40. Elizabeth George - Life Management for Busy Women

Looking beyond the sugar, this is a typically efficient look at the main areas (spiritual, physical, home, financial, social, mental and ministry) of a Christian woman's life. Each area is given a list of ten disciplines which, according to George, are essential to successful living. Her style is bracing offset with sugar (my dear reading friend) but still readable and inspiring.

39. Lisa Bevere - Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry

I’ve read most of Lisa Bevere’s books now and think this is the best to date. It’s a no-holds-barred look at female sexuality from a Christian perspective. Lisa covers everything from what the Bible has to say about piercing to oral sex. Although she says she is writing for young, unmarried women, there is a whole lot of wonderful information for every woman – no matter what sexual experiences they may or may not have had. This book has helped me immeasurably already and I’m looking forward to studying it further.

Spring Reading Thing

How many books can I read between now and June? That, my friends, is the question. I've decided to focus on Christian fiction and non-fiction and to find ten books of each kind from my own shelves. Generally I read books in the order in which the came into the house but, for this challenge, I've picked books that I really want to read for whatever reason. I'll also be reading cat books and general fiction/non-fiction but I want my focus to be on the 20 books I list here:

Christian Fiction

Veronica Heley - Master of the Hall
Marta Perry - Hunter's Bride
Deeanne Gist - The Measure of a Lady
Beverly Lewis - The Crossroad
Janette Oke - When Calls the Heart
Carolyne Aarsen - All in One Place
Judy Baer - Be My Neat-Heart
Melody Carlson - Back Home Again
Liz Curtis Higgs - Bookends
Judith Miller - Whisper Along the Rails

Christian Non-Fiction

J Matthew Sleeth - Serve God Save the Planet
Max Lucado - Cure for the Common Life
Joyce Meyer - How to Hear from God
Ruth Haley Barton - Longing for More
Rob Bell - Sex God
Chip Ingram - Love, Sex & Lasting Relationships
Elizabeth George - Life Management for Busy Women
Christine Caine - Stop Acting Like a Christian Just Be One
Lisa Bevere - Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry
R T Kendall - Totally Forgiving Ourselves

What the Postman Brought

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee - Yarn Harlot
Jillian Hart - A Soldier for Christmas
Debbie Macomber - Christmas Letters

38. Leslie Ludy - Authentic Beauty

Aimed at ‘young ladies’, this book would be appropriate for any single, Christian woman. Using biographical detail, the author explains the way that society has stolen the femininity and purity of women while distorting masculinity into ‘jerksville’. It is a very American book and I found this jarring at times but the message is that if we build our lives around Jesus and keep ourselves ‘lily white’ for our future husband there is a happy ending for us all. Definately worth further study.

What the Postman Brought ...

George Eliot - Silas Marner
Corrie ten Boom - The Hiding Place
Josh McDowell - More Than A Carpenter

37. J John - Ten

This book, subtitled 'Living the Ten Commandments in the 21st Century', does exactly what it says on the tin. John works his way through each of the Ten Commandments of the Christian and Jewish faiths and applies them to the life of contemporary Christians. This is the first of his books that I've read and I found him to have a friendly, open style which I would like to see more of.