This next week is going to be a blur. This weekend my husband and I are escaping to Charleston, SC, for two days, a dream of mine that was my Christmas present last year. My next book is due to Harper Collins Christian Fiction on Wednesday. And Wednesday evening I’m the faculty speaker at the graduation dinner for the masters students at Krannert. It’s a lot, and it’s all good. Because of a quick vacation, a book deadline, and this is presentation, I’ve been thinking about a lot of things. So today, I thought I’d focus on which book have you read in the last couple years that you wish your younger self had read and absorbed? I continue to read and listen to books, though the last month not at the levels I normally would. Writing into the wee hours will do that to a girl. I’ve been diving into leadership and management books so I have more tools to recommend to my students. And it’s fun to have former students recommend to me books I recommended to them.

The photo shows a few of the books that have been important in the last six months. Chase the Lion by Mark Batterson is one I return to whenever I feel the need to remind myself to dream big, scary dreams with God (FYI this is also the book we gave as graduation gifts last year). God, Where are You? by John Bevere was one I inhaled in January. It is filled with such practical wisdom and strategies for surviving a wilderness season. It’s Not Supposed to be This Way by Lysa Terkeurst is one I wept through in November as it reminded me of truths I desperately needed in front of me in a hard season. Stronger than the Struggle by Havilah Cunnington was similar but reminded me of who our struggle is against. Essentialism by Greg McKeown is a book I inhaled last week via audiobook and has me really thinking about how I redefine my life to invest in the places I can make the biggest impact. Finally, Radical Candor by Kim Scott is a book that I believe every supervisor and manager should read. It is packed with practical suggestions that can improve the culture of a work environment. I know these aren’t fiction, but I’ll share some of my favorites of those in a future post. We are products in part of the books we read. What are a few that you’ve really resonated with this year? Which ones would you recommend to your younger self for the wisdom to carry on life’s journey?