2016 Reading Challenge - April Update

Our bookshelf is filling up! That is both our Reading Challenge bookshelf and our actual real-life bookshelf at home. Luke brought back over 100 books from his recent trip to the US. Some were free giveaways from the conference and others were generous gifts from friends. He also bought some awesome children's books. When I commented on how amazing all the illustrations were, he admitted he hardly read through them but bought all the ones with nice colors and designs. He knows me too well! We made good progress this month. We currently at 33/104. Here's what we read.

Julie
The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz (Book about Money) - This was a pretty interesting read about new ways of thinking about and doing philanthropy. The author has been very successful in investing in socially beneficial businesses throughout Africa and Asia.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (Author with Initials in their name) - I enjoyed the second book as much as the first, maybe more. Now that the characters are getting more developed, I can understand how the cult obsession grew with each book release. 
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (Book by Jane Austen) - I feel that I am finally a woman for having read this book. I can see why it is so well loved!
Mrs. Funnybones by Twinkle Khana (A Humorous Book) - She is the wife of Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar and writes for a major Indian newspaper. She is lighthearted and makes fun of mostly herself. I was always excited when I understood her obscure Indian references and therefore understood the joke. I think she wants to relate to the common wife, mom, woman, but she is after all, very much a part of the Indian elite.


Luke
Day of War by Cliff Graham (Book Your Pastor Recommends) - This is the first in a series of dramatized accounts of David and his mighty men. It painted of picture of what their day to day life might have looked. It made me think more about David as a real person and how his contemporaries would have viewed him. It definitely brought these stories more to life.
​Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller (Book by a Presbyterian) - This is a book about the Biblical understanding of work and how we really can do everything for the glory of God. Keller reminded me that every job, whether having the nobility of a doctor or the shame of a garbage man, is of equal value in the sight of God and should be so in our eyes also.
Happiness by Randy Alcorn (Book about Joy or Happiness) - My biggest take-away was how all the words in the Scriptures - joy, rejoice, gladness - all stem from the same idea of being happy. We have really let the culture and false teachers hijack the idea of happiness from us. But God does want us to pursue happiness, it is all about where we look for it. The book was over 600 pages, and I think he could have said all the same things in way less space. Towards the middle and end it was very repetitive. 
If You Bite and Devour One Another: Principles for Handling Conflict by Alexander Strauch (Book that gets its title from a Bible Verse) - The book offers exactly what the subtitle says. He takes verse by verse, reminding us mostly of the attitude we are to have during conflict. If we stop and ask ourselves this crucial question - "Am I acting out of the flesh or of the Spirit", we will be able to deal much more wisely in conflict.