Raise your hand if you’ve kept your New Year’s resolutions so far for 2022! Anyone? Let’s not despair and get booking instead! If you are just joining us, you’re invited to check out our part I to today’s post, here: New Year’s 📚READolutions!📖 . . . in March??? This post introduces a merciful, more foundational approach to the doomed-to-failure tradition of making New Year’s resolutions. I would be honored to share it with you, dear reader.
Today’s post is my personal, practical application for BOOKing-It with New Year’s “READolutions.”
I have organized today’s content into three sections:
- How to “READolutionize” your life!
- How I’m making time for reading in 2022!
- My “READolutions” List for 2022!
My hope is that my ~Book-It List for 2022~ may inspire you to create your own life-changing stack! By aligning our reading choices to our core values and life goals, I truly believe we can grow and flourish more than any of us could ever foresee. Thus is the power of the written word.
So, what do you say, friend? Are you ready to Book-It with me?
How to READolutionize your life!
~one book, one chapter, one page at a time~
Step #1: Choose a few areas in your life where you want to GROW.
This is similar to making a list of resolutions, just without the specifics, obligation, and inevitable side of guilt. So, rather than “lose 15 pounds,” you might write down “transform my health.” Rather than “wake up at 6am each day,” you may write down “learn how to become a morning person.”
Simply take your goals and re-examine them through a pair of positive, journey- over-destination reading glasses.
Step #2: Reach out for reading recommendations!
Shout out to friends and family and share with them the areas you desire to grow in this year, asking for favorite reads in those content areas. Alternatively, head to Google and search “best books for (fill in the blank)” with the desired topic for personal growth.
Step #3: BOOK-IT!
After carefully (oh so carefully) selecting a book or two for each chosen area of study, be sure to schedule time to book-it!
Books that remain unread, collecting dust on their jackets are as useless as seeds that never make it out of their colorful packets.
If you are overwhelmed by your stack of *READolutions, or if you don’t know what book to crack open first, start with whichever content area you feel is most urgent for your life, or which area of growth you believe will affect the most change for you in this season!
How I’m making time for reading in 2022
Making time for reading sometimes feels impossible when there barely seems to be enough time in the day to . . . umm . . . shower, let alone curl up with a good book and a hot cup of tea.
Here’s how I’m making it happen this year:
- Turning off the TV three nights a week.
My hubby and I love curling up on the couch after the kids are in bed to veg out on Netflix. And honestly, I think a little of that is perfectly healthy. Lately, however, my hubby and I have been so overwhelmed by how much we have to learn as new homeowners and greenhorn family farmers that we have been spending our evenings Youtubing and audio-booking through basically an AA degree worth of study. We’re basically pounding permaculture.
In addition to this, we are turning everything off a few nights a week to sit elbow to elbow, hip to hip, noses in books, souls to the grindstone, growing parallel with each other.
- Mama-and-Me Book Club!
My almost seven-year-old is an early riser (lucky me!), and he loves to snuggle in bed with me in the mornings before Little Sis wakes up. I love this time with him, and I wouldn’t sacrifice it for anything. But unfortunately, it really does cut into my best hours of productivity. Something I just started doing to recoup some of that lost time without compromising on cuddles, is spending ten or so minutes each morning in “Mama-and-Me Book Club.” My son and I read, snuggled side by side in blissful, sunrise silence. Then, we each share with the other something interesting that we read. Often the discussion spans much longer than the ten minutes we spent reading. In fact, it often follows me around as I go about my morning chores. 😆
- Book-Binge Sundays!
I sometimes fall prey to the bad habit of squeezing in too much work . . . even on Sundays. It is hard for me to take a true day of rest. For a while, I decided to enjoy an indulgent nap on Sunday afternoons. Well, let’s just say naps are no longer restorative to me in my thirties. Truth be told, naps WRECK ME. So, this year I have decided to take my Sunday afternoons curled up on the couch with a delicious stack of books and a cup or three of steaming-in-the-sunset tea. I get so much of my reading done this way, and I look forward to it every week.
My “READolutions” for 2022 ~what we read is what we seed~
“Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.” -Proverbs 28:26
Here is the stack of all the books in total that I hope to read this year!
Isn’t it amazing to visualize a stack of books like this being absorbed into one’s mind, body, and spirit in the course of a year’s time?
What if each of us devoured a stack of books like this one each and every year? How much might we grow together, my friends? How might the course of our lives be altered? In my (albeit strange) mind, this may be consumerism at its best. Consume with me, dear reader! Let’s dip our cups into refreshing wells of wisdom each and every day.
WELLS OF WISDOM; content areas I want to drink in more of this year:
~Holistic Homeschooling~
Ok, a bit of “duh” . . . I know. Even though this genre of literature occupies the most space on my bookshelves and is my best “well-read” topic, I never want to come to a place where I stop learning and bettering as a Homeschool parent. Every year (for my sake as well as for my followers’) I want to grow as an educator and challenge ~Our Holistic Homeschool~ to consistently try new techniques on for size.
Free to Learn, by Peter Gray
I read two unschooling books this last year (Unschooling Rules, and Homegrown) and I found myself conceptually captivated by this road less traveled by. While I do not consider ours to be a strictly “unschooling” family, I have greatly enjoyed integrating some of the philosophies into the unique homeschool fusion that we have created for our family. As I tend toward being more on the type A side of the homeschool mama equation, regular unschooling and relaxed homeschooling reads help me to bridge that gap between rigid and remiss.
The Unhurried Homeschooler, by Durenda Wilson
As much as I endeavor to keep our family life very grounded and simple, it seems we are always just one step away from plummeting downhill into that hullabaloo of hurry. I fight this like the plague, as I find it impossible to have joy as a homeschool mama when we are over-scheduled and under-rested. Last year, I read Teaching from Rest to keep me accountable to the simplicity essential to any happy homeschooling journey. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. The Unhurried Homeschooler is this year’s simplicity selection.
Awaking Wonder, by Sally Clarkson
I believe the single most important job for any educator is to instill in our students an unquenchable thirst for knowledge; to cultivate curiosity; to ignite a voracious love for learning.
If my son masters his math lessons in a given year but walks away despising the art of computation, then I have failed him. If my daughter knows her ABC’s but never plops down of her own desire to peruse a vibrant stack of books in the delicious sunshine, then I’ve given her merely notes without melody.
This book had me at its title.
~Homesteading~
The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It, by John Seymour
I have read many chapters of this book over the past few years as my hubby and I have dreamt upon our family’s “one day” homestead. Since purchasing our home and wild stead this past December, we are overwhelmed with the realization of our “one day” being now! And so, this year I hope to finally read this textbook of self-sufficient homesteading cover to cover as we strive to live off our land and feed our family. It’s time to dig in.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver
This book was recently recommended to me by one of the lovely friends and followers of this blog! I immediately looked it up and was immensely inspired just from reading the description. I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to reading it.
The Rooted Life, by Justin Rhodes
My hubby and I are halfway through the audio version of this book and are really enjoying it. It is a very practical, put-it-to-life kind of book. The author is the narrator and has a lovely southern drawl which I am enjoying immensely. The only issue with it so far is that his voice is a little too soothing and friendly, and we sometimes find ourselves . . . drifting off a bit. I think I may get more out of this book reading it myself.
Restoration Agriculture, by Mark Shepard
I just started listening to this one today, and wow I’m already hooked. Talk about revolutionary. Not that I agree with every little thing the book is claiming, but I’d hate to throw out the stalks of wheat with the weeds.
~Apologetics~
Standing firm with the belt of truth buckled around my waist has been very much on my mind this year. With the world’s most insatiably inquisitive six-year-old living under our roof, it has become incredibly clear that I need to up my game as a Christian Homeschool mama and Sunday School teacher! The apologetics well of wisdom is one I have never dipped into before, and I think I’m much overdue.
Mama Bear Apologetics, by Hillary Morgan Ferrer
I am actually reading this one in a book club —my first-ever book club experience! I’ve really loved discussing this incredibly powerful book with a circle of firecracker mamas! I highly recommend this book for any Christian parent who is wrestling with how to guide one’s children through the complicated culture of our present place in time and history.
A Flood of Evidence, by Ken Ham
My hubby and I actually attended a lecture by Ken Ham on the flood when we were a young married couple in our undergrad years. We were sardined in the nose-bleed section of a giant Orange County convention center but were still overwhelmed by Ken Ham’s stage presence and commanding delivery. I really like no-nonsense, no fluff kind of fellows, and he’s top of the class in that department.
Although my hubby and I both grew up in churches, Sundays Schools, and Youth Groups, we had never (and I mean never) heard about Christianity or Biblical truths as taught from an evidence-based, outside-the-Bible approach. We left that hall completely floored by his “flood of evidence” and I have been wanting to read his books ever since —for about a decade now. For some stupid reason I have never “gotten around to it” and have decided that that ends this year. So, I am diving further into apologetics this year with the talk-turkey ham who started it all for me!
Stealing from God, by Frank Turek
I only know three things about this book. One, the title is bold, and I appreciate that. Two, since beginning my scratching-the-surface-studies in apologetics, I have seen Frank Turek quoted more than any other apologist. Three, my mom sent me this book and said I should read it. And I firmly believe in doin’ what your mama tells you (and shakin’ what she gave you).
~Rest & Soul Restore~
Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver
I don’t actually read very much fiction anymore, and it’s not because I don’t love it . . . because I do! There are simply so many things I want to learn about and accomplish in life, and because of that, the fictional titles usually shuffle to the bottom of my “to-read” stack. In fact, I think I’ve only read ONE fictional book over the past few years! I find that sad. Unfortunately, there’s only so many hours in a day, and I often burn it a little too hard following after my life goals. You know, productivity before pleasure. This year, I am intentionally adding a little “soul restore” with a book that has come highly recommended to me.
I’m saving this book as a treat for myself at the lower end of my stack. 😀
🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤
Don’t forget “READolutions” for your little(s)! Check out our Salt-of-the Earth Storytime post with a giant list of WISDOM LIT for young readers!
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please leave me a like or a comment below! And if and when you select your stack, I’d LOVE to hear what you are reading this year, dear friends!
Love, ~Our Holistic Homeschool~
