Can we talk about books?
Hello friends, this marks the fourth year of the books blog. I experienced a rich year of reading and enjoyed 39 (counted) books. One of my goals for 2018 was to start a book club. So, along with my dear friend, Sarah, we launched our cozy club called Books With Friends. Before I get to the books, I’ll share a few ways that I keep track of and enjoy my reads.
Firstly, I use the library. It’s one of my favorite places and it is FREE!
Next, my family has a subscription to Audible. If you enjoy listening to audiobooks, this is the way to go. I often listen to Audible or Podcasts on vacations or long car trips.
And finally, I use the Goodreads app to keep track of my books and see what my friends are reading. Feel free to follow me if you use Goodreads. You can also check out the Books page to see some of my all-time favs on this site: https://kristinsaatzer.com/books-that-have-changed-me/
Now, how about I share some of my choice wins from 2018?
Self-help and inspirational:
This book. Wow. It is deeply personal to the author, she is real and vulnerable, and shares parts of her story. Oh, how it spoke to me. It is Scripturally solid and relatable and hope-filled for anyone struggling with grave disappointment and the pain of a life that has not gone as desired. Five stars.
I read three Mark Batterson books in 2018. This was my favorite and I like it as much as the book above but for different reasons. God used these words to pull me out of discouragement and I continue to return to it. I am praying boldly again!
Imagine Heaven is a book I picked up after a dream of two brothers saying goodbyes before one enters Heaven. I wanted to learn more and hold on to this beautiful dream. This book is a mind-blowing, faith-filled and radiant look at Heaven with story upon story. I will read it again.
Another book that came at the perfect time. I read a few 
Brene Browns this year, but this one was spot on in my healing journey. I love this quote, “You have to be brave with your life, so that others can be brave with theirs.” I am slowly learning to be whom I’m supposed to be. This book has a blog-like feel with social science led research that I found fascinating.
Memoirs:
This is the second memoir written by this remarkable young woman. Daring to Hope contains more of the author’s heart struggles (tied to scripture) than the first book, and not as many stories (although the ones included are amazing). It is somewhat of a Bible study and illustrates the heart of the gospel. This inspiring woman is a model of the hands and feet of Jesus.
Kelly Corrigan is the new Erma Bombeck. She is f
unny and poignant. I was moved to tears and laughed out loud during my reading. This is a mother-daughter story with heart and humor. Love the metaphors! PG-13 for language and sexual innuendo.