January days tend to slide by in a bland fashion. The slow, frigid afternoons rarely make me want to wander outside. And the sun chooses to retire long before I’m ready to crawl in bed myself.
I’ve found that these winter days are when I spend the most time flipping pages and devouring stories. More than any other time of the year, January and its fellow winter months are when I read lots and lots of books.
There are always those titles that I travel back to tirelessly, like Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, or Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
But I’m also one for trying something new, and I’ve made it a personal goal to read a wider variety and number of books this year.
I’m also an ENFP, which means I can’t just sit down and read chapter after chapter out of one single book. I thrive on variety. And this trait is especially prevalent in my reading life, as you are about to see.
What am I reading right now?
Let me give you a list, along with my insights on each piece and how it has impacted me in some small way. I hope this compilation will be a tool that you can use to further the reaches of your own bookshelf as well!
1.) On Writing Well: A Complete Guide to Nonfiction Writing by William Zinsser
Don’t let this title fool you. Zinsser covers a vast variety of non-fiction writing types in this book and crafts his instruction in a way that will transform both the writer and the non-writer. If writing isn’t your thing, I still recommend picking this tool up and browsing through a few of its invaluable chapters, such as Bits & Pieces or Business Writing: Writing in Your Job. This book is turning my writing perceptions on their head in an extremely helpful way. (Note: This is NOT a Christian book. Please read with discretion.)
2.) Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Since I was little I’ve been a fan of Sullivan Entertainment’s Anne of Green Gables film and its sequels. But so often caught up in my favorite real-life action/adventure novels, only now have I gotten around to grabbing this classic by Montgomery from the library and reading it. I’m so glad I did. Somehow, Anne Shirley’s adventures, quirks, and mishaps as she is raised on the picturesque Prince Edward Island never grow old for me.
3.) Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss
It’s obvious that as a writer, I love journals, and this open journal of a fictional girl named Katherine Mortimer has been both intriguing and enlightening. Prentiss (hymn author, More Love to Thee, O Christ) writes from her own experiences as a young woman and implements the morals she has learned through “Katy,” an emotional and forthright girl whose puzzling life is teaching her (and me) more about godliness each day.
4.) True Feelings: God’s Gracious and Glorious Purpose for Our Emotions by Carolyn Mahaney and Nichole Whitaker
Speaking of emotions, True Feelings is a book written to address the very topic. These two women (wife and daughter of Pastor C.J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries) are already making clear to me God’s true and beautiful design for my emotions. I’m learning how I so often disregard what God intended as a gift by blaming and shaming my feelings. Carolyn and Nichole write as friends who have walked the journey and recognize Scripture as the ultimate guide to discerning healthy emotions from the unhealthy.
Several of these books I am near to completing, while others I’ve just begun. A few of the books back on my shelf that I’ve enjoyed in the recent past few months include:
Gospel Threads by David Platt with David Burnette
An Untamed Land by Lauraine Snelling
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
And Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper
Books are beautiful things and January days can be the perfect time to stop and consume a story or to glean from a great nonfiction piece.
I love the quote that says: “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” -George R.R. Martin
I’d love to know what books you’re reading right now, or some of your tireless favorites! Feel free to comment below or email me. (Note: All comments are read and kept private.)
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