What I've Been Reading

October is always a full month for me, but I am thoroughly enjoying the change of weather and colors here in the northeast. The changing of the seasons always reminds me of how God has made seasons to be a regular part of our lives, whether it is the physical changing of seasons or the changing of seasons in our personal lives. Change is a constant in this life, but one thing remains unchanging and that is the character of God. I have been dwelling on that truth in the midst of a lot of life change. While my life will always be changing, the God of the Bible remains the same. 

One thing that does change regularly in my life is what books I'm reading. I'm an avid fan and advocate for reading. It's a simple pleasure that a lot of people do not take the time to enjoy. But I have found reading to be very life-giving in every season of my life. I thought I would share with you what I've been reading lately, and I'd love to hear about what you've been reading too! If there are any books you would recommend, share them in the comment section below. But here are a few books I've read over this past month:

French Women Don't Get Fat // Mireille Guiliano

I've been wanting to read this book for a few years, and I finally got a library card to go and check it out. If you are a francophile (a person that loves French culture like me) then you will likely enjoy this book. It is a fun book for just learning about ways that French people think about food and eating and staying healthy. While many of the things suggested are more difficult in the United States, it was still fascinating to think through the biblical principles of healthy eating that transcends cultures. This is not a Christian book but a lot of the things that she shared are biblical - like eating moderately and refraining from instant gratification when it comes to food. 

Bringing Up Bébé // Pamela Druckerman

I had a month of reading books about French culture it seems, because this book was written by an American woman living and raising children in France and her observations of French parenting culture as well. I just find other cultures, particularly French culture fascinating. As Brandon and I prepare for having children of our own, I thought this is book was helpful in considering how other parents in other cultures raise their children. 

There were a number of things in this book that Brandon and I will implement as we raise children. There were some things that I'm still thinking about, and other things that are either a matter of preference or I do not think would work well in our culture and in the ways that we would want to raise children. 

One of the things that fascinated me the most is how French parents teach and educate their children to sleep at night and to practice waiting and not receiving instant gratification. The author made mention to how French children (by and large) do not throw as many tantrums as American children. It was interesting hearing this author's observations. 

Deep Work // Cal Newport

I've been wanting to read this book for a few months and thankfully my local library had it as well. The tagline for this book is "Rules for Focused Living in a Distracted World", and that tagline sounded like a book that I needed to read. I'm in the middle of this book, but so far it has proved fruitful in helping me think about the ways that my phone, media, and other forms of technology really affect my focus when it comes to my work. This book is written towards those in the field of knowledge work (like computer programming or writing). However, Cal shares words and thoughts that transcend knowledge work. 

If we're honest with ourselves, the blessings of technology far outweighs the ways that it distracts us and often hinders us from deep and meaningful work, even if our work is as a cashier at Panera. Technology creates barriers that often hinder us from doing the deep work of loving God and loving our neighbor. 

I have a lot of thoughts from this book and will likely share more thoughts in the future, but in the present I would recommend this read if you are a knowledge worker looking to grow in focused living. 

These are just a few books that I've been reading, but what have you been reading?

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