Se7en of the Best Blog Books That I Am Reading…

I would love to say I have a beautiful Sunday Snippet to publish, I would love to say I didn’t have a child up all night with the vomits last night, I would like to say we whizzed through school and were finished by lunch time, I would like to say that I didn’t have a huge headache all afternoon. I would like to say that I sat all afternoon and read stories while my kids crafted. I would like to say that it is warm and sunny, because I am totally hopeless at Winter…

But none of that… So I thought I would show you what is on my reading pile right now.

Here are se7en books I have been reading from a couple of my favorite blogs… I always get the e-version, quick and easy and I can read it straight away. The great thing about getting a book from a blogger you love reading is that you are going to like what they write – even before you read it. The author will be so familiar to you that what they write will be in an extension of what you already like to read.

So here you go: Se7en Blogger Books I have open/read just lately…

"Clutter Rehab: 101 Tips and Tricks to Become an Organization Junkie and Love It!" (Laura Wittmann)

1. I am an Organizing Junkie: This is one of my very first blogs I ever followed… she is the most encouraging blogger I know… and has stood by me as I decluttered our house time and time again… never saying “haven’t you done this already!!!” If you follow our blog then you will know I have been plodding through the 52 Weeks of Organizing, and really it is making the most amazing difference… one week at a time, this is the year!!! Anyway I brought her book and I inhaled it!!! Packed with tips and ideas, things you haven’t thought of and ideas you wonder why you haven’t been doing them for years! This book is such an easy read… one idea per page, no waffle, just how to organize one little bit of your home at a time.


"Steady Days: A Journey Toward Intentional, Professional Motherhood" (Jamie C. Martin)

2. Steady Mom: Jamie Martin has such a great blog, she is all about being an intentional mom. I didn’t even realize that there was such a thing as an intentional mother before I read her blog. She has so many ideas about how to take the chaos out of everyday and just tone it down to some sort of organized strategy. This book is packed with “aha-thoughts” and definitely puts motherhood into perspective. She takes the fall-back idea: “can’t find a real job so I will stay home with the kids” idea of motherhood and tosses it right out of the window!!! Motherhood is a profession, she takes it seriously and her book will give you plenty of confidence to do the same.

3. Small Notebook: Small Notebook is authored by Rachel Meeks is simply one of the very best. I hang on every post she writes, I love it!!! I look forward to her posts, I read the comments… I go back to past posts and read them again, days after a post I go back and read the responses… Well if you are a blogger and you want to know more about blogging and still having a life… you know blogging without it being life-consuming, still having time to do all the things you have to do: parent, teach, live… Then this is so the book to read. She writes brilliantly, no messing about: this is what you want, this is how you do it… tips and ideas and really great advice!!!


"Don’t Make Me Come Up There!: Quiet Moments for Busy Moms" (Kristen Welch)

4. We Are That Family: I started reading this blog because of the “Works for Me Wednesday” Link-up… and I just stayed for every post!!! I love it. A real live mum, with very real kids and there life and times. I followed and cried my way through her trip to Africa and I am watching her do something real and changing the world in her own dynamic way. Her book is a book of snippets, some hilarious, some sad, some bizarre and some beautiful. I can relate to all of her tales that she told from her heart and her life… and each tale is accompanied by a Bible Verse, buckets of encouragement and a prayer. It is just great to know that other mothers are in the trenches too. There is a lot of wisdom to glean from the pages of this book.


"The Next Story: Life and Faith after the Digital Explosion" (Tim Challies)

5. Challies.Com: Oh there is always something to read on this fabulous blog, I especially love his “A La Carte” posts… packet with snippets from around the web. Meanwhile he has written a book: It really is a how our lives are being affected by the digital world we are living in. I think it may be harder for us to even notice how “plugged in” we are… it is easier for my parents to notice because they didn’t grow up surrounded by it. For my children the line between reality and the digital world is a fine one… google is always a finger press away, and my kids don’t use electronic devices or media nearly as much as most of their playmates. Kids now our tech savvy and wouldn’t notice the difference. But how should we as Christians react: burying our head in the sand is probably not the best response… Tim Challies gives lots of food for thought on how to react to the continuous bombardment of digital information that we are being surrounded by. I like that he doesn’t stand on some sort of moral high ground dictating what we should do about our technological surroundings but rather he embraces technology as a tool, and provides practical applications that we can apply to our own technology driven lives. This is not a quick read… there is so much to learn, section by section, chapter by chapter there is a lot of wisdom within the covers of this book. This book is having a special feature at ChristianAudio.com this month… you can download the audio book for free. Very Well Worth IT!!!

6. Digital Photography School: I couldn’t make a round the blogosphere book round-up without these books. I make no claim as a photographer but every now and then, and the learning curve is slow, I dip into One of the Digital Photography School’s books… They are not too technical, because I tell you as soon as I think I might be looking at something remotely photographically technical I turn into an idiot… but these books are packed with so much and plenty of easy enough tips for the terrified photographer amongst us… Great for dipping, great for learning, just great.

And the Se7en +1th Thing:


7. Whip Up’s Action Packs of course: It is entitled: A Mini-Mag for kids who want to do stuff… well I have just been defined, I love them!!! They pick a theme and then publish a mag packed with ideas and crammed with crafty things and games. Something to read, something to make, something to art, something to craft. All stuff your school age kids can do on their own – let them free!!! Or your little ones can do with help. Love it!!!

Happy Reading…