Most of the books I read every year are closed door romance, both history and contemporary, but this year I felt a pull to be more intentional about reading nonfiction, something I’ve long neglected.
Here’s a list, in no particular order, of the nonfiction books I am planning to read this year.
Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne & Lisa Ross
Simplicity Parenting is a book I heard about from Dawn, The Minimal Mom. I don’t read many parenting books because I find that most of them have a tone that is very shaming, but I think very highly of Dawn. I am excited to read this one!
Author’s blurb:
Today’s busier, faster society is waging an undeclared war on childhood. With too much stuff, too many choices, and too little time, children can become anxious, have trouble with friends and school, or even be diagnosed with behavioral problems. Now internationally renowned family consultant Kim John Payne helps parents reclaim for their children the space and freedom that allkids need for their attention to deepen and their individuality to flourish. Simplicity Parenting offers inspiration, ideas, and a blueprint for change:
• Streamline your home environment. Reduce the amount of toys, books, and clutter—as well as the lights, sounds, and general sensory overload. • Establish rhythms and rituals. Discover ways to ease daily tensions, create battle-free mealtimes and bedtimes, and tell if your child is overwhelmed. • Schedule a break in the schedule. Establish intervals of calm and connection in your child’s daily torrent of constant doing. • Scale back on media and parental involvement.Manage your children’s “screen time” to limit the endless deluge of information and stimulation.
A manifesto for protecting the grace of childhood, Simplicity Parenting is an eloquent guide to bringing new rhythms to bear on the lifelong art of raising children.
Modern Parents, Vintage Values by Sissy Goff & Melissa Trevathan
Modern Parents, Vintage Values appeals to me just by the name of it, but also because Sissy Goff is a co-author. This book addresses issues that weren’t as common years ago, like anxiety in children, social media, cell phones, etc.
Author’s blurb:
Why is anxiety so rampant among kids today? What’s the magic age for giving my child his first cell phone? Her first social media account? How do I teach my teenager things like gratitude and respect in such an entitled and disrespectful world?
Melissa Trevathan and Sissy Goff hear these types of questions on a daily basis in their counseling offices and at parenting events across the country. Today, more than ever before, we live in a culture that is at war against our parenting. And today, more than ever before, we’re meeting parents who feel lost as to how to help. This book does just that. It addresses the issues we hear parents struggling with the most when it comes to raising their children (technology, disrespect, entitlement, substance abuse, anxiety, depression, etc.), but it doesn’t stop there. Melissa and Sissy move through those modern-day troubles to get back to the vintage values we all deeply value in the lives of kids. They help you discover—whether your child is a toddler or a teenager—what it looks like to cultivate kindness, gratitude, integrity, responsibility and more in the lives of the kids you love.
Modern Parents, Vintage Values offers you a roadmap—a way through the hurdles you are facing today in your parenting—helping you discover more of how to instill those true, foundational, vintage values that will make a lasting difference in the lives of your kids…values that are built upon an unshakeable foundation of faith and hope. And that’s ultimately where this map will lead—to Christ—and to what it looks like for both you and your kids to have hope in Him in these changing times.
Awaking Wonder: Opening Your Child’s Heart to the Beauty of Learning by Sally Clarkson
Awaking Wonder is a book I am excited about reading because I find that it’s missing. Curiosity is what the geniuses of the past and the present had that allowed them to invent and develop great things!
Author’s blurb:
Sally, what is your secret?
For years, parents worldwide have asked beloved author Sally Clarkson how she and her husband have ignited a love for learning and a deep faith in their children. They want to know how the Clarksons launched their children to live such vibrant, flourishing lives as adults.
Awaking Wonder is Sally’s answer to those questions. This book is thirty-six years in the making and provides a deep dive into Sally’s most profound legacy: nurturing and guiding her four children into a wonder-filled life.
If you are idealistic and hopeful about the process of raising your children to be healthy and vibrant, you will find encouragement through the Clarksons’ story. If you are exhausted, confused, ill equipped, or unsupported in your journey as a parent, you will find relief through the countless ideas in this book.
Awaking Wonder will inspire you, delight you, provide laughter, and bring tears through the heartfelt stories of four lively children and the wondrous life they grew up in together.
Journey with Sally toward
· cultivating wonder all around you, alongside your children · understanding how to open your children’s hearts and minds to the grand design, beauty, and goodness scattered throughout the universe · laying a foundation for spiritual formation and a robust faith in God · nurturing your children to live into their capacity in intellect, faith, and relationships
If you long for a holistic, spiritually foundational approach to parenting and education, this is the book you’ve been waiting for.
Modern Miss Mason: Discover How Charlotte Mason’s Revolutionary Ideas on Home Education Can Change How You and Your Children Learn and Grow Together by Leah Boden
Modern Miss Mason is a book that’s been on my TBR list for a long time because I love the Charlotte Mason homeschool method. Though not a purist, I have seen great value in many principles that Charlotte taught. Her methods were modern for her time, but since it was such a long time ago, they are somewhat outdated or do not include modern technology, etc. The author writes about how to choose the best available resources for our family.
Author’s blurb:
Modern Miss Mason is your invitation into an adventure, a call to turn a corner on your already incredible journey of parenting and let Leah Boden show you the fresh face of an age-old perspective on motherhood, childhood, and education.
As a young mother and new home educator, Leah was overwhelmed by the breadth of available resources. How to know which to choose? What would best guide and inspire her children? Whose voices should she trust?
That’s when she discovered the timeless work and words of Charlotte Mason. A ground-breaking and revolutionary voice in education, Charlotte breathed life and beauty back into childhood in a stiff, archaic age, opening the eyes of parent-teachers and the hearts of students—and changing the future of home education.
Let Leah Boden show you how Charlotte Mason’s ideas can transform your homeschooling experience. She will help you:
find methods that you and your children can explore by learning through books, being outdoors, and through living experiences;
recognize that each child is unique and discover how to plan their learning journey accordingly; and
learn how to practically incorporate Charlotte’s timeless philosophy into your home every day.
In an overwhelming digital age that can distract and divert our attention from the past, turn back to Charlotte Mason’s educational ideas that started it all—and discover what they can do for you and your family.
In Vital Harmony has been one of the most recommended books about the Charlotte Mason method. I have another of Karen’s books, and I look forward to reading this one as well.
Author’s blurb:
Charlotte Mason looked at the world and saw that it was governed by universal laws, such as the law of gravity. Then she wondered. What if there were similar laws that governed the way people learn? If we knew what those laws were, we’d be able to pursue education along the most promising lines.
She devoted her life to finding the key principles of education and then developing methods to make the most of them. The result is a comprehensive picture of living and learning that breathes life into education at every level—from babyhood to the adult years. It’s not a rote system, but a flexible set of ideas that keep education in focus.
These principles are for everyone concerned with teaching and learning. They are no more difficult to implement than the principle of gravity which allows you to walk, run, and even–when you know what you are doing–to soar.
Homeschool Bravely is a book I bought used a while back and have not gotten to you. This book addresses the mom guilt of “not good enough,” and that’s something most homeschool moms face quite often.
Author’s blurb:
Many homeschool parents have a long-term relationship with self-doubt. “Did I make the right decision?” “Could someone else do this better?” “Am I robbing my kids of something by not sending them to ‘regular school’?”
What if there’s a better way?
Not a 3-step technique or a shiny, new curriculum, but a change in perspective that transforms the way you plan, teach, and homeschool?
Homeschool Bravely teaches you to see homeschooling as a calling, helps you overthrow the tyranny of impossible expectations, and guides you through the common bumps in the road, including how to:
juggle school and parenting with toddlers at home
teach a struggling learner
plan with the end in mind
accept your own limitations without feeling guilty
stay the course even in the face of criticism
Reclaim your hope, renew your purpose, and transform your homeschool. Because the truth is: God will use every part of your homeschool, even your fears, faults, and failures, to weave good plans for your kids.
Fast Like a Girl: A Woman’s Guide to Using the Healing Power of Fasting to Burn Fat, Boost Energy, and Balance Hormones by Dr Mindy Pelz
Fast Like a Girl is a book that has been recommended to me many times. I have been working to balance my hormones for a while now and have used intermittent fasting to help that. This book will give me more insight into the benefits and better ways to implement it.
Author’s blurb:
Are you among the many women who feel unheard and unseen by their doctors and health professionals? Have you become exhausted by the promise of quick-fix diets that only leave you disappointed? Well in Fast Like a Girl, Dr. Mindy helps you to take back control of your health by using the quickest path back to better health—fasting.
While most fasting advice has been a one-size-fits-all approach that leaves women with more questions than answers, in this book Dr. Mindy shares the proven strategies, specific protocols to use if you are trying to overcome a condition, fasting hacks, and tools that she has used to help hundreds of thousands of women thrive with their fasting lifestyles.
Dr. Mindy will teach you:
the rights steps on how to go from eating all day to intermittent fasting (13-15 hours)
how to safely fast longer if you choose to do so (15-72 hours)
how to time fasting according to your menstrual cycle (although if you don’t have a cycle, she has you covered)
the best foods to break your fast to achieve better metabolic health
This book also includes more than 50 recipes based on the two food plans—ketobiotic and hormone feasting—she created to best support women’s hormones. And, it has recipes specifically created to break a fast such as her Coconut Cacao Chia Pudding.
Inspired by the thousands of women she has worked with who have reclaimed their health with fasting, Dr. Mindy wrote this book because, “once a woman knows how to build a fasting lifestyle around her cycle, she becomes unstoppable.”
Baby Steps Millionaires is a newer, more updated version of The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley. Dave has researched what real people have done to become millionaires. It may not be what you think.
Author’s blurb:
Most people know Dave Ramsey as the guy who did stupid with a lot of zeros on the end. He made his first million in his twenties—the wrong way—and then went bankrupt. That’s when he set out to learn what God had to say about managing money and building wealth. As a result, Dave developed the Ramsey Baby Steps and became a millionaire again—this time the right way.
After three decades of guiding millions of others through the plan, the evidence is undeniable: the Baby Steps not only work for everyone, but they’re proven to work fast. If you follow the plan, you will get out of debt, and you can become a millionaire.
In Baby Steps Millionaires: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth –and How You Can Too, readers will . . .
Take a deeper look at Baby Step 4 to learn how Dave invests and builds wealth
Learn how to bust through the barriers preventing them from becoming a millionaire
Hear true stories from ordinary people who dug themselves out of debt and built wealth
Discover how anyone can become a millionaire, no matter their financial status.
Baby Steps Millionaires isn’t a book that tells the secrets of the rich. It’s not even full of sophisticated, hard-to-grasp concepts reserved only for the elite. As a matter of fact, this information is straightforward, practical, and maybe even a little boring. But the life you lead if you follow the Baby Steps is anything but boring! You don’t need a large inheritance or the winning lottery number to become a millionaire. Anyone can do it—even today. For those who are ready, it’s game on!
You Are the Girl for the Job was highly recommended by Chelsi Jo of the Systemize Your Life podcast. She said it was what made her take the leap of faith to start her business. I enjoy reading confidence boosters throughout the year and look forward to reading this one.
Author’s blurb:
It’s tough when your gifts and passions are stuck in holding patterns of insecurity, shame, and comparison. But the truth is, every experience of your life has prepared you to live out your God-given purpose in this exact moment. The world is hurting and our lives are waiting, we don’t have time stay stuck–we’ve got to make a move.
You Are the Girl for the Job is not an empty catchphrase. It’s the straight-up truth God has proclaimed over your life from the beginning. It’s not a statement about your capacity, but rather about His–and that’s why we can dare to believe it’s true.
With powerful insights and heart-pumping hope, bestselling author Jess Connolly is here to coach you through six steps toward empowered purpose:
#1 Call It Quit (You’ll see, it’s the best place to start)
#2 Find Your People
#3 Use What You’ve Got
#4 Face Your Fear
#5 Catch the Vision
And finally, #6 Make Your Move
You don’t have to hide, hold back, or wait for permission when God calls you forward. Let this book–as well as the study guide and video study (sold separately)–be your jumpstart into confident, purposed living.
Atomic Habits has been on my TBR list for a long time and on my Kindle account. Yikes! This is the go-to book about forming and keeping habits, something I need serious help with.
Author’s blurb:
No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving–every day. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you’ll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.
Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field.
Learn how to:
make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy);
overcome a lack of motivation and willpower;
design your environment to make success easier;
get back on track when you fall off course;
…and much more.
Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits–whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.
Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better by Brant Hansen
Unoffendable is another book recommended by so many. Unpopular opinion, but I think people are offended by everything these days. Maybe I am too!
Author’s blurb:
It turns out giving up your “right” to be offended can be one of the most freeing, healthy, simplifying, relaxing, refreshing, stress-relieving, encouraging things you can do. It’s a radical, provocative idea: We’re not entitled to get offended or stay angry. The idea of our own “righteous anger” is a myth. It is the number one problem in our societies today and, as Dallas Willard says, Christians have not been taught out of it. But what if Christians were the most unoffendable people on the planet?
In Unoffendable you will find concrete, practical ways to live life with less stress, including:
Adjusting your expectations to fit human nature
Replacing perpetual anger with refreshing humility and gratitude
Embracing forgiveness and beginning to love others in unexpected ways
Newly revised with two brand-new chapters on forgiveness and what Hansen has learned since writing his original book, this updated edition of the bestselling book is a must-hear for every Christian. With short chapters, this book is easy to slip into a daily routine or commute to spend time deepening in God’s Word. In a humorous and conversational style,Unoffendable seeks to lift religious burdens from our backs and allow us to experience the joy of gratitude, perhaps for the first time, every single day of our lives—flourishing the way God intended.
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Homemaking
Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillyn Smith
Cozy Minimalist Home is a book I’ve been intending to read for many years and haven’t. The title of this book is exactly how I want my home to feel.
Author’s blurb:
Myquillyn Smith’s first book, The Nesting Place, teaches us that our homes don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. But how can we apply that lesson to our actual, day-to-day design decisions?
Cozy Minimalist Home is the answer to that question. Writing for the hands-on woman who’d rather move her own furniture than hire a designer, Smith helps you think through every room in your house, one purposeful design decision at a time. With people, priorities, and purpose in mind, you can create a warm, inviting, and timeless home that transcends the latest trends and centers around your personal style.
You’ll have the tools to create a home you’re proud of in a way that honors your unique priorities, budget, and taste. And best of all, you can completely transform your home starting with furniture and décor that you already have!
In Cozy Minimalist Home, Smith helps you:
Recognize your role as the curator of your home who makes smart, style-impacting design choices
Know what to focus on and what not to worry about
Discover the real secret to finding your unique style
Find a sofa you won’t hate tomorrow
Deconstruct each room and re-create it step by step
Create a pretty home with more style and less stuff
Make your home look the way you’ve always hoped so you can use it the way you’ve always dreamed
Fall in love with the space you’ve created
Discover how creating a cozy minimalist home goes beyond pretty and sets the stage for the true connection, relationship, and rest that you deserve.
Let It Go: Downsizing Your Way to a Richer, Happier Life by Peter Walsh
Let It Go is a book I hope will encourage me on my decluttering journey. I’ve read another of Peter’s book in the past, and it was excellent.
Author’s blurb:
Whether you are selling your family home, blending households into a new home, or cleaning out your aging parents’ home, sorting through a lifetime’s worth of accumulated possessions can be a daunting and stressful experience. Decluttering guru Peter Walsh recently went through the process of downsizing his childhood home and dividing his late parents’ possessions among his family. He realized that making these decisions about mementos and heirlooms creates strong emotions and can be an overwhelming chore.
In Let It Go, Peter will help you turn downsizing into a rejuvenating life change with his useful tips and practical takeaways, including how to: • Understand the emotional challenges that accompany downsizing • Establish a hierarchy of mementos and collectibles • Calculate the amount of stuff you can bring into your new life • Create strategies for dividing heirlooms among family members without drama
This new phase brings unexpected freedoms and opportunities, and Peter walks you through every step of the process. You’ll feel freer and happier than you ever thought possible once you Let It Go.
House Rules: How to Decorate for Every Home, Style, and Budget by Myquillyn Smith
House Rules is yet another book by Myquillyn Smith on my list. I’ve been following her on her blog, where she is known as “The Nester.” Decor is something I struggle with, and I am excited to learn from her.
Author’s blurb:
From the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Cozy Minimalist Home comes this inviting collection of 100 memorable, universal decorating truths that apply to every house, style, and budget. By guiding you to do what you know, use what you have, and finish what you started, Myquillyn Smith will help you find
● understanding of why you love (or don’t love) your spaces ● confidence to make rewarding decisions that feel risky ● satisfaction with small wins that combine to create big changes ● inspiration and motivation resulting in finished, personalized rooms
Learn how to make better decorating decisions with ease. House Rules is packed full of simple, encouraging truths and quick takeaways you can apply to your home today–and return to again and again.
Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff by Dana K. White
Decluttering at the Speed of Life is yet another book that has been on my TBR for a long time. I have been following Dana for a long time. This year’s focus for me as far as my house goes is decluttering, and I need all the encouragement that I can get. Dana has a down to earth, no frills approach.
Author’s blurb:
While the world seems to be in love with the idea of tiny houses and minimalism, many of us simply can’t purge it all and start from nothing. Yet a home with too much stuff is difficult to maintain, so where do we begin? Add in paralyzing emotional attachments and constant life challenges, and it can feel almost impossible to make real decluttering progress.
In Decluttering at the Speed of Life, decluttering expert and author Dana White identifies the mindsets and emotional challenges that make it difficult to declutter. In her signature humorous approach, she provides workable solutions to break through these struggles and get clutter out—for good!
Not only does Dana provide strategies, but she dives deep into how to implement them, no matter the reader’s clutter level or emotional resistance to decluttering. She helps identify procrasticlutter—the stuff that will get done eventually so it doesn’t seem urgent—as well as how to make progress when there’s no time to declutter.
In Decluttering at the Speed of Life, Dana’s chapters cover:
Why You Need This Book (You Know Why)
Your Unique Home
Decluttering in the Midst of Real Life
Change Your Mind, Change Your Home
Breaking Through Your Decluttering Delusions
Working It Out Room by Room
Helping Others Declutter
As long as we’re living and breathing, new clutter will appear. The good news is that by following Dana’s advice, decluttering will get easier, become more natural, and require significantly fewer hours, less emotional bandwidth, and little to no sweat to keep going.
The Life-Giving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging and Becoming by Sally Clarkson & Sarah Clarkson
The Life-Giving Home is an encouragement in intentional motherhood, something I think we could all use from time to time.
Author’s blurb:
Does your home sometimes feel like just a place to eat, sleep, and change clothes on the way to the next activity? Do you long for “home” to mean more than a place where you stash your stuff? Wouldn’t you love it to become a haven of warmth, rest, nourishment, and joy . . . the one place where you and your family can’t wait to be?
There is good news waiting for you in the pages of The Lifegiving Home. Every day of your family’s life can be as special and important to you as it already is to God. In this unique book designed to help your family enjoy and celebrate every month of the year together, you’ll discover the secrets of a life-giving home from a mother who created one and her daughter who was raised in it: popular authors and homemakers Sally and Sarah Clarkson. Together they offer a rich treasure of wise advice, spiritual principles, and practical suggestions. You’ll embark on a new path to:
Create special memories for your children
Establish home-building and God-centered traditions and rhythms
Cultivate a peaceful and creative environment in which your family will flourish
Be inspired to create a refuge for all that is beautiful, good, holy, and foundational to life.
Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whitmel Earley
Habits of the Household aims to help you create structure and routine in your day. This is definitely something I need help with!
Author’s blub:
You long for tender moments with your children–but do you ever find yourself too busy to stop, make eye contact, and say something you really mean? Daily habits are powerful ways to shape the heart–but do you find yourself giving in to screen time just to get through the day? You want to parent with purpose–but do you know how to start?
Award-winning author and father of four Justin Whitmel Earley understands the tension between how you long to parent and what your daily life actually looks like. In Habits of the Household, Earley gives you the tools you need to create structure–from mealtimes to bedtimes–that free you to parent toddlers, kids, and teens with purpose. Learn how to:
Develop a bedtime liturgy to settle your little ones and ground them in God’s love
Discover a new framework for discipline as discipleship
Acquire simple practices for more regular and meaningful family mealtimes
Open your eyes to the spirituality of parenting, seeing small moments as big opportunities for spiritual formation
Develop a custom age chart for your family to more intentionally plan your shared years under the same roof
Each chapter in Habits of the Household ends with practical patterns, prayers, or liturgies that your family can put into practice right away. As you create liberating rhythms around your everyday routines, you will find your family has a greater sense of peace and purpose as your home becomes a place where, above all, you learn how to love.
The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom by Shari Franke
The House of My Mother is a book I am so excited to read. I followed Shari of the famed 8 Passengers YouTube channel back near the start of it. To my knowledge, her aunt Ellie Mecham of the channel Ellie & Jared was the first of her mother’s siblings to start vlogging. All of them followed suit at some point. In this book, Shari gifts the behind the scenes look at what it was like to live with her mother, Ruby Franke, who along with Jod Hildebrant was recently convicted of child abuse.
Author’s blurb:
Shari Franke’s childhood was a constant battle for survival. Her mother, Ruby Franke, enforced a severe moral code while maintaining a façade of a picture-perfect family for their wildly popular YouTube channel 8 Passengers, which documented the day-to-day life of raising six children for a staggering 2.5 million subscribers. But a darker truth lurked beneath the surface—Ruby’s wholesome online persona masked a more tyrannical parenting style than anyone could have imagined.
As the family’s YouTube notoriety grew, so too did Ruby’s delusions of righteousness. Fueled by the sadistic influence of relationship coach Jodi Hildebrandt, together they implemented an inhumane and merciless disciplinary regime.
Ruby and Jodi were arrested in Utah in 2023 on multiple charges of aggravated child abuse. On that fateful day, Shari shared a photo online of a police car outside their home. Her caption had one word: “Finally.”
For the first time, Shari will reveal the disturbing truth behind 8 Passengers and her family’s devastating involvement with Jodi Hildebrandt’s cultish life coaching program, “ConneXions.” No stone is left unturned as Shari exposes the perils of influencer culture and shares for the first time her battle for truth and survival in the face of her mother’s cruelty.
American Entrepreneur: How 400 Years of Risk-Takers, Innovators, and Business Visionaries Built the U.S.A. by Willie Robertson
American Entrepreneur is both a historical account and a memoir of sorts. Willie Robertson, of the highly acclaimed television show Duck Dynasty, discusses the entrepreneurial efforts of many famous people in our history, while also discussing his family’s own rise to fame.
Author’s blurb:
The history of the United States is, to a remarkable degree, the story of its entrepreneurs, those daring movers and shakers who dreamed big and risked everything to build better lives for themselves and their fellow Americans. Drawing on his own family’s remarkable journey, Duck Commander CEO and star of the blockbuster Duck Dynasty series Willie Robertson tells the captivating true tale of the visionaries and doers who have embodied the American dream.
We begin with the first American entrepreneurs, the Native Americans, who established a highly sophisticated commercial network across the land in the precolonial days. The original Founding Father, George Washington, was also a founding entrepreneur, at the head of a thriving agribusiness venture that gave him the executive skills to steer the nation through the darkest hours of the American Revolution. Then, of course, there were the mega entrepreneurs, legendary figures like Astor, Vanderbilt, Carnegie, and Rockefeller, who transformed America, connected the country with miles of railroad track and supplied the fuel and steel that would help make America the most powerful nation on earth. And in recent years, business visionaries like Jobs, Gates, and Zuckerberg—not to mention the thousands of equally vital, yet smaller-scale, operators who spring up every year—have ushered America into the twenty-first century.
American Entrepreneur also relates the story of the Robertson family business, telling how Willie’s family turned a humble regional duck call manufacturer, founded by his father, Phil, into an international powerhouse brand. From a young age, Willie had the entrepreneurial bug, buying candy in bulk and hawking it on the school bus. He did special orders and earned a small fortune for a ten-year-old—until he was hauled into the principal’s office and told to knock it off. So he transferred his focus to Phil’s fledgling business, helping in whatever way he could, from folding endless numbers of cardboard boxes to acting as the company’s customer service department—though he still wasn’t out of grade school. Willie helped build Duck Commander, which he now runs, into a worldwide brand, culminating in the mega success of the Duck Dynasty television show.
American Entrepreneur tells a most American tale, of those among us who, through their vision, ingenuity, and good old-fashioned hard work, made something that changed the world.
Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire by Ashley Spencer
Disney High will likely be a trip down memory lane for me as a kid who was a teenager in the early 2000s. I was unaware of all the drama behind the scenes, as I suspect many were.
Author’s blurb:
For many kids growing up in the 2000s, there was no cultural touchstone more powerful than Disney Channel, the most-watched cable channel in primetime at its peak. Today, it might best be known for introducing the world to talents like Hilary Duff, Raven-Symoné, Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, and Zendaya.
It wasn’t always destined for greatness: when The Disney Channel launched in 1983, it was a forgotten stepchild within the Walt Disney Company, forever in the shadow of Disney’s more profitable movies and theme parks. But after letting the stars of their Mickey Mouse Club revival—among them Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Ryan Gosling—slip through their fingers, Disney Channel reinvented itself as a powerhouse tween network. In the new millennium, it churned out billions of dollars in original content and triple-threat stars whose careers were almost entirely controlled by the corporation. Suddenly, everyone wanted a piece of the pie—and there were constant clashes between the studio, network, labels, and creatives as Disney Channel became a pressure cooker of perfection for its stars.
From private feuds and on-set disasters, to fanfare that swept the nation and the realities of child stardom, culture journalist Ashley Spencer offers the inside story of the heyday of TV’s House of Mouse, featuring hundreds of exclusive new interviews with former Disney executives, creatives, and celebrities to explore the highs, lows, and everything in between.
I’m Betty shares the journey of a woman’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease, as told by her husband Bob. I’ve followed the Pettit family on Facebook for several years and wanted to read this book to learn more about Betty’s life. Their rise to social media fame came because of a viral TikTok video of Betty introducing herself to the lady in the mirror of their vacation rental.
Author’s blurb:
Betty Pettit lived with Alzheimer’s disease for over 11 years. Her husband Bob and son Josh cared for her at home. Before that, she was a wife and mother with a never-ending dedication and love for her family. Josh documented her story on social media and over a million people followed their journey and fell in love with Betty and Bob. This book tells Betty’s life story, before, during and after the disease. It shows the love she had for Bob, her family and life in general. It reveals the caregiving struggles the family faces in caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
Betty’s story is amazing. A simple girl from a small town, who would end up having an impact on millions of people. Our family takes solace in the fact, that if she had to suffer with this horrible disease, and we had to travel this very hard caregiving journey, that along the way we helped at least one person. We hope we helped someone understand the disease just a little bit more or become a slightly better caregiver. Maybe we inspired someone else to share or talk about this disease?
Betty would be so happy to have known she made a difference in this world. To our fans and followers and every friend and person along the way of our journey, thank you. We could not have done it without you.
A portion of the sale of each book goes to Betty’s Longest Day Alzheimer’s Association fundraiser.
Melania is a memoir of the current First Lady of the United States. She also shares insight about her husband’s first time in office.
Author’s blurb:
In her memoir, Melania reflects on her Slovenian childhood, the pivotal moments that led her to the world of high fashion in Europe and New York, and the serendipitous meeting with Donald Trump, a chance encounter that forever changed the course of her life. Melania opens up about their courtship, life in the spotlight, and experiencing the joy of motherhood. She shares behind-the-scenes stories from her time in the White House, shedding light on her advocacy work and the causes close to her heart.
Melania offers an unprecedented look into her time as a First Lady who was born outside the United States — a role she embraced with honor and dedication. It brings readers into her world and presents an in-depth account of a woman who has led a remarkable life on her own terms.
Melania Trump’s story is one of resilience and independence, showcasing her strength and unwavering commitment to her true self.
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It’s Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature by Peter Scazzero
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality is a book high recommended by many. Without divulging too much at this point, I think this book could be very helpful to me.
Author’s blurb:
Peter Scazzero learned the hard way: you can’t be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature. Even though he was the pastor of a growing church, he did what most people do–avoid conflict in the name of Christianity; ignore his anger, sadness, and fear; use God to run from God; and live without boundaries.
Eventually God awakened him to a biblical integration of emotional health and the spiritual practice of slowing down and quieting your life for to experience a firsthand relationship with Jesus. It created nothing short of a spiritual revolution in Scazzero, in his church, and now in thousands of other churches.
In this updated edition, Scazzero shares new stories and principles as he outlines his journey and the signs of emotionally unhealthy spirituality. Then he provides seven biblical, reality-tested steps to become emotionally mature:
The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears by Mark Batterson
The Circle Maker is yet another book that comes highly recommended by many influencers I have followed over the years. I have never read any books on the subject of prayer and excited to get started on this one. I have read a quote someone shared, and it greatly encouraged me.
Author’s blurb:
Do you ever sense that there’s far more to prayer than what you’re experiencing? Are you praying over your impossible dreams and greatest fears? Do you feel like something is holding you back in your prayer life?
It’s time you learned from the legend of Honi the Circle Maker. When his land was drought-stricken in ancient times, Honi ha-M’agel drew a circle in the sand, stepped inside it, and wouldn’t budge until God answered his petition for rain. Honi’s story transformed author Mark Batterson’s own experience with prayer and inspired him to document his journey to praying more powerful prayers in The Circle Maker.
Sharing inspiring stories from modern-day circle makers as well as his own experiences, Mark imparts the timeless wisdom and encouragement you need to:
Discern God’s will for your life
Uncover your heart’s hidden desires
Pursue God-sized dreams
Connect with God in fresh ways
Deepen your faith and your relationship with prayer
Draw prayer circles around your family, your community, your challenges, and your dreams
This updated and expanded edition of The Circle Maker also includes new insights about the ways that God answers prayer along with stories that add convincing proof to the reality that God is able to do exceedingly far greater than all we could ask or imagine.
Learn for yourself that drawing prayer circles around our dreams isn’t just a way that we accomplish great things for God–it’s a way that God accomplishes great things in us.
