The internet is full of posts about what books to read in 2015, and the best of 2014. It can be intimidating to actually make a list and finish it. For me (Crystal), I chose to pick one book a month and try to get through that. When I made sure I read one, I found that I was able to finish several others.

Again this past year, one of my goals for 2014 was to read at least one spiritually beneficial book each month. By the grace of God, I reached that goal and was able to read through (and listen to) a lot of really good books! I have been very encouraged and challenged by a lot of what I read. I thank God for the men and women who have taken time to write good, solid books to help others in their walk with the Lord! Here is the list of what I read, with the ones in bold being those which especially impacted me:

January –

• Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

February –

• Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick
• Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves

March –

• Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper
• How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stewart

April –

• The Measure of Success: Uncovering the Biblical Perspective on Women and Work by Carolyn McCulley and Nora Shank
• The Church Planting Wife: Help and Hope for Her Heart by Christine Hoover

May-

• Discipline by Elizabeth Elliot
• Modest: Men and Women Clothed in the Gospel by Tim Challies, RW Glenn

June –

• A Mom After God’s Own Heart by Elizabeth George
• The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller

July –

• Made for More: An Invitation to Live in God’s Image by Hannah Anderson
• Girl Talk: Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood by Nicole Mahaney Whitacre
• Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot and Cold Climate Cultures by Sarah Lanier

August –

• A Quest for More by Paul Tripp
• Tying the Knot Tighter: Because Marriage Lasts a Lifetime by Martha Peace and John Crotts
• Burning Wicks by Polly Strong
• Resolving Everyday Conflict by Ken Sande and Kevin Johnson
• The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving by Randy Alcorn
• CrossTalk by Michael Emlet
• Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches by Russell D. Moore

(If you couldn’t tell, we took a vacation in August meant to be like a sabbatical and I had the chance to read quite a bit!)

September –

• The Truest Thing About You: Identity, Desire, and Why It All Matters by David Lomas and D.R. Jacobsen
• The Pastor’s Kid: Finding Your Own Faith and Identity by Barnabas Piper

October –

• By His Wounds You are Healed: How the Message of Ephesians Transforms a Woman’s Identity by Wendy Alsup
• Treasuring Christ When Your Hands are Full: Gospel Meditations for Busy Moms by Gloria Furman

November –

• Found in Him by Elyse Fitzpatrick

December –

• One With a Shepherd by Mary Sommerville
• The Purity Principle by Randy Alcorn
• One to One Bible Reading by David Helm
• Who Am I?: Identity in Christ by Jerry Bridges

If you would ever say:

• “I’m not a reader.”
• “I would like to read, but I don’t have enough time.”
• “I enjoy reading.”
• “I read a lot.”

I would highly recommend this book: Reinke, Tony. Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books. Crossway, 2011.

His point is simple: Every Christian can and should read books…wisely.

I greatly appreciated Reinke’s work and plan on recommending it to many people. I appreciated his thoughtfulness and the practical nature of the book as well. His constant repetition of the Bible as THE BOOK was a good reminder and necessary basis. I was challenged to read more widely and more wisely and plan on using some of his suggestions for me and my family.

You can read a full review by clicking on the title above.

In a previous post I mentioned why we love listening to The Great Courses. A latter post touched on our favorite course, Customs of the World. Another one of interest was:

Language A to Z

• Narrated by: Professor John McWhorter

This was more of a fun course. The professor took the listener through how language worked. Using humor, pop culture, and ancient history, he helped me to understand the complexity of language. I would say that this course was less of a learning experience and more of an enjoyable experience. Plus, he helped me to understand what “lol” really means.

I would recommend this course to:

• Someone interested in linguistics
• Someone who enjoys interesting facts
• Someone who loves words

Recently we have begun to appreciate the wealth of knowledge found in The Great Courses. The reason those last three words are capitalized is because they refer to a company, not your 8th grade biology class – as life changing as that class may have been.

The Great Courses is a company which has chosen to offer an incredible educational experience to those who are not currently enrolled in a university. They take the top 1% of teachers and the votes of participates around the nation and form an engaging learning experience. I know… I know. Nothing can replace a real life teacher. I agree. However, I would rather not have most of my teachers sitting in the back seat of my car, in my deer stand with me, or talking in my ear as I am running.

The major drawback for me has been the price. If you go to The Great Courses website, you can see that the audio and video lectures can be a chunk of change. Granted, they are nothing close to the enrollment in an educational facility today, but they are expensive nonetheless. Our introduction to them as been through audible.com, which is much more reasonable.

I check out their Daily Deal every day and have purchased several for under $5. Other ones have cost us $15, or the monthly subscription cost. Either way, I can guarantee that the ones we have listened to have been well worth the cost.

In a latter post I will post some which we have listened to and which we firmly believe you should listen to as well!