Ten Books I Plan to Read This Summer

Some years I'm a summertime reading machine and other years I'm not so much.  I have a stack of review books that is over two feet high.  I'd love to set a goal of reading them all over the next three months but that's not realistic.  I also have a lot of great books that I purchased for myself or was given as gifts for my birthday or Christmas that I simply haven't had time to read.  So here's my list of books I hope to read this summer.

~1~

I think the title, Raising God-First Kids In A Me-First World, is pretty self-explanatory.  I'm hoping this book will offer some additional insight to how we already parent.

~2~

I already started reading this book.  I'm three chapters in and I'm really considering whether or not I should try to take on praying part of the Liturgy of the Hours.  I had considered it a while back but most of what I read pretty much indicated that you'd need to seek out a priest to walk you through how to use a breviary and that was enough to scare me off.  I've mentioned that I have a bit of a priest phobia before, right?  I think I've made some great strides in overcoming it over the past several years.  Chipping away at it bit by bit.

~3~

I've been wanting to read this book since it arrived in my mailbox many months ago but I hadn't found the time.  I read the first few chapters the other day and I think it's a really good book.  I can't wait to read the rest of it.

~4~

I'm going to accept the challenge our pastor placed before us at daily Mass a week or two ago to read all four of the gospels this summer.  The last time I sat down and read them in entirety was when I was in college before I converted.  I think I'll appreciate it a bit more this time around especially since I won't be reading the KJV translation.  I can even pull it up on my laptop thanks to the awesome USCCB website.

~5~

I offered to review this book for Fr. Mark last Summer and then I just never got around to reading the book.  To be honest, after seeing smaller type I gave up a few pages into the book because I simply couldn't read it when I was battling headaches practically every day.  Now that I've kicked my Starbucks habit and the headaches have gone away I can read the book.

~6~

I started to read this during Lent and then I just couldn't read it anymore.  So I'd like to finish The Fellowship of the Ring before the kids start school in September.

~7~

It's funny how reading saints books geared to kids piques my interest in wanting to know more about these saints.  After reading this book to Katie, I found myself wanting to read more about St. John Mary Vianney so if I make it through most of what I'm reading I'll be ordering a copy of this book.

~8~

I got this book on JPII for Christmas and I'm looking forward to reading it.

~9~

This should be a relatively quick book to read.  I've been reading a lot of books that focus on new evangelization.  So far the best one I've read on the subject is The New Evangelization and You by Greg Willits.

~10~

I hope to find an afternoon or two where I can sit down and read the manuscript for a book that an old friend from high school wrote.  She sent me the manuscript a few months ago and asked me to read it.  She's thinking of self publishing the book.  It's a fiction novel involving angels and demons.  I read the first few pages and the book is written in a writing style that reminds me of my friend.