2016 Book Brigade

I’m so excited!  I’m so excited about the upcoming 2016 Book Brigade, the new Minivan Ministry book club, that I even have “I’m So Excited” by the Pointer Sisters running through my head!  (I will spare you the video.  I never thought about what that song was actually about until now!)

How will the 2016 Book Brigade work?

I recently started using Periscope.  It’s a relatively new, FREE app that catches live video.  The fun part is that viewers can text and interact with you live!  The videos only stay up for 24 hours, but after that you can watch them online if the broadcaster chooses to keep them.  My 2016 Book Brigade scopes will be kept for your viewing pleasure.  

If you don’t have Periscope and don’t want to get it, I will be posting questions and discussion highlights here on the website too.  You can also watch my Periscope videos online on my Katch page, but you won’t be able to interact that way.  If at all possible, join us using the Periscope app for loads of fun!  

Now, for the moment you have all been waiting for…the Book List!!!

 

January:  First up is Trim Healthy Mama Plan: The Easy-Does-It Approach to Vibrant Health and a Slim Waistline.  So many people want to get healthy.  It shouldn’t be a goal just for us, but for our entire family as well.  It’s mostly in our hands, mommies, as we are usually the ones who lead activities and put food on the dinner table.  We are going to march through this book together because it is a plan not only about losing weight, but about being healthy.  This book also has its roots in the Bible and the rules God laid down for healthy eating.  I endorse this plan because I found it at the Teach Them Diligently homeschool convention a couple years ago and lost 70 pounds.  It’s time to get back on it and lose the rest of the weight. More importantly, it’s time to get healthy.  There is power in numbers and we can do this together!

 

February:  Let’s celebrate Valentine’s by reading The 5 Love Languages of Children.  Everyone receives and interprets love in different ways.  This book will help us communicate better with our kids, so they understand how much they are loved.  The things learned in this book are the kinds of things you will put into practice the rest of your life!

 

March:  I am super excited to finally read Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace by Sarah MacKenzie.  Sarah blogs over at Amongst Lovely Things.  She also hosts the Read Aloud Revival.   Her book has been on my list since it came out last year.  I tend to teach in a frenzy, trying to cram everything in that I feel is important.  This is a book about embracing the joy that should come while homeschooling our children and relying on God to lead us.  Sarah is going to be at the  Great Homeschool Conventions this year.  Three of the four Great Homeschool Conventions will be in March, so it’s a great time to read her book!  

 

April:  As moms, we want our homes to be a haven for our families.  But how can we make this a reality?The Lifegiving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging and Becoming by Sally Clarkson will help us move in the right direction.  If you want to take that extra step, check out The Lifegiving Home Experience: A 12-Month Guided Journey, which is  a workbook that will walk you through making this a reality.

 

May:  It’s time to just have a little reading fun as we gear up for summer.  This is an oldy and a goodie, so hopefully many of you will join us to review Redeeming Love.  I have never read it, but many respected friends list this book at the top of their “must read” list, so I want to see what all the fuss is about. Redeeming Love is set in California’s gold country in 1850.  In this novel, a prostitute finds true love with her husband and her Maker.  There are rumors of a movie also, but I couldn’t find a reliable source to confirm the details.

 

June:  People tend to lay by the pool and read more in the summer, so this month we will be reading 2 books.  I just couldn’t choose!  One book would be about sons and one will be about daughters.  That way no one is left out for a month!  My son and daughters have lots in common, but in many ways they are VERY different!  Knowing the difference in how boys and girls are wired can help us as teachers and parents..  

 

The first half of June, we will focus on Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys
Raising Real Men, a book about embracing the nature of our sons. It is written by Hal Young, who runs the blog Raising Real Men, with is wife Melanie.   The second half of June, we will focus on our daughters by reading James Dobson’s Bringing Up Girls: Practical Advice and Encouragement for Those Shaping the Next Generation of Women.  We will be doing the unabridged version released in 2014.

 

July:  I had the privilege of hearing Ann Dunigan speak at Teach Them Diligently a couple years ago and became a huge fan.  She and her husband have beautiful hearts for the Lord.  They love to help families live out the lives God intended for them.  In The Mission-Minded Family: Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny, Ann Dunigan helps us find practical ways to serve God together with as a family.  

 

August:  Just in time for back-to-school, here is a book that will challenge us to reflect on our teaching methods.  I rarely read a book twice, but this is going to be my third time through The Brainy Bunch: The Harding Family’s Method to College Ready by Age Twelve.   I love it so much, I just had to share it with you.  As a former teacher, I am all about the academics in this book.  The Hardings also incorporate a Christian perspective into education.  Although I probably wouldn’t do absolutely everything the Hardings do, I would love to incorporate a lot of it, and have already started implementing some.  I am anxious to hear the perspective others have on this book!

 

September:  This is another oldie, but goodie. Shepherding a Child’s Heart is not just about discipline, but really getting to the heart of the matter.  When we teach our children about how much God loves them, they will make better decisions.  

 

October:  Here is another “just for fun” book, The Promise of an Angel (A Heaven On Earth Novel).  This book is a rare mix of the Amish and supernatural.  It’s about faith, angels, trust, and belief.  We may be able to learn a little about life from this one, even though it is intended as a fun little break to our Christian parenting books. 

 

November:  In the month of Thanksgiving, we of course want to focus on teaching our kids to be thankful.  Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World: How One Family Learned That Saying No Can Lead to Life’s Biggest Yes is written by Kristen Welch of We Are That Family.  It’s not even out until the end of January, so it will be new to all of us!

 

December:  There are so many fantastic Christmas advent books out there, but we moms could use a little something just for us.  The Women of Christmas: Experience the Season Afresh with Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna will help us gain some insight and camaraderie with the women who helped make Christmas a time of wonder.  

 

How do you get in on the action???

Joining the 2016 Book Brigade is simple.  Just grab the next book and get to reading!  Check back here throughout the month for posts with questions and thoughts on the book.  Then join me on Periscope for the live 2016 Book Brigade event, or catch the replay if you can’t join live.  You can sign up for my mailing list to get a reminder sent to your inbox too!  

Most live book clubs will be held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday evenings of each month, at 8pm Central Time.  To kick things off and help us all get on the right foot in our health goals, the January book club will begin January 5th and meet every Tuesday in January.  I hope you will join us!

***I had originally posted that we would meet on Wednesdays, but a friend told me she couldn’t participate because she had church on Wednesday nights.  That got me thinking that although our church doesn’t meet on Wednesday nights, a lot of churches do.   Hence the change to Tuesdays.  I hope that will work for everyone!  If it doesn’t, please let me know.  I know we can’t accommodate everyone, but I am in search of the best time for most!  

Which books are you most excited to read in 2016?  Please let us know below!

 

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