Snow days and sick days meant for unexpected time to read in the last four weeks.  I suppose I could finish another book in the remaining 48ish hours in February, but I shouldn’t.  I have several papers that I should be writing, but instead I am typing this post while binge-watching Fuller House on Netflix.  It is so cheesy but I love it.

Without further ado, here’s what I read this month:

• Becoming Myself: Embracing God’s Dream of You (Stasi Eldredge) – This book was too emotional for me.  Not wrong with it necessarily, but didn’t speak to me.
• Catching Up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization (Yong Zhao) – I read this for a class I’m taking this semester.  Zhao offers an interesting perspective on the perceived positives and negatives in the world of education.  A good read.
• The Antelope in the Living Room: the real story of two people sharing one life (Melanie Shankle) – Melanie Shankle, a.k.a. Big Mama, is a hilarious writer.  This book made me laugh out loud more times than I can count.  She just mentioned in her podcast that she is working on another book and I cannot wait.
• Bread & Wine: a Love Letter to Life Around the Table (Shauna Niequist) – This is a book about food.  It doesn’t get much better than that.  Food, fellowship, hospitality, friendship.  I haven’t loved all of Niequist books but I enjoyed this one and will be trying some of the recipes at the end of each chapter.
• Born Survivors: Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope (Wendy Holden) – this nonfiction work tells the stories of three women who gave birth while in concentration camps.  A hard read, but one of good triumphing over evil.  In a lot of ways, my mind can’t even fathom the depth of the suffering detailed in this book.
• Deculturalization and the Struggle for Equality: A Brief History of the Education of Dominated Cultures in the United States (Joel Spring) – this was another book I had to read for class.  It gave me a lot to think about, especially given our current political climate.
• A Charlie Brown Religion: Exploring the Spiritual Life and Work of Charles M. Schulz (Stephen J. Lind) – I go to church with the author of this book.  While I don’t love cartoons, I appreciate Peanuts and found Schulz’s internal struggles quite fascinating.
• Knowing God (J.I. Packer) – this book blew my mind.  I am rereading it right now because it was like trying to drink from a fire hydrant.  I understand why this book, written several decades ago, remains so popular.  I’ve learned so much.
• Me Before You (JoJo Moyes) – I bought this book a long time ago and finally got around to reading it this week while sitting on the couch to sick to move. This book is beautiful, funny, moving, and exceptionally sad.  I have the sequel on hold at the library and look forward to seeing how this story ends.

And there you have it.  16 books so far in 2016.