My Favorite Books from 2015

I’m a book lover at heart. It won’t take you long to figure that out about me or that I like to share about my favorite books!

If you follow me on Facebook or get my Treasures of Grace emails, then you’ve probably noticed that I love to share deals on books. It’s my favorite deals to scope out for you!

Plus the Kindle deals I’m able to find are amazing. It’s one of the main reasons I took the plunge into getting my own Kindle last year. The $.99 deals and those nice 80% off markdowns. I feel like I’m in a used bookstore all over again. Minus the musty smell. Although I do love the musty smell of old books. Call me crazy.

Anyway, I’ve really enjoyed the reading I’ve been able to do this year. You can go here to scroll through all the books I’ve read in my round-up posts here.

I think what I liked most about this year’s reading is the sheer eclectic nature of it all. I picked from this bowl and that bowl and then went over to that buffet and then made my way back to this table. Looking at this list, I was happy with the well rounded nature of perspectives that I read. I mean, you don’t get much different than Donald Miller and Anne Ortlund.

So, without further ado, here are my top 10 reads of 2015!

My Favorite Books from 2015

Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full: Gospel Meditations for Busy Moms – This one made my list of top 7 books every Christian woman should read. This is no cookie cutter book for moms in the trenches of motherhood. It is gospel-centered, Christ-exalting, truth-revealing. I recommend this to all moms.

Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds – Jen Wilkin is passionate about taking women seriously as students of the Bible. God has used this book to affirm my calling as a Bible teacher and given me the tools to move forward. This book is for women who want to study God’s word. It walks you step by step how to do it effectively without any fluff. This is hands down the most influential book on me as a woman of God. This book is in a category all its own!

Searching for God Knows What – I read this book this month. It was a refreshing read for me in a time when I needed to just have a conversation with someone. At least that’s what it felt like reading this book. A conversation. One without any expectations, but a whole lot of truth and grace. I needed this book at a time when I felt a little lost in all that I knew about the Bible (or better said, what I don’t know) and was suffocating a bit. Plus I was missing my Colorado and Tennessee friends and this book felt like I was sitting around the dinner table just chatting with them.

Interrupted: When Jesus Wrecks Your Comfortable Christianity – I was so surprised by how much I really enjoyed this book. Of course, our details are so different, but this book could have been written by Mark and me. I read this at a time when we needed the encouragement of a really crazy, radical, Jesus loving, sell out and trust Him in all of it family. A lot of their journey has paralleled our journey and we didn’t have a clue until I read this book. I found myself reading much of it aloud to my husband, and by the time we were done reading … well, that’s for another post. Suffice it to say, we took some pretty big faith-steps that we felt God calling us to take and our friends and family think we’ve lost our minds.

Disciplines of the Heart: Tuning Your Inner Life to God – This is an old book. I found it at a used bookstore during one of our road trips. But the truths I read in this book are timeless and timely! I have not had a book get in my face like this in a long, long time. If you can find a copy of this book, I highly recommend it.

Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day – I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Seven Sacred Pauses was a wonderful gift to me as I have sought to be more mindful of my need for Jesus throughout my day. Because this book is written from another viewpoint other than evangelical Christianity, you do need to read it with a discerning mind, but I highly recommend this book. It really made me think and any book that does that is a win in my book.

Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible’s View of Women – This book was recommended to me several times by a several friends. I snagged it for cheap or free on Amazon sometime last year (I don’t remember which). And I found this book surprisingly good. It really made me think critically about my theology, and any book that makes me do that is a good book in my opinion and why it made my top 10 list. I don’t agree with everything Mrs. Bessey believes, but I think this is a book worth reading. My husband and I found a lot of her topics worth discussing and taking to scripture together.

Educating the WholeHearted Child — Third Edition – It took me the whole year to really read this book, and I’ve read and re-read several sections of it to really let it all sink it. For homeschooling moms and dads, this is a good resource. Like all books, I don’t agree with all of it, but I agree with enough of it to keep it close at hand. This book really helped me finish shaping our homeschool philosophy more solidly in my mind.

Moms’ Night Out – This book (and its movie) is just down right funny. I want to read this again sometime in 2016. It’s a great read for moms of little children, and who doesn’t love a good laughing cry and crying laugh every now and then?

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing – Last but not least, a book that revolutionized my organizing skills in the home. After moving across the country, living with our in-loves, buying a new home, and moving into it in less than a four month span, I needed some life-changing magic of tidying up in my life, and this book was a gift. As a Christian, I clearly don’t agree with some parts of her method, and she is certainly quirky. But it’s her quirkiness that makes her so incredibly good at what she does. I’ve been amazed at the results in our home as I’ve implemented her techniques and made a methodical sweep of my home. I’ve always wanted everything to have a place, and with her method it’s becoming a reality! I’m still working through it all though. I had to take a break when I got pregnant. First trimester sort of put a stop to all things normal and productive. I’ve now successfully cleaned out and organized our clothes, books, and papers though. All of which have STAYED organized. This book is a must read if you want to get serious about getting your home cleaned out and cleaned up!

What about you? What made your top books of the year list? I would love to hear in the comments as I’m starting to make a new list for next year!

Other posts you might enjoy:

• My Top 7 Favorite Books of All Time
• My Top 10 Favorite Books from 2014
• 15 Ways to Make More Time to Read

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