I read some really great books recently and I’m starting my list of books to read in the Fall. It’s been a while since I’m updated about what I’ve been reading, so I thought I would share as a few of these books have made my top 10 favorite books of all time list!

Yes, I’m a busy wife, mom, and homemaker but reading is an important part of my schedule. You can read about why reading is so important to me (and how I find the time to read). If you want more inspiration and ideas for good books to read, check out:

• 3 Classics Every Christian Should Read
• My Favorite Christian Fiction Books for All Ages
• One of the Best Books I Read All Year
• Summer 2014 Reading List
• Fall 2014 Reading List

Fall is my favorite time to dig into new good books. There’s something about the weather getting colder, being able to snuggle under a blanket, listening to the rain outside, and curling up with a nice hot cup of tea that makes me want to snuggle up on the couch and read.

Now that our new twins are starting to sleep more at night (although they are not sleeping through the night yet!) I’ve gotten a little energy back and reading at night is easier again. For the past two months I’ve been wanting to read at night but the moment I open the book, my eyes start to droop!

So here’s what I read this summer and what I plan (hope) to read this Fall! 

What I Read This Summer

Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin

This is one of my all time favorite books! I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn how to better study God’s Word. If you are looking for a good book to read this Fall, go order this one right now!! Plus, it’s a quick, short read!

“It might seem that studying the Bible would be something we should know how to do intuitively. After all, if God discloses his will and character there, wouldn’t the Holy Spirit just open up its message to our hearts? But this is not the case. Yes, the Holy Spirit opens the Word to us, but not without some effort on our part.

“Do you know that the word disciple means ‘learner’? As a disciple of Christ, you and I are called to learn, and learning requires effort. It also requires good study methods. We know this to be true of our schooling, but do we know it to be true of following Christ?” Women of the Word pages 22-23

Word-Filled Women’s Ministry edited by Gloria Furman & Kathleen Nielson

This book just came out this summer and I ordered it immediately because Gloria Furman is one of my all-time favorite authors! In fact, when she came out with her recent book for pastor’s wives (which I am not), I ordered two copies to be sent to the two pastor’s wives at my church.

My second reason for ordering this book is that I’m currently working on a book that involves various aspects of ministry and I was not disappointed by this book! But I warn you – it’s a little more on the academic side and it’s a heftier book. It’s not a quick read, but rather one that you purpose to sit down and read through intentionally.

I highly recommend it for anyone involved in women’s ministry. The first part of the book especially made me really pause and think about my involvement in ministry (here on the blog) and how everything we do needs to be tied back to the Gospel.

“Women’s ministry must be first and foremost grounded in the Word. We must not start with the needs of women – although we must get those needs. As is the case of any church ministry, in women’s ministry we must start with the Word of God at the heart of everything we do…How can we mark our ministries not just with clear teaching of the Word but with delight in the Word?” Word-Filled Women’s Ministry, Pages 20 & 37.

Women Living Well by Courtney Jospeh

This book was a total surprise for me! I had no idea what to expect from this book, and to be honest, I wasn’t expecting a lot. I don’t know why. The title just seemed so vague and I think I was expecting it to be fluffy and not full of a ton of solid content. But boy was I wrong! This was one of my favorite books I’ve read this year!

The tag line is Finding Your Joy in God, Your Man, Your Kids, and Your Home. Every homemaker should read this book at some point! The book is broken into 4 main parts: Your walk with God, your marriage, your parenting and your homemaking. In every section I felt encouraged and also convicted about how I spend my time, respond to my husband, respond to me kids, and more. If you are looking for a good book on Biblical Womanhood, then I highly recommend you get a copy of Women Living Well! 

“I would like to believe that the Proverbs 31 woman may not have enjoyed every second of spinning her thread. It was mundane, hard work. In the same way, we may not enjoy every minute of cleaning toilets or folding underwear, but I think we all will admit that we love the feel of clean sheets on the bed, fresh towels in the bathroom, bathed babies in clean pajamas, and a warm meal on The result of our hard work is a blessing to everyone how enters our home.” – Women Living Well, page 171

Natural Remedies for Kids by Kate Tietje

I have been researching and trying natural remedies now for several years and when I first began, I had to piece together information from a ton of different resources. It took a lot of time and research to find natural remedies that work and the ones that are safe and effective for kids! Especially when I want to use home remedies on my babies, it’s tough to know what’s safe for their little bodies.

I was sent a review copy of Natural Remedies for Kids. I was excited about it but wasn’t sure how much I would really need it since I’ve done so much research on my home. But I was super impressed with this handy reference guide! First of all, the entire book is full color pages which I find so handy! And it’s not a super long book. It’s easily broken down into the chapters and sections I need to find fast when my kids are sick and it explains everything in really simple terms. It assumes that you don’t know what you are reading about and so it explains everything .Which I find to be incredibly helpful. I don’t know how many natural books I’ve read that simply tell you to “turn it into a tincture.” Um…what? How do I do that? How do I give it to me kids, etc?? This book takes you step by step through all of that! 

If you are wanting to learn more about natural remedies, I highly recommend you check out Natural Remedies for Kids. It covers everything you need to get started without being overwhelming including: safely using herbs, stocking a natural medicine cabinet, basic remedy preparation, when to call the doctor, and tons of amazing recipes!

Homeopathic Medicine for Children and Infants by Dana Ullman

I have been learning about homeopathic medicine lately. But let me warn you, it’s a little overwhelming at first!! There are a lot of names to learn and how and when to use homeopathic medicine. I don’t think this book is for everyone as it is packed with info on homeopathic medicine and is a little dense. BUT if you are really interested in alternative medicine and how to use homeopathy in your own home, then definitely check out this book. But I’m warning you, it’s a hefty read!

In fact, I didn’t read it cover to cover. I read the introductory material and then have been using it as a reference guide since then.

What I’m Reading This Fall

Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney

Donald Whitney is the author of one of my very favorite books Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. When this new book on prayer came out in July, I knew I had to get it! It’s a quick short little book and I can’t wait to dig into it soon!

Essentialism by Greg Mckeown

My husband and I are reading this business book together right now. We are only a few chapters in but it’s awesome so far! While we started reading it for our business, it has a ton of principles you can apply to life in general. We are trying to simplify and pair down on things in our life right now and this book is awesome.

The Fringe Hours by Jessica Turner

I bought this book months ago, lost it, and just recently found it again! It’s been on my to do read list since it came out in February and I’m excited to finally dig into it! It’s first on my Fall reading list and I’ll let you know how it is.

The MacArthur New Testament Commentary John 1-11 by John MacArthur

My husband and I are doing an in-depth study of the Gospel of John in the month of September so on our reading list is this Bible commentary by John MacArthur. We don’t read it cover to cover (it’s a big commentary on just the first 11 chapters). But we will read all the introductory material and background information and then go over the commentary parts that we need.

What are you reading this Fall? Leave a comment and share!