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EP 103: Simple Tips to Read More Books

by Marci Ferrell
Christian Living Podcast

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We all have an ever-growing list of books we'd like to read each year. I'm sharing a few tips that have helped me to choose what to read more and how to make more time to fit it into a busy schedule. @thankfulhomemaker

We all know the books we read shape us and grow us. I’ve been challenged by books, taught by books, and comforted by books over my years of reading and being read to. I can still pick up a book to read to my grandbabies that I read to my children when they were little and be taken back to those days of sitting with my babies on my lap getting lost in the story.

I can hear in those memories the giggles, or surprise or sadness depending on the story in the voices of my children. It’s been fun to make new memories with my grandchildren and possibly one day even my great-grandchildren.


Listen in to the Podcast Below:

You can read part of the episode below (7 minutes) or listen in to the whole episode (23 minutes) where I share more content:

Related Links:

Overdrive

Libby App

Project Gutenberg

Bookshop.org

Learning from Elisabeth Elliot – @Thankful Homemaker

My Amazon Bookshop

VIDEO: Simple Tips to Read More Books

EP 95: Developing a Daily Bible Reading Habit


Just as we turn the calendar and think about our Bible reading plan for the year, I know many of us are thinking about what books will be on our nightstands, in our cars, suitcases, coffee tables, and on our bookshelves.

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”

Jane Austen

Several years ago for Christmas, my daughter gave me a copy of Sarah Clarkson’s book called Book Girl. I know there are many challenges out there for readers from Tim Challies to Modern Mrs. Darcy and the Read-Aloud Revival (do check them all out – there are some great ideas and book suggestions!) but I liked the simplicity of Sarah’s suggestions. Sarah didn’t give a specific list, but working through her book, it helped me put together a personalized list for me and my specific interests or areas I’d like to see growth.

Now that I have this ever-growing list how do I get through some or all of the books on it? Always, your Bible is a priority in your reading time each day over other books.

Sharing a Few Favorite Tips:

Find Books that Interest You

Find books that you love to read. Reading books you enjoy is a start to reading more and finding the time to read. Starting with books you enjoy is a help if you’ve not developed a regular reading habit or your finding yourself in a slump (been there and a book I delighted in reading was a help in getting me out and back into the reading habit).

I’ve enjoyed Goodreads to help find books from like-minded readers. This is where I get many of my Christian non-fiction recommendations from various friends I follow and look to for recommendations. 

Reading books you enjoy is a start to reading more and finding the time to read. Click to Tweet

I signed up with my son for the Book of the Month club and have been surprised with how much I’ve enjoyed the various books that I would not have found on my own. I like that you can skip a month and I tend to choose historical fiction. My son picks different genres so we can usually switch books after we’ve finished them.

Related Article: My Top 10 Books of 2020

Another way to find books is to search for similar books to a title you recently read and liked. I enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See and searched “books similar to” and found Beneath a Scarlet Sky which was another good read. (When I read fiction I tend to have a bent towards historical fiction.) The reviews and ratings on Amazon and Goodreads are helpful in choosing which books to read. As I state this, we still need to read other books for learning and growing too, but this is a good place to start and get a good momentum going.

If you’re a Christian reading this,  I pray the book you will make sure you spend priority time studying and learning more about would be your Bible. 

Put Aside a Book You’re Struggling With:

Don’t be afraid to quit or maybe just put down for a bit a book you’re struggling with. There are some books I start that I just get a sense I don’t want to waste my time on (those are the ones I quit) and others that I do want to read, but I’m just having a hard time getting into. Those are the ones I put aside and pick back up at another time.

We all have an ever-growing list of books we'd like to read each year. I'm sharing a few tips that have helped me choose what to read and make more time to fit it into a busy schedule. Click to Tweet

The classics can be hard, but they’re worth the effort to take the time to work through. So, if you’re finding it difficult to push through it, set it aside and come back to it with a fresh mind. If it’s just not good or you’re not seeing any benefit to reading it – don’t waste your time.

Parents Who Read Raise Children Who Read:

An incentive to read if you have children is studies show that parents who read books, raise children who read books. This is an excellent episode from Read Aloud Revival on Raising Kids Who Read. So read mama. Let your kids see how much you enjoy reading!

“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.”

C.S. Lewis

Keep Books Handy:

Don’t leave home without a book. Keep a book in the car or your purse. I have a Kindle Paperwhite that is compact to keep in my purse when I’m out running errands. If I find myself waiting in a doctor’s office or for a friend I enjoy that extra time to get a few more pages to read.

Keep a book by your nightstand, in places where you may find yourself sitting during the day and in the kitchen. I find myself reading when I’m cooking dinner, especially when I have to watch an item on the stove.

“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.”

Mortimer J. Adler

Make Good Use of the Kindle App:

Replace your social media apps on your phone with the Kindle app (it’s free). When you find yourself looking at your phone to scroll the Facebook or Instagram feed, stop and open your Kindle app and have a book or two downloaded and ready to go.

We always have our phones with us, and with the Kindle app, you can always have a book handy to read. I like to keep a good devotional book on mine for when I find myself having a few extra minutes on hand to wait.

Utilize Audiobooks:

Audiobooks are an easy way to get books in while your folding laundry, cooking dinner, doing dishes, exercising, getting ready in the morning, showering and driving. Audiobooks you’re kids would love during drive times are a double win.

Sometimes I find myself just sitting in the car even when I’ve arrived at a destination so I can finish the chapter I’m listening to. Audible and Christian Audio are two of my favorites. Christian Audio has a free audiobook every month so check out their site monthly in case the title is of interest to you.

Keep a Book List for Motivation:

Keep a list of books you’d like to read. Whether you use a journal, your planner, or an index card, it’s helpful to have a list to look to when you’re ready for your next read. I’m an avid reader on my Kindle, so I’m making a folder in my Kindle of 2021 books to read. (See my book recommendations here – it needs updating and is on my to-do list ;)). I keep a book wishlist on Amazon of books that I come across that look of interest so I don’t forget them and it also helps me to put a book in the wishlist before just purchasing it spontaneously. I like to try and leave them there for at least a month or more before purchasing. Many times I determine I don’t want that book anymore so it saves me money and time.

Get Reading Time on the Schedule:

Schedule time in the day to read or maybe before bed. I like to read in the morning after my time in the Bible (Christian non-fiction), afternoon for at least 15 minutes (Fiction), and before bed (Usually a biography or non-fiction).  My current morning read (at the time of writing this) is Feelings and Faith by Brian Borgman (on my Kindle). My afternoon read is Live Not by Lies, by Rod Dreher and my bedtime read is Yours, Till Heaven: The Untold Love Story of Charles and Susie Spurgeon by Ray Rhodes Jr. Even if you can only squeeze 15 minutes a day that’s enough to read a chapter or more a day and keep you on track to read two books a month. Schedule an all-family quiet time in the afternoon for the kids to play or read quietly on their own, and you take the time to sit and read instead of immediately opting to get chores done.

Where to Find Books:

As you have a list together of what you’d like to read start first with your local library. Next, I would check out local bookshops, and my usual place is online. Does your church have a library? Ask your Pastor and elders for book recommendations or your women’s ministry leaders.

I use Amazon heavily out of convenience (I like the wishlist option) but appreciate book recommendations and also purchase from Westminster Bookstore, Crossway, Moody Publishers, Ligonier, Grace to You, Shepherd Press, Banner of Truth, Granted Ministries,  The Good Book Company and Desiring God.

Below are some good thoughts from Jim Elliff taken from “Why Read A Good Book?”

When buying books remember the following:

  1. Buy only the best books since you will only read a few hundred in your lifetime. When possible seek a recommendation first.
  2. Don’t excessively fret over the price, since the cost of a book is always small if it impacts your life for good.
  3. Buy to preserve the truth for your family or some deserving friends or institution in the future, for they will inherit your library when you die.
  4. Never let the reading of books replace the reading of the Bible. Instead of one or the other, do both.
  5. Let a good book humble you and not make you proud, by seeking God in what you read.

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”

C.S. Lewis

Establish a reading routine. Ask yourself, when could I read? How? Are there apps I can use? My local library? What if I put together a reading list of books I’d like to read this year? What if we turned off the TV and read in the evenings together as a family?

“Even if I don’t read as many books as others, I read. If I’m not reading, I’m relying on my memory. Which seems to be decreasing daily. So I read. I once heard someone say that books don’t change people—sentences do. If I glean two or three sentences from a book that affected the way I think and the way I live, that’s time well invested.”

Bob Kauflin

 

Related posts:

  1. Simple Tips to Reading More Books
  2. My Top 10 Books of 2020
  3. How I Have Benefited From Having A Reading Plan
  4. Podcast EP 77: Simple Summertime Meal Planning Tips


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Patience is our ability, under the control of the Patience is our ability, under the control of the Spirit, to persevere and endure in times of suffering or hardship.⁣⁣
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Come listen in (or read) EP 118: Cultivating Patience with One Another at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
By affliction, Christ . . .⁣⁣ shows us our em By affliction, Christ . . .⁣⁣
 shows us our emptiness and weakness,⁣⁣
 draws us to the throne of grace,⁣⁣
 purifies our affections,⁣⁣
 weans us from the world,⁣⁣
 and makes us long for Heaven.⁣⁣
~ J.C. Ryle⁣
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Read more of Trusting God in Your Trials at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
I know we can all relate to self-pity as women, wi I know we can all relate to self-pity as women, wives, and mothers.  How many times do we focus on our needs that aren’t met?  Unfair situations or circumstances?  Self-pity is a selfish tendency that takes our eyes off Christ and puts them on ourselves. ⁣⁣
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We forget that “God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” Are we able to give God “thanks in all things”?⁣⁣
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Come listen in to EP 105: Practical Steps to Overcome Self Pity at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)⁣
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#rootedinChrist #rootedintheword #christian #christianity #thankfulhomemaker #bedeeplyrooted  #christianblogger  #christians #treasurechrist #joyinchrist #inchristalone #deeplyrooted #martynlloydjones #selfpity
Grab a free copy of my weekly planner 🥰⁣ ⁣ Grab a free copy of my weekly planner 🥰⁣
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Weekly Menu Planning Free PDF is at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
"God's written Word, the Bible, is God's greatest "God's written Word, the Bible, is God's greatest earthly gift to his people, second only to the living Word, Jesus. And because the living Word perfectly lived out the written Word, we are blessed beyond measure. Jesus fulfilled every precept found in Psalm 119, keeping the principles and commandments of this psalm, and he did so on our behalf.⁣
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Our failure to live wholeheartedly is covered by Jesus, who lived it perfectly for us. Ultimately, he is Psalm 119 in human form, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14)."⁣
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~ Taken from Sing a New Song: A Woman's Guide to the Psalms by Lydia Brownback⁣
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With my whole heart I seek you;⁣
let me not wander from your commandments!⁣
I have stored up your word in my heart,⁣
that I might not sin against you.⁣
~ Psalm 119:10-11
Accept the cost of good deeds in time, thought, an Accept the cost of good deeds in time, thought, and effort. But remember that opportunities for doing good are not interruptions in God’s plan for us, but part of that plan. We always have time to do what God wants us to do.⁣
~ Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Godliness⁣
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I’m sharing a walkthrough of various tools and s I’m sharing a walkthrough of various tools and systems that help me to get things done. It’s a practical episode, and I hope to encourage you, if nothing else, to take a look at how your days are going and ask yourself some simple questions like:⁣
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What is working and what is not working?⁣
Where do I find myself wasting time?⁣
Where can I make better use of my time?⁣
Can I simplify my days or various tasks or automate them?⁣
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These are just a few questions to ponder, and there are many more you can ask, but the main one is to seek the Lord and ask him, are you a good steward of your time? Is your desire to honor Him amid your days and in how you spend your time?⁣
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Many more than ten systems or tools help me manage my days, but these items top my list. I’ve shared more in detail on some of these in past blog posts or podcast episodes, but I wanted to put together an episode that walked through how I use each one.⁣
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An episode like this one is more helpful to me than you because it helps me to think through my days and systems and tools and determine what is working for me and what isn’t.⁣
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Listen to 10 Things Helping Me Manage My Days as a Homemaker at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
Who doesn’t want to save money, time, their sani Who doesn’t want to save money, time, their sanity, reduce stress, eat healthy and avoid the dreaded question, “What’s for dinner?” It sounds great, right, and we’d all love to do it, but how do we get there?⁣
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Listen in at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
Though gradually, though no one remembers exactly Though gradually, though no one remembers exactly how it happened, the unthinkable becomes tolerable. And then acceptable. And then legal. And then applaudable.⁣
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Come listen to EP 70: Finding Forgiveness After an Abortion at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
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