Kathryn

Sometimes people ask how or why I read so much.

1. I LOVE reading! You find time for things you love.
2. I have books everywhere. One by my bed. An audiobook on my phone. A book by the couch. Another in the kitchen. One in the car.
3. I take a few minutes to read in the morning. I usually take about 10-20 minutes in the afternoon to read. In the evening, I’d rather read than watch TV. If my kids or husband are watching something, I’ll sit with them on the couch and read next to them, OR, I’ll read for a little while after the kids go to bed.
4. If I have to wait for my kids at a practice or an appointment, I’ll read.
5. I read WITH my kids. This is a little challenging with FOUR boys, so I pick a book and read one-on-one, or read SHORT segments with more than one child.
6. The free HOOPLA or LIBBY app allows me to download excellent books for no cost, so I will listen to books while doing household chores or exercising.
7. My increase in reading may also be related to the fact that I’m new-ish to Minnesota, so I don’t have as many social commitments, also #MinnesotaWinter! 🤔

Here are the 5 I read this month, as well as one we finally finished after nearly a year.

–

1. The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall

My son George was intrigued by this book and asked me to read it to him. We’d read a chapter each day at breakfast. 

The book is about a young man who is set to inherit a LOT of money if he completes several tasks that will teach him valuable life lessons, like:

• The Value of Money
• The Value of Time
• The Value of Work
• The Value of Good Friendships, etc.

I’d highly recommend this book if you have any teenagers in your house. It’s easy-to-read and talks about 12 life lessons that will lead to a meaningful life.

Rating 9/10

–

2. The Algebra of Happiness by Scott Galloway

This book is filled with a hodge podge of the author’s thoughts, ideas, and stories from his life.

My favorite parts of the book were:

• His reminder to look for the good – it’s all around if you are paying attention.
  • Seeing the Good is a Key to Happiness!
• His encouragement to invest in another kid who isn’t your own child. 50% of kids will go through a divorce and another percentage of kids don’t have a relationship with one of their parents. Kids truly benefit from another person encouraging them and teaching them something new. I STRONGLY agree with him on this topic. Having another person who wasn’t a parent invest in me, changed the trajectory of MY life!
  • Giving Back is a Key to Happiness!
• Compound interest – most of us know how it works with money, but we forget how it works with relationships. Small investments made on a regular basis over a long period of time have a huge payout.
  • Good relationships are a key to happiness. 

Rating 7/10

–

3. The Ride of a Lifetime by Bob Iger

Bob is the CEO of Disney. In this book, he shares stories from his career (before Disney), and how he’s transformed Disney since he began leading the company 15 years ago. He shares life and leadership lessons.

It’s a well-written book with some interesting stories and good lessons, but I was hoping it would be more of a memoir and story of his life.

If you are a business leader, you will enjoy and benefit from this book.

Rating 7/10

Interested in learning about the ‘inner workings’ of Disney? I’d recommend a phenomenal book called: Creating Magic by Lee Cockerell. I LOVED this one and consider it a MUST read.

–

4. Little women – Louisa May Alcott

I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to read this classic. I wish I would have read it as a teenager. It’s such an endearing story about four sisters, and I grew up with four sisters!

I watched the new movie recently and fell in love with the story, so I checked out the audiobook from the library. The book was written in the 1800s, so some of the language is a little outdated, but other than that – the story is wonderful.  The new movie is EXCELLENT!

Rating 9/10

–

5. John Wesley by Janet Benge

Janet Benge is one of my favorite authors. She tells the stories of men and women who’ve done fascinating things with their lives.

I started reading this book with George but he was not engaged. I wouldn’t recommend it for kids.

I’ve heard of John Wesley as a pioneer in church history and wanted to learn more about him. I was UN-pleasantly surprised by his story.

He was raised by an extremely strict father and that became a BIG part of who he was. He lived by RULES. Those ‘rules’ or METHODS became the foundation of the Methodist church. Most of his life was about how much he could DO without really understanding or experiencing the love and grace of God. For better biographies by Janet Benge, I highly recommend Corrie Ten Boom, Gladys Aylward and Amy Carmichael!

Rating 7/10

An awesome book I’ve been reading to the boys for about a YEAR that we FINALLY FINISHED IN FEBRUARY:

Indescribable by Louie Giglio

I think every family should own a copy of this book! The short devotionals teach something about science and how it connects with God and us. We find each page fascinating. We’ve just purchased, and started reading, the second book in the series.

Rating 10/10

Click here to read my favorite books of 2019!

A Post On Loneliness