In yesterdays post about My Goals for 2016 (Personal and Business/Blogging), I mentioned that I wanted to read at least 12 books in 2016! I want to read 6 that are related to business and blogging and 6 that are… not?! Those might include fiction or books to improve my marriage, parenting, spiritual life, etc. So here’s my list: Books to Read in 2016 (and what I read in 2015)!
As I was writing the post, I went back to my bedroom and snapped a picture of the books sitting on the end of my dresser (I added the ones I’ve already finished and the one I’m reading now) – just to give you some perspective.
If you had any doubts, I absolutely love to read! I used to get on a kick and tear through several books in the span of a few weeks and then go quite awhile without reading anything.
Lately however, I’ve left a book in my bathroom and one on my nightstand, and one in my purse for when I’m out (like today – while waiting on the kids at the dentist, I was knocking out a couple of chapters in Money Making Mom) and I have one or two going on my Kindle… so I try to read at least a tiny bit every day . Clearly it’s paying off… I read more than I thought in 2015!
So first… here are the books I have purchased and want to read for 2016 (I’m not listing everything I have stacked up on the left… those are just all the books I have acquired and not read and I may or may not intend to 😉 ) :
Money Making Mom(business) – listed above – hoping it’ll be the first one I finish in 2016! This is the one I was reading today!! read in January!
Moses Was a Basketcase(personal /inspiration) – I’m also reading this right now (it was in the bathroom – I forgot to grab it for the pic) It was a gift from my Mama for Christmas. So far is lots of fun, lots of laughs… and quite inspiring! read in January!Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World(personal – parenting). This was written by my friend and someone I admire greatly, Kristen Welch. I cannot wait to dive into it – it’s next on my list to start!! She sent me an advanced copy but you can go ahead and pre-order it here! (in fact, I’d encourage you to!)- The Art of Work (business)- this is a book by Jeff Goins – it was on sale for $.99!!
Big Sky Novel Series(pleasure reading – just to relax and enjoy a good, wholesome story). I have them in paperback from PaperBackSwap, but you can get all 3 on Kindle here for under $5 total. read all 3 in February!- Rising Strong (business/personal… not sure) – I started this a few months ago based on the raving reviews of another blogger. I couldn’t get into it (maybe to chapter 2?)… but I’m going to put it down and try again in a month or so – see if I can get more out of it.
- It’s My Pleasure (business/inspiration) – written by the Vice President of Chik-fil-A, I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about this book and I’m inspired by the work ethic of the founders of Chik-fil-A.
- Almost Anorexic (personal)- recommended by someone I know who also struggles with weight, unhealthy body image and self-esteem issues… While I’m clearly not anorexic or even “almost” anorexic, she said I’d really get a lot out of this book. We’ll see!
- The 4-Hour Work Week – someone recommended this book to me years ago and it’s been on my wish list for PaperBackSwap for-EVER… I finally have it and hope to read it soon!
- The Best Yes (personal/spiritual/business) – this is another book I heard great things about over and over again and I feel like it might spill over into my business life too!!
- EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey (business) – as a financial coach and teacher, I’m always interested in money and finances and budgeting. So while we were already debt-free when I first heard about Dave Ramsey, I read his stuff anyway (Total Money Makeover and Financial Peace and my kids have read his children’s books) and learned a few new things and was inspired to keep on keeping on. SO – when he wrote a business book – I added it to my wish list on PaperBackSwap and it finally came this week!
- Not specific books, but our realtor highly recommended that I read some novels (fiction) by C J Box and also Harlan Coben. I haven’t researched them beyond the Amazon search to add links here, but in the back of my mind, those are possibilities because I love Marlene (realtor) to pieces and I feel confident her recommendations would be something I’d enjoy!
- Okay – so that’s only 11 (specific) books/series, but I’ll leave a little wiggle room in my plans for for new books that may come out or be recommended… and obviously I have a few more in my stack if I run out 🙂
- UPDATED to ADD: The Fringe Hours, Killing Lincoln, With Every Letter
And if you’re interested .. these are some of the books I read last year:
Let me give you a quick rundown of those on the right (this is not everything I read, but everything I could quickly gather from my dresser, my nightstand, and our bookshelf for a pic):
- Money Making Mom – I started this in 2015 and I’m hoping to finish it in the next week or so – it’s fantastic!!! I highly recommend this for anybody who aspires to start their own business, contribute to their family income, make a difference!!
- The Summer I Turned Pretty (trilogy all in one book) – I bought this on impulse while on our HUGE Road Trip (I never did finish writing about all the days of that vacation… :-/ ) and it was eeehhh… okay. I had finished Echo Park (the next book on this list) and I grabbed this on a quick stop at Walmart for supplies. The book was not so bad that I quit reading but not so good that I couldn’t put it down. Actually, I couldn’t tell you much about it – it was a good distraction for nights when I couldn’t sleep while traveling or late night driving when I couldn’t see any sights. It was a light read – a teenage love story of sorts… nothing to write home about.
- Echo Park (not pictured) – my 18 year old son gave this to me for my birthday (just before our road trip). It was very suspenseful and a riveting read. He knows I love a good murder/mystery/suspense novel. However – as with most novels in that genre, some of the content was not entirely wholesome (rough language, graphic violence, etc.). If that sort of thing offends you – this book is not for you!
- More Than a Carpenter – this book was life-changing! I want to read it again (and again). If you’ve ever had doubts or wanted more confirmation in your heart that Jesus is who He says He is… read this book!
- Saved Without a Doubt – I actually read this a couple of years ago… oops, it got into my stack by mistake. I shared more on it here.
- Sycamore Row – I hadn’t read a John Grisham novel in years… and I really enjoyed this one!
- Sarah’s Key – this was a haunting and challenging story that centers around the Holocaust. It’s fiction, but I highly recommend it if you have an interest in that part of our history!
- Something Other Than God – this is the story of an atheist’s search for happiness…. which led to our amazing God. Jennifer’s writing is funny and captivating and gosh – it’s just a great, great story! (I’m not Catholic and don’t agree with a few of the specifics of the Catholic religion but I love her as a fellow believer and her story is fascinating)
- See Me – you can read here why I have and read this book.
- It Was Me All Along – this is a true story – a memoir of Andie’s weight loss journey and her life. As someone who struggles with my weight, this book resonated with me in so many ways and I would easily recommend it. *It had some offensive language in it, but not a lot.
- The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (also not pictured – I’m adding this later because something reminded me that I had read it). I loved this book (although it had a few very weird parts that I wouldn’t ever do such as talk to my clothes… um, no), but I haven’t gotten around to actually doing her method yet…. BUT, if you’re looking for some awesome inspiration and a method to declutter your life – this might do the trick!
Whew – this blog post got way out of hand, huh?! Soooo – what do YOU like to read? Any fantastic books to read … in any genre? Leave me a comment!

Thanks for the recommendations! “Echo Park” has been added to my TBR list for the winter. I love murder/mystery/suspense too! I recently read a fantastic novel called “Uncontrolled Spin” by Jerry Summers (http://www.jerrysummersauthor.com/). The book is about a multimillionaire marketing expert, Sean Green, and his most recent client who is looking to put her apparel company on the map. During their “business” and “romantic” relationship Sean’s best friend is murdered and the twists and turns in the book don’t stop right up until the very end. This is the first book of the series and I am so excited to have found a book that not only keeps me hooked but offers more than just your typical murder mystery. Hope you will check it out. I would love to hear your opinion