This is a list of books that have made an impact on me. I wrote a little line about why after the title. I hope you can find something that helps you, too! 

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Bible Studies

• A Woman's Heart - Bible Study Book: God's Dwelling Place by Beth Moore; in depth, you'll learn a lot!

• Discerning the Voice of God - Bible Study Book - Revised: How to Recognize When God Speaks by Priscilla Shirer; really helped me understand how to hear from the Lord

• Ecclesiastes: A 12-Week Study (Knowing the Bible) by Justin Holcomb, J.I. Packer; stays central to the gospel 

• Love Beyond Looks: A 5-Week Bible Study On Body Image by Kasey Shuler; my books are obviously close to my heart :)

• I Said This, You Heard That: How Your Wiring Colors Your Communication by Kathleen Edelman

• Rest and Rise - 4 Week Bible Study: Be Refreshed In Your Work by Kasey Shuler

Body Image

• Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein; opened my eyes to the consumerism targeted towards my daughter

• Shameful Bodies: Religion and The Culture of Physical Improvement by Michelle Mary Lelwica; in-depth readable research about the history and facts surrounding modern ideals of body image

Christian Living

• Because He Loves Me: How Christ Transforms Our Daily Life by Elyse Fitzpatrick; her several page run-down of the gospel brings me to tears every time

• Celebration of Discipline, Special Anniversary Edition: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard J. Foster; practical, timeless, and his intimate relationship with the Lord is refreshingly apparent

• Good News for Weary Women: Escaping the Bondage of To-Do Lists, Steps, and Bad Advice by Elyse Fitzpatrick; helps my soul breathe a sigh of relief 

• Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation  by Ruth Haley Barton; provides straight-to-the heart methods of patterning our days with the Spirit 

• The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath by Mark Buchanan; his illustrative writing pulls you into every story, and illuminates the character of God and the importance of rest in an attractive way

Christian Faith and the Body

• Embracing the Body: Finding God in Our Flesh and Bone by Tara Owens; helped me meet with the Lord and treat my body with more grace

• Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Paul Brand and Philip Yancey; this and the following book combine miraculous stories in the medical field with theology of the body

• In His Image by Paul Brand and Philip Yancey

• Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food by Lysa TerKeurst; Lysa's down-to-earth writing about her relationship with food was so relatable for me

• The Wellness Revelation: Lose What Weighs You Down So You Can Love God, Yourself, and Others by Alisa Keeton; Alisa compels me to love God with all my strength, and I greatly benefited from the written exercises and free workout calendar

• What Your Body Says About God: How We Are Designed to Connect, Serve, and Thrive by Rob Moll; I came away with a greater appreciation of God's design through Rob's mix of research, science, and real-life applications

Kids (ages 2-8ish)

• God Made All of Me: A Book to Help Children Protect Their Bodies by Justin and Lindsey Holcomb, and Trish Mahoney; fun illustrations and excellent kid-friendly content about private parts and setting personal boundaries

• Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones and Jago; I learn so much reading these stories too, but found that my little girl didn't engage until she was at least three or four years old

• Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and Sheila McGraw; I cry every time I read this! Although the part about the woman holding the adult man is a bit overboard

• My Forgotten Self: A Story About a Girl, a Powerful Encounter, and a Universal Message by Lynyetta G. Willis and Michele Phillips; inspiring story for four-year-olds and up about how we can be all things in Christ

• Putih the Traveling Pelican by Lindsey Desmarais Nubern and Lauren Clickner; helps my four-year-old see how our physical differences can bring us together

• Tale of Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt and Tim Jonke; favorite childhood book and favorite read for Easter and beyond!

• The First Step Bible by Mack Thomas and Joe Stites; my two-year-old's favorite Bible

• The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross by Carl Laferton and Catalina Echeverri; moving illustration to illuminate the story of Eden to the cross

• Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams and Charles Santore; a classic favorite about what it means to become real through love

• You Are Special by Max Lucado and Sergio Martinez; Pinnochio-esque story about how it only matters what God thinks about us

Mind-Body

• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.; my number-one resource on how we hold trauma and stress in the body

• Muscular Retraining for Pain-Free Living: A Practical Approach to Eliminating Chronic Pain, Tendonitis, Neck and Shoulder Tension, and Repetitive Stress Injuries by Craig Williamson; easy-to-understand science of how kinesthesic dysfunction, or the damaged awareness of our body, inflicts pain and exercises to increase awareness and release pain

Health and Fitness

• 10% Human: How Your Body's Microbes Hold the Key to Health and Happiness by Alanna Collen; eye-opening book about how we are 90% microbes and how this relationship affects our health

• Becoming a Supple Leopard 2nd Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance by Kelly Starrett and Glen Cordoza; excellent mobility resource for fitness professionals and aficionados 

• Diastasis Recti: The Whole-Body Solution to Abdominal Weakness and Separation by Katy Bowman; best written resource I've found on diastasis recti

• Dynamic Aging: Simple Exercises for Whole-Body Mobility by Katy Bowman; education and programming to get anyone, at any age, moving better for life (has large text and more space for more seasoned readers)

• Move Your DNA: Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement by Katy Bowman; convinced me to focus more on movement throughout the day rather than one workout a day

• No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness by Michelle Segar; simple program to break the high expectations of fitness and find happiness in movement

• The Athlete's Way: Training Your Mind and Body to Enjoy Exercise by Christopher Bergland; this author is pretty extreme and he often repeats himself, but there is a treasure trove of knowledge and practical tips for experiencing the joy of fitness shared by athletes

• The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein; helped answer some questions behind the nature/nurture question of athletic gifts, while leaving me with even more questions!

• Whole Body Barefoot: Transitioning Well to Minimal Footwear by Katy Bowman; great resource for the importance of the foundation of feet and how caring for them impacts the rest of the kinetic chain

Parenting

• Connection Parenting: by Pam Leo is a very simple read with very practical tips. It outlines how my child’s behavior is need-based, and lists the common needs that children have, including the need to release emotions (tantrums). It has made me a more compassionate and understanding parent.

• Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson; addresses the question of how grace will not make our kids more entitled but more surprised by and attracted to God's love

• Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, 4th Edition: A Step-by-Step Program for a Good Night's Sleep by Marc Weissbluth, M.D.; one of the more balanced books on babies and sleep

• Parenting With Love and Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay; introduces how to use natural consequences with parenting so kids can learn from their mistakes earlier rather than later

• The Healthy Pregnancy Book: Month by Month, Everything You Need to Know from America's Baby Experts by William Sears, Martha Sears, Linda Holt, and BJ Snell; a more in-depth book about staying healthy during pregnancy before getting pregnant and month-by-month

• The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Genevieve Howland; easy and insightful read full of practical tips and recipes to nourish each stage of baby

• Waiting for Birdy: A Year of Frantic Tedium, Improbable Grace, and the Wild Magic of Growing a Family by Catherine Newman; my comedic relief during pregnancy - this chronicles her pregnancy with her three-year-old and makes me laugh every time I open it

Theology

• Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, and Relevance by Bruce A. Ware; one of my favorite methods of explaining the Trinity

• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis; brings up the raw foundations of Christianity and gives voice to our deeper thoughts on faith

• Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton; a wide mix of truth that led G.K. Chesterton to Christianity and to defend it through fantasy, comparing it with other religions, and contrasting it with the ways of the world

• Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright; opened my eyes to a new interpretation of heaven coming down to earth, not us going up to heaven

• The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis; this story of heaven and hell sticks with me in so many ways

• The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul; I never knew the importance of God's main attribute, "Holy, holy, holy" until this book

• The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis; his story on spiritual warfare rings true and wakes me up to the subtleties of the enemy's schemes

Writing

• Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott; her writing is always casual but cuts to the heart, and this book on writing encourages the writer to take things one word at a time

• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King; my biggest takeaway: read as much as I write

• On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser; keep it simple

• The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B White; highlights the basics of good writing

• The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner; helped me get over my fear of editors and to see the importance of our writing-editing partnership

• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield; tempers the fever of taking myself too seriously in writing while firing me up to fight the resistance that stands between me and creating