Summer Reading Countdown!

     I am a self-declared bookworm. I LOVE to read! The main problem with intense college classes is that I get so burned out on my hours of scholarly reading (which by the way, I still enjoy) that I don't have the time or eye-strength to read the stuff I really want to read; the books I choose, the ones that draw me into the pages and make me a part of the story while still safe in my own room :) Ya know the feeling?
      Well, now it is SUMMER, so I have time to READ AWESOME BOOKSES!!!! My current summer reading list consists of Radical by David Platt, In His Steps by Charles Sheldon,  How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler OR How to Read Better and Faster by Norman Lewis (So I can improve my speed-reading skillz for college), a new novel written by a good friend of mine (not published...yet. Think Narnia-type genre), and Cloak of the Light by Chuck Black. That's my personal list.
     But I just started thinking about all the great books I have read in the past, and thought I would share a list of my top 10 picks for summer reading in 2014 (in no particular order, and no, these are not necessarily my 10 favorite books, but they are all very good)! Let me know if you decide to read any of them and what you thought! Also feel free to comment with books you think I should add to my own list :) If you click on the title of one of the books, it will take you to where you can find it on Amazon. So here go the very random suggestions...

10- Pilgrim's Progress by Paul Bunyan. This one is a Christian classic for a reason. Yes, it can be a rather tedious piece of literature, but take the time to read it out loud in an Old English accent, and I promise you'll feel 10 times more epic! If you read this, you will be a truly accomplished reader :)

9- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Like I said about number 10, some books are classics for a reason. I read this one in my Junior year of high school, and I do not regret it. It deals with some touchy subjects (very tastefully, I might add), so I would suggest this one for high school or above. It is different, engaging, thought-provoking, and very well-written.

8- Unfriend Yourself by Kyle Tennant. I actually read this little (literally, it's like 90 small pages long) book for my first-ever college class. Take a weekend to unplug from FB with this quick read, and you'll re-enter the world of social media with a different and more biblical perspective, I assure you!

7- The Bible Jesus Read by Philip Yancey. I also read this one for high-school (I was homeschooled, in case you haven't guessed), and it really impacted me. Too often we see the Old Testament as the less-desirable portion of the Bible, when it is just as much the Word of God as Matthew or Romans! I love Yancey's commentaries on several of the OT books :)

6- Cloak of the Light by Chuck Black. This one, as you probably noticed, is on my own reading list. No, I have not read it before, but I'm suggesting it anyway. It just came out in March by one of my favorite authors. I should be getting it in the mail in a day or two, and maybe I'll write a more comprehensive review of it once I've dug into it myself!

5- The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis. You are never too old for Narnia, in my opinion. And this book is probably my favorite of the seven Chronicles. I actually started out my last blog post with a quote from it.... Maybe they'll make a movie one day :D

4- In His Steps by Charles Sheldon. I have only just started this one, but it is already so good! Ever heard the phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" Well, I believe this book is where it originated. Another Christian classic :)

3- The Kneeling Christian by An Unknown Christian. Ahhh... this book. Short and sweet, convicting, inspiring, and (if you let it), life-changing. Probably the best book on prayer I have ever read!

2- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. If you like fantasy... this is awesome! All the more perfect because the final movie of the new Hobbit trilogy is coming out this December (midnight premiere, anyone?). Not nearly as hard to read as LOTR (Tolkien actually wrote this one with kids in mind), and VERY entertaining!

1- Living by the Book by Howard Hendricks. If you ignore all my other suggestions, read this one! Seriously, I think every Christian who desires to really dig into God's Word needs this book on their shelf! It will change the way you view and study the Bible, which for most of us is very needed. I originally zoomed through this one for a class, but am now slowly working through it again with my family. Don't let the size intimidate you, it's an easy read, I promise! I haven't read many non-fiction books I would classify as page-turners, but this is definitely one :)

So that's that! Let me know what you think :) Oh, and if you want to see some random bookwormish-type things, check out my Pinterest boards: "This Is So Me :)",  "What I'm Reading in 2013", and "Words Worth Repeating" (the link to my Pinterest is at the top of my blog).

This is way too relatable...