For your convenience, I’ve created a downloadable pdf of the book list, available at the bottom of this post.

“Do not let the endless succession of small things crowd great ideals out of sight and out of mind.” -Charlotte Mason

I have no idea how many books I’ve read in my life, but I can promise you that they have shaped who I am and the way I live—drastically. The way I speak to my husband, the way I teach or discipline my children, the way I pray and seek the Lord—have all been shaped by books.

Books are powerful because words and ideas are powerful. Allowing someone else’s ideas into the most intimate places in our heart is a precious thing—a thing we must always approach with discernment.

Charlotte Mason tells us that ideas build upon ideas. And so the ideas that we develop are often rooted in the ideas that we have received from others. We receive ideas through conversation, articles, books, music, movies, television shows, and even our social media feeds.

“None of us can be proof against the influences that proceed from the persons he associates with. Wherefore, in books and men, let us look out for the best society, that which yields a bracing and wholesome influence. We all know the person for whose company we are the better, though the talk is only about fishing or embroidery.”
—Charlotte Mason

Why I Created a Book List

I’ve created this detailed book list in order to accomplish a few goals:

If you aren’t much of a reader: I want to give you a narrow list (from the billions of books ever written) to help you get your feet wet. I encourage you to watch what God will do in your life through inspired, theologically sound works.
If you are a reader: I want to share the titles and authors who have spoken profound truth into my life. These are books I’ve returned to again and again—like an old friend—with new revelation each time. These are authors I’ve researched and read widely and feel comfortable in their interpretation of scripture.
If you are an avid reader: I encourage you to check these selections out, as I love finding overlooked gems I’ve never noticed before.

Finding Time to Read (Even When It Feels Impossible)

Before I share the list, I want to address a question that I’m often asked: How do you find the time to read?

The answer isn’t magic—it’s small, simple shifts that add up to something deeply impactful. Below you’ll find my own goals and routines for reading across several topics at one time and for finding time in my day to do so. I don’t do it perfectly, but when I stick to this plan, I see the fruit in my marriage, parenting, and faith:

Read for 15 minutes each day.
We can ALL find 15 minutes each day because almost all of us waste way more than that doing some mindless social media scrolling.
Swap the scroll.
If you find yourself opening your social apps mindlessly and scrolling away time in order to have a break, I encourage you not to. That “break” is not refreshing your spirit. That “break” is probably creating conflict, frustration, or discontent. Install an app like Stay Focused (Android) and limit your social time. Even have someone else password protect it so you can’t turn it off. (We won’t discuss how I know that’s a thing 😉) (You can read about my struggles with distraction here and here.)
Divide and conquer.
During your 15 minutes of reading, spend 5 minutes on 3 different books. A wise friend whom I admire gave me this advice a while ago, and it’s life-changing! Choose one parenting, one education, and one marriage book. Spend 5 minutes in EACH of those every day. This will encourage your spirit in all areas of your life, invigorate your desire to be a blessing to your family, and keep you from getting hyper-focused on “fixing” just one area.
Choose one or two special days each week for 30 minutes of reading.
You’ll be fleshing out your reading circle with one or two different genres during this time. Choose from general faith or enjoy fiction from an author whose worldview is grounded in Truth.
Add it up.
In this way, you’re getting in 2–2.5 hours of reading each week. This is time that you might have otherwise spent mindlessly scrolling, fretting, worrying, or generally doing something that isn’t nearly as life-giving to yourself or your family as reading is.
But first—Scripture.
Do NOT forget that this daily and weekly time of reading excellent, encouraging non-fiction is not a replacement for your time in the Word. If you don’t have a daily habit of worship, prayer, and reading God’s Word right now, I beg you to begin there before you add anything additional to your plate.

Now that we can understand why it’s so important to spend time reading excellent books—and how to actually carve out time for it—I want to offer you a convenient (and yes, absolutely free) guide with more details about reading affordably plus the 20+ books I’ve promised you.

Let’s get your shelves (and soul) stocked with books worth savoring.

In this FREE 21-page guide, you’ll find my top 3 tips for affording to read broadly. After that, you’ll find 20 books across 4 different topics: Faith, Education, Marriage, and Parenting. I also include a couple of bonus books PLUS a selection of my 5 favorite books for Special Needs parents.