I usually read a lot. This past year, though, I didn’t read as much because my life became increasingly more physical – being pregnant, having a third child, moving into a large farm house, reaping the fruits of a garden that was waaaaay too large for even one million Ball jars, etc. etc.

However, I did sneak a good read here and there. Here are my favorites:

For the spirit:

Savoring Living Water: How to Have an Effective Quiet Time – Katie Orr and Lara Williams are such enthusiasts for reading God’s Word, it’s contagious. You can’t help but fall more deeply in love with the Word of God and the discipline of studying it when you read this meaty manual. Best of all, their single-minded motivation of “quiet time” is intimacy with Jesus Christ.

 

For the Christian:

Church Planter: the Man, the Message, the Mission – Don’t be mislead by the title or the cover-design (kinda creepy, I know), this book should be all-but-mandatory reading for each of us. Patrick nails the description of Christianity and helps me understand who I am in Christ as well as in the Church. I will read this again (and again).

For the Momma:

 

Loving the Little Years – Wonderful, bravo, perfect, YES. This book is one of my favorite parenting books of all times. I read the brief, poignant chapters while nursing a newborn and still remember exactly what Jankovic said. She is a very gifted communicator; she makes sense out of those areas of motherhood that are otherwise baffling.

 

For the graduate, the husband, the teenager, the retiree, and the woman at my keyboard:

 

Just Do Something – Yes, you’ve seen this here before. Read my rave review. Then read the book.

And for the French Girl (moi):

Entre Nous: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl – Delicious. Read more here.

 

So, maybe one or more of those titles will round out your 2012 booklist this year. Speaking of 2012 booklists, I actually compiled one this year and can’t wait to post it here in a day or two.