Good Books

This weekend my dad and sister are speaking at a Daddy/Daughter Conference...and I get to be there too....via Skype! Skype is one of my new favorites things and allows me to see sweet people's faces and not feel like I'm hours away from them!

At the conference, my dad asked me to talk about some of the best books I read growing up. And I thought this would be an appropriate place to write about them.

Books I Loved From Age 5-19
1. Anne of Green Gables Series: Yes, all eight of them. Anne Shirley, the spunky redhead, became like a best friend of mine as I read these. Her adventures and disappointments, friends and crushes became like mine! The setting, Canada's Prince Edward Island in the late nineteenth century, is picturesque. From book 1 to 8, Anne's life is followed from age 16 to age 53. (The last few books are focused on her children, but include Anne as a major charater as well.) These are classic books with amazing life lessons.
2. The Boxcar Children Series: I read every single one my library had. Weekly Saturday morning trips to the library resulted in my checking out the maximum my dad would allow. : ) Four orphaned children live with their grandfather and solve mysteries that seem to just plop in their laps! Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny love each other dearly and each play an integral role in capturing the thief and putting the last piece in the puzzle.
3. The Babysitter's Club: Kristy, Mary Anne, Stacey, Dawn, Claudia, Jessi, and Mallory are seven middle-schoolers who start a Babysitting Club. They meet twice a week as parent's call and request babysitters. Each book contains a few adventures and a few babysitting jobs. The friends all have strengths and weaknesses and their interaction just fascinated me as a little girl. In the books they are thirteen, and I probably read them as an eight-year-old, so I looked up to these girls in a big way! I just couldn't wait for the day I could become a babysitter. Maybe that's why I love it so much to this day....
4. The Left Behind Series: In eighth grade, I read the adult Left Behind Series because they were a lot of Accelerated Reader points, but I soon became addicted to them. Corresponding with the book of Revelation, they contain fictional characters living in truly foretold end times. These books are fast-paced, John-Grisham-ish, and thoroughly difficult to put down. Absolutely loved them.
5. Boy Meets Girl- by Joshua Harris: I read half of this book at Barnes and Noble, and the other half at my house that night. In one day. Because of that rapid reading, I had forgotten some of it and reread it a few years ago. Although its written to an audience of people nearing marriage-age and marriage-maturity, I gained valuable information from it as a seventh-grader. It gave a unique viewpoint of dating, which he calls courting, and recommends only when the person is actually prepared to be married. My favorite part of the book was all the sweet stories of couples committing their relationships to the Lord, and He rewarded their honoring Him. Reading this book before ever thinking about dating was a great time to read it, as I had no bias or other opinions. Today, I might feel differently about it, but it was neat to have a bold foundation from Joshua Harris.
6. John Grisham Books: In high school, I had a random John Grisham phase. Knowing nothing at all about lawyers or the corrupt businessmen world, I impressed myself by actually understanding these books. They were high energy, people died, and each book had about seven twists. (Maybe wouldn't seem high energy for a guy...but for a girl, yes.) ....I realize I'm probably straying, and won't recommend these books at the Daddy/Daughter Conference..haha..but these would have to be included in a favorites list.
7. Just Like Jesus- Max Lucado
8. A Woman's Journey to the Heart of God- Cynthia Heald
9. Intimacy with God- Cynthia Heald
10. Becoming a Woman of ...(series)- Cynthia Heald
11. George MacDonald- C.S. Lewis (my favorite book in the entire world.)
12. Ordering Your Private World- Gordon McDonald
13. And the Bride Wore White- Dannah Gresh
14. When God Writes Your Love Story- Eric and Leslie Ludy
15. How to Win Friends and Influence People- Dale Carnegie (my dad had me read this in 5th grade. Maybe don't do that to your kids....but in junior high for sure.)
16. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living- Dale Carnegie
17. This is Earl Nightingale- Earl Nightingale (pure gold)
18. My Utmost for His Highest- Oswald Chambers (I read this everyday)
19. The Tipping Point- Malcolm Gladwell
20. Blink- Malcolm Gladwell

This list covered a lot of my life....very good books that have shaped who I am today. My dad always said, "Show me the books you read and who your friends are, and I'll show you where you'll be in ten years." I didn't realize how true that was until I just wrote this list. These books have truly made a difference in my life: established my faith, encouraged my walk with the Lord, given me new perspectives, helped me organize thoughts, let me understand people...wow.

Readers are leaders.