2016 Reading Challenge - July Update

Here we are starting our second half of the year. Today Luke and I were talking about how surprised we are that we have kept it up this long. As I mentioned at the beginning, we are pretty good at starting things and not finishing. He says he is motivated the most by the competition. Though we are completing it together, we are still keeping track of who has read the most (currently 30-29 in my favor!) But I think I am more motivated by the monthly updates. They give me small goals to work toward and the feeling of accomplishment of completing another month. Either way, it's working for us. Here's what we read this month... 

Julie
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (Christian novel) - I am not usually interested in Christian fiction, so I picked this book because it is my sis-in-law's all-time favorite. It is based on the book of Hosea and naturally has some mature themes and scenes that are probably not helpful for a young reader. But I thought she did a great job of bringing out the reality of how shame can embed so deeply in the heart and how beautiful it is when the good news breaks through (and in a pretty non-cheesy way).

Wild by Cheryl Strayed (Book about the Natural World) - This woman made a pretty impressive trek across over 1,000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in California, on very little experience. Its not wildly exciting or climactic, but I did enjoy the read and found myself cheering her on to finish. 


Luke
Diary of a Wimpy Kid : Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney (Graphic Novel) - It was nice to read a funny book after several non-fiction. It reminded me a lot of middle school drama from when I was a kid, which hopefully will help me relate to my kids a little better, especially as they get older.

How Shall We Then Live by Francis Schaeffer (Book by Frances Schaeffer) - I liked being able to brush up on my history of thought and philosophy. It is so interesting how thoughts from 500-600 years ago affect much of the way we think. Its a good call to revisit our presuppositions and where they have come from.

​Future Men by Douglas Wilson (Book about Parenting) - The book helped me think more deeply about shepherding my son into a man, and how in subtle ways I could be discouraging some biblical traits he should have as a man. A good read for any father of boys.