Reading is one of my favorite past times! But I've gone through seasons in the last few years where I haven't read as much as I wanted. 

So in 2017 I set a reading goal for my year for the first time! While I didn't actually reach my insane goal of 104 books, I did end the year with 67 read! And I am just fine with that. 

Out of the 67 books, I read last year, I came across some amazing ones. So here are my top 10 books I read in 2017. 

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My top 10 Books from 2017: 

Refresh: Embracing a Grace-Paced Life in a World of Endless Demands - Shona Murray

I read Refresh near the end of December 2017 and funny enough, I had already picked it as my word for 2018! So this book was a perfect fit for me as I was contemplating what my year of REFRESHMENT was going to look like. You can read or listen in all about my word for 2018 here. 

This book takes a look at what we do when our lives get too full and too busy. It's full of practical suggestions and ideas, but my favorite part of the book was it's spiritual look at how we run our lives. The author again and again makes the case that we need to rely on God more within our daily lives and less and less upon ourselves. There was a lot in this book that I really needed to hear as I head into 2018. 

The Life Giving Table: Nurturing Faith through Feasting, One Meal at a Time - Sally Clarkson

The Life Giving Table is a book about hospitality and serving those who eat at your table, particularly your family! There are a loooot of suggestions in this book and I'm only looking at implementing a very small fraction of the ideas for this season of life with little kids. And many of those suggestions I'm modifying even further to make work. 

Sally presents a very ideal look of home and table life and I think it's a great idea to pick and choose which ones will work for your family. I did walk away from reading this book with new found encouragement to make family mealtime special. I interview Sally in the fall about her book. You can listen to that interview here. 

The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place - Andy Crouch

I think this is a must-read book for all families! It's all about healthy and responsible approaches to technology in the home. I think this is a vital message in today's culture and family life and it's only going to get more important as technology integrates itself even more in everyday life. 

While we LOVE technology in our home and even run an online business, balance is the key! We had a lot of good things to think about from this book and several of his suggestions we are incorporating into our family. Jason and I both read the book in August. It was great to get to both read it and discuss it along the way. 

Glory in the Ordinary: Why Your Work in the Home Matters to God - Courtney Reissig

Most of what I do in my home each day is boring and ordinary. I bounce between scrubbing toilets, making dinner, and folding laundry. It's very easy within these routines to wonder, "What's the point in all of this?? Am I really serving God through all this mundane?" 

Courtney beautifully addresses this heart problem and directs us again and again to view our work in light of serving God and His Glory! It's a quick easy read but will give you a lot to think about.  

None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different from Us by Jen Wilkin