*This is an update post for the “12 Months to a Healthier You” Challenge. To read more about this challenge, why I’m doing it and how you can participate, click here.
Read any good books lately?
Sometimes I wonder if we should begin more conversations with that question. Just imagine, if we were all readers (and we read uplifting, life-changing books), the ways we could be encouraged toward becoming all God calls us to be, just by sharing with each other how we’ve been touched by the books we’re reading.
Hmmm… I might have a new soap box.
Well, anyway, you know by now that I’m a reader. Two weeks ago I shared with you that my goal for the “Healthier You” challenge for this month is to read more, and to get more consistent with my reading. Today I wanted to share my goals a little bit more specifically, and give you an idea of what I’ll be reading over the next couple of months.
What is my reading goal?
I hesitate to say how many books I’ll be reading. Everyone reads at a different pace. Some books are huge and very technical, some are short ebooks that can be read in a day. I don’t want to skip over the longer books because I’m trying to fill some arbitrary quota. And most importantly, I never want to fly through a book just so I can say I read one more book. I’d rather take my time and glean whatever I need to before I move on.
Instead of aiming to read a specific number of books, I’m going to shoot for consistency. I want to build a consistent habit of reading, even just a little bit, each day. If I am consistently reading– every day– then the number of books I read will be just right.
I’ve chosen an amount of time I want to spend reading every day. For me, 30 minutes in the morning and then 30 more just before bed works well. That’s not to say I won’t read any more than that, I will some days. This is the baseline measure I’ll use to track my progress and build this important habit.
What kind of books do I read?
As I mentioned in my previous post, I’m not big on reading fiction. Though I may ask some friends for ideas on just a few fiction books. I do need to learn to relax a little, and I’m not a TV watcher, so maybe some fiction now and then will be a good thing!
The books I read tend to hover around the topics that currently fit my life. If you were to look at my bookshelf, you’d see it loosely organized into categories. (I also write about being an organized mom over at Homemaker’s Challenge if that last sentence didn’t make you cringe and you’d like to learn more…)
Some of my general reading topics include:
- Spiritual Growth for Women
- Personal Development
- Depression
- Health and Nutrition
- Marriage
- Parenting
- Homemaking
- Homeschooling
- Home business
- Food Photography
- Personality
- Money Management
Most of what I read falls somewhere into one of the above categories.
Want to know what I’m reading right now?
Well, I’ve never been good about reading one book from start to finish before moving to another book. (And I’ve discovered that some of you suffer with the same “too many books at a time” syndrome.) I’ve made peace with it. It’s why there are book cases and baskets all over my house. I’m never very far away from a good book.
This month I seem to be focusing on my health and my business, so right now I’m reading my way through these four books:
The mood Cure
Is it Me or My Adrenals
Tasty Food Photography
Oh but there are so many more books I want to read!
I don’t want to forget about the books I discover along the way and may want to read, so I keep two types of “lists”. First, I keep a wish list on my Amazon account. My other favorite way to keep track is through my Pinterest boards. If you enjoy the same type of reading as I do, go check out my boards.
Here’s my “go-to” board when I’m ready to choose a new book. It’s mostly other people’s lists but some individual pins of books I’ve discovered along the way.
Follow Beth Cranford/Eat Better Spend Less’s board Never Ending Reading List on Pinterest. This next board is terribly neglected, it’s where I try to pin books I’ve read and loved. Feel free to take a look an follow, I’ll try to get my act together and update it for you. Follow Beth Cranford/Eat Better Spend Less’s board Books I recommend on Pinterest.
Here’s my board for business books that I recommend. Also terrible neglected. I’ll get on that right away!
Follow Beth Cranford/Eat Better Spend Less’s board Books I Recommend-Business on Pinterest.
What books are on your list?
To see all of the posts in this category, click the graphic below. They’ll display newest to oldest so scroll down if you want to go in order.
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