Amy Scott's Thoughts

I’m going to start something new on this blog. For the last post of each month, I want to share the books that I read and things that I loved that month. I almost set a goal of trying to read 100 books in 2020, but then I realized that if I made it a mission it might take the fun out of reading. So, I’m possibly shooting to read 100 books this year, but no extra pressure. Right? We’ll see how that goes.

Before I jump into my list, I thought I would share with you how I am able to read so much. The main reason I am able to read so much is that I don’t watch a lot of television. I did the math this week and I watch about 3-4 hours of TV a week. I usually watch one movie and one to two shows a week. I read during nap time which is still a thing in my household. I also read after the kids are in bed at night. I read during down time with my family. The kids might be playing together or watching a movie, I sit down in the middle of the chaos and read a book. I do get interrupted and sometimes it’s hard to focus, but I want to set the example of reading for my kids. I want them to see me doing something I value. They often ask me what I’m reading and it sparks good conversation. On a random note, Graham also really enjoys sniffing my books. The final reason I was able to read so much this month was canceled plans due to sickness. If you can’t leave the house, might as well read!

Books for January 2020:

1. The Enneagram Type 1: The Moral Perfectionist by Beth McCord – I follow Beth on Instagram and I love learning more about my personality type. While I’ve read most of this content before, I appreciated the journal format for processing.
2. Emboldened: A Vision for Empowering Women in Ministry by Tara Beth Leach – Tara Beth will be the speaker at a conference I’m attending in March. I heard good things about this book and decided I needed to know for myself. An excellent book for women in ministry!
3. Never Say No: Raising Big-Picture Kids by Mark & Jan Foreman* – The title of this book might seem controversial, but it’s not about letting your kids have whatever they want, it’s about saying yes to being present with them and walking alongside them as they develop into their God given passions and dreams. As the parents of Jon & Tim Foreman from Switchfoot, I love reading about how they raised their influential sons.
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Borrows* – I loved the Netflix movie and it inspired me to read the book. Such an eye opening look into the occupied channel islands during WWII.
5. Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland by Roseanna White* – This is the equivalent of reading a Hallmark movie but set in 1784. Perfect sick day restful reading.
6. Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery* – I just added this book to my collection, I’ve had it as an ebook for years, but I wanted to own a physical copy for my bookshelf.
7. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery* – Quite possibly my favorite work by L.M. Montgomery. Her heroine, Valancy, is my one of my favorite literary characters!
8. Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings by Mary Henley Rubio – This biography was 600 pages long. I feel like it should count as two books. It was in-depth and thought provoking. I’ve found biographies/autobiographies fascinating in the last year. People lives are interesting and their stories matter.
9. [Not Pictured] Rethink Communication: A Playbook to Clarify and Communicate Everything in Your Church by Phil Bowdle (my husband is borrowing my copy) – This was a staff read for our church. It was a good reminder that we are living in a digital age and we can use technology to advance the kingdom of God. I also love the reminder to keep things simple. There is a definite balance of not over-communicating so you get tuned out and under-communicating so no one has enough information.
10. [Not Pictured] The Next Right Thing: A Simple Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions by Emily P. Freeman (read as an ebook) – I will admit that the title of this book made me think of Anna from Frozen II and that might be why I read it. I also like Emily P. Freeman as an author. Since I’m not making a major life decision at the moment, most of the information I read will be stored away for later, but there was lots of useful takeaways for everyday living as well.

Books with an * mean that I have read them before. I have a system for keeping track of the books I read each year. If I haven’t read the book in the last calendar year then it can be included in my yearly reading list. I re-read many books because they are my favorites and I feel like we are friends. I also re-read books for a refresher on useful information and inspiration.

And with that, I’ve taken up my allotted time for today. I’ll have to make another post soon with the things that I loved this month (other than books, of course).

What did you read this month?