I normally like to sit down and plan out some fun summer reading for myself towards the end of May. Somehow, it is already almost the end of June, but I am finally making a good list and getting excited about my summer reading.
In years past, I spend most of my reading time during the year on non-fiction books. Several years ago, I decided that I wanted to get back to reading a few more books for fun and decided to try and read some fun fiction each summer.
When I took up my summer reading for 2020 the world felt really stressful and crazy and the light fiction was a great stress reliever. I was enjoying it so much that I have continued reading quite a bit of fiction over the last year.
Fun Fiction
I have enjoyed reading some of Robin Jones Gunn’s books with my daughter, escaped to Pleasant Creek, Indiana with the Amish Inn Mysteries, and enjoyed the Amish community in Pinecraft, Florida with the Pinecraft Pie Shop Series.
I normally prefer real paper books, however, I also discovered the convince of kindle books on my phone this year. Most of my reading time happens after my children are in bed for the evening, and sometimes my lap was keeping my husband awake. However, the dimmer light from the phone did not bother him.
This also meant that I almost always had a book ready to read wherever I went. This was great for times when I had five or ten minutes of waiting. I normally would have filled those with scrolling social media, but now I can get in a few extra minutes of reading.
Digital Options
I did a free trial of Kindle Unlimited and enjoyed it so much that we have been purchasing it ever since. I have been mostly reading fun Christian fiction though they have a wide variety of books. My daughter is also enjoying the subscription and has been reading some of my old favorite Janet Oke books. We find it to be a great value for the number of books we are reading each month.
I have not read the Janet Oke books in many years, so I am hoping to spend some time this summer re-reading some of those books so that I can have better discussions with my daughter. She really enjoys reading the books I have read and then discussing the characters.
In addition to continuing the habit of reading fun fiction (and showing my children that reading for fun is good even as an adult), I have several books that I want to read over the summer.
Non-Fiction Reading
I have been working on Women of the Word (Jen Wilkin) and look forward to finishing it. It is a great book that is discussing what good Bible study should look like and gives some pros and cons to various methods of study. While I have not agreed with 100% of her opinions, it has been very good content and theologically sound thus far.
Next, I am grateful to have the opportunity to review Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible (Danika Cooley). I am looking forward to reading more about how we can help our children learn more about the Bible. So far it has been an easy read with great information, but I am only a couple chapters into the book. I will be sharing a full review on the blog in a few weeks.
I found out about Women at War (Jan Greenwood) through a new ministry that we are starting at our church. I have seen women all to often battle against one another and even be cruel. I would like to say this is all with-in the outside world, but it happens more often than it should even inside the church. I am looking forward to reading this book about healing those relationships to see how I might be able to help others heal their relationships.
Audio Option
Finally, I am listening to Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. The first bit of it was a bit heavy on the academia but once you get through that it seems to be going more into ideas and strategies to help with focus and blocking time. Once I am finished, I may have my teenagers listen to the books as well. I think sometimes we all struggle with trying to do too many things at once and not doing any of them well.
I would love to hear more about what you are reading this summer or if you have read any of these books. Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Deals and Freebies
If you have not tried SchoolhouseTeachers.com, you don’t want to miss this busy bee sale! A great price for summer enrichment or for next year!
Happening NOW! Check out these wonderful FREE summer courses from one of our favorites: Journey Homeschool Academy! We loved their biology course this year and are excited about the free summer courses. Summer Stargazing and Backyard Bugs
This Saturday! FREE Writing Conference, June 26th from IEW! They are a great writing program and have a lot to offer. This conference is completely free
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