January reads

New year, new reading priorities and plans! 

GROWN-UP READS:

📖 Bible study: Genesis! Starting over, working through book by book unless I see the need to move in a different direction. 

📖 Following Jesus (Christian, nonfiction)... Wow, what a book! I expected to feel like, 'Eh, not bad.' Instead it was just full if important little gems. I'm reading and hearing the same thing again and again in 2026... Following Jesus means loving his children. Even they're jerks, even when I'm busy, even when our values don't line up. 

📖 Knights Templar (secular, nonfiction, history)... I was curious about this group after seeing them pop up on multiple episodes of Unexplained. I learned a lot and overall enjoyed this one but gosh, what a sad ending the Knights had :'(

📖 Ladies of the Lake (Christian, fiction, time slip)... Amy has been recommending this to me for years because it's set partially in Connecticut and I needed that state for my USA list. I wasn't super interested in the plot so put it off a while but WOW, did I love this book! Especially at some point when I went 'Wait, WHAT? Now I want to read this all over again with this in mind!' Amy, THANK YOU for such a fantastic recommendation! 

I also finally watched The Baxters with my husband! There were a few differences from the books but overall I liked all three seasons and would watch more if they put out more. He of course didn't adore the show but he did like it fine and would watch more seasons with me.  

YA & MIDDLE GRADE READS... 

📖 Babe the Gallant Pig (secular, middle grade, fiction)... I wasn't a fan of this one but I'm fine with my pig-loving daughter reading it. FYI, lots of stupid and idiot usage in this one.
📖 Beauty (secular, middle grade, fiction)... I really enjoyed this Beauty and the Beast retelling, great for middle schoolers.
📖 Dolphin Tale (secular, middle grade, fiction)... I liked this movie years ago and I'm fine with this book adaptation.
📖 Kindred Dragons (secular, middle grade, graphic novel, fantasy)... This was also an Amy recommendation and I loved it so much! Anne of Green Gables with dragons, very fun.
📖 Mindwar (Christian, YA, Speculative fiction)... This was a very thrilling, fast-paced YA novel partially set in virtual reality. It's not my style but it still kept my attention and I know my son will love it in a few years.
📖 Thoughts for Young Men (Christian, YA, nonfiction)... This was full of valuable wisdom for young men to keep their faith strong but it was definitely a bit intense at times. Probably ideal for 9th ish grade.
📖 Time for Courage (Christian, middle grade, historical fiction)... Loved this sequel to a favorite (Hunger Winter) and so did my middle schooler! But we both almost always love WWII fiction.
📖 Top Secret Files: World War I (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... Again my middle schooler and I both loved this one! We both know a lot about WWII but neither of us knows a ton about WWI so this one was very informative for us.
📖 The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp (secular, middle grade, fiction)... I listened to this while very distracted. I didn't catch anything that concerned me (an adult drank brandy and I believe I heard the word stupid 3x, if those are a firm no for you) but my middle schooler plans to read it and let me know if I missed anything.
📖 Understanding Screen Addiction (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... Good, quick, informative read that isn't anti-technology and offers a balanced view while presenting the facts. 

*We all worked through The Ology, Atlas Adventures, and Home Ec for Everyone in homeschool (along with our regular subjects).  

📚 PICTURE BOOKS WE LOVED: Baby Animals (my baby's current favorite... we probably each read this one 30-50 times this month! // Every Neighbor // The Heart Who Wanted to Lasso Thoughts // Mama and Baby (my baby's second favorite) // Pigs to the Rescue // Red Truck

Favorite read this month: Ladies of the Lake!