Friday 11 January 2019

Reading Challenge and Advice Please!

Last year, I decided not to take part in a Reading Challenge. Life was busy and whilst I had read plenty of books during the previous year and enjoyed the chance to read more widely, I didn't manage all the categories in the 2017 Christian Reading Challenge.  

2018 wasn't a bad reading year but many of the books were either read alouds to my children or books that I preread to check whether they would be suitable for the home education book club. It was a busy year, after all my eldest daughter was married and strangely enough, this was rather more important than reading!  So, 2019 seems a year for a reading challenge but people, I need advice. My reading is in the doldrums and I don't feel best inspired. 

The plan is to do the avid reader level  of the 2019 Christian Reading Challenge so 26 books not 104. I would like to succeed! Please would you send me ideas. I don't want to buy many books so ideally books from the library/free on line would be great.

The categories follow with my comments. A blank means that I don't know. 

  • A BIOGRAPHY-ideas?
  • A NOVEL-possibly Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
  •  A BOOK ABOUT HISTORY-SPQR by Mary Beard. I have started this but haven't been gripped so far...
  •  A BOOK TARGETED AT THE OPPOSITE GENDER-haven't a clue!
  •  A BOOK ABOUT CHRISTIAN LIVING-possibly a reread of the Loveliness of Christ by Samuel Rutherford
  •  A BOOK WITH AT LEAST 400 PAGES-I have downloaded Dicken's Our Mutual Friend which seems to have over 800 pages according to Amazon.
  •  A BOOK A FRIEND RECOMMENDS-ideas welcome
  •  A BOOK ABOUT CHRISTIAN LIVING-a couple of friends have recommended titles by Jen Wilkin
  •  A BOOK MORE THAN 100 YEARS OLD-Should be easy but I don't know yet.
  • A BOOK BY OR ABOUT A MISSIONARY-Reading Letters from the South Seas by Margaret Patton
  • A BOOK FOR CHILDREN OR TEENS-thinking about Beverley Naidoo's Journey to Jo'burg which is conveniently in the local library.
  • A BOOK OF YOUR CHOICE
  •  A BOOK ABOUT FROM A “BEST OF 2018” LIST-not sure. I need to read some lists!
  •  A COMMENTARY ON A BOOK OF THE BIBLE
  •  A BOOK WRITTEN BY A PURITAN: John Owen's Glory of Christ.
  •  A BOOK BY OR ABOUT A MISSIONARY
  • A BOOK ABOUT THEOLOGY: reading Stuart Olyott's Son of Mary: Son of God
  •  A BOOK YOU THINK YOU CAN FINISH IN A WEEKEND-Doug Bond's new book The Resistance
  •  A BOOK RECOMMENDED BY A FAMILY MEMBER 
  • A BOOK ABOUT AGING-Jennifer Bute and Louise Morse's book Dementia from the Inside.
  •  A BOOK PUBLISHED IN 2019 -Hopefully, Beyond the Thirty Nine Steps: a biography of John Buchan by Ursula Buchan
  • A BOOK ON THE CURRENT NY TIMES LIST OF BESTSELLERS- possibly the Tattooist of Auschwitz but it seems a bit grim.
  •  A BOOK ABOUT CHURCH HISTORY-hope this isn't a cheat but I am reading SM Houghton's Sketches in Church History with my children. I love this book and it has lead to some interesting discussions and rabbit trails. Who would have known that Patmos is 15 days walk from London plus a few ferries-thank you Google maps!
  •  A BOOK OF 100 PAGES OR LESS 
  • A BOOK OF YOUR CHOICE
  •  A BOOK ABOUT MUSIC OR A MUSICIAN-not a clue.
Thank you everyone, in advance for your suggestions!

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4 comments:

  1. Dear Sarah,
    My suggestion is a book written by Joel Beeke. It's described on the back as 'A rich,practical exposition of the Epistles of John.' I'm working through it with a local book group and we are finding it very profitable. At the back of the book are thirteen studies on the book.

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    1. That sounds interesting. I love the idea of reading it as a group.

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  2. Some ideas/books I enjoyed:

    Bio - Surprised by Joy (Lewis) Cross & the Switchblade
    Mary Barton was good, Ruth is too.
    I’ve enjoyed some Elizabeth Goudge titles lately eg. The Dean’s Watch

    Happy reading in 2020 🙂

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    1. Thank you for the ideas. I like the Dean's Watch, too but ought to look out some more Elizabeth Goudge.
      I think that I have a copy of Ruth that I have never read-must pull it out.

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