Stone Soup for Five: Summer (re)Reading Book List

Summer (re)Reading Book List

There are so many good books I want to read.  So much learning I want to do.  So much information I want to plow through and learn and do.



I want to read through our entire set of Encyclopedia Britannica.   I want to learn all about the history of our country, our state, and our city.  I want to learn survival skills, how to plant native gardens, how to program with HTML, CSS, and Javascript.  I want to know how to make an amazing cup of coffee at home, and learn how to do Martial Arts.  I want to bullet journal better, Bible journal better, and learn how to meditate deeply on scripture.  

And there is so much online and in books that I could learn most of this conveniently at home, in front of my computer on on my living room couch.  And that is the problem.

I'm running in a thousand different disconnected and distracted directions and accomplishing nothing.  I'm cramming my head full of information but almost none of it has turned into true, practical wisdom.

Wisdom: noun: the quality of having experience, knowledge and good judgement.


Wisdom is slow. 
Wisdom takes time and repetition.
Wisdom repeats.
Re-reads.
Meditates.
Thinks.

So this summer, I'm not making a reading list.
I'm making a re-reading list.

I've gathered 4 books that made the biggest impact in my life so far and I'm re-reading them.  Some I read last year, and some I read years and years ago.  It'll be interesting to see what stands out to me at this stage in life.

Summer Challenge:
Choose a book that made an impact on you when you read it.  Pull it off your shelf and re-read this summer.
Put what you're reading in the comments below so we can all get a great list together of books that have touched others.

My Books:
I remember this book really helping me improve productivity and focus.  I got it originally on audio from my local library, but there was SO MUCH GOOD in it that I bought the book.  Very excited to dive back into it!

Words cannot even express how much I love this book. It's been a couple years since I re-read it and I need to revisit the truth and love and grace in here.  Elizabeth George has such an encouraging and gentle way and this book still stands as one of my all time favorites in Christian living.

I've read this twice so far because it's so packed with hands-on, practical information on how to keep your family out of the crazy cycle (which we seem to always default to).  

I read a library copy years ago picked this one up recently at Goodwill.  You guys, Dave Ramsey has completely and totally changed our lives.  If you haven't read any of his books, pick up his Total Money Makeover.  It's quick, it gives you practical information on how to change everything financially.  It sucks at first, but now that we are on the other side of setting up our emergency fund and paying off our debt, it's AMAZING.  The freedom and lack of stress is something I never thought I'd see in my lifetime.  I still struggle, however, and need the refresher and encouragement to keep improving.

So what's your book?
Let me know in the comments!

7 comments:

  1. Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves by Naomi Aldort is a book just like this! I did re-read it last year, and by the end I must have underlined at least half of the book. It is a great read!
    Thanks for sharing your list, and most importantly your thought process. I too have a huge list of wants to be/do/read and really appreciate both reading this today. Both to learn I am not the only one, and to receive a wise nudge!
    Enjoy your summer reading!

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    1. Oh! Thanks for the recommendation! I'll add that to my list!

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  2. Have you heard of "the life-changing magic of tidying up the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing" by marie kondo? I suspect this will be on my list in years to come. I am reading it now. It is about going through your whole house and keeping what is necessary and what brings you joy them getting rid of the rest. It sounds radical but when used, you: feel amazing, enjoy everything you see around you, have some space instead of seeing chaos. When looking in your closet, you love everything in it and feel so joyful to be able to pick out something to wear. Here is a link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering/dp/1607747308

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    1. Yes Barbara!! I really loved her thought process and have even experimented a bit with it! I really culled out a bookshelf by taking them all out and touching each book. I found I didn't have feelings for about half the books I had been holding on to! Great stuff!

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  3. Ah, Kari. This is such the nudge I need. I discovered a site that publishes what free Kindle books are out there. I've loaded up my Kindle for "summer reading," but discovered that much of it is self-published garbage rife with grammar and spelling errors, which drive me crazy. Also, most are not complete books, but "Part I" so supposedly you will want to buy the rest of the story. I'm too cheap, though.

    But I digress - I need to reread the Love Languages because my son is so different from me. I need to remind myself how to fill his cup. I need to reread Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. The title says it all. I need to read this book on being a more Godly wife and woman. I can see the cover, but can't remember the title/author. Finally, I want to revisit some old posts of yours about being an introvert and wanting the boys to leave you alone, but that is not the season of your life right now. I remember as I read them I needed to journal on that thought, but didn't. I did better for a while but am back to pushing my two outside so I can have some "quiet time." Selfish and not the kind of mom I want to be.

    Thanks for the reminder.

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    1. I've stumbled on a few good free books, but totally understand your pain! I love the Love Languages books and should dig out my copy of Calm My Anxious Heart. So glad to hear from another fellow introvert. It's so hard some days! We need to stick together to stay strong against the urge to curl up in the closet corner for a few days!

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  4. Kari, Thank you for this challenge. I just finished a book. So I went to my bookcase and pulled down "The Kitchen Counter Cooking School" by Kathleen Flinn to read. I had been wanting to read this book again for several months. Thank you for the suggestion to re-read! Janna

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