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! 

Bookish links- February 2026

February new releases I'm excited about: Mists Over the Channel Islands // Oscar and the Mystery of the Glowing Orbs 

My Black History Month recs and Valentines Day picture book recs 

Valentines Day gifts from Christianbook.com 

Bookish art for over your bathtub: Elegant Woman // Winnie the Pooh // Bubble Bath // // Cat Reading Book in Bathtub // Woman Reading in Jungle Tub // Cozy Cat // Cute Rabbit in a Bathtub // Reading Girl in Bathtub // Home Alone postcard 

4 books to read for motherhood 

Raggedy Ann book + doll

Ooooh, speaking my language- 34 novels with family dramas and hopeful Christian themes 

My husband and I can very much relate about these Biblical lineage lists. 😂 We're aware that they're important. Still, sigh. 

I know some of you adore Francine Rivers so maybe you'd like this FR book club. 

The books children read matter! 

I'm so interested in this book, Embodied Holiness! I have so many big, spiritually motivated reasons for healthy eating and I know this book will probably fascinate me and make me think! 

Love this shirt! Every good story whispers His name 

This blog is so cool- The Bible Cookbook! (Daniel's Veggie Platter and Jacob's Red Lentil Birthright Stew very much appeal to me) 

9 novels with strong female characters 

This Paddington Bear tea set is so adorable! 

Have you ever read books via Open Library? I never knew about it before last week! 

Loved Courtney Walsh's thoughts on you not liking her books. 

This is a lovely image for a lovely Charles Spurgeon quote! 

15 Christian historical fiction recommendations 

5 Fascinating New Releases for February

I was given five new releases from David C Cook this month and I'm pretty excited about them! If you check these out I'd love to know what you think! 

📖 Even If (Christian, nonfiction, memoir)... I enjoyed I Can Only Imagine but I liked Even If even more, probably because of the family element. As a wife, I also really appreciated Shannon's perspective. I will definitely watch the upcoming movie! 

📖  Every Neighbor: Greeting Everyone With God's Love (Christian, picture book, nonfiction)... This picture book is a fun look at God's children all over the globe (learning to say hello in various languages was of course fun) that combines world culture with a gentle reminder of the call to love our neighbor. We'll re-read this one often, I'm sure! 

📖 Fake ID (Christian, nonfiction)... I've been thinking A LOT over the past few months about technology, especially AI, both as a parent and as a person, and specifically as a Christian. I still have a lot of questions and unknowns but this book came to me at just the right time and has me thinking so much. You should know that gender dysphoria is discussed in the beginning so be aware of that if you'replanningto hand it to your teens. 

📖  The Heart Who Wanted to Lasso Thoughts (Christian, picture book, fiction)... This was a cute picture book to illustrate the concept of monitoring our thought life. It's not my favorite style but it's a good message we'll probably revisit often over the years. 

📖 A Journey With Jesus (Christian, nonfiction)... Okay if you've ever wondered about those tours of Biblical places but also had no desire to travel overseas, this one is for you. Bob Goff created a really cool, immersion experience with this one as it also includes videos. I did enjoy quickly working through it on my own for this review but I'm so excited to do this one with my husband and really discuss and dissect it all together! 

* I received a free copy of each of these books in exchange for my honest opinion. 

5-Star Reads of 2016

I'm seeing so much 2016 nostalgia online and I thought I'd share my book-specific version.  

At the start of 2016 I was pregnant with my third baby, then parenting 3 under 4. I was writing at naptime every day and still blogging for income. I was incredibly busy but still had time to read and write a fair amount, I think because I still used a flip phone! These were my 5-star reads that year.

- Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson
- One Born Every Minute by Maria Dore
- Miracles From Heaven by Christy Beam
- Hope Unfolding by Becky Thompson
- The Midwife's Here by Linda Farley
- Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis
- Braving It All by James Campbell
- Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist
- The Mother Letters by Amber C Haines
- Writing Motherhood by Lisa Garrigues
- Love Unending by Becky Thompson
- Operation Christmas Child by Franklin Graham 

Winter activities we love

I'm starting to hear rumblings from family and friends who are growing weary of winter weather. Winter is my personal favorite so I thought I'd share things we love about it in hopes of helping! (I have to do the same thing for myself in the summer)

- Reading, of course. Bonus points if this includes a favorite blanket and a mug of tea or cocoa
- Bundling up for chilly walks (snow crunching under my boots is one of my favorite sensory experiences) or snowplay
- Soup for every lunch + quite a lot of dinners
- Wearing the coziest hoodies, flannels, sweatshirts, sweaters, and socks! 
- Cozy hobbies (puzzles, sewing, knitting, drawing, painting, etc) with music or an audio book in the background
- Board game / movie nights with the people we love
- Baking
- Writing
- Learning about a subject that fascinates us 
- Warm baths