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One of my favorite things to do is read. I work it in as much as possible. If only I could just quit my job and get paid to read, I would be all set! I love to read books for fun, but lately I have had an urge and desire to read for knowledge. Since time is NOT on my side, I have to get creative in how to make this happen. It is worth the effort since reading makes us smarter, improves our vocabulary, exercises our brains, and reduces stress!

If I get involved in a book, I mean REALLY involved, I don’t sleep. I will stay up until 1 am or later reading, telling myself I will stop after 1 more chapter. Then I keep going… You get the idea. My kids have actually gotten in “trouble” for this. I really hope reading late into the night is the worst thing I catch them doing! Wishful thinking, I know.

Hoopla is an app I discovered last year. You can download up to 12 free books a month. I ALWAYS check here first before I check the library or buy a book on Amazon. It most likely won’t have everything you are looking for, and sometimes it is only in the form of an audiobook, but it’s a good place to check first. All you need is a library card from a participating library! My Kindle app is one of my most prized possessions so I’m already used to e-books. If you like to read an actual book, this might not be the best option for you. Although it’s hard to beat free!

FAVORITE FICTION READ FOR FUN AUTHORS/BOOKS:

Jodi Picoult 
Lisa Genova 
Liane Moriarty 
Kristin Hannah 
James Patterson

LOVE these authors, but I have a lot of goodies from others I’ve read in the last year as well…

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (totally cried & still haven’t seen the movie)

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel by Garth Stein (cried)

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper (super funny – movie is good too)

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate (Cried. A lot. This one was hard for me to read because it was so sad!)

If you’re looking to laugh and cry, these books are a good place to start!

FICTION IS GREAT BUT NON-FICTION IS WHAT FEEDS ME. FAVS:

After listening to Robert O’Neill speak in California a few years ago, I read his book The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior and then Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell. I have a thing for military stories! I also LOVED Miracle on Voodoo Mountain by Megan Boudreaux. She has an AMAZING story to tell!

Not a Fan , Gods at War by Kyle Idleman and AHA: The God Moment That Changes Everything by David Cook. I read these books several years ago and would love to re-read them again now that I am at a different (and better) place spiritually. Ridiculous Faith and Love, Skip, Jump are two really inspirational books by Shelene Bryan.

 
I have also read a variety of devotional series and of course the Bible. I try to work in a bible study every now and then. Faith Gateway has some great options. Recently I actually completed one from start to finish (kind of rare for me since I’m all over the place) Goliath Must Fall was very helpful with my anxiety and worry. Even though the study is over, the book is worth reading!

The kids and I read a devotional every morning on the way to school. I have 2 favs – The Purpose Driven Life Devotional for Kids and One God, One Plan, One Life which you can read more about in my back to school post here.

For every book I’ve read, I have an equal amount of books I have downloaded and NOT read. Some have been sitting there patiently waiting to be read for months (ok fine, years!) I have the best of intentions! Really! That list will come later!

The bottom line: there are not enough hours in the day! I would love to read more than time allows. Reading is food for the brain. Just like our normal diet, we fill our brain with junk when we read junk so I try to balance what I read!  What are some of your favorite books?