick easy read too. Sophie tells of heart felt memories and stories of growing up in the south, and I guarantee she will pull at your heart strings by making you reminisce about your own childhood and adolescence. I almost had to quit reading it because of the level of nostalgia, but for my many Des Arc-ian friends, I guarantee you will enjoy it. (Side note: she just published a second book, however I have yet to read it. But I will.)
Have you read any of these, what did you think? Let me know down below.
- Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
- The British Brides Collection
- Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis
- The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie OMartian
- The Power of a Praying Husband by Stormie OMartian
- A little Salty to Cut the Sweet by Sophie Hudson
“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”