My Empty Shelf Challenge Update #2

Wow! I just checked to see when I did my last Empty Shelf Challenge Update, and it was back in March! At that time, I had finished reading 12 books. My goal for this year was to read at least two books a month, for a total of 24 books for the year.

So how am I doing? Since March, here are the books I have finished reading:

  • Mission Drift by Peter Greer
  • The Antelope in the Living Room by Melanie Shankle
  • Esther by Beth Moore
  • How People Change by Timothy Lane
  • Dancing with My Father by Sally Clarkson
  • The Beauty of Broken by Elisa Morgan
  • Hope Rising by Scott Todd
  • The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
  • Rhinestone Jesus by Kristen Welch
  • Chasing Francis by Ian Cron
  • The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith
  • Animal Farm by George Orwell
  • Radical by David Platt
  • Grace for the Good Girl by Emily Freeman
  • Me, Myself, & Bob by Phil Vischer
  • Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman

Well, since the end of March, I have read 16 books, which brings my total to 28 books for the year! Woo hoo! Guess I should have upped by goal a bit.

Of course, this does not mean that I am going to stop reading for the year, that just wouldn't be right. So you might be thinking, what is in my book pile right now? Glad you asked:

my current book reading pile

I pulled out our copy of Operation World, so I can really start learning more and praying for the countries where our Compassion sponsored children live. Not really sure if I will read the whole book (it is a really thick one!), but I am thankful for resources like this one.

The Time Machine and I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist are books for our upcoming school year (which we plan on starting next week). And The Best Yes and You and Me Forever are books for me to read and learn from.

Hey, do you have a Goodreads account? If so, you can find me there and follow along to see what books I am reading next.

I would love for you to share what books are in your book pile. Won't you share them in the comments below?

My Empty Shelf Challenge Update #1

When I was a kid, I loved to read (and actually, I still love to read!) In our home library, I have my battered, well-loved paperback copies of the Little House series of books that were read many times as I was growing up. During high school though, reading became a chore as we were 'forced' to read what I considered dry literature and then write about it. To this day, I find it hard to write reviews about books. Sometimes, it is just simply hard to put into words how a book has affected my thinking and my outlook on life.

But like I said, I still love to read and can devour many books over the course of a year. At the end of last year, Jon Acuff announced a challenge on his website, The Empty Shelf Challenge. Basically, start with an empty shelf on your bookcase, and as you finish reading books through the year, you add them to this empty shelf. At the end of the year, you can see all the books that you have read!

Now, I have never been one to make book lists before. It would have been really great if I kept a list of books we have read during our homeschool years, but we haven't (and I do really regret this, but anyway...) But, I do have a Goodreads account which makes it very easy to now keep track of books that I want to read, as well as books that I have finished reading.

I set myself a goal that I would like to read 24 books this year, which easily breaks down to two books per month. So, how have I done so far with the challenge? 

Filling up my Empty Shelf

Filling up my Empty Shelf

Well, since the challenge was announced at the end of December, I have completed 12 books! You won't see all of the books on my shelf, since I am working my way through books on my Kindle also. If you didn't click the previous link, here is the list of books I have finished so far:

  • The Reluctant Prophet by Nancy Rue
  • Unexpected Dismounts by Nancy Rue
  • Too Far to Say Enough by Nancy Rue
  • My One Word by Mike Ashcraft
  • Notes from a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider
  • Whispers of Hope by Beth Moore
  • The Warrior by Joyce Swann
  • Understanding God's Heart for Children by Jennifer Orona
  • Crazy Love by Francis Chan
  • Working with the Poor by Bryant Myers
  • The Hole in the Gospel by Richard Stearns
  • Sycamore Row by John Grisham

It is never too late to start a reading challenge. There is even a Pinterest board you can join to share the books you are completing this year.  

Empty Shelf Challenge

Do you like a good challenge? I know I do. So when I read about Jon Acuff's Empty Shelf Challenge over on his blog, I just knew I needed to join this one!

one full bookshelf

I love to read, so that part of the challenge would be easy for me. However...

another full bookshelf

...trying to find an empty bookshelf? That is a bit of a problem in our house. You see...

one more full bookshelf

...most of our bookshelves are quite full, some are even overflowing. But, I moved a few things around and...

empty shelf challenge

...I now have one empty shelf to start the challenge!

currently reading

I love that Jon encourages us to start the challenge now! Why wait until January 1st? So here are a few books I am currently reading: 'Crazy Love' by Francis Chan, 'The Reluctant Prophet' by Nancy Rue (reading this one on my Kindle), 'Working with the Poor' by Bryant Myers and others, and 'Understanding God's Heart for Children' by Douglas McConnell and others.

Now what I should do is go around my home and make a list of all the books I hope to read this year...