VT Christian Reading Challenge discussion

Would anyone like to talk about the books they're reading this month?

I'm trying to read as many as possible this month as I know other months may not be as favorable for reading.

Some of the books I'm reading this month are short. At least three of them have been average length. Some that I have planned for later in the year are lengthy so I want to leave time for them.

I'm reading as much as possible this month too - considering I've been sick since just after Christmas, I might as well! (Note: not seriously ill, I sound like I have bronchitis every winter but this year the cough is really lingering and exertion just makes it worse).
So, I've read 7 books so far and have a few more in progress. Hoping to finish off some of those this month yet!

This is my daily read for the next year:
You Are the Beloved: Daily Meditations for Spiritual Living

Others I'm reading are Smile: the story of a face and finally picked up Olive Kitteridge. Enjoying both

I started By Canoe and Dog Train: The Adventures of Sharing the Gospel with Canadian Indians which has been fun as they just crossed from Minnesota to Manitoba which is where I’m from. I just finished The Loveliest Place: The Beauty and Glory of the Church which was really good. I’m working through some fiction as well, American Dirt and The Letter from Briarton Park.

I'm currently working through Cold Harbour, No Little Women: Equipping All Women in the Household of God, and The Art of Showing Up: How to Be There for Yourself and Your People. I'm also trying to get a ton of reading done, but so far I've been reading short, light fiction. I have some heavy theological stuff I want to read, but I'm saving it for later.

Amber - I just finished By Canoe and Dog Train last week.. Hope you like it as much as I did. I learned so much and loved looking for the towns mentioned on Google Maps and found more information on the web. It is a great way to learn about Manitoba geography and history!

Yesterday I was unexpectedly drawn into reading a captivity narrative: Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. It was short enough I could finish in one day plus do a lot of web research to learn about the location and about King Philip's War (1675-1678 in Massachusetts and Rhode Island mostly). Bonus - Mary Rowlandson was a Puritan so I got to check off the Puritan literature prompt.

Today I've been audio-reading my current novel, The Quilter's Apprentice, by Jennifer Chiaverini. I saw that some readers marked it as Christian fiction, but I'm halfway through now and haven't heard anything Christian yet, though it is a nice light-weight clean read type women's novel.

With January ending, I am wondering what everyone's favorite, least favorite, and surprise from what you read this month?

Ian wrote: "With January ending, I am wondering what everyone's favorite, least favorite, and surprise from what you read this month?"

Favourite: By Canoe and Dog Train: The Adventures of Sharing the Gospel with Canadian Indians - super interesting to read about how the gospel came to the Indigenous people of my home province

Least favourite: Hostage - because the storyline was a little unclear at times

Surprise: Jane Eyre - I’d never read this before and it was so good!

By Canoe and Dog Trail, seems to keep coming up. I guess I need to add it to my "To Read" pile.

Here are my January reads:
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story - Amazing book to start the year out. I'm really glad I started with this one. By far my favorite.

Be All You Can Be: A Challenge to Stretch Your God-Given Potential

The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon - This was my least favorite seemed to be more about Calvinism than Spurgeon and excessively repetitive.

Think Black: A Memoir of Sacrifice, Success, and Self-Loathing in Corporate America

New Kid

A Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain, and God's Sovereignty

Amber, I am glad you enjoyed Jane Eyre... I listened to it in high school and was not thrilled by it.

My best was The Slumber of Christianity by Ted Dekker (which was a reread after finding it at a resale shop). The joy that he talks about is a good reminder.

Worse was The Three-Body Problem. I like Science Fiction but the eastern names lose my interesting.

Surprise was Bunker Hill by Nathaniel Philbrick. By the name, I was not expecting that the narrative would go back to the French and Indian War and work forward to the battle.

Favorite: By Canoe and Dog Train: The Adventures of Sharing the Gospel With the Canadian Indians, by Egerton Ryerson Young - ★★★★★

Least favorite: Miss Hickory, by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey - 1947 Newbery Medal Winner - ★★★

Surprise: The Sovereignty and Goodness of God: Being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, by Mary Rowlandson - ★★★★★

Now I need to read By Canoe and Dog Train!

My favorite was Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. It is very practical and what I need for this season of life.

I’m still ambivalent about the Dune series. Dune Messiah was better than the first, but still a little less than I had hoped.

Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk With God ended up being a surprise for me. I liked it for all the same reasons I liked Getting Things Done. It is straightforward and no-nonsense. I LOVE the call to get back to basics and be the leader of one’s family. It’s been good.